***MODERATOR MESSAGE***members please read

[Ncdan]

Hello fellow Wild Guzzi Forum members.
It’s the end of the year again and that usher’s in payout time for our forum fees.
So far we are a few hundred dollars short of meeting our cost for the year.
Now is a good time for participating member to lend a helping hand and if anyone has not contributed thus far this year and had planned to do so, now would be great time to do so.
Our forum admin has never openly ask any of the several thousand members on this forum to support it and the majority of the time we meet the necessary amount. This year there is a short fall due to unseen extra cost for a couple technical issues we experienced and outside assistance had to be hired. This type of maintenance is very costly and has been this year.
So if any of you members use and enjoy this family of Moto Guzzi enthusiast would show your appreciation with a small or large donation if you wish, please do it before the end of this year.
Thank you all for your membership and participation on the WGC Forum.

Dan
Moderator

[Tkelly]

Pay now or Jan1?

[Ncdan]

It’s due by the end of December. Thank you.

[kballowe]

Pay up, suckas !

[Tkelly]

Mail address ?

[Ncdan]

Mail address ?

I’ll PM you with info.

[Luap McKeever]

Mail address ?

All options are located here for your convenience: https://www.wildguzzi.com/donations.htm

[Ncdan]

Here is Luaps address in anyone wishes to donate by mail.

Luap McKeever
1048 Mcnelly Road, Seligman MO 65745


Edit: please make checks out to Luap McKeever - not wildguzzi

[Luap McKeever]

Thanks for your support, everyone!  Now, please bear with me on this very long, yet informative post.

Just a friendly reminder:
The bills are due at the end of this year, and we’re still a little short. I’m happy to cover the rest if absolutely necessary, but I’m confident we’ll make it in time. If you've already donated, know that it's appreciated. If you've not donated yet, please consider doing so as every little bit helps and it adds up. I really dislike asking for help.

A quick note about 2025 donations:
If you’re planning to donate in 2024 for the 2025 tax credit, please wait until 2025 to send those donations. Donations are taxed based on the year I receive them, and I account for that tax liability (about 15%) in our fundraising goals. For example, to meet our basic needs of $3,876, I adjust the total needed to $4,457 to cover taxes. So, if you want your donation to count for 2025, be sure to send it in January or later. I issue donor credits based on the year donations are received. It helps me keep my records straight if they both match (year received and credit issued). I hope that makes sense.

There's also around a 2% fee deducted from amounts received from PayPal that I take into that count.

Contrast
So far in 2024, we’ve had 182 donors (including 22 recurring monthly supporters of $2 each). For comparison, in 2021 we had 251 donors and hit our goal in August, which even allowed for some upgrades thanks to those post-August donations. Heck, if all 7,976 members donated only $2 per month, I could fully retire making this my real job and make this thing really awesome!  kidding of course...

Advertisements
Google ads have helped...a little. But, that is down too. I think ad blockers are the reason for that decline, and I fully understand. I hate ads too and have an ad blocker as well. That said, I've tailored the ads to be applicable to our audience and minimize the placement of them. So, you might be surprised at some of the good deals to be had out there from these ads. Every time someone clicks a google ad on this site, I get roughly a nickel. Sometimes it adds up to a couple bucks a day. That all helps take some of the burden of having to ask for assistance.

Internet Trends
The decline is real, and it's not exclusive to this site. Free social media services are killing traditional forums at an alarming rate. For example, In 2017, we had over 300 donors. We did a lot of upgrades that year too. That's the year we went to our own dedicated server. You may recall, that's also the first year we achieved a 99% uptime as well, all thanks to donations. So, believe me when I tell you that it all makes a difference and it all goes to improving the performance for all of us. I personally enjoy an average page load time of 0.035 seconds, compared to 2016 when it was 4.9 seconds. I'm sure you do as well. We've came a long way, even thought it may not look like it visually.

Transparency and monitoring
For full transparency, you can view donation details here: https://www.wildguzzi.com/donations.htm

You can always monitor the status in the upper right hand corner of your screen. You'll see a yellow icon that says "Donate" and under that is the "Donation Status" link.
If you don't see the link "Donation Status", you'll need to click that little white down arrow in the very top right corner to expand the section.

Thanks again for helping us keep things running! It appears we'll be around for at least another year

Luap

[kballowe]

It's easier than ya'll think.  Credit card, debit card, PayPal, or simply mail a check.  Just follow the link.

Easy peasy.

Just do it.

 

[73 sport]

      What year did Luap start Wildguzzi.com?

[Bulldog9]

There's also the "Door Mat" option. I ordered two. Nice items. NOT for a muddy entrance, but great for indoor decor.

[rocker59]

      What year did Luap start Wildguzzi.com?

it's getting on 25-years, I think.  Over 20-years anyway.

My registration date is Date  October 10, 2005.  But this is like the 3rd version after a couple crashes.  A lot of the original members will show October 2005 join dates, but that's for this current version of the board.

[bad Chad]

I'm sure this will spark a fire storm, but it needs to be addressed and I don't get the feeling it's even on anyones radar, who can do anything about it.

A very real reason traffic and donors are down, is the culture that has grown dominant here.   Yes, during the heydays of this forum things were a bit more volatile and messy, and maybe made for bigger headaches for mod's, but it was far more interesting and entertaining, and helpful.   It's been dumbed down, made far less permissive and to often dull.
I have been put in my place several times by Mods for behavior that is no longer tolerated.  Behavior, that was certainly not egregious , but managed to stir up a complaint or two from those few who can't stand to see others having enjoyment.  And I believe there are many more who feel the same weight pushing down on them and in turn have cut back, or even left. 

I have, for the most part conceded to the wishes of Luap, Dan and company, but in doing so have become far less active on the board in most every way.  I don't read so many threads, I don't participate in threads regularly and I don't donate anymore.   I still feel there is enough value to keep checking in from time to time, but not enough to cause me to send money.   If I have come to feel this way, then I assume I'm not the only one.  I believe it would be in the best interest of WG to examine a bit deeper into the "why" of declining participation.    This board was, and maybe still is different than most others, that has been pointed out hundreds of times in hundreds of threads.   What made WG "different/better" has been eroding over the last few years.  Figure out a way back to what made this place so much fun, for so many, and most other issues will dissipate.   

I have nothing more to say on this.   So when I get smacked down by those who will take such offense at my heretical outburst, have at it.   I hope good things happen to WG and all its members.    And no need to PM me, I wanted to say this in the daylight for all to see, in the hope it might help in the long run.

[rocker59]

I'm sure this will spark a fire storm, but it needs to be addressed... 

Chad,

You've been around awhile:  Date Registered:October 10, 2005, 07:47:44 AM.  But I'm pretty sure  you were on the old site, too.

We appreciate your feedback.  And your participation over many years.

Mike

[Guzzistajohn]

The forum has changed significantly, I agree. The lack of drama however is a welcome change IMHO. I don't spend as much time here either, but I get enough screen time @ work. Happy Holidays Everyone 

[rocker59]

The forum has changed significantly, I agree. The lack of drama however is a welcome change IMHO. I don't spend as much time here either, but I get enough screen time @ work. Happy Holidays Everyone 

Thanks John, I also do not miss the drama of past years, though I would welcome more discussion about the machines and events.

[Huzo]

I'm sure this will spark a fire storm, but it needs to be addressed and I don't get the feeling it's even on anyones radar, who can do anything about it.

A very real reason traffic and donors are down, is the culture that has grown dominant here.   Yes, during the heydays of this forum things were a bit more volatile and messy, and maybe made for bigger headaches for mod's, but it was far more interesting and entertaining, and helpful.   It's been dumbed down, made far less permissive and to often dull.
I have been put in my place several times by Mods for behavior that is no longer tolerated.  Behavior, that was certainly not egregious , but managed to stir up a complaint or two from those few who can't stand to see others having enjoyment.  And I believe there are many more who feel the same weight pushing down on them and in turn have cut back, or even left. 

