RationalWiki talk:Fundraiser/Archive2

666
Is that really at $666? moral 13:22, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * I see $75.00. TyAnnoy 13:24, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Yep, we are at $666, there are so many layers of aggressive caching between the wiki, server and your browser that it may take time till you get the updated number without purging your own cache. 72.38.27.39 (talk) 13:25, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks, was getting worried. TyAnnoy 13:41, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * The only way to deal with aggressive caching is with aggressive purging. Scarlet A.pngmoral 14:05, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

Typo
I'm not sure if it's supposed to read as such but the widget reads "towards are goal" instead of "towards our goal". That should probably be fixed or [sic]'d or something. 130.156.4.250 (talk) 15:30, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Phonetics our for people with busy brains. 01:51, 27 January 2012 (UTC)
 * And here I was thinking that it should be "towards our goat". 18:23, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Spreading the message
Hey y'all, just wanted to offer a suggestion: r/atheism, r/skeptic and r/freethought on reddit.com would all be good places to post about this fundraiser. Tktktk (talk) 17:24, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * It'd be a bit spammy to post "HI REDDIT, GIVE US YOUR MONEY! (you tight bastards!)" -- 19:44, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Somebody already has. Peter Monomorium antarcticum 19:46, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * We should at least find a couple of goats to offer. Scarlet A.pngd hominem 19:51, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
 * PeterL ;) Osaka Sun (talk) 22:42, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

Just a thought...
How about a fuck off big picture of Jimmy Wales in the banner? Nothing gets people in the donating mood like Jimbo and his eyes. 77.101.36.30 (talk) 00:08, 27 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Domestic_goat_May_2006_header.jpg Much better. TyAnnoy 00:27, 27 January 2012 (UTC)


 * So now we just need a mod to put it up... Peter Monomorium antarcticum 00:34, 27 January 2012 (UTC)
 * How about we put "Fuck off, Jimmy Wales" on it? Osaka Sun (talk) 04:57, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Halfway there in only a week?
Awesome. Osaka Sun (talk) 20:29, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Podcasts?
Excellent70.68.142.98 (talk) 17:29, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

"Various government agencies"
Just curious, what are the "various government agencies" which rationalwiki owes money? Is it taxes, or a copyright thing, or what? 209.158.5.117 (talk) 00:34, 17 February 2012 (UTC)
 * See RationalWiki:Saloon bar. 00:40, 17 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Trent is paying to license the Presidential Seal :-)  We can slap it on every page to make us look super official.   00:42, 17 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Is there a breakdown of the various fees anywhere and a timeline for payment? I've given all I can spare at the moment but could happily give more later on.  Lily Inspirate me. 10:21, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

So what now?
We need to raise $500 in three days. Any suggestions? Osaka Sun (talk) 18:35, 26 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Actually we need $225.58 as The Cheat has promised to make up the final $250.  Lily Inspirate me. 10:50, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Advertisements
We used to have advertisements and that worked well for a while. If there is a desperate shortage of funds we could try that again. Perhaps we could split off the less intellectual parts like those relating to Conservapedia or the Fun section and host them on a separate server with advertisements. Of course working without advertisements is better funding permitting but advertisements work on Liberapedia and Atheism Wiki. Proxima Centauri (talk) 17:37, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I don't think we should put advertisements up now that the RWF is an incorporated nonprofit. 17:41, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Many of us appreciate RW as one of the (relatively few) places on the internet not dominated by advertising. 17:55, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * You know you want to. Osaka Sun (talk) 18:44, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * @Proxima: You do realize that Atheism Wiki is hosted by Wikia, which is MediaWiki's backstabbing money-grubbing cousin, right?   18:53, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

We tried ads, it sucked, big time. Marginal amounts of money at a significant cost to usability and credibility. Rather close up shop than go back to that. Tmtoulouse (talk) 23:29, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I do seem to remember we had ads for a short time. I think our credibility got shot when one of those ads was for a clairvoyant or astrologist or something. AceModerator 23:32, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Islamic dating sites seemed to be about the most prevalent ads from what I remember of those days. 23:36, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * The only upshot of that is "intentional irony", adverts just get increasingly intrusive. Already countless forums embed them in posted content (at least for non-logged-in viewers), and if that was tried on a wiki, well, it'd seriously fuck up all the articles. Simply put, we don't have the demographic targeting ability of social networks, which is the only place where online advertising is currently profitable (you think JREF and NCSE are going to pay for advertising slots?) so it would be all of the pain for fuck all of the gain. Scarlet A.pngbomination 09:17, 6 June 2012 (UTC)

Wait, more money?
It wasn't six months ago we chucked a couple of thousand buck at the site. I thought that was supposed to be for the year. What's the deal with wanting more money now? -- 18:43, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * We didn't quiet hit our goal the last time around, but we have on hand enough funds through I think November possibly December too. I rather be raising money now for our expenses a year from now then to wait and try and raise fund when the lights are about ready to be shut off. Having at least a years operating cost on hand seems logical to me. Asking for a few bucks every 6 months doesn't seem like a hardship, particularly since anyone who wants can just ignore it. Also having funds on hand in the event we have to spin up to a larger server with continued traffic increases is another point. We also will still likely need to fork over some cash to the NM AG if we can ever get them to focus for longer than 30 seconds. Tmtoulouse (talk) 23:29, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

Ken jokes at our expense
Ho Ho Ho! AceModerator 22:02, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Yeah, yeah Conservative. Do you hand Andy money to support your posts?  How much money have you contributed to CP?  Or how much money has Terry made off of CP?  Sorry we don't have a sugar daddy.   23:16, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

Psychology
We failed to reach the goal of 2000$ the last time. What makes you think that we can it reach this time? Our community is good for ca. 1500$ - 1800$, less for the second fundraiser in one year, especially as (like me) thought it to be a once-a-year event. 06:09, 9 June 2012 (UTC)
 * We run a fundraiser, we get enough money for a little less than a years costs. What is the better approach to take? Attempt to raise some more money about the halfway point and ensure that we always have between 6-12 months costs in our bank account? Or should I wait until the money is gone hold a fundraiser and hope we get enough before we are shut down? Tmtoulouse (talk) 06:13, 9 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I thought fundraising memos were quarterly. Anyway, I have bunged some $ in your direction. Don't spend it all at once. Scarlet A.pngbomination 09:48, 13 June 2012 (UTC)

Another methods
I havn't PayPall account. Could the WebMoney be accepted?--Mr. B  18:20, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Grammar Nazi down. Need editor. K. (talk)
 * ESL. Тy talk 18:49, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

Hey, you don't actually need a paypal account to donate, you can use any major credit card, or visa/mastercard debit card and never sign up for a paypal account. At this time we are not looking into changing how we accept donations, we need to keep it simple for our own records. Tmtoulouse (talk) 18:54, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Where did that spike in donations come from exactly? Site traffic is going wild today. Osaka Sun (talk) 19:24, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

50%
"We" are way above the 50 percent mark now. I suggest updating the site announcement, because the contradiction is quite funny. By the way, any idea who dropped the big donation?--ZooGuard (talk) 11:56, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
 * George Soros, of course! Sophie  because liberals  12:17, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Andy Schlafly... 12:26, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
 * You just made my brain hurt. Sophie  because liberals  12:41, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Big Pharma. Scarlet A.pngnarchist 12:51, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Whenever I see "Big Pharma" I think "Git orf moi laand." Sophie  because liberals  12:53, 26 June 2012 (UTC)
 * [[file:Falldownlaugh.gif]][[file:Falldownlaugh.gif]] [[file:Falldownlaugh.gif]] [[file:Falldownlaugh.gif]] [[file:Falldownlaugh.gif]] [[file:Falldownlaugh.gif]] Scarlet A.pnggnostic  13:00, 26 June 2012 (UTC)

So Web 2.0 it hurts...
"...directly effects the global conversation on these issues."

Could have been straight out of Twitter's marketing jargon! moral 08:38, 26 November 2012 (UTC)
 * It is what you get when you make the data analyst write your copy. *shrug* Tmtoulouse (talk) 01:00, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

47%

 * Now at 52% Scarlet A.pngbomination silverbrain.png 17:25, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

Inconsistent Redness Throughout the Site
The money thermometer is showing different temperatures throughout the site. What's the deal? One page is showing 100%, others are showing randomness and chaos. 54%'s and 33%'s are running amok, burning down our homes and seducing our women folk. So. . . what's the deal? &mdash; Unsigned, by: 63.246.245.90 / talk / contribs
 * Clear your cache. If that doesn't work it's server-side caching, but it seems to work for me. 04:47, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

2013
Different pages are showing different amounts. One page say 4% while another says 50%, 77% etc.
 * Superpositional fundraising? :-)
 * My guess is the server's (the squid's?) cache is continuing to serve up outdated banners.  03:00, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Hey Stabby, when this is all done can you provide some statistics of the donations. No names of course, just some histograms or something of the contribution sizes and how many. Thanks. Генгис silverbrain.png 03:19, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, absolutely! I was planning to from the very start.   03:32, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Can we get locations (country-wise) of the donations, or is that not allowed through PayPal? Osaka Sun (talk) 03:55, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Our PayPal buttons aren't set up to reveal donor addresses, so no.  08:42, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

