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Old 10-14-2008, 09:21 PM   #1
jasballs
Read This!

Just from the few replies to this thread, it is pretty obvious that many people consider the "BOI" and "FaunaClassifieds" as being synonymous. Probably rightfully so, which is just cause for me to post something I posted in the Clubroom forum (yes that IS one of the perks for being a paid member!) a little while back more clearly defining the problem I see looming. Matter of fact, I entitled that thread "Looming problem for the future".


Quote:
Not sure how far off into the future, but I can definitely see the dark spot at the end of the tunnel.

Every day I am reminded that I am getting older, and the workload Connie and I bear up under for my corn snake business gets more difficult to face every year. When I had emergency surgery for my appendix back in April, the point was pretty well made that something more serious then that could put me down for a long stretch at a very inopportune time, effectively sinking that business. So I've been thinking about how to handle that possibility with some sort of controlled and orderly exit strategy. Some would probably call this something like "retirement".

I guess I've been hoping that the income from the sites I run would pick up enough slack that we wouldn't have to go on welfare. The retirement I will get from the state of Florida wouldn't even cover the monthly health insurance bill, and I guess I've become kind of fond of being able to eat every day. Paid memberships on this site are gradually, but steadily, declining, but I'm hoping that will stabilize before too long. With the income from memberships and advertising, I think we could maybe have enough left over after insurance and taxes to splurge on a McDonald's happy meal once every couple of weeks. Things should be really too bad, I think....

Except for one apparently insurmountable problem. The BOI. As it stands now, I have enough income from my SerpenCo business to fight a lawsuit without bankrupting myself in the process. So I can afford to stick my chin out and tell people to go to hell when they want me to delete some thread about them on the BOI that they don't particularly like. Which is normally followed by the threat of a lawsuit, which I similarly thumb my nose at.

But when the time comes for me to drop the reptile business, things will be quite different. I have enough salted away to fight one lawsuit using those reserves, but after that, with only the trickle of money actually coming in from this site, that reserve will never be able to be replenished, and then I am literally up the creek without a paddle. I couldn't afford to defend the BOI any longer. Which means a genuine lawsuit threat would put me in the position of HAVING to delete whatever it is that the person threatening the lawsuit wants removed. Which, of course, would basically neuter the BOI. So the BOI would be effectively dead, for all intents and purposes. Once word got around that I HAVE to cave on a lawsuit threat, then the game is over with. And along with the BOI, so would go FaunaClassifieds, since realistically, that is really the only reason many people even frequent this site. Which, of course, would also kill that modest income I've been counting on for retirement.

So I'm squarely between a rock and a very hard place. I feel that I realistically have to work my SerpenCo business until I literally drop or I lose everything. FaunaClassifieds just does not have the financial income to carry the load, and the way things look, never will. My other sites bring in far less money (in comparison, anyway), so they hardly even fit into this equation at all.

For those of you wondering, I am estimating that an average lawsuit defense will cost me in the neighborhood of $30K to $50K. Maybe more (perhaps MUCH more) if the suing party has very deep pockets to keep up the pressure, trying to drain me financially. This site MAY be bringing in around $15K gross. The server leases alone take away over half of that. So there's not really all that much financial wiggle room. Heck, I might have to skip the happy meal, now that I look at the figures... Even though I would likely ultimately win a lawsuit as long as I watch my step, my money supply reserve is not endless to keep up an endless string of appeals and crap.

So there's the problem. In order to retire, I can't see any way to avoid retiring the BOI as well in order to reduce the legal liability that could drain me financially. But to retire the BOI means that FaunaClassifieds would likely dry up as well, eliminating the ability for me to even think about retiring.

How's that for a catch-22?

Anyway, I tried everything I can think of to try to generate more income for this site, and at every turn it just seemed to piss off more and more people. I'm sure more than one accused me of being a money grubbing asshole because of these efforts. But I was trying to do what I felt was necessary for the survival of this site. So this is where we are right now. Them's the cards on the table that I am staring at......

I guess my back has stopped hurting enough to go over and finish up feeding the baby snakes...... This old age crap is for the birds.....

I think that pretty much explains what I am looking at right now. Oh, and there was a later post I made in that same thread that explains some things as well....


Quote:
I feel that an explanation of my strategy here is in order.

I've spent some money for the upgrade and had some more custom mods done with the emphasis on the classifiieds sections. Also tried to make the general use of this forum more pleasant for people by offering bells and whistles to interest them in participating. More are in store for the future, as time permits. My programmer was VERY kind to me and didn't raise the price of the upgrade and mods over what I paid for the last one. Even though he did a LOT more work. Bless his heart....

Anyway, the reason for all this is dual layered. Or perhaps a primary and secondary target would be more accurate.

The first target is to try to get this site generating enough revenue that when the time comes that I can no longer keep the SerpenCo business, that I will feel comfortable that this site is paying it's way enough that even with the BOI still here, I could weather any financial storm (within reason, of course) that may come my way because of it.

Failing that, the secondary target is that the classifieds and other bells and whistles will increase traffic enough to those areas, that the BOI becomes a lesser important factor in the survival of this site, and I can safely kill it without having the site die as a result.

Both will produce the same results concerning as my ability to keep this site running into the forseeable future. But the second target will certainly not make some people very happy, no matter what my reasons.

It is my hope that the enhanced classifieds will increase traffic here, and the smal percentage of members who are willing to be paying members, advertisers, and sponsors will be large enough in actual numbers to help assure this site will stay afloat. With the goal being, of course, keeping me able to keep this site (either with or without the BOI) when my major source of income will end. Perhaps this will work, or perhaps not, we'll just have to see. All I can do is to try my best to make that happen.

Of course, seeing the latest figures on the paid memberships like I did earlier today certainly doesn't give me much confidence in the future. But such is life, I guess. No guarantees, expressed or implied.....
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