When the forum opened last March, Pete and I had no idea that anyone other than the two of us would find a discussion forum specific to the Slipper orchids so useful. Thanks to our ever growing membership, and especially those of you who registered in those very first early days and began to eagerly share your knowledge, and support the cause, the Slipper Orchid Forum has reached a level we never imagined possible!

We feel it is time to take the forum to the next level, and would like to know what you think of our ideas. While Rainbow Computers has generously let us piggy-back on their domain name the last several months, we think the Slipper Orchid Forum deserves a domain of its’ very own, a name that someone looking for slipper orchid information might find more readily than www.rainbowcomputers.net/forum.

Of course, this brings up the issue of cost, which through our server is about $75.00 a year. Pete and I both absolutely abhor the idea of donating money towards a forum’s upkeep, but rather than the two of us fronting the money, we thought that it might be more friendly and communal for the venture to be more cooperative.

We’ve come up with two options for funding our new domain name. One could be really fun, the other a little more commercial; both, we hope, a benefit to our members in addition to the cause at hand. We’d also entertain any other ideas those of you might wish to share.

I want everyone to be aware that we’re just throwing this out there to see what sort of interest there is, none of this is set in stone, we haven’t acted on anything yet. We want your feedback before we go forward with anything. We’d also like to try to take it a year at a time, and worry about how we raise the money for the next year, when the time comes. That way, we’re not locked into anything, and there is no risk involved for our loyal members.

Idea #1 - Auctions

Those members who wish can donate plants for auction. To make this easy on everyone, we thought that extra seedlings, perhaps such as folks have in or out of compot, or any duplicates you have on hand that you would be willing to part with, could be offered for $5.00, $7.50, or $10.00 each, or really any arbitrary price but such that the price would not be too dear for either the purchaser or the seller. Think of it as an opportunity to free up a little bench space, or learn about growing a new species or hybrid without a huge investment. If someone offered a plant for $5.00, and a purchaser was willing to offer more for it, that might get interesting, not to mention fun! At $5.00 per plant, we’d need the donation of 15 plants to reach our goal of $75.00. When the goal is reached, that’s it, we’re done. *Details such as how to handle shipping costs will need to be worked out if we decide to proceed with this.

Idea #2 – Commercial Advertising

We have several members who are commercial growers and we are looking into forum sponsorship in the way of banner ads on the forum home page. Not only would this help to generate the funds necessary to pay for the domain name, but also, hopefully generate more business for our vendor members, and possibly even encourage more to join and participate on the forum.
*We’ve yet to research rates and think of this as something we would offer in conjunction with the Auctions, so as not to wholly rely on vendors advertising as a source of income.

That’s it – we’re eager to hear everyone’s feedback on this idea. Thanks!

~Pete and Heather

i think this site is very wonderful! i like the first idea about the donate and auction better. i know out of about 280 members some will donate a paph for auction. also maybe having a section on auctioning paphs and a certain percentage goes to the site. like our own mini ebay! i would be the first to put one up for auction. anyother ideas?
stan

Either way works for me. I would be willing to donate money even to keep this operating. I have a few plants if necessary for auction. Good idea!

Either way works for me, too I think this is the best site on the net, some very good info. and always helpful people. I would help...

I don't have enough plants to donate, but I would be happy to bid on some.
I would also be happy to make a small donation.

You guys are great! :heart:
Thanks for being so generous - I'd love to be able to keep it to plants if we can, and sponsors, but if people *want* to donate otherwise (heck we can even auction extra supplies and stuff, I'd think, or cash or whatever you wish) that is just SWEET!

Seriously though - I think a combination of ways could be very fun and interesting - so, do keep the ideas coming - don't be shy - we are looking for any cool ways to improve an already excellent thing.

:D Thanks you guys!

(PS - I apologize to all of our valuable members outside the US - that is so frustrating! Wish you could particpate too - but you can always participate by donating your excellent advice and knowledge, and photos - those, we are most grateful for!!)

To me, $75/year seems pretty high... Perhaps you should investigate other hosting companies.

But, I don't see anything wrong with any of the suggestions you have to fund the project. I (personally) strongly object to banner ads (I'm not happy with the Rainbow one, either). I wouldn't mind chipping in as a sponsor, but not with a banner ad. Perhaps you could have a link to sponsors (please visit these kind people who support the forum... etc).

As for auctions, I think having an auction of one or perhaps two special plants is far superior to many smaller auctions. I'd really hate to see us spending too much time selling stuff. I'm sure I could find a special division (Winston Churchill, maybe?), and I'm sure there would be others who could also contribute something nice.

If I had to vote, though, I'd suggest sponsors (commercial or non-commercial) without the banner ads. I'm sure you could find 10 willing to do that. I can think of a half dozen commercial types who read this forum, and I bet any of them would gladly throw 10 or 20 dollars into the pot.

Rob

Thanks for the feedback, folks and keep them coming! Rob, for $75 lots of features are included with greater bandwidth and webspace and they have been around for quite sometime, so it is well worth it. Their service is great except for the many down times we have experienced but they have notified me recently that they have moved us to a different server and so far, no down times as of yet. I can find cheaper web hosts but most features are not included and most importantly, I look for stability, reliability, as many features as possible and good service. I also personally have no problems with banner ads as long as they are not pop up ads (YUCK!!) and they do not take up huge spaces.

Once again, thanks for the input, folks and keep them coming!

I have to say that I think Rob makes a good point about the banner ads. Where would they go, if we had them? The header on the home page is pretty full as it is - would they change at every page like the photos do? That might be a better way to handle it - have ONE banner that changes for each sponsor when you refresh or go to another page.

