| Forum Developments View the Forum Registry |
| |
| 0 |
Subject: GuruPatron Window is now open Posted by: Guru - [330592710] Wed, Mar 21, 09:49 As I announced in this morning's blurb, I am now soliciting and accepting contributions to keep this site up and free. (If you're unaware of the circumstances which prompt this approach, please review some of the other threads in this forum developments area.) For now, financial support is voluntary, and no site privileges are conditional on that support. (Those who manage the Gurupie standings may certainly consider this factor, however, if there is a need to ration that service.) If Gurupies pony up as they indicated in the recent poll, then this approach will work. If not, then I'll have to figure out a Plan B. I will try to personally acknowledge all donations quickly (via email within 24 hours), so that you can be assured that your contribution has arrived safely. Soon (hopefully by the start of baseball season), I'll post a registry of all supporters. And eventually, I'll link in an automated recognition system that highlights the names of supporters along with their posts. But please be patient as I attend to these administrative details. By the way, early sales of RotoGuru merchandise have been pretty sluggish. Only 8 items have been sold (to a total of 4 people) since I announced this offering last week. I'm sure some of you are just procrastinating (which is fine), and some may be put off by the prices (which is also fine). Some may be waiting for alternative designs to become available - but someone first has to produce (or at least suggest) those designs. My purpose in mentioning this is not to browbeat you into ordering merchandise, because that is purely up to you. It's just to point out that merchandise sales aren't likely to be a significant revenue producer. And my limited advertising sources are currently producing less than $100/month. So from this vantage point, it's looking like "GuruPatronage or bust"! For details on how you can become a GuruPatron, click here. Thanks for your support. | ||||||
| 1 | Perm Dude ID: 28059111 Wed, Mar 21, 10:17 |
Got my GuruStuff today; drinking my Organic Breakfast Blend from my new 16oz mug is quite a thrill. Guys, the prices are a little high. But worth it. I have one of the few RotoGuru sweatshirts in the world. pd | |||||
| 2 | hoops boy ID: 16937178 Wed, Mar 21, 10:21 | dave, is there an email address associated with your pay pal account that those of us who have pay pal accounts can send the payment to? | |||||
| 3 | biliruben ID: 231045110 Wed, Mar 21, 10:23 |
Well if I knew the shirts were going to be a rare collector's item, I would have bought one right away! Actually, I have been holding off because I look to have a realistic shot at winning one in Market Madness, but I guess you can't have too many roto-guru items, right? | |||||
| 4 | Guru ID: 330592710 Wed, Mar 21, 10:35 |
If you already have a PayPal account, you can still use the button provided. It will allow you to log in to your account, with the receiving email address already set up. BTW, my PayPal email address is the same as my normal email address: davehall@home.com | |||||
| 5 | hoops boy ID: 16937178 Wed, Mar 21, 10:40 | DOH!!! Uh...I mean, I knew that, I just wanted to make sure anyone *else* who can't read simple directions would have that issue cleared up... | |||||
| 6 | Guru ID: 330592710 Wed, Mar 21, 10:46 |
I understand that feedback is important in an undertaking like this, and I will try to keep you updated on the results of this campaign. For awhile, I'll report daily on how much has been received, and from how many GuruPatrons. I may also embed a current tally in the header message, just to keep it in view. Updates will be manual, however, so don't expect an instantaneously updated total. | |||||
| 7 | YankeesRule ID: 299302812 Wed, Mar 21, 15:29 |
Mr. Hall: Do merchandise sales count as patron donations (I assume not, but just want to make sure) | |||||
| 8 | Guru ID: 330592710 Wed, Mar 21, 15:34 | Nope. | |||||
| 9 | Joe ID: 118292918 Wed, Mar 21, 15:46 | Doesn't look like us canadians can use PayPal. Is our only option physical mail? | |||||
| 10 | Guru ID: 330592710 Wed, Mar 21, 16:30 |
PayPal is available for Canadians, as well as a number of other countries. But it appears that you need to register through a separate form. See here for more information. | |||||
| 11 | azdbacker ID: 230212320 Wed, Mar 21, 20:45 | Personally, I will not participate in the merchandise that is being offered, because if I am going to do something on behalf of the Guru (which I will), I want him to receive all the money. I would imagine others share my view. | |||||
| 12 | Joe ID: 118292918 Wed, Mar 21, 21:07 | Looks like you're gonna have to wait 'til I get my next credit card bill to get my donation, Guru... They've got to verify my credit card with a number that will be on my bill. | |||||
| 13 | Guru ID: 330592710 Thu, Mar 22, 09:44 |
Returns from the first 24 hours: 9 donations at $100 or more, 4 donations from $50-99, 19 donations from $1-49. Total collected so far is $1368. A good start, but a long way to go. The preliminary poll indicated about 270 likely contributers. The average donation so far seems consistent with the poll indications. The registry won't be posted until April. I want to give those using "snail mail" a chance to get on the first listing. | |||||
