# You know what? It's really not that fucking expensive to run a message board. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 24, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184 "2005-09-24T05:44:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Domokun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Domokun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domokun)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/161 "2005-09-24T23:46:47Z")
If they can’t or won’t show us the money then they shouldn’t be using supposed losses as an excuse for doing whatever. Put great big flash banners, pop-ups and midi files all over the site if you want, but don’t expect me to buy that you’re not coining it already. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/162 "2005-09-24T23:49:18Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > If they can’t or won’t show us the money then they shouldn’t be using supposed losses as an excuse for doing whatