About the donation button...

[Meredith]

Thank you very much. All of it is going to pay for the hosting, and yes, it definitely helps.   

[Screen Queen]

Have you thought about setting up a "tally pot" (as suggested by LH)?  It might help to generate more donations if people knew what the target was, how much had been achieved, and how much more was needed. Depending on circumstances, I may be able to make another donation next month.

[MrB]

Have you thought about setting up a "tally pot" (as suggested by LH)?  It might help to generate more donations if people knew what the target was, how much had been achieved, and how much more was needed.

This sounds like an excellent idea. It also brings up the question of how the system will operate going forward: are you aiming for a continuing stream of donations, or will there be an annual fund raising drive? If the latter, then maybe there should be a closing date for donations as well.

[Meredith]

There's a tally pot feature on Amazon, but not one on Paypal, as far as I know.  I'm happy to keep you updated here.

Currently (I'm repeating myself for the sake of clarity, forgive me) we're on a semi-dedicated server -- this upgrade is why the site became dependably accessible again.  Thanks to the incredible generosity of those who donated, we're good to go for at least eight months on the semi-dedicated package.  I hope to move to a dedicated server eventually, because then we could feel confident of our ability to handle some additional features -- a chatroom, blogs for everyone who wants one, etc. (I laid this out in an e-mail to folks who had donated).  But after doing more research into the cost of a dedicated server, I've learned it would be pretty damn expensive (anywhere from $250 to $300 a month, including administrative and technical support fees -- which I hadn't realized were separate charges on top of the basic server rental fee).  I don't think it's fair or reasonable to expect that we're going to make enough JUST from donations to routinely cover that.  (Unless one of you is Bill Gates in disguise?  If so, you know where to reach me. )  And until I strike it rich (which at this point seems like it would entail ditching my PhD program ), I certainly can't pay out of my own pocket.  Perhaps I'll start buying lottery tickets?

No, seriously -- I've got a few ideas.  The first is common sense: See how far this semi-dedicated server can take us.  When I get back from India in September, I'm going to start trying to implement the features I've envisioned for the site, and see if our share of the server can handle the load.  Who knows?  It might be able to.

Second -- look for a different way to raise money.  A while back, people expressed interest in a BollyWHAT? t-shirt.  I'm sure they would be cheaper to make in India, no?  So (provided that there's still demand), while I'm in Lucknow this summer, I'm going to see if I can get some made, bring them back here, and perhaps make them available for purchase.  (Although it seems to me that people who have donated should get them free or at a steep discount.)  Does this sound like a good idea to people?  If so, I might open a t-shirt design topic.

Third -- leave the donation button up for anyone who cares to donate.  We've raised enough money to guarantee that the site will remain on a semi-dedicated package for a while.  So last week's imminent crisis of the site going down has passed.  That said, donations received from here on out will all be put toward 1) the semi-dedicated server fund, to make sure we have a full year covered; and then 2) the dedicated server fund -- anything above and beyond a year of semi-dedicated server funding will go toward this.

[Anamika]

Third -- leave the donation button up for anyone who cares to donate.  We've raised enough money to guarantee that the site will remain on a semi-dedicated package for a while.  So last week's imminent crisis of the site going down has passed.  That said, donations received from here on out will all be put toward 1) the semi-dedicated server fund, to make sure we have a full year covered; and then 2) the dedicated server fund -- anything above and beyond a year of semi-dedicated server funding will go toward this.

Yes, please leave the donation button. I am still waiting for a new credit card, hoping it will work... (someday, somehow you will definitely get a donation from me, but I still don't know when...) 

A t-shirt would be nice to have, too, if we can decide on a design most of us would like. 

And so far the new server works fine, at least it did every time I logged in. Until we discover the hidden millionaire in BollyWHAT's members list, perhaps the semi-dedicated server is the perfect solution. Thanks for finding it, Meredith!

[Dil Bert]

I hope to move to a dedicated server eventually, because then we could feel confident of our ability to handle some additional features -- a chatroom, blogs for everyone who wants one, etc.

The cheap route for those would be to point people to existing free alternatives.

The first is common sense: See how far this semi-dedicated server can take us.

That gets my vote.  Of course, you can explore cheaper-but-still-reliable options for hosting, if any exist.

Second -- look for a different way to raise money.  A while back, people expressed interest in a BollyWHAT? t-shirt.  I'm sure they would be cheaper to make in India, no?

