Thread
Upgrades to our platform and fundraising needed to do it.
I am going to make an unusual request that you boost this thread to make sure it reaches as many people on FreeAtlantis as possible.
From @Bryan who along with @surferistic did the technical heavy lifting that got this place up and running:
"I would like to thank you for your generosity - our monthly operating costs are approximately $200 per month and between one-time contributions and subscriptions, we are at the point where about 80% of this amount is now covered by recurring contributions and we have received sufficient one-time contributions to have covered all of our expenses to date and to be solvent for the next few years."
That is the good news and I echo his deep thanks to all who have provided support. He continues:
"Now for the challenge - as we have been steadily growing, I believe most of you have noticed that our servers have been bogging down and this is a sign that we have outgrown the resources allocated to us in our shared server hosted solution, so we now face the technical and financial hurdle of an upgrade to a more robust platform."
I have personally noticed this bogging down, especially with photos I am trying to upload.
Back to @Bryan :
"his upgrade will carry a one-time cost of approximately $1,000 and then will add approximately $150 per month to our monthly expenses. We have about a month to prepare for this financially as our provider won't have time for this project until September, so we are hoping that those of you who are able can help us to fund this expansion. We have enough saved up to cover the one-time cost, but this will clean us out completely,..."
"...so we need to raise at least $500 in one-time contributions and increase our monthly pledges by $150 per month in order to make this upgrade possible."
I note that our current and proposed expenses reveal the truth of the costs of running certain 'other' instances!
But I digress and back to @Bryan
"Our next project after this upgrade will be to create a companion website that provides links to popular threads as well as additional content that we hope will be of value."
I agree with this next step as the searching and archiving on Mastadon is simply hopeless.
But first, let's aim for an upgrade that will at least for a good length of time, future-proof our community as we continue to grow and to use the platform for an ever-growing amount of data-hungry content.
I humbly request that those who have comfortable capacity to do so consider a financial contribution to FreeAtlantis.
@Andre
Did what I could sir. My monthly will stau the same for now but I did make a one time donation for now and hope to be able to again soon. Im a grateful citizen of this place, its founders and its content. I've met many folks here that fit in my catagory of "special". Best of luck to the future endeavors of FA.👍❤
Thanks, Mike!
Does GSG take Paypal? I don't see anything about the payment methods they accept.
PayPal blocked the site because it was raining funds for Jan 6 political prisoners.
I scanned my card at gsg. I didnt recall seeing an option for paypal but to be honest I didn't pay that much attention. I recently signed up for a recurring monthly payment so I breezed through with the one time payment.
Based on political philosophies, I'd bet that PayPal is not a fan of GSG.😼
@Rumblestone @Andre
True, but I've had Paypal for 20 years and use it exclusively for online purchases. Maybe I should look into another platform where I could transfer some of the money in Paypal to the other platform. Of course, it wouldn't help if GSG doesn't accept that platform. Are they strictly pay by credit card?
@MrKnowles @Rumblestone @Andre
Im thinking you got that dead right. 👍
@Mongo3804 @Andre thank you very much - this is much appreciated!!
Thank you for your generosity.
The support that comes from you has a particular value to me as I see the work you do as a part of the magnificent system that keeps our economy alive. Each dollar is infused with this work!
Can't tell yall how happy I am to be here.
Your threads alone are worth my little contribution to this place but the added bonus is the amount of input from so many others. Maybe yall should named this place magic atlantis! Just kidding, I really like the sound of free atlantis but it does have magic in the air. Yall built this place and the citizens that populated it have helped make this place what it is. I look forward to the future free atlantis.👍
Me too.
It feels a bit like time traveling back to a polite small town, perhaps near a conservative university.
@Andre
I really value and enjoy FA!
I haven't worked since February so I can't be as generous as I would like to be but I'm honored to offer support.
Thanks for all you do to keep things running smoothly. 🇺🇸
@Andre Done! I love our community!
@Andre I can on the third give a bit.
I gave y'all my Shoe Fund....I am here errday and I need y'all MUCH MORE than I need those hot shoes I've been saving for !
😁🛍💌💋😁🛍👠💌🥿💋😁👡💌💋🛍😁
There's something hot about a barefoot gal...
You know my sense of humor!!
In my family, everything is about knowing lines from old movies. I got six of these funny storage tins from the UK. I WAS saving them to use for stocking stuffers for Xmas, but with my brother being 4x vaxxed and sick recently, I was led to give his to him TODAY.
Can you or anyone else tell me what famous 80s movie "the family jewels" were mentioned in??!!
@MMA praying he is better
He looked better today but we know how the effects can strike. May your dear sisters memory be blessed forever.
@MMA Thank you sweetie. Not one day goes by that I don’t miss her. I know she’s frolicking in Heaven with my parents! The heat is almost as bad here as in Texas.
I do wish to make clear my strong feeling that those who are on a limited budget should feel no compulsion or coercion to give any money that is properly needed elsewhere.
If there is room in your budget for a contribution, I will say yes please.
But if a contribution will cause distress or difficulty, I would feel terrible in accepting it.
Thank you for your consideration of all of the above.
Andre
END