Page 6 of 6 FirstFirst ... 23456
Results 76 to 90 of 90

Thread: Members and Contributors

  1. #76
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    Quote Originally Posted by George Bokros View Post
    Regarding ads, a little garage door company in my neck of the woods just had an ad pop up here on SMC. I am puzzled because I am sure the owner likely has no idea of the existence of this web site so why is there an ad popping up on here from them if the hosts of SMC derive revenue from the ads??

    I as on their website last week looking for a company to replace my garage door opener since I did not want to do it myself and now they pop up with an ad on SMC.
    Because the ads served are not handled by SMC's server; rather, they are provide by a third party and it uses any available data to personalize many ads served to each visitor. So since you were browsing a particular site recently, the third party ad server recognized that and provided you with a, um...reminder...that you expressed some level of interest in the same. This is the way it is on most sites...they don't sell individual ads so much. Sometimes banners from specific advertiser partners of the site will appear in the rotation and that is easily provisioned.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #77
    Quote Originally Posted by George Bokros View Post
    Regarding ads, a little garage door company in my neck of the woods just had an ad pop up here on SMC. I am puzzled because I am sure the owner likely has no idea of the existence of this web site so why is there an ad popping up on here from them if the hosts of SMC derive revenue from the ads??

    I as on their website last week looking for a company to replace my garage door opener since I did not want to do it myself and now they pop up with an ad on SMC.
    I'm sure Google is just putting ads here specifically for you because of where you live. Individual companies don't usually place the ads, Google does in most instances.

  3. #78
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    N.E, Ohio
    Posts
    3,026
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Because the ads served are not handled by SMC's server; rather, they are provide by a third party and it uses any available data to personalize many ads served to each visitor. So since you were browsing a particular site recently, the third party ad server recognized that and provided you with a, um...reminder...that you expressed some level of interest in the same. This is the way it is on most sites...they don't sell individual ads so much. Sometimes banners from specific advertiser partners of the site will appear in the rotation and that is easily provisioned.
    Thanks for the clarification Jim
    George

    Making sawdust regularly, occasionally a project is completed.

  4. #79
    There is value in SMC for me in providing me with access to people I wouldn't otherwise know or have direct access to: other posters. Over time, as I've gotten to know them a bit through their posts, I've learned to value their input. In a very few cases, I've gotten into PM and e-mail dialogs with a direct relationship. If these sorts of things are not a value to you, of course a pay wall would not be justifiable for you. In my case, I find it well worth the $6 per year. If the site had to be shut down for lack of funds, I would feel the loss. If you would not miss the site if it were gone, it occurs to me to wonder why you're here in the first place.
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  5. #80
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Hayes, Virginia
    Posts
    14,760
    Yesterday Xenforo released the long awaited upgrade for their software. This means that we are very close to making the conversion and it might be a good time to test the waters by shutting down SawMill Creek for a few days which will give our Server Administrator plenty of time to get everything configured and not have to worry about working on an active site. There are some features that vBulletin provides that don't exist in Xenforo. There are features in Xenforo that don't exist in vBulletin and last but not least access to various posts and threads will require some time for everyone to get used to. Our Staff will have to remove or edit hundreds of threads and posts, most are help files for vBulletin that won't apply to Xenforo. What concerns me at this point is what we don't know that will have to be done before we open the doors again.

    There have been a lot of questions asked in this thread and at least one other thread about our configuration options that are available and some asked about options that are definitely not available. I'm sure that I can come to an agreement with our existing advertisers so that I can extend their advertising time to twice the amount of time we are down and make arrangements for Contributors to continue to have access possibly be letting them have early access to the new SawMill Creek. A small group of Contributors would be a big help identifying things that need to be fixed or adjusted.

    FWIW I already know what is valuable here its Friendship, Entertainment and help when you really need it.
    .
    Last edited by Keith Outten; 12-18-2017 at 3:02 PM.

  6. #81
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,582
    Not sure why you need to shut the site down but get on with it if it helps you out. There is never going to be a better time to do it than now.

  7. #82
    Do what you need to do to get us swapped over Keith. We understand it takes time and effort to do that.
    Thanks for the heads up.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  8. #83
    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Barry View Post
    Not sure why you need to shut the site down but get on with it if it helps you out. There is never going to be a better time to do it than now.
    The migration process for XenForo requires several hours, depending on the size of the vBulletin database. The database (website) must be offline in order to ensure table integrity during the transfer.

  9. #84
    As far as I'm concerned, if you need to shut down, shut down. Do whatever it takes to transition to the new software. We appreciate your efforts.

  10. #85
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Hayes, Virginia
    Posts
    14,760
    No matter which direction we take in the near term its important to understand that wherever we go the decision is being made by the majority here not me or our staff.

    In 2005 the majority of our Community decided that they wanted free access paid for by advertising. Today the majority has changed their mind, using ad blocking software prevents advertising so the funds necessary to operate this site will have to come from our Community.

    We have provided free access to SawMill Creek for almost fifteen years, this is a major accomplishment. Donations we have received have been essential to our need to purchase new hardware and software and advertising has provided the majority of our annual costs to fund this Community. If you take away my ability to attract and maintain advertisers I won't be able to pay the bills twelve months from today. We have a twelve month budget based on our ability to operate on savings I have been able to accumulate over the years. We have always been and will continue to be a financially responsible Community.

    Currently we do not have a financial problem, most of our long term advertisers are still on board but the handwriting is on the wall and I believe its better to prevent financial problems long before they reach a critical stage that only leave us with one option. I cannot make you turn off your advertising blocking software, some will but the majority will not and since we are all in the same boat we all have to deal with a change in direction.

    Today I will make all of you this promise:
    You will have twelve months notice before this site ever shuts down so you can make decisions as you have done in the past and we will honor our commitment to our current advertisers.

    We are moving forward with a plan to reinvent SawMill Creek with new software and new services like the upcoming Hall Of Fame that we think everyone will enjoy. I will share this in advance...the Hall Of Fame will be open to everyone on the global Internet, it will most likely not be part of our new forum software. Aaron Koehl is working on a proposal for the design and hosting of the Hall Of Fame.
    Last edited by Keith Outten; 12-19-2017 at 2:43 PM.

  11. #86
    I turned the ad blocker off before I saw this. But when I did notice this thread, I went ahead and just donated at the $6 amount. I in no way feel that's all this site is worth, but I'm not exactly swimming in $100s at the moment. I've done many google searches in recent years relating to woodworking, and the answer to my question has so often been right here on this site. I hope to contribute more in the future.

  12. #87
    Thank you Robin. Glad to have you join us!
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  13. #88
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    N.E, Ohio
    Posts
    3,026
    My paid membership is up for renewal in January and I plan to contribute at a higher rate than I have in the past. This site has great members with a vast amount of knowledge in woodworking and it is well worth membership.

    Thanks to all for providing the platform for us.
    George

    Making sawdust regularly, occasionally a project is completed.

  14. #89
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Asheboro,NC
    Posts
    133
    Your opinion is well stated Sir.

    Jay Mullins

  15. #90
    A little outdated but I found this thread looking to be a contributor. In a couple short months I've read and received information far beyond the value of contribution.

    Interestingly, Wayne is one of those people and he has the first reply on here. I agree with his post. He gives vast amounts of knowledge to this forum. I take vast amounts of knowledge from this forum. Therein lies the difference.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •