About the BOI and it's future here...

Frank, the statement you referred to was not made by Rich.
I finally took the time to go back and look for Rich's post on the matter (thanks for providing the incentive, lol), and my statement in post #83 was accurate...note that bolded portions below.

As for the poll, something needs to be made clear. Option three will only be temporary. If the number of paid memberships still does not support the financial liabilities of the BOI, the BOI will remain open ONLY to paid memberships for one year when I implement that change. I would be assuming that there will not be any flurry of new paid memberships at that time, of course. My guess is most people would think they were throwing good money after bad if the BOI was going to go away anyway. But in any event, that 1 year grace period will be to sort of pay back those members who are donating to keep the BOI open. At that time I will try to make it clear that the BOI is effectively dead and will be permanently closed one year after that date.

That was from post #5 http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...631#post740631

I don't get it - the contributions are to fund lawsuit defenses. If Rich doesn't get sued, yet theoretically accrues enough funds for a deemable legal defence, why do we need to continue contributing if he has not yet exhausted those contributions yet?

Why should he have to CONSTANTLY defend himself and the right for all of us to complain? Websites and legal fees are free.

It depends. Did you do it under subscriptions in your user CP? If you used a echeck with PayPal it takes longer to clear.

Honestly, I'm not sure how I did it! LOL I think I just clicked the "Donate Now" button at the top of the page.

Hahaha. "Are free" should read "aren't free". Sorry. That's the lack of caffeine speaking.

Originally Posted by leezard

Honestly, I'm not sure how I did it! LOL I think I just clicked the "Donate Now" button at the top of the page.

OK, that explains it. That is a straight donation button. Rich will be able to fix that for you. The way to subscribe with the coins and all is in your User CP.

Once you are in your User CP go down the left column to paid subscriptions and click on it. You will see options for memberships and forum sponsorships.

OH whoops. My bad. I'll send Rich a PM. Thanks for pointing out the obvious to the oblivious.

Originally Posted by spawn

Members will need to maintain the Contributions every year for the site to remain. It's not a once and done deal.

I don't get it - the contributions are to fund lawsuit defenses. If Rich doesn't get sued, yet theoretically accrues enough funds for a deemable legal defence, why do we need to continue contributing if he has not yet exhausted those contributions yet?

Well, if you would like, contact your local friendly attorney and see how much a lawsuit will cost to defend in court. Use worst case scenarios, please, because that is how I need to look at it. And while you are at it, figure out how many hours of MY time would be spent conferring with attorneys and in the courtroom and put a reasonable figure on what my time would be worth to me doing something I would rather not be spending it on.

When you come up with that figure, then divide that by $25 and tell me what you come up with.

Yes, I do have money set aside to fight a lawsuit, but how much will be enough? What happens if it ISN'T enough? Suppose the choice is then to default on the lawsuit because of lack of funds, or dig into my retirement savings to be able to keep on fighting?

Quite frankly, I have no intention of being placed in that position. If the income from this site cannot cover the potential expenses I may have to incur for my efforts of giving you all the ability to post your experiences and opinions about someone else in their business dealings, then tell me, just WHY should I pay for it out of my own pocket when it becomes painfully obvious that it is not worth it to even a reasonably sized MINORITY of the members who use the BOI?

Would YOU do it?

And no, I hope to not get sued, and in some manner I can make a modest income off of this site instead of spending it with attorneys. This hope is no different from anyone else who hopes to make some compensation for their time, efforts, and expended funds to establish a business. I'm sure most people here are breeding animals with the hopes of selling the offspring, and hope to recoup some of their expenses, and in a best case scenario, even make a profit from their endeavors. Sorry if it shocks people to learn that I also have such hopes about my own endeavors.

So yes, I am looking at this from a practical viewpoint as being a business decision. If this site provides a positive cash flow for me in respect to realistic potential liabilities, then I have no problem whatsoever to keep on putting the time and effort (and expenses) into keeping it functioning for everyone to use. However, if that appears to not be the case, then the logical thing to do with any business is to determine where the liabilities lie that can negatively impact the financial viability of the enterprise, and if possible, remove it from the equation. And that is EXACTLY what I am doing here, right now.

Originally Posted by leezard

Hahaha. "Are free" should read "aren't free". Sorry. That's the lack of caffeine speaking.

It's going to be a while. Just got back from Expo and trying to catch up on everything....

It's going to be a while.

S'ok. I've grown some patience and can deal with time.

I'll try to do it today I'm going to send in money to someone who is selling me a Bearded dragon and will at that the same time pay the sum. I believe it is a great hand in your business dealings and I have learned how to figure out what is a scam and what isn't by asking similar quesitons I have seen on there. Without it we would all be disconnected and unable to keep our industry fair and business-like. I have to give it to Webslave he has done a great job and I'm sure those law suits can be a pain in the butt. Thanks for caring about us. I am a little confused and sorry about this but I have been trying to follow it but 11 pages a lot to follow. Are you going to be coming back after you retire? If not I have an idea for you guys if you want to try it out.