Donations are needed to help pay the hosting fee's for weaponeer.net.

The hosting fees for weaponeer.net amount to $150.00 per month
We are hosted on a semi-dedicated server (highest package), to insure we can retain all the information contained on weaponeer.net

To donate towards the monthly hosting fee's, please use the PayPal donation link on the main page ( I know, I hate them too, but they are the only one that works).

Without members support we cannot stay accessible on the internet, and as a disabled veteran, I don't make enough money anymore to be able to pay it myself, like I largely did over the past decade plus.  without member support each month, we could never survive, in fact without the generosity of the membership, weaponeer.net would have been forced to shut down in Feb 2012.

Thank You to all that have donated in the past, and continually.  it's easy to see why everyone says weaponeer.net has the best membership, and always willing to help people out, without putting them down.  I just wish all firearm sites were of the same quality of membership.

Just an Update...   The Weaponeer Channel is still in major need of donations for this months hosting fee's $150

we are also needing funds to help pay the Domain Name fee's which is yet another $110.97 from Network Solutions

Last I checked a domain name is only about $12 per year. And hosting should be less than a hundred dollars A YEAR for a site like this.

I'm confused on why the fees are so high? The traffic doesn't seem to be that heavy.

warked wrote: Last I checked a domain name is only about $12 per year. And hosting should be less than a hundred dollars A YEAR for a site like this. I'm confused on why the fees are so high? The traffic doesn't seem to be that heavy.

What is so confusing?  right now we have 5 members and 32 guests currently online.

Only 1% actually post, but they come for all the information contained here.

due to the traffic the website gets, we require the largest hoisting plan for the Website AND the SQL Server DB, so in fact we actually have two servers.

as for Domain costs...


as you can see above, this is the actual cost.

as for "hosting should be less than a hundred dollars A YEAR for a site like this."    ROFLOL.....   I WISH

Dear Gary Graham,

Statement 1115762-45 for your account from Jul 20, 2012 12:00:00 AM through Jul 20, 2012 4:08:11 AM

Login:                 XXXXXXXX

Account ID:       1115XXX

Plan:                   WindowsSD II

Monthly fee for WindowsSD II plan (7/20/12 - 8/20/12) $149.00

TOTAL: $149.00

YOUR CURRENT BALANCE:     ($149.00)   

(you are welcome to verify this cost by clicking here: http://www.jodohost.com/windows-semi-dedicated-server.asp and looking under the WindowsSD II Plan)

Since you don't understand the website statistics, I'll help you out.

These number are direct from the Server Log File, and are current as of today., but to make this simple, I will only be covering the last six months worth of site data.

Breaking down the numbers for the last six months

Unique Visitors is the number of new people visiting the website for the first time.  That number is 227,649 people, and impressive.

It's the number of site visitors per month that's most impressive, and here I have it marked as Hit's, which is 21,925,924, but it's not the end of the month yet, which means the correct number is 22 MILLION !

And yes, the MILLION is correct.  which is why we require the maximum hosting package. (we started on one of the lowest, and worked our way up)

And as for The Bandwidth..  This is what really costs us a lot of money.  on smaller account the extra bandwidth needed each month ends up being overage fee's, and last year we were exceeding $200.00 for hosting due to those fees.  This semi-dedicated account (the biggest) has plenty of Bandwidth (and disk space) but we are already almost 500 GB of bandwidth for SIX MONTHS, which means we will likely hit one terabyte of bandwidth this year.

Just how many website require a terabyte of bandwidth a year?

For your information, the website disk space usage on the server hard drive, for the weaponeer website is 5,239.88

One thing you will notice is the amount I stated we needed for hosting and domain name, is just what the statement says.  I'm not padding the amount, and there is ZERO profit for me.

This is what it costs to run the website and keep it available for everyone to enjoy, and that's how much I request for donations.

As a disabled veteran, living on what little army disability I get, I no longer have the funds to run the site without member assistance (until the economy improves).

JUST THE FACTS AND NOTHING BUT THE FACTS

I'm one of yoour 99% lurkers. Please take this as an earnest suggestion.

its not going to work long term to beg for funding. With the moron in cheif in charge, people just can't volunteer. I know other boards are in the same boat as you. And, there really are way more gun forums than needed. I know its hard, but banding together is the answer.

Just my 2 cents

Karl

There really is no way to band together with other sites.  while they may seem the same, many of them are forums for companies, but the biggest issue is the membership.  most of the forums out there are less than friendly, with a lot of bashing people for asking questions, or not searching for the answer prior to asking the questions.

The reason why weaponeer.net has so much content, is because it's been around for a decade now.

There are other sites out there that survive very well by charging to read the content.

Another issue is Weaponeer.net is true multimedia, with a very large and successful YouTube Channel, facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc etc.

When I started Weaponeer Armament Resources LLC, the goal was very specific based on my experiences in weapon building, and design.  I no longer consider myself a Gunsmith, because I was required to place My Mill and other equipment in storage, but I am still a Master Armorer with 30 years experience, as well as a weapon design and accessory consultant. this background has been my guide to the content found here.

This is why there are so many forums..  because most of the forums are not friendly, or don't cover the specific content of interest, typically a specific model of weapon, or even caliber of ammunition.

There are even carbon copies of this website in idea, but not content, and their soul purpose is not content, but to market products to sell them.  basically a forum just for profit.

So while there are so many of them out there, there are not any of them that wish to be absorbed into weaponeer.net, and I would sell Weaponeer.net or close it long before I give away what I have worked hard to build for the last decade.

the truth is, people love the content here, and still show up at a time when social media websites are taking over, and forcing forums to close their doors.  BUT, 99% expect others to donate for the information, ideas, questions and answers, so they can have a free ride.  and you can blame socialism for that idea.

