After recent events and with talking to several people, I've been convinced that it would be ok for the XWF to put up a donations page!

Originally my thought process was, "e-feds are always free and people would never want to put out money for an e-fed when there are so many free ones out there to choose from" ...but then I had some people remind me that the XWF provides an e-fedding experience that you can't exactly find elsewhere. We've built a community almost resembling a family and have taken on a form that I think is much greater than most e-feds can hope to deliver successfully. So yeah, blah blah blah, I'm not going to sugar coat this. lol If you want to help out XWF (and me), you finally have the chance!

I'm going to look into how to physically create a donations page and what options can be included. I'm guessing it'll be a Paypal donation button and maybe will have credit card options for those who don't use paypal. If there are other methods of donating to a site that are more "up with the times" please feel free to make a recommendation to me.

I'll be honest... it's not easy to keep the site running and the cost of keeping this site is going up as we move forward because I don't want to sacrifice features and have to remove old data/posts. As we grow, and number of users/threads/etc grows, it takes more out of me financially AND physically/mentally to keep us afloat. The time has finally come for me to ask for help, and those who know me well know I don't ask unless it's needed. I have run into some financial troubles on a personal level as well lately, as much as I hate to admit it, so every bit of help right now WILL be huge in my eyes and will help to keep the XWF afloat and always improving.

Lastly, keep in mind nobody is expected to donate anything. There is definitely no pressure. I just want those who WANT to help out to have an easy way to do that in just a few clicks!

Sounds great, I'll definitely be pitching in.

I've already told you I'd give you boat loads of cash

Shane, we need to make a Youtube video of you showing you using a computer from 1995 on a dial up connection as Sarah McLachlan sings in the background. Stop fed owner abuse.... donate today.

Thanks again to all those who participate!

I added a link at the top of the site too, toward the right. That link is only visible while you're logged in though. More info is on the page the link brings you to!

The donation page

I merged my two threads talking about this into one thread so it's not all over the forums.

We've already had FOUR donations come in ranging all the way from single-digit dollar amount to triple-digit dollar amount per donor! THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is exactly what we need to happen; people pitching in regardless of how much or little they can offer. I am VERY happy with the turnout so far and it's safe to say the donation page is free of any bugs or glitches. Please DO NOT feel like it's too small of an amount to donate if you only have a few bucks to spare... it's very much appreciated and needed right now.

My goal is going to be to try and gather enough funds to take the XWF site to a much more reliable host in the next weeks/months/however soon I can. I'll probably pay to have it professionally transferred so the move is A) much faster and B) doesn't result in us losing any data (last year on our server switch we lost a day's worth of posts).

I'm going to still have to do more investigating, but off the top of my head I can already imagine that the actual switch to the new servers and the cost of keeping the site running on them is going to be in the several hundred dollar range all at once (because I would need to pay for a full year on most hosts in order to get a good per-month rate) but on the bright side, I should be able to then turn on some "long lost" features that some older members might remember us having. Basically if we can upgrade to a better server I won't have to be "cheap" on our plugins anymore. As some of you may know, on our current server I have been having to "juggle" some of our features and remove certain ones as I add others, in order to keep the "resource load" down on our site. My dream is to take us to a more robust server that has LESS downtime and can support ALL of the plugins and features we want.

I originally was going to pay for all of the above myself when I had these thoughts a few months back, but lately I've run into some unexpected expenses and other problems with money so that's why I've got to reach out to the family. You guys are helping me out on two levels right now and I thoroughly appreciate it. Thank you very much to the four who have already donated and in advance to anyone else who plans to!

Lastly, if anybody has any "goal suggestions" feel free to let me know what those are... like if you have an idea we should try and save up funds toward. Not sure what those would be but maybe somebody has some good ideas? One of my other goals is to launch a serious onslaught of advertising for the fed so we can bring in some new blood. It's been a good few months since I've done any advertising for the fed, and I think it has shown in how our new signups are more spread out.

tl;dr = First day of donations has gone really well. Thank you to the 4 ppl who already donated! I have plans for a bigger, better, faster site as our #1 goal followed by a serious blast of paid advertising to bring in some NEW blood after our site's body has been given its steroid injection! We're already covered financially as far as letting the XWF "continue to exist as it has" for another month or two, so now let's shoot past that so I can give us our XWF "super site"and restore all of our long lost features that have been dormant for the past 9 to 11 months. I have VERY high hopes for a fast turnaround if this support continues. Thanks all!

Just a quick thing to mention. I saw on the donation page that payment is automatically set to dollars. For us international members would we have to convert how much our donation would be in American dollars or is there a way to set it to pounds? I was hoping to donate soon but I wanted to be sure that I was doing it right lol :P

Fixed.

Euros and Pounds now available!

Cheers, mango :)

Once I get the cash flow going again I'll be sure to donate some money to the cause, several job interviews coming up wish me luck ;D

Plus who doesn't want a nifty logo next to their name?

3x Xtreme Champion
1x Briefcase Holder
1x Television Champion
1x Universal Champion

Going to donate £10 in a couple days. Not much but whatever. My mother thinks it's dumb of me to do so on the grounds of 'why pay for it when it's free', and then started having a go at me when I said I just wanted to help out ¬¬

Whatever. Double-digits coming your way soon lol.

Regardless as to what has been said, I love this fed and will donate as soon as I am financially able to do so. Right now, By the time I get done paying bills I'm lucky to have enough left over just to buy a pack of smokes. I should have my title loan paid off soon so that will help a little bit.

Record since return
6-3

Update: Deleted several posts in this thread that made it messy and confusing.