| 14 | YankeesRule ID: 299302812 Thu, Mar 22, 13:49 | If I use a money order, what should I put, my real name or my gurupie moniker? | |||||
| 15 | Guru ID: 330592710 Thu, Mar 22, 14:03 | Put whatever you want. Just make sure I have some way to identify who it's from, if you want to be listed in the registry. | |||||
| 16 | YankeesRule ID: 299302812 Thu, Mar 22, 14:08 | ok just remember, YR with a capital Y is me not yR | |||||
| 17 | Col. Kern ID: 332592322 Fri, Mar 23, 22:59 |
Hey GURU! What happened? I use to drop by this site and YOU would brag that you where out playing golf while the rest of us where working... now your begging for money! Okay, okay I have to admit that you ARE THE MAN for getting this site going but..........don't rub in your good fortune. It's not that easy being a good winner in life but you should have it down by now!!!!!!!!!! | |||||
| 18 | Guru ID: 330592710 Sat, Mar 24, 08:22 |
Returns from the first 3 days: 11 donations at $100 or more, 6 donations from $50-99, 27 donations from $1-49. Total collected so far is $1819. Have not been to the mailbox yet. Should be some mail next week. | |||||
| 19 | Guru ID: 330592710 Mon, Mar 26, 13:56 |
Update as of Monday afternoon, 3pm EST. (This includes 7 donations in today's snail mail.) 18 donations at $100 or more, 8 donations from $50-99, 39 donations from $1-49. Totals: 65 donations, $2867. All of these have been acknowledged by email, except for one from Texas Flood, who did not provide an email address. | |||||
| 20 | JW ID: 58410317 Tue, Apr 03, 16:48 |
Heyyy, we've topped $5,000! How we doin', Dave? (i.e.: is this working out?) | |||||
| 21 | Guru ID: 330592710 Tue, Apr 03, 17:01 |
I was planning to do an update today, since we did hit the $5000 mark. Here's the tally as of Tuesday afternoon: 26 donations of $100 or more, 18 between $50 and $99, 52 under $50. Total donors = 96 Total donated = $5,022 Roughly 80% of the donations have come via PayPal, with the rest through the US mail. I consider this a very good result. And while many of the gifts are annual amounts, some have indicated a plan to give on a monthly or other recurring basis. Still, there were about 270 who responded favorably to the poll, so only about one-third have come through. I'm not sure whether the others are procrastinating, or holding back to see whether it's needed, or just reversing their decision. Or was the poll subject to some ballot stuffing? Regardless, this certainly gives me the confidence to carry on. I'll be posting a list of the first donors shortly. After this, the next "push" probably won't be until the summer, maybe around the early stages of football fever. | |||||
| 22 | Stuck in the Sixties ID: 9358318 Tue, Apr 03, 19:25 |
Dave: Would the amount already taken in, annualized, be enough to support the site? If not, how much would you need? Don | |||||
| 23 | biliruben ID: 3502218 Tue, Apr 03, 19:42 |
He's mentioned a $7000 figure just for server costs, but that doesn't take into account the 43 cents he will receive from advertising, or the $60K his time is worth. I figure we have a long way to go! | |||||
| 24 | Guru ID: 330592710 Tue, Apr 03, 19:49 |
As mentioned on the GuruPatron page, annual costs to continue the site as is (servers, features, prizes, etc.) run around $7000/year. That assumes I earn nothing for my efforts. With a few more campaigns over the course of the next 12 months, I think we should be able to exceed that level. The poll results suggested a total annual level of around $10 grand. If we achieve that level, I'll net about $1/hour on this gig! (...which might make this site among the most profitable on the web.) | |||||
| 25 | ClevelandRocks ID: 4431415 Wed, Apr 04, 16:33 |
billruben.. the 60k your mentioning.. I know your not being literal but just got me thinking.. I was under the assumption that Guru was secure enough financially that he was able to leave a full time job to pursue his passion- that is, Fantasy Baseball Strategy. Well at least thats what i gather from his bio. I mean.. the money thats being raised is to help run the site without a loss right? i mean.. its not to Pay a salary to Dave to help him support his family right? Btw Dave.. i'll be sending a 20 spot by Paypal as soon as the semester is over(May 1st). Money is tight now ever since i got ripped off on Ebay last month. If somehow I find myself in a surplus of cash before then, i'll send earlier. | |||||
| 26 | biliruben ID: 3502218 Wed, Apr 04, 18:04 |
Right, CR, right. Personally, I don't have a problem with Dave spending the money however he sees fit. I would guess most of it will go towards the things he mentioned - servers, features and prizes. | |||||
| 27 | JW ID: 58410317 Thu, Apr 05, 18:22 |
... and buying out Smallworld! No, wait, we said we wouldn't fritter the money away. | |||||
| 28 | Guru ID: 330592710 Fri, Apr 06, 10:15 |
The initial registry of GuruPatrons has now been posted, and will be continually updated as new contributions arrive. Special thanks to the first 100 contributors who immediately stepped up when the call was made. I sincerely appreciate your generosity and expressions of confidence. | |||||
| |||||||
Post a reply to this message: (But first, how about checking out this sponsor?) | |||||||