I have, for the most part conceded to the wishes of Luap, Dan and company, but in doing so have become far less active on the board in most every way.  I don't read so many threads, I don't participate in threads regularly and I don't donate anymore.   I still feel there is enough value to keep checking in from time to time, but not enough to cause me to send money.   If I have come to feel this way, then I assume I'm not the only one.  I believe it would be in the best interest of WG to examine a bit deeper into the "why" of declining participation.    This board was, and maybe still is different than most others, that has been pointed out hundreds of times in hundreds of threads.   What made WG "different/better" has been eroding over the last few years.  Figure out a way back to what made this place so much fun, for so many, and most other issues will dissipate.   

I have nothing more to say on this.   So when I get smacked down by those who will take such offense at my heretical outburst, have at it.   I hope good things happen to WG and all its members.    And no need to PM me, I wanted to say this in the daylight for all to see, in the hope it might help in the long run.

I agree in principle with most (but not all) of that. From my perspective, I find it a bit more difficult to stay on the right side of the “law” than I once did, due to cultural differences.
There are things that I have  posted here that would be met with riotous laughter at an Aussie barbecue, but have been frowned upon or caused hurt to fellow members on occasions, American humour is a lot more literal than Australian or British.
Compare Two and a Half Men with Fawlty Towers, this is one of the few things Dusty and I never argued about.

I accept that I must own what I say and I willingly do, but judging the thickness of a person’s skin or their perception of where the bounds of decency lay, can be very difficult from one side of the Atlantic to the other and  failure to accurately do so can at times lead to controversy and the erosion of the fun/enjoyment factor…

[Guzzistajohn]

I agree in principle with most (but not all) of that. From my perspective, I find it a bit more difficult to stay on the right side of the “law” than I once did, due to cultural differences.
There are things that I have  posted here that would be met with riotous laughter at an Aussie barbecue, but have been frowned upon or caused hurt to fellow members on occasions, American humour is a lot more literal than Australian or British.
Compare Two and a Half Men with Fawlty Towers, this is one of the few things Dusty and I never argued about.

I accept that I must own what I say and I willingly do, but judging the thickness of a person’s skin or their perception of where the bounds of decency lay, can be very difficult from one side of the Atlantic to the other and  failure to accurately do so can at times lead to controversy and the erosion of the fun/enjoyment factor…

Hell Huzo, we have cultural differences here in the US we deal with. A guy can't even tell a good _____joke any more 

[kballowe]

Where were we ?

Oh yes, donations.

Please donate.

[Bulldog9]

Well I'm in the mug and rug club as well as being a forum contributor for several years.

I'll continue to contribute because I think the community and the shared knowledge is worth it and I'm happy to participate materially and socially.

The current moderation team is doing a great job of keeping the drama low. That said, I am a firm believer in SELF moderation, and think it is past time we have an 'off topic' anything goes forum....  yes... Yes... YES, I know it's been tried in the past. And YES I know there are several whiners and complainers who will get their mangina hurt and make Luap and moderators lives a living hell because of phone calls and PMs if they don't like something.

I like the MC only nature of the common thread, and appreciate the swap meet and build threads, but it is past due we added an off topic thread, and that moderators pass out sanitary napkins and tissues to the (severe minority) more sensitive, or better yet just ignore them.

But lest I be accused of going off topic, if you use this forum for info or general information, skip your lattes this month and make a contribution....

[1stGuzzi]

..to meet our basic needs of $3,876, I adjust the total needed to $4,457 to cover taxes.

What?! To host a forum? I assume that you are including other outlays apart from just hosting. For context, I host multiple sites and have numerous servers, across both sides of the Atlantic. Though I have a couple of dedicated servers, they are used for backup storage purposes and client sites (including e-commerce) are all on various VPS. Apart from some real cheapo ones, the others enjoy in excess of 99.95% uptime, only really going down when I conduct maintenance reboots.
My most expensive single server instance is <$150/year and I have a failover/standby one just in case. I'm not running health critical systems!
Perhaps it's time to rethink/shop around if your hardware outlays are as high as they seem.