As of now, we have a total of 6 people who have donated to the fed! We even had somebody donate TWICE already!!! Thank you! While this is a great start, it's nowhere near where we need to be and I've had to disable a disturbingly large amount of forum features today and remove several user accounts from the active roster as well to save space and resources. As the fed grows, and our post count (database) grows, and the world keeps turning, this site is using up more and more resources on our host and is at risk of being disabled without warning now because I refuse to pay more money per month to the CURRENT hosts who are completely incompetent. We NEED to get off this host, and I need to be able to take some time away from my other work routines in order to focus more on the fed to arrange the change, which means I'm losing money work-wise when I take the time to do this. We're shooting for a goal in the $1k range to cover a professional crossover to a much more robust host that will allow me to restore ALL of our features PLUS add new ones that you guys (and I) will love! This will also allow us to do a blast of promotional tactics for the fed and GREATLY increase our numbers. If anybody was here a year ago, you remember how the fed had new signups almost every single day right? THAT can be the reality again, but we're in NO shape right now to do that on these current boards or the increase in traffic would sink our ship.

While a 1k minimum goal may SOUND high and may be intimidating, remember that even if you only can donate 5 bucks you are STILL HELPING US GET THERE because you're not the ONLY person donating. Please don't assume you have to donate a HUGE amount to help us. 5 bucks here, 10 bucks there... basic chicken feed... is enough to take us where we need to be by the middle of this year AT THE LATEST, but only if just about everyone pitches in. We can absolutely do this, and yes in case you're wondering, a LOT of my own money has already gone into the fed and I plan on continuing that as I can. I'm not just putting the cost all on you guys here.

I'm trying very hard to not go the "ugly route" and have to start placing ads all over the site. I COULD generate some revenue with basic ad marketing, but the site will be bloated and ugly with pop ups on every single page and banner ads across the top. I REFUSE to do that as of right now. That's why we're doing the donations instead. I want to keep the site looking clean and ad free, which makes it much harder to support financially when we need to upgrade.

Thanks all!

(02-19-2014, 03:09 PM)Smoke Said: Going to donate £10 in a couple days. Not much but whatever. My mother thinks it's dumb of me to do so on the grounds of 'why pay for it when it's free', and then started having a go at me when I said I just wanted to help out ¬¬

Whatever. Double-digits coming your way soon lol.

Didn't see this until today. lol Yes my belief used to be the same as what your mother is saying and I completely understand where she's coming from... I've had that belief for the better part of 15 years running various e-feds, but the times are changing and it's becoming a lot more standard to support things you like by financial means even if it already existed for free beforehand. Not really something I ever planned, but it's just the way the world is forcing everything to be. Money money money. Everything has to revolve around money. It's sick, but it means prices are always going up and payroll is not always going up as fast as inflation so little by little everything suffers, even if it used to THRIVE for free a few years back. I definitely appreciate the willingness to help though!

(02-19-2014, 06:41 PM)Hank Lane Said: Regardless as to what has been said, I love this fed and will donate as soon as I am financially able to do so. Right now, By the time I get done paying bills I'm lucky to have enough left over just to buy a pack of smokes. I should have my title loan paid off soon so that will help a little bit.

I appreciate it. Honestly, I feel bad hearing how you can hardly even buy a pack of smokes but you're still willing to donate. That says a LOT about you and your character whereas I know it's very easy for some others to not even acknowledge that a request for donations might apply to them too. Here you are with very little to work with and you're offering it to the fed. THANK YOU so much. Those who come through and help us through this difficult time are very appreciated!

Alternatively, if you guys would like to just revert to a free generic forum that I can't add features to or customize (but I also don't ever have to pay a cent for) please speak up and let me know. If the entire fed can agree on reverting back to a basic, free, generic forum with no features then I suppose I'd be fine with that and I will just refund all the donations that came in up until now. If we go this route, I'd just have to hand over control to one of the other staff members and I will take a back seat since most of my XWF job is keeping these forums alive and unique. (we also would lose the unique xwf99.com domain name and have a generic URL)

Remember guys, it's YOUR call where we go.. Up or down, either way, the XWF will still remain alive. Thanks!

As long as people are willing to donate towards the federation I think it would be good to use that money towards improving the forums, up to and including some of the features that you(Shane) believe would enhance the experience for everyone.

I like these forums. I'll donate when I can. I will get you my info that we talked about soon. Sorry, I've been busy and won't bore you to tears with my life.

I must say that when I started rp'ng in AOLmail, I hated board rp feds. HATED. I tried one, and quit after my first match. My experience was just terrible. You (shane), along with the people who help you via results and GM'ng have made my return to the world of rp'ng fun.. so with that I really appreciate you putting your effort into this.. as I appreciate the others for all their hard work.

My feeling is you pay $60 or so for a video game to be entertained.. why not pay $x for a wrestling rp board you get entertained by as well.. on top of unique experiences. Just my opinion.

I'd love for more rp'ers to come on board as well... if there is anything I can do to help then I'm around.

As much as I want to contribute, I can't at this time. I have a lot of personal issues going on in my life. From the fire that almost destroyed my home, to college expenses, and the upcoming medical treatment I am facing. If I get a chance to donate, I will. Until then I'll be here supporting the cause to keep XWF going with awesome rps and such, and helping with my moral support.

I'll throw something in soon, about to pay my credit card bill and will donate with that.

(03-02-2014, 08:57 PM)Scorpio Said: I'll throw something in soon, about to pay my credit card bill and will donate with that.

And done.

OK...I donated! NOW I want some inverted crosses in the muthafucka! big fuckoff shiny ones!


Just Kidding. though that would be pretty awesome...lol