• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

What happened to BOI????

I contribute as much as possible(Groo does too!), and if I ever win the big lotto, Rich has been near the top of the list for a long time.

The BOI is a one-of-a-kind resource. If people like Allen COULD run a site like this, then he would already have such a site. There's only one BOI for a reason, no one else can do it, and I have no idea what sort of superman Rich is to be able to run it himself.

I will be sad if the BOI goes away, but I would not want a dime back that I've contributed. I'd consider it money well spent, paying back some of the money, time and effort Rich has put out.

I hope more will contribute. Just about every site I go to reccomends people come to the BOI, and hopefully they will help raise contributions.
 
JasonG said:
Can I ask a question. How many gigs of bandwidth does this site use monthly?
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I have no idea. I'm on my own server, so I don't really worry about such things. I actually have two servers to try to distribute the load. Stuff like the topsites script and the FaunaAds script (as well as the GGC banner links) take a toll on a server, so I try not to put everything heavy duty on one box. I certainly would like to consolidate to one server, but my server guy doesn't think it would be a good idea.

The server for FC is on a fortified network and my server guy specializes in defeating DDoS attacks, so he is constantly checking things over for exploits hackers can use to gain access to the server. He is the guy that pulled this site out of the fire when it was under a DDoS attack a while back. Everyone else in the data centers I had the server couldn't do a thing. If I had simply been hosting with someone, they would have just null routed my IP address and been done with it. That's what one of the data centers I was at did to keep the DDoS attack from affecting their network. They got pretty agitated when I gave my server guy the keys to the server and within 15 minutes had completely nullified the attack. Made those other techs look like buffoons. If you are going to do this sort of thing, you NEED to have expertise under your belt or within yelping distance. You all have no idea of the number of glitches and crap that goes on behind the scenes with an internet server.
 
WebSlave said:
I have no idea. I'm on my own server, so I don't really worry about such things. I actually have two servers to try to distribute the load. Stuff like the topsites script and the FaunaAds script (as well as the GGC banner links) take a toll on a server, so I try not to put everything heavy duty on one box. I certainly would like to consolidate to one server, but my server guy doesn't think it would be a good idea.

The server for FC is on a fortified network and my server guy specializes in defeating DDoS attacks, so he is constantly checking things over for exploits hackers can use to gain access to the server. He is the guy that pulled this site out of the fire when it was under a DDoS attack a while back. Everyone else in the data centers I had the server couldn't do a thing. If I had simply been hosting with someone, they would have just null routed my IP address and been done with it. That's what one of the data centers I was at did to keep the DDoS attack from affecting their network. They got pretty agitated when I gave my server guy the keys to the server and within 15 minutes had completely nullified the attack. Made those other techs look like buffoons. If you are going to do this sort of thing, you NEED to have expertise under your belt or within yelping distance. You all have no idea of the number of glitches and crap that goes on behind the scenes with an internet server.
Click to expand...

Just some advice... Find a better server provider. Ddos attacks are so 90s and can be stopped by simply shutting off certain ports.

If you arent using more then 10mbps then you shouldnt need to load balance your site. 10 mbps is nothing in todays market. You can get a decent box with 30 mbps for $300 a month. That would rock this site's performance. That and a new beefier backend/script...

But dont take my word for it... ;)
 
Make note, Rich. The dispute I just sent though Paypal was for the year in advance I purchased, not the current. Unless you want to give that back, too.
 
Sorry to hear of the possible / probable imminent demise of the BOI...

but I am not too surprised. You (Rich) have been discussing it for a long time.

Although I rarely buy from unknown people over the Net, I still like to look up new contacts, and to have an insider view about what is going on in our business. The BOI is primarily the reason I come here, although I sometimes read a few of the other business related forums, such as shipping and shows, etc. I would probably mostly stick to CS if the BOI disappears (hopefully CS will last forever, or at least as long as I last!).

I can understand why small hobbyists may not contribute if they seldom buy online. But I can't understand why anyone in this as a business (or anyone who buys online a couple or more times per year) would not contribute if they even MIGHT occasionally use the BOI to possibly save themselves from a disastrous transaction. Although I am generally more of a lurker than poster on FC, I can certainly see the value in such a cheap insurance policy.

As others have said, you have to satisfy yourself first - it is your retirement, and your life. I hope you find a way to save the BOI, but you certainly should feel no guilt or obligation to continue to fund other peoples' needs instead of caring for your own, as you exit the live animal part of the business to start your retirement.