------------------------------
As a newbie to this forum, to me it is the best from another two alternatives, though the large emphasis on USA content does diminish its usefulness/relevance. Just a humble opinion though.
------------------------------
Though a bit of civil banter is fine, I do prefer a forum that isn't a free-for-all, in terms of foul language and off topic (unless under a specific category) conversations. I go to hosting forums to read about hosting, bike forums to read about bikes and never venture to social media frivolity.
------------------------------
A wee donation sent, even though it's past Thanksgiving. ;)

[Ncdan]

This thread was started to simply request that the members who use and enjoy WGC to kick in a little financial assistance so that Luap does not have to delete his personal funds to keep OUR FORUM running.
It a shame that someone feels the need to high jack this thread to air out their personal dissatisfaction over the way the forum is monitored.
Let’s please get back to the original reason this thread was started and that’s to request the members who use and enjoy this forum to help out with meeting the financial requirements for this year.
Thank you all in advance that is willing to help out this year.
For those who have already contributed, thank you kindly.

Dan

[Tkelly]

Hard to understand how stingy some people are.They are willing to spend thousands on motorcycles and gear yet they expect free entertainment and technical advice from experts who are willing to share their knowledge.Sad.

[Luap McKeever]

What?! To host a forum? I assume that you are including other outlays apart from just hosting. For context, I host multiple sites and have numerous servers, across both sides of the Atlantic. Though I have a couple of dedicated servers, they are used for backup storage purposes and client sites (including e-commerce) are all on various VPS. Apart from some real cheapo ones, the others enjoy in excess of 99.95% uptime, only really going down when I conduct maintenance reboots.
My most expensive single server instance is <$150/year and I have a failover/standby one just in case. I'm not running health critical systems!
Perhaps it's time to rethink/shop around if your hardware outlays are as high as they seem.

------------------------------
As a newbie to this forum, to me it is the best from another two alternatives, though the large emphasis on USA content does diminish its usefulness/relevance. Just a humble opinion though.
------------------------------
Though a bit of civil banter is fine, I do prefer a forum that isn't a free-for-all, in terms of foul language and off topic (unless under a specific category) conversations. I go to hosting forums to read about hosting, bike forums to read about bikes and never venture to social media frivolity.
------------------------------
A wee donation sent, even though it's past Thanksgiving. ;)

Yeah, there's a lot more to it for this site. We move A LOT of data each month and require A LOT of performance, nodes, backups, etc, and with that type of bandwidth comes cost. Basic hosting costs are less than 1/3 of what is involved. Additional security, managed services, cpanel, 3rd party support contracts and more...It all adds up. I will not shop around. The host I have now is amazing and the best I've dealt with. I've moved this site a dozen times over the years and each time took a couple years off my life in stress. Not going to do it. It's where it is.

I do appreciate the feedback though.

[Luap McKeever]

      What year did Luap start Wildguzzi.com?

1998 is when I kicked it off. There were maybe 25 of us then.

[Luap McKeever]

There's also the "Door Mat" option. I ordered two. Nice items. NOT for a muddy entrance, but great for indoor decor.

Glad you like them. They're not "amazing", but they are nice little rugs. Mine greets me into my bedroom every night.

[1stGuzzi]

I've moved this site a dozen times over the years and each time took a couple years off my life in stress. Not going to do it. It's where it is.

I hear ya, I really do! Worked in IT for about 4 decades and had a heart attack (& grey hair) to prove it. Hence 'downsizing' to lighter bikes.



(P.S. I've just about phased out cPanel due to license price rises.)

[Bulldog9]

Glad you like them. They're not "amazing", but they are nice little rugs. Mine greets me into my bedroom every night.

I'd be in divorce court if I tried in the house 

[Moparnut72]

I do a small donation every month through PayPal. Easy, out of mind and painless. Compared to what I spend on motorcycles a mere pittance. If Luap is having trouble paying the bills maybe I ought to bump it a bit. I started contributing right after I got my first Guzzi and found this site.
kk