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[Morrus]

Thanks for all the thoughts, guys. It really means a lot to me.

One thing that I do promise is this - the boards will NOT disappear, no matter what I have to do! These are my opinions on "methods", though:

*Advertising is one option - I don't mind admitting that I'm not very good at that sort of thing, which is why the site probably doesn't get as much from ads as it could. I've tried hiring "ad managers" etc, but that doesn't tend to work out either. I'm definitely giving it more thought, though. The "other markets" thought is a good one, although I'm not sure how I'd go about it.

*Signing up with some other network is the very last option I want to consider. It may sound silly, but I'm proud of the fact that the site has to follow nobody's "rules". Especially since some of the networks etc. out there are very "business" oriented rather than fan-oriented.

*All of the fund-raising ideas are cool, but they are mainly short-term solutions. What needs to be somehow established is a steady income rather than a sudden influx of donations etc. We really need to look at this long-term rather than as an immediate problem that we're having right now.

*As has been suggested elsewhere - I will never require money from anyone to use the site or the boards etc. I am very, very strongly opposed to that idea.

*Affiliate programs etc. - as Eric mentioned, I have a deal with RPGShop. I really don't think I could get a better deal. It does bring in a noticeable amount of money, but nothing compared to the site's running costs. It's a drop in the ocean, to be honest (well, more than a drop - a sizeable splash, but still not somehting that really makes a big difference in the long run).

*Other providers - I'm currently using CI Host, which is the cheap-and-not-terribly-good end of the pricing scale. When you're already shopping at

Options that have been suggested that I'm considering (but have definitely not made a decision on) are:

*A voluntary periodic donation which earns users a cool custom title. This is feasible if it is embraced en-masse, but not if only a few people join in. The main drawback si that, although I can imagine initial enthusiasm for such an idea, I don't know if it would be maintained. And if it's not maintained and the (then increased) server payment can't be met one month then we're all, frankly, screwed. That one is a little too close to a gamble for my liking.

*The auction/lottery idea - I don't know if it would work. We'd need cooperation of all the publishers (and, to be honest, for somehting like that we'd need WotC onboard) and, like the previous option, it would need to be sustained.

Get the people who benefit most to cough up some cash. I think we all know who they are.

If you're referring to who I think you are, I can't see it happening. It would be nice, though.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. With things like Natural 20 Press going on, there will reach a point one day where it brings in a sizeable chunk of money. This is probably a good while off yet - the hard part is getting there!

You guys are all great. We'll be OK, don't worry about that. We've all been through harder times on this site, and we survived. We'll do it again. And again, f need be. We're going to be here for a long time to come!