95% of $3k in five or so days? Most excellent. I think this site may be be re-righting its canoes and shaping new paddles. The creek is navigable!  ħ uman  05:45, 6 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm very impressed. Looking forward to the stats.  How many of us paid in multiples of pi I wonder?  DamoHi 09:55, 7 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Mine was a multiple of pi in base e. Sophie  Wilder silverbrain.png 11:52, 7 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Congrats! Don't spend it all on meth! --Martin Joaquinez (talk) 17:53, 9 August 2013 (UTC)

Just saying, but you can probably find some nice FOSS accounting software.--Token Conservative (talk) 17:48, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Oh, I've been looking. There are several business-grade open source accounting programs out there, but none of them can do fund accounting.  Nonprofits track money and interact with various stakeholders in a completely different fashion than for-profit businesses, and the last thing I want is have to use tortured roundabout methods just to make the software useful, simply because it's open source and we like open source.  (For the record, there is an open source fund accounting program, but I don't know if it's right for us.  It says it's for use by "small" government agencies, but even the smallest of those are several million dollars in size, so I think it'd be some hellish overkill for us.)   18:20, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * What kind of timeline were you looking for for getting this software?--Token Conservative (talk) 18:29, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Before the next fundraiser in December. As soon as I settle on a program and can secure Trent's blessing for it, I'll get it.  18:54, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * So it probably wouldn't be worth it to suggest making (or modifying) an adequate FOSS?--Token Conservative (talk) 19:02, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't know. If David Gerard, Trent, and whoever else volunteers can make something in under five months that doesn't make me cry into my pillow at night, then I'm all for it.   19:10, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * do you have a specification for what you want ? I used to do application programming so customizing may be an option. Hamster (talk) 00:45, 14 August 2013 (UTC)

"We'd like a good mobile version of RationalWiki,"
 * Isn't that just like, a MediaWiki extension or something? Hmmph (talk) 20:58, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Like, no. Like, MobileFrontend is not a trivial installation. Who's talking about a mobile version being a priority? [[file:Nuttysig.svg|68px|link=User:Nutty Roux|Nutty Roux]]100x100 anarchy symbol.svg 21:14, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * It might help if you actually bothered to read the page
 * "We'd like a good mobile version of RationalWiki, and that may mean paying someone to make it"
 * It's literally the 6th sentence in the page.--Token Conservative (talk) 21:26, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Are you talking to me? [[file:Nuttysig.svg|68px|link=User:Nutty Roux|Nutty Roux]]100x100 anarchy symbol.svg 21:33, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Ahh, I saw that after I posted. Jacob's off the reservation in some of that post. We're not paying anyone money to make a mobile version of RW anytime soon. I don't know where he got that as a priority worth mentioning. [[file:Nuttysig.svg|68px|link=User:Nutty Roux|Nutty Roux]]100x100 anarchy symbol.svg 21:35, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Apologies, Nutty. It was brought up in passing in board meetings, so I assumed it was worth mentioning.   21:43, 12 August 2013 (UTC)

Guys, my opinion is that the RMF's biggest priority is getting its IRS application for official determination of 501(c)(3) status filed. Since I'm not the RMF's lawyer and the application isn't trivial, I believe that the board has already agreed that we're hiring counsel to get it filed. It's just general advice. We don't need outside counsel. We need a lawyer to handle a specific task and it's not going to be free. We really appreciate everyone's help this fundraising round. Thanks so much, everyone. 21:57, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
 * What advantages would we get from obtaining this status? --DamoHi 00:06, 14 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Bump? DamoHi 05:06, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Hey, where's the option for me to donate with Feathercoin? Get with the program! Franko Krugercoin  UNOCS Bridge  Ripple ...er...Litecoin is the future!!!!!!1111!!!11!ll!l!!L!lolol Secret Squirrel (talk) 00:43, 14 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry, the only currencies we accept are spray-painted poker chips, Monopoly money, and piles of iron slag. (Bars of gold in excess of 2000lbs will be mailed back to the donor, with them paying postage.)   01:18, 14 August 2013 (UTC)
 * So low tech. I don't know if I can handle something that ancient, but maybe there's a way to send encrypted digital spray painted Monopoly money.  Stand by..I'm working on it. :)  Secret Squirrel (talk) 08:15, 14 August 2013 (UTC)