Yes, except that you'd have to at least consider that importing textiles from India to sell in the US could (legally, at least) involve more than just shipping them home.  I know there are sites which will take a logo and put it on many different items such as clothing, mugs, etc. when an order comes in.   Something like: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/

If affiliate links with Nehaflix, et. al. won't work, perhaps find some way to sell current Indian film posters?  Some way which doesn't involve you carrying inventory, and getting stuck with 15 KAAL posters, for example.

BW is much bigger in England than it is in the US, so I don't know if there's any good way to link up with the businesses over there.

Maybe, given his recent statements, Big B would sponsor BollyWhat as a way of promoting BW films. 

If the dedicated server is less expensive if you provide your own server, perhaps someone has an appropriate PC to donate (sadly, I gave my last desktop to a school a while ago).  The dedicated server option seems like overkill to me, but if it's what you want there should be some way to make it happen.

Luckily I donated when I did, as I just found a house, so soon I won't even be able to pay attention.

[Meredith]

Steve

1) I've heard that Cafepress doesn't have the best quality of work.  Do you have any direct experiences with them?

2) Selling posters sounds like a good idea, simply because I love to collect them, and hunting them down in India would be fun.  But I can't make this into too much of an "operation" because I do have a PhD to do!

3) I suspect that bringing back, say, one hundred t-shirts wouldn't be breaking any import laws... I have a feeling they set the bar a bit higher.  But it's good that you point it out, so I can look into it.

4)

Luckily I donated when I did, as I just found a house, so soon I won't even be able to pay attention.

 

I hope this means you've found a house so no donations, rather than you've found a house so you're leaving the forum!

[Dil Bert]

1) I've heard that Cafepress doesn't have the best quality of work.  Do you have any direct experiences with them?

No, it was just an example.  I'm sure there are other, similar operations online.  Otherwise you could find someone local and sell them yourself.

2) Selling posters sounds like a good idea, simply because I love to collect them, and hunting them down in India would be fun.

If you had a supplier in India to handle the logistics, you would just need a shopping cart program to collect the orders.

3) I suspect that bringing back, say, one hundred t-shirts wouldn't be breaking any import laws... I have a feeling they set the bar a bit higher.  But it's good that you point it out, so I can look into it.

Yes, just something to check.  Don't want the t-shirts to say "...and all I got was a federal prison sentence."

I hope this means you've found a house so no donations, rather than you've found a house so you're leaving the forum!

No more donations (how soon they forget).  I wasn't intending to leave the forum; in fact, watching the stacks of BW films which have accumulated may be the least cost entertainment option for a while. I mean, heck, Paok is still here, why not me? 

[Meredith]

I hope this means you've found a house so no donations, rather than you've found a house so you're leaving the forum!

No more donations (how soon they forget).  I wasn't intending to leave the forum; in fact, watching the stacks of BW films which have accumulated may be the least cost entertainment option for a while. I mean, heck, Paok is still here, why not me? 

No, no, I haven't forgotten!    I just didn't understand what you were saying. 

Good -- WAL would be a far more boring place without you. 

[Plus]

Maybe, given his recent statements, Big B would sponsor BollyWhat as a way of promoting BW films. 

I know that was intended as a joke, but if we start a letter-writing campaign, he's bound to pick one of them up and read it.

[ek_ladki]

hmmm....then we'd have all of the Bbollywood film industry joining the forum!

[Plus]

Haha, and then he'll find out what his son is really up to.   

[mello_melon]

i finally got some extra money, so i donated. i hope the t-shirt thing works out. i'd love to have one, whether i have to pay for it or not.

[kragey]

Er, we can still donate, right? (Probably should've asked BEFORE I hit the pay button.)

[Dil Bert]

Does the recent change in hosting packages mean we should have another round of donating?

[krissh]

I am ecstatic to see that the idea of a BollyWhat t-shirt is already being considered. There are a number of other t-shirt dealers out there, that are a much better deal than cafe press. You don't actually have to purchase any inventory, they just print on demand.

Why not have a forum for people with artistic tendencies or ideas for t-shirts. I have seen many a fan-site that has a page dedicated to sketches, wallpapers, videos, etc. You could have a thread dedicated to t-shirt sayings! While looking for images of Aamir, I saw a key-chain with the words, "I don't slow down for anyone but Aamir" or something like that. It would also be cool to have phrases in devangari. I am happy to do some research on what options are available, let me know if I can help!

[punkmama]

i just made a choti choti donation from the punkmama/zombeaner family!

[jjake61]

I just donated too. The forum not loading yesterday freaked me out.  Can you say "addicted"?