Member buyout of the 3A page...

[p3ferris]

let me know too

[Macgraham]

I'm in too. I owe a lot to this site. Would rather not be tied to any parts vendors, cause some aren't that trustworthy.

[Carls_jeep]

My hope is a private person is in control and allows any and all dealers to advertise on the site if there has to be adds. I am on a Chinese tractor site and they have a click on button to view the dealers list and they rotate the dealer names on the top of the page every few seconds so everyone gets exposure.

I would love to have enough money to just send him a check for the site and be done with it but alas, I don't have that kind of spare money.

[Dez]

Sent ya a email.

[dadsjeep]

Bill, I'm in.  email sent.  Terry

[dluyk]

I would be willing to kick in as well. The help and insight I've received has been
priceless. Let me know.

[Forum Master]

First, thank you to everyone. �I am amazed at the outpouring of those willing to chip in. �I built this site at a "member-built" site with a goal of keeping it ad free. �Well, that was 7 years and three kids ago! �With so many things going on in my life, I just don't have the time to maintain or update this website.

I wish I could just give the site to someone or a group, but to me that's like giving away a nice CJ-3A to a random person (or group of thugs) on the street. �I feel if you have to pay $$ then you have a vested interest in maintaining and improving the site. �What you as a group are buying is the domain name, website, and forum.  From there, the sky is the limit.  I'd like to see a new home page, but I want all my old pages preserved.  We need a new Serial Number database where you can enter data yourself and then you show up on a map.  And the forum is in need of a major upgrade as you know.  I also see a new Store where there are 3A related shirts, stickers, etc.  I think some minor ads or sponsorships are okay as well.  Either way, I am not falling off the face of the earth, I will still be involved help you guys through the process.

All the best,
Jonathan

[F Bill]

A quick note to those of you who are sending me an email at NFord2N@ � aol.com      (No spaces) ..

Please indicate your board handle or name.....Right now I need board handles for Bruce M and Terry M. and I have figured out the other ones.

If you haven't already emailed me with an amount we can count on from you, please send me an email letting me know your board name, and the amount you would like to donate for the buyout.Your real name would be helpful as well, so when the time comes for Paypal I know who has sent in money and who to credit .. I have 30 plus guys in this thread who said "I'm in", but substantially less than that who went the second step to email me. (Putting my email in code probably didn't help..)

I plan on doing something like the 2A page with sponsor members, where instead of or alongside your member group name (postal Jeep, Forward control, etc,) we have some indicator of sponsorship.

Thank you to all involved. I should have a running total tonight.. but right now there are 30 plus folks who said "I am in" and about �$700 in verified Email pledges. I need to get back to work so that's all the preliminary news for now..It will be dark here in Iowa by the time I get back to this..

[F Bill]

No major chages in the figures above.. About $700-800 in email confirmed amounts and about 31 people have replied in this thread or by pM saying they will donate, but no amount was given.

800 will not do it, and I need to know a specific number I can count on from everyone here who has said they are IN so Jonathan and I can sit down and discuss this with some concrete numbers.

Rememeber we are not buyuing just the forum, we are getting the whole 3A .com website, with its store capabilities, etc. We will most likely dump YABB for a more modern and easier to use board once this is finalized....Hopefully everything can be transferred to the new board. I have lots of ideas of things I would like to see on the new improved board and website, but lets let those thoughts go to a different thread...

[calvinhunt]

F Bill,
  So sorry to have delayed.  I responded early on that I was willing to be one of the 25 who were needed to give $100.  That still stands.  I didn't understand that you needed an email to make it a valid commitment.  I will send it right now. Maybe the others that responded saying they wanted to help out are in the same boat.  After you get your email commitments totaling enough to make the buyout happen just tell me how and where to send the money.  

[Quebec Jeep]

Hi, What is the cost per year to maintain the site?
It would be less expensive to maintain it like it is right now.
I would prefer to see Jonathan to be the only owner of the site.
We can give help to maintain it like upgrading the forum and paying the annual fee.
For me, it will be more easier and realistic like this.

I know that when more people are involved, more problems come up.
Unfortunately, I don't have etheir 2500$ spare in my pocket.

[Forum Master]

Hi, What is the cost per year to maintain the site?
It would be less expensive to maintain it like it is right now.
I would prefer to see Jonathan to be the only owner of the site.
We can give help to maintain it like upgrading the forum and paying the annual fee.
For me, it will be more easier and realistic like this.

I know that when more people are involved, more problems come up.
Unfortunately, I don't have etheir 2500$ spare in my pocket.

The cost of maintaining the website is not the issue. �My cost is $20/year for the domain name and I have someone hosting the site for free (although that is going away). �The issue is the time involved and the new software expertise that I don't have.

[Findley]

I have asked the same questions and I do have the $2500. I have not gotten any answers. A single manager of a web site like this seems to work out for the best. Lots of potential here and hate to see it turn in the wrong direction. With what looks like member commitment of upward of $800 the member buy out should succeed in reaching the buy out price... Keeping the same admins should help a lot to keep the same feel of the site.

I thought when this was cross posted to the CJ-2A page that the 2A guys would pitch in and help meet the price commitment. Hope they still will.

[Forum Master]

I have asked the same questions and I do have the $2500. I have not gotten any answers.

You PM'd me a day ago....

Sent you a PM.

[F Bill]

Ok, guys, we have reached a point where I need those of you who have NOT emailed me at NFord2N@aol.com �to go ahead and email me the max amount we can count on you for... Jonathan is going to give us a significant break in the buyout price but I have not gotten a commitment and amount to do the deed from my prospective webmaster yet.....

I hope to be able to divide the buyout price by the number of email verified donors and get a figure that is less than the $100 price �we put out there earlier. You can still choose to donate the full $100 amount as we will need to pay hosting fees, pay our webmaster for his time in setting up a professionally done site, and buy new BB �software. � While I realize a lot of you guys did say in this thread" count on me," I need you to email me a commitment so I know we can count on ya and we will have an alternative way to contact you when the move is made.

Please, do not take the failures of the last weekend as a omen of things to come . I plan on getting new hosting and new software (at additional cost to the buyout) to solve these problems, and make monitoring the site easier... There WILL be glitches with the transfer (One major glitch is there is no easy way to move the posts made in YABB to any other software...)

Ok guys, next step is up to you...... 8-) If you have NOT already emailed a commitment to me, and you wish to help out, now is the time. Please let me know what your 3A page handle is so I know who is who....THANK YOU !!