The future of OTF

[Snake Plissken]

That's at current levels. There may be cheaper options available.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Very rough calculations based on the numbers given, we'd need 100 subscribers paying 30 per year.

[Sporting]

A small recurring payment system would defo work better than periodic (and easily forgotten) 'lump sums'.

Agreed.

[Sporting]

I would really prefer no ads.

[WOM]

I'm not rich but can chip in something as soon as I know where and how.

I'm not sporting, but I can help out when we know more, too.

A small recurring payment system would defo work better than periodic (and easily forgotten) 'lump sums'.

Also willing to help out as admin / mod if the technical know-how is low.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I mean, in the absence of generous lifetime benefactor, it's subscription or adverts, isn't it, or perhaps a combination of the two, (lower sub and moderate impact of the latter).

Given the number of active users we're possibly talking about 25-30 quid as an annual sub or less with adverts. I'd go for the former. Actually, I was going to make a donation a couple of days ago but was put off by the PayPal-only option.

How about we kick this around for a couple of days and then have a poll on the options?

[Benjm]

Thank you to WSC for having kept the board going during a very difficult period for the magazine.

I'd very much like OTF to continue however that might be feasible and would like to contribute, but don't have any knowledge in this field.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I'm shocked how little we've raised in donations, a minimum monthly donation is 2 pounds which suggests under a dozen people are paying that.

What are the alternatives here?

Snake Plissken I'm happy to help

[Snake Plissken]

Is 278 x 12 the total cost or are there any other costs beyond hosting.

Probably the total cost as WSC will be paying the hosts for any technical issues arising and maintenance. I've never taken a penny from WSC but for absolute openness I do have a sub and got a free t-shirt a few years back.

BTW I'm happy to continue as an admin on a volunteer basis if people want me to. I might need a couple of willing volunteers to help out on running things in the future though.

[Sporting]

278 seems to be for a bit more than a month, but fair point.

[Snake Plissken]

It's not just a question of money, though that is obviously the primary issue. OTF could probably be hosted in a cheaper way but the point is that the direct link between OTF and WSC is going to be gone and whatever the new arrangements are, we're on our own.

FWIW, I am having a think about what our technical options are, which will require gathering some background information on exact traffic and size and so on. As it is, the floor is open for questions.

[Etienne]

Is 278 x 12 the total cost or are there any other costs beyond hosting.

[Etienne]

Likewise.

[ad hoc]

Thanks rich. I must admit i had no idea exactly how much OTF cost WSC. That genuinely is a lot (and a lot lot more than I imagined), and I can totally understand the issue. I know nothing about potential options or ways to keep the forum alive, but I am very open to the suggestions of experts and the creativity of the user base.

[Sporting]

I'm not rich but can chip in something as soon as I know where and how.

[rich]

OTF is a bit of a drain on WSC resources - in 2020 we received GBP 278 in donations which covers not much more than one month’s hosting. The board has no other source of direct revenue (although of course many of you are WSC subscribers and/or patrons). Any break-ins cost us a couple of hundred quid to put right.

We have been discussing this for a while but put any plans on hold when the first lockdown started; the OTF Patreon thread brought this to the fore again. WSC's position is that we no longer want to fund and manage OTF. We would happily hand it over to a co-operative of users to keep it going - it’s not our intention to just turn it off. But given the number of shop sales we’ve lost since the pandemic started we need to find every penny we can to keep the core business going.

There's no particular timeframe on this but we're looking to gauge people's feelings.