# SDMB financial problems. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 21, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532 "2015-05-21T17:30:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/1 "2015-05-21T17:30:28Z")
If I understand correctly, the buffering problem here isn’t going to get fixed because TPTB don’t want to spend the money. I’m not an IT guy so forgive me if I’m being incredibly naive, but if it’s just a matter of buying the hardware and installing it, we can’t set up a fund or something? Because I’d be willing to throw down some bucks (begrudgingly) if it meant I wouldn’t have to deal with this damn buffering issue anymore. Or I guess I could just go out there and get a life and forget about this place altogether… Nah, screw that. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/2 "2015-05-21T17:32:54Z")
What is the buffering problem? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/3 "2015-05-21T17:41:16Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > What is the buffering problem? You click on a thread and it takes forever to open. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/4 "2015-05-21T17:58:53Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > You click on a thread and it takes forever to open. Sometimes it takes a long time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/5 "2015-05-21T21:09:29Z")
Here’s the problem. The SDMB is owned by the Chicago Reader, which in turn is owned by Sun-Times Media Group. Sun-Times Media, of course, owns the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. This paper is notable for, in the last five years a) winning a Pulitzer Prize and b) laying off (among many, many others) its photography staff, telling reporters to use their iPhones instead. Take a look at the [Sun-Times home page](http://chicago.suntimes.com/). Right now, I’m getting ads for a garage door company, cheap eyeglasses, car insurance, Ford, Brooks Brothers, and clickbait for Castrol, Missouri tourism, and ten foods I never knew had so much protein. If that’s the best the owners can do on their flagship website (which ranks [#742 in the U.S.](http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/chicago.suntimes.com)) what makes you think they care about how slowly pages load down here on [#1907 in the U.S.](http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/boards.straightdope.com)? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/6 "2015-05-21T21:23:48Z")
I don’t think they DO care, which is the whole reason I suggested we set up a fund. If I thought they cared, I’d be bitching at them to fix this shit. ETA: When I say “they” don’t care, I’m refering to the higher ups and NOT the IT guy(s?) that works on this board. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/7 "2015-05-21T22:07:12Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > ETA: When I say “they” don’t care, I’m refering to the higher ups and NOT the IT guy(s?) that works on this board. They don’t care either. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/8 "2015-05-21T22:20:06Z")
I don’t think don’t care is the issue with Jerry. Rather he has a full time IT job and had to squeeze in the SDMB on top of that. So it’s more of a lack of varying by fiat. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/9 "2015-05-21T22:31:00Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I’m not an IT guy so forgive me if I’m being incredibly naive, but if it’s just a matter of buying the hardware and installing it, we can’t set up a fund or something? This has been proposed and rejected many times. I have forgotten the specific reasoning, but the bottom line is, that idea is a non-starter. Besides, what websites still own their own server hardware? Don’t the vast majority buy hosting service on a giant server farm? Better performance, no hardware maintenance, cheaper up front, the benefits are obvious. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/10 "2015-05-22T10:41:59Z")
Ultimately, we have formed a community around a commercial business. No different than if we all went down to _Honest Ed’s Donuts N Joe_ every morning to chew the fat over, you know, donuts 'n joe. Our interest in the place staying open is different from Honest Ed’s interest. And he can choose to run his café into the ground or not as he sees fit. Which he/they/it may or may not be doing to the SDMB now. If/when this place comes to an end, we’ll all move on. Some of us will reform around some other watering hole. And no, it won’t be the same. And yes, it will be a durn shame to see that happen. What’s the best thing we can do to help IMO? Join. I have to say that I’m disappointed at how many long time regulars appear now as [del]free-loading[/del] non-paying guests. Even at full price it costs $1.25ish per month to hang out here. Something is deeply wrong with our society if we each refuse to pay for services while also whining about being exposed to ads and/or blocking them. A complex modern society based on a mutual-rip-off mentality will not stand the test of time. In this thread right now I see I’m preaching to a choir of Charter Members. But the reality of the rest of the board is way too many freeloaders and far too few communitarians to make it pay as a business. I’d be fascinated to see what percentage of posts and pageviews over, say, a week, are performed by guests. And specifically those who aren’t drive-bys, spam-bots and search crawlers. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/11 "2015-05-22T14:17:08Z")
As others have said, the Reader has turned down similar past offers. **LSLGuy** is exactly right. The one hope the SDMB community has is that it is a source of revenue, no matter how small that might be. If this place is important to you, join. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/12 "2015-05-22T16:05:06Z")
**August West** is right about **LSLGuy** being right. Want to really belong here? Kick in some dough with no thought of personal return, and make some posts that add some quality content to this joint. I’m a club member, not a customer. It’s a weird club, but I’m a weird guy. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/13 "2015-05-22T16:22:03Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > too many freeloaders So participating in something that is free is being a “freeloader” now? When this place was pay to post I paid, happily. But they gave me the option to post for free so I do now. For a couple of years after it went free to post I still paid but when money got tight this was one of the things I cut. If this place went back to pay to post I would probably start paying again because money is better for me now than back when I stopped paying. So maybe the answer is to go back to pay to post. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/14 "2015-05-22T16:27:27Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’m a club member, not a customer. It’s a weird club, but I’m a weird guy. You’re right that you’re not a customer, you’re the product. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/15 "2015-05-22T16:32:37Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > So participating in something that is free is being a “freeloader” now? When this place was pay to post I paid, happily. But they gave me the option to post for free so I do now. For a couple of years after it went free to post I still paid but when money got tight this was one of the things I cut. If this place went back to pay to post I would probably start paying again because money is better for me now than back when I stopped paying. So you can afford to pay, think it’s better to pay, but won’t pay unless forced? > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > **August West** is right about **LSLGuy** being right. **Olson Johnson** says you are right about **August West** and **LSLGuy** being right. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/16 "2015-05-22T16:41:28Z")
If they offered some kind of upgraded membership, could the proceeds be dedicated to upgrades? So instead of “Charter Member” you could be listed as “Cecil’s Bitch” or something. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/17 "2015-05-22T16:49:42Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > So participating in something that is free is being a “freeloader” now? When this place was pay to post I paid, happily. But they gave me the option to post for free so I do now. I have no problem with unpaid guests. But when they start complaining about pop-under ads which are an expressed condition of their unpaid status, that is where I draw the line. Unpaid guests have no standing to complain about how the board is monetized. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/18 "2015-05-22T16:53:27Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > If they offered some kind of upgraded membership, could the proceeds be dedicated to upgrades? So instead of “Charter Member” you could be listed as “Cecil’s Bitch” or something. > > Regards, > Shodan I think this is a reasonable question to address to The Powers That Be, if any of them happen to read this thread. If we somehow got enough “guest” users to actually become paying members, thereby ensuring that the Board would have $X coming in as subscriptions for the next 12 months, could TPTB assure us that we’d have enough for VBulletin upgrades, some dedicated tech support and stable hardware? Just tell us how many guests the paying members have to browbeat in every thread to get it done. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/19 "2015-05-22T16:59:34Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > If they offered some kind of upgraded membership, could the proceeds be dedicated to upgrades? So instead of “Charter Member” you could be listed as “Cecil’s Bitch” or something. > > Regards, > Shodan With an upgraded membership we get a “Cecil is my bitch” T-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532/20 "2015-05-22T17:04:09Z")
I’ve only been here 8 years, but in those 8 years I’ve leaned that the “hamster powered” server thing isn’t a joke. In fact, to save money, they get the replacement hamsters from the hamster retirement home and force them to work 12 hour days, without water of food, under threats of turning the malcontents loose at a cat show. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-financial-problems/720532.md?page=2)