Isn't it possible for a lawyer to set up an airtight corporation that sequesters the assets and liabilities of this site to limit liability to only those assets? Seems like there should be some way to protect all non-Fauna assets from anything that happens from the BOI.
 
Uroboros said:
Make note, Rich. The dispute I just sent though Paypal was for the year in advance I purchased, not the current. Unless you want to give that back, too.
Click to expand...

Hey Erik, The BOI isn't shutting down today. Several or signing up today but your requesting a refund? Were here trying to make this work and trying to keep everything running in the future and you are already packing your bags?
 
Uroboros said:
Make note, Rich. The dispute I just sent though Paypal was for the year in advance I purchased, not the current. Unless you want to give that back, too.
Click to expand...

Sure, I'll do that. Send me a payment request for your prorated amount of contribution remaining. And then be on your way, please.
 
Uroboros said:
Make note, Rich. The dispute I just sent though Paypal was for the year in advance I purchased, not the current. Unless you want to give that back, too.
Click to expand...

Wow.

I don't think I have seen many things more uncalled for written on a public forum... Congratulations. :thumbsup:
 
SarahW said:
Wow.

I don't think I have seen many things more uncalled for written on a public forum... Congratulations. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Yeah.... This guy filed a dispute with PayPal, so I am assuming he has gone all hostile on me. If that's the way he wants to play this, then that's fine. If someone wants to make an effort to try to get me in dutch with PayPal, then I'm assuming they have decided they really don't want to be on this site any longer. That is certainly their choice to make, and I am happy to help them along with that decision.
 
WebSlave said:
Yeah.... This guy filed a dispute with PayPal, so I am assuming he has gone all hostile on me. If that's the way he wants to play this, then that's fine. If someone wants to make an effort to try to get me in dutch with PayPal, then I'm assuming they have decided they really don't want to be on this site any longer. That is certainly their choice to make, and I am happy to help them along with that decision.
Click to expand...

Uncalled for to say the very least. I thought better of him, but is seems people are just disappointing. :( Yet another one who falls under the grouping of PEOPLE SUCK!

Rich,

Now correct me if I am wrong, from what I have read recently from your posts (obviously something some haven't done or been doing) that it is your intent to shut down the BOI (pending it can carry it's own weight) January 1, 2010 to the general public but it it to remain open to the contributing members for the following year.
 
Now damnit this is beginning to suck!

Well, I'm guessing the coffee I had earlier wasn't enough. I just spent the past few minutes looking through my Subscribed threads looking for a specific thread to update. Then I looked through them again and then realized it was a BOI thread I was looking for. No wonder I couldn't find it. :bandhead0
 
I have no say in next years contribution from Uroboros, but the years contribution including Nov/Dec of 2008 is not refundable to him per an agreement made with me on a deal that stipulated he be or become a contributing member of faunaclassifieds~ I'm sure he understood at the time that being or becoming a contributing member was a year long commitment. Anything after the year including Nov/Dec 2008 is none of my business.
 
Okay, I'm ready for the BOI to come back up. :ack2:

The first thing I do when I come here is click on User CP, then new posts and then the BOI specifically. Now, there's not much in the first click and I can't get on to the last one.:(
 
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I know in a few of my recent posts I was posting that I thought it was weird that I paid for the BOI and now its gone. Let me clarify I paid to use the BOI but I also know that my small contribution went to help support the whole site.

I don't think anything needs to be refunded I'm sure anyone here has saved the fees from one deal on here like buying a great snake/lizard with a deal or avoiding a bad deal after checking out the BOI.

Rich thank you and if it is to go then I will still be here, but I hope it stays.
 
I have an idea to keep this site running and well maintained.

Rich, when you are ready to pass the torch, sell this site to several members, mods for example. Doing so, the site is not owned by just one person. It will also be owned by members who truly enjoy and understand how this site works and the importance of the BOI in the reptile community. If a owner wants to leave, they can sell their share or give it away. If an owner needs to be removed it can be done so by majority rule and replace accordingly. Those wanting to own it can make up all their rules and regulation between each other. Fauna is already run by you and the mods, it takes several people to do so, this can help expand the life of this website. Making changes or not will be easier with majority voice, the headache is lessened for each person, rather than just one taking on all the responsibility.

I have seen this work with other forums when the owner was ready to leave, this also kept the membership up and a lot less people ran off upset, because trusted members took over the reins.

My two cents...
 
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