Any thoughts on that?

I have to say that I think Rob makes a good point about the banner ads. Where would they go, if we had them? The header on the home page is pretty full as it is - would they change at every page like the photos do? That might be a better way to handle it - have ONE banner that changes for each sponsor when you refresh or go to another page.

Any thoughts on that?

Yes, like I said as long as they are not pop ups and they do not take up lots of space. Yes, that was my plan to have the banners change randomly at every refresh like the photos on the left OR create a separate area for the sponsors.

I have to say that I think Rob makes a good point about the banner ads. Where would they go, if we had them? The header on the home page is pretty full as it is - would they change at every page like the photos do? That might be a better way to handle it - have ONE banner that changes for each sponsor when you refresh or go to another page.

Any thoughts on that?

I really don't like clutter... I have a reasonably big screen, but I prefer to see content on it. Pop-ups are instantly killed (I love Firefox). If banners are the way to go, I would suggest either a rotating banner (random, I guess, there is software for that), or a single banner with an image-map. You could have all the sponsor's logos in one image map, actually. That would only work if you had a handful of sponsors.

The major problem with that strategy is that lots of people (including me) routinely block banner images. I have the rainbow computing banner blocked, for example (I never see it now). Not that I have anything against the host, I just wanted more space on my screen. It is really easy to do with Firefox, and I presume other browsers have the capability. This is why I like the link idea. Link to a page with a list of sponsors, and people can visit if if they wish. Or both.

Maybe the problem is that I'm not pushy enough with self promotion. That would explain the lack of orders... *grin*

Rob

I belong to several other forums on other topics and they get sponsors and have banners that rotate when you refresh the screen. They also work out some nice discounts for members....like free shipping or a 10% discount, etc.

The auctions exclude non-US members.

Ads are are a nightmare on the web and elsewhere.

Why don't you open a PayPal account? I would be more than willing to donate money for the site and I am sure many other members would be prepared to pledge $5 or $10 a year to ensure our future.

Yours
W

I just got here and ... kudos to you :Party: for getting this up and running. So far, I really like this place.

No comments on the auction or ad ideas pro or con - doesn't matter to me. I second checks or paypal for a direct and easy way to contribute, and also periodic fundraising drives.

Thanks Ki!

We're having some Paypal reservations - anyone have an account as such that can attest to no issues? Thanks!


THANKS! to all for the encouragement - please keep the responses and ideas coming - we still are not sure the best way to handle these issues, so the more the merrier!!

I would be happy to possibly donate a plant for auction or perhaps sellers that post plants for sale could donate a percentage(5%?) of any plants sold. Just a thought.

Ross

I have had a PayPal account for 2 years. I use it a lot (particularly on Ebay) and have had no problem whatsoever. It is extremely convenient and safe.

I second Wentworth about PayPal. I also buy & sell on Ebay and it is almost mandatory to have a PayPal account these days in order to do business. I have not had any problems with it, except that it is too EASY to use when you want to buy sometning!! :lol:

I am fine with all the ideas that are on the table. Maybe go with a combination of both! I just got a monster Phrag in the mail that I bought on Ebay. I'm afraid to repot it, as I think it will divide by itself and I wanted to keep it monster. But if it divides, I could donate a division to the cause.

I also like the idea that if a vendor is a sponsor, they could post what they have for sale & their prices in the "For Sale or Trade" section. I would like this info as a potential buyer, as well.

What I don't like are the pop-up ads. The banners don't bother me that much, but the pop-ups are so annoying. While going thru other forums looking for info on greenhouses for Tadd, I constantly encountered them!! ARRRUGHH.:Yuck:

Guys - no worries about pop-ups - we'd NEVER even consider that!

Also, there is another idea kicking around that we'll be polling you about in the not too distant future. I think we are thinking of using all three ideas in conjunction, based on the responses here - so not choosing just one.

I'm fine with either... I'll have some seedlings to spare soon...

With as many members as we have the cost to individuals should be way less than our usual weekly orchid expenditures.

With a site upgrade, would we be able to upload photos directly from our home PC's?

It will be a site transfer only, so the software remains the same, hopefully if everything goes well. Lots of great input!

By the way - has anyone ever transfered their website to a new domain? We'd love to hear any reports on how it went, as the process is a bit nerve-wracking.

Thanks again!

It isn't that bad, really. IT will take a day or two for the DNS changes to propagate through the system. That usually doesn't affect a static web page. I suspect there will be a day or so of transition time for a bulletin board where postings might disappear or the site might not be available. Just warn people and do it on a Friday or something...

I like the combinatin idea. You can count me in for a few bucks, just let me know where to send it.

Bob Phillips

THANKS everyone for such fabulous support! You guys ROCK!!! :love:

I 'm willing to join everyone else on whatever is decided upon. As long as I have been a member I haven't heard of any one being unhappy or jumping down someones throat for no reason at all I'm sure you have all experencied thaat happen on other sites. I think we have a good thing going with great people . Ray

Just let me know what is decided and I will stand in line with the others :-dance:

I have not had any problems with Paypal so far. They even have a money market option where you can earn about 3% interest on your balance. And that's better than a Bank of America CD. I just put in a small balance as an experiment.

I also like the gift shop.

Ray, you would have to open real wide for me to jump down your throat :poke: :jawdrop: Maybe that big! :clap:

Even if all of us gave two bucks I'm sure you would have plenty of money!!! Maybe we could have a Christmas party with the rest!!!hahahahahaha