HEY BOSS i'm with ya no matter what the nay sayers think.
$50 commin at ya Thrs morn.
I LIKE this site and all the info and access it gives me to people who know more than i do.
If you others don't like FREE avlb. to all this info then try to find it elsewhere!!!!!!!
RYCHE

I have done my part to help out, this morn.
ANYBODY ELSE?????
Ryche

Boss, just sent $40.00. Every little bit helps guy's. Even $1.00. It all adds up.

Wish i had more to send, but, right now i am stuck between a rock and a bigger rock which is up against a hard place!

Thanks Ryche!! Thanks also to everyone who donated in the past as well.

close call...  the hosting provider actually suspended our hosting this morning until we received just enough to pay the hosting fee's

So the hosting for last month has been paid...

The Domain Name has not been paid yet, and we still need funds for Aug Hosting.


a friend has offered to host the website for $100 per month rather than the current $149.00, BUT the hosting will not be on a dedicated or semi-dedicated server, so performance could slow down (or greatly slow down).

BUT, this would also allow us to update the website code and features.

This is an option I'm currently looking into, especially due to the limited donations.
 

I saw that.  I kinda freaked because I thought my post on the semi auto sg43 may have played into it. I'll donate monthly. Is the best way to donate through the Weaponeer store?

Just popped in another $50 US used Pay Pal for some reason. The credit card bit never works. Takes me to good amount over the past year. Sooner or later you'll have to bite the bullet and have subscribers.

If we would have charged the guests $1.00 per day each, we could have made at least $80.00 last night!!

Even though I have just joined Weaponeer, I am not a fan of forums, but this site and it's members have made me reconsider.

I have made a donation to keep this site online, it's not much but it's all I can spare right at this moment. However I do intend to keep donating when I can.

northumbrian, THANK YOU! I am happy that we here at weaponeer have made you reconsider! This forum is different then most in more ways then 1!!!

I appreciate the donation as well! Every little bit helps. Even $1.00 per month is all it takes. Heck, even if you are not able to donate, that is ok! BUT, they are needed and very much appreciated!!!

You are helping to keep a great site online! I hope you are able to find useful info and good people here. There are a lot of both!

Good luck on you quest to build the rifle cutting machine, i look forward to seeing it!

northumbrian, thank you very much for the donation.

we still need to raise a lot of money yet for this month as I have already received the YOUR LATE notice with the WE WILL SHUT YOU DOWN notice.

Last month we ended up getting shut down for a while, before I could get the donation in to make the hosting payment.

Right now I'm REALLY hurting for money.  They turned off my Gas for the house, so no gas hot water heater, not gas stove, and no gas heat (which I'm fine with for another 30 days).

If that was not enough, my vehicle plates expired over a month ago and it's over a $100 to get them renewed.

And the Domain Name has not been renewed, and they expires on Sept 11st (easy date to remember) .

And I have no gas money to get to the VA (2 hour round trip) for my next two appointments (the last one I had to cancel the first time because I had no gas money, and there is only one day a month you can get in for that one.  the next appointment will happen soon, I just do not know when.  My Doc. nurse called me about needing more tests due to the loss of 25% of my lung capacity, and I really screwed up a couple days ago when I forgot to bring my rescue inhaler and had a MASSIVE attack just a blocks walk from the house, and it was one VERY hard time sucking more air than a 747, yet not getting enough O2 into my system.  I made it home, used the inhaler and was fine 2 minutes later...  but it was a CLOSE call.  and after almost dying two times due to the VA just a couple months back, it was more than enough to spook me AGAIN.

SO I'm in need of money $130 for the Hosting in just a couple days or we get shut down.  and I'll just renew the Domain name for 1 year, so it's half the cost, but it's still expensive, and I don't have the money.

As for making money....  I think everyone knows I'm a disabled Veteran, unable to work (as a result of an army related spinal injury, I need to take Morphine two times a day, as well as Oxycodone for severe pain), and living on army disability which is poverty level living.

BUT, the banner ads will start working again in a couple months.  it's not much, but anything is good, and less that needs to be raised.

And yesterday I was contacted about becoming a YouTube Partner for the 505 weaponeer channel videos. (this is not the normal YouTube Partner program.  I have been a YouTube Partner for a number of years, but they canceled my Google account (guess they didn't like the website and/or topics) so I have not made a dime in years.  but this is a new company, that pays more, and they asked me and not the other way around.  and I "might" make $60 a month off of that (I don't know the minimum $ they require before they send out a check).  but the minimum pay I think is based on 8500 views a month, and the weaponeer channel is currently getting 88,600 views a month (a substantial increase), so it MIGHT be possible to make enough money off the Videos I produce to possibly pay for the hosting fee's.

This is all conjecture right now, as I don't have all the facts, and I have not signed the contract yet...  but it's something I working on, and it "MIGHT" work out in a couple months.  so I'm not sitting on my but demanding donations.  and everyone should know that if I had the money for hosting fee's, domain name etc, I would not ask for a dime in donations.

BUT FOR NOW I NEED TO ASK FOR DONATIONS TO SUPPORT THE WEBSITE.

Weaponeer & Mech Warrior, It seems typical I decide to actually join and this happens

I know it something that has been a ongoing thing, so do know it's not something new, but I will do my best to support the site. I would have been happy to pay for this months hosting but as you know I am in the process of moving from one country to another, as soon as I am settled I will be able to help out more.

I wish I could do more right now, but...

Just a thought I don't know if this has already been tried.

What about finding a site sponsor, a company in the industry, yes it may involve some conditions, but hey needs must when the devil rides.

Anything to keep this site open.

I'm in Boss  Let me run my finances to see what i can throw.
Ryche

Just sent over $20. I know it's not much, but it's what I've got today.
Hope times get better,
Tanner Frisby