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Repairs, Updates being performed

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I spoke with the new IT guy yesterday and all went well. He has a a website, Invisiblegold.com and has been in business for 13 years. He grew up locally, lives nearby and he even owns an Old Town canoe, we have paddled the same river.

Although his rates as much higher than I was looking for, you get what you pay for in this world and the internet is no different. Since the site has been going so well and we are growing at a slow and steady pace, I felt it was the time to make a firm commitment to the future and commit to retain his services for the long term. Without going into detail (the internet bad guys have big ears), he informed me of some changes that need to be made to keep the site secure and up to date. These problems all relate back to the transfer of ownership of the site and the round about way it came into being. At the time I took the site over, I had no idea if the site would continue, or if it would just fade away, so I was cautious when it came to laying out the funds to transfer ownership and retain professional help. It is now time to take the next step and finalize the transfer of the site and make it as secure as possible.

Again, the bad guys come from two different places, new registrations and from the back door so to speak. I can take care of the new registrations with the vetting processe, it seems to work well.
The back door can be left slightly ajar when updates are not performed by a knowledgeable person on a regular basis. This is where the problems begin and the need for a professional web site person is the only way to keep the site up and running well.

As of last night, a few small repairs have been made, the "most users ever on line" is now accurate, notices are now being sent out if a member subscribes to a thread and the membership list is being worked on, although that might be something that takes some time.

Now comes the good news. With over 400 members, raising the funds to keep Canoetripping.net running well should not be a problem. Ads are not going to happen, they make pennies a day for the site and lots for folks like Google. I'm going to lay out the money needed right away to perform so of the needed changes so the updates can start and repairs made, but I am also going to have a fund raiser with donations like last time. I will try to do a better job of advertising so that everyone gets the message this time, and hopefully enough funds will be raised to keep things running smoothly for the foreseeable future.

Now, off to my Grandaughter's softball game!
 
Kudos to you, Robin. Your work is much appreciated.

Now about that fund-raising thing. Funding by donation can create a situation where those who don't contribute, or contribute less, are subsidized by those who contribute more. This can lead to resentments, though not necessarily. Funding by subscription may weed some people out, but it's more fair in terms of benefits. The choice is best made as a matter of values rather than opportunistically. Of course, it's up to you. I'm just highlighting a few issues I've seen arise at other sites.

Whatever you do, I think I speak for all of us here in thanking you for all you've done and continue to do for this site, and for this community itself.

Dave
 
I'm happy to report that the e-mail notification feature is working. Thanks, Robin.

BUT ... I've become accustomed to using the "New Posts" feature that I'll turn off e-mail notification.

Some folks just can't be pleased. :)
 
How does one donate funds to you? Thanks for your reply......Rick
 
Thanks for the inquires.

Right now We are in the process of clearing up some loose ends with vBulliten (see the bottom of this page, powered by vBulliten) I will keep you informed of the results as they happen. It all goes back to the original owner and my taking over the site. I made some mistakes along the way and these need to be cleared up asap, nothing monumental, but important for the long term security of the site.

I can cover the costs now and then have a better idea of what funds will be needed moving forward. It's all about the updates the site will need and how much time they will take to implement, and any other improvements/maintenance needed to keep the site working error free.
 
I am happy to contribute. Hope I don't miss the announcement this time.

I understand the above concern regarding some who might feel resentment. One possibility is to offer a donating members section so that those who do contribute can feel like they "get something" extra. This is commonly done on other forums I frequent.
 
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