Hi Everybody, every year around early Summer I run a donation drive. I don’t like asking for donations, but it’s necessary.
In the past, I have used some buttons and widgets to collect the money, but this year I couldn’t find any I liked (Chip-in has closed).
I will therefore be giving you my PayPal email address and asking you to make donations that way. I know for people without PayPal accounts, that’s not convenient but I can’t see another way to do – if you know a good way, please let me know.
This post has to start with Nodecraft.com They provide the website hosting service (not the files or media) and have been nothing but fantastic. I have no hesitation in recommending their services.
I don’t know how they compare prices and value for money wise, but I love them. I am sure you will agree that the site has been super fast since I moved to them last year. If you need hosting or game servers, please take a moment to visit their site and give them a chance to sell you their services.
The reason I am mentioning them here, is that they “sponsor” the site and if I had to pay regular price then I would need to run more donation drives – So a HUGE thanks to them.
What do I need the money for if Nodecraft.com host the site? Well, I also run a dedicated server with a company called online.net based in France. I’m happy with the service but I might like to upgrade to a faster server early next year. I currently pay 17 US Dollars a month, but might need to go up to around 25/30 US Dollars.
At some point in the future I would also like to move to a Content Delivery Network. Before you suggest CloudFlare, I have tried them but had a lot of issues with them.
Well, Jan, the coder, has been hard at work and I would like to be able to reward him with some more software. I know that he and the others who have helped don’t do it for financial reward but I like to give something back.
I would also like to try and get some custom graphics made this year. I’ll probably use Fiverr.com but it never ends up costing just $5, but I have been happy in the past.
Lastly, there are general expenses. Things like buying a few games in the Steam Sales for Mapping Challenge prizes, donations for software, domain registrations, stuff like.
Unfortunately, the income from the Text Link Ads displayed at the bottom of the site has gone down by 30% in the last 2 years. It’s not directly related to their new position in the footer because it was dropping before that.
I will be looking to give them more prominence soon, but I don’t think it will make much difference.
I am hoping to raise 500 US Dollars this drive.
Please send money via PayPal to [email protected]
However, I also know that the Steam Sales have just finished, the economy is tough and people are struggling.
If you can spare some money, that’s great. If not, I’ll understand.
As always, if you have any comments, suggestions or points to make, please use the comment system below.
I must be the first!!! Phillip wish I could contribute more than I do, but I do enjoy reading everything and playing (even at MY age— haha) any way it’s on its way!!! Greets from the middle of the USA1
The second to donate, but the first to comment. Any contribution is kind and yours was very kind.
Let’s hope we both keep gaming into our 100s.
Have you considered switching text ad providers? They’ve been advertising the same thing for 2-3 years now (“modded controllers” and “cool gadgets”), it’s no wonder that no one clicks on them. XD
I have looked at others but I get a flat rate with those guys and I feel that’s better than a pay per click.
I’ll take another look this month and maybe take the plunge.
It’s probably worth keeping it as-is. It just intrigues me that they don’t change.
Just a quick note to thank everybody who has donated so far – you should have received an email from me but if you haven’t please let me know, I don’t want anybody to slip through the cracks.
At the time of writing this comment, we have raised $260, which is fantastic.
thank you for your work. I ‘ve send some €
I’ve just sent an email. Thank you for your kind donation. It’s much appreciated.
$20 donated. I’ve rediscovered Half Life mods after finding your site, Phillip. Thanks for all your work.
Just sent an email Thanks for the donations, it’s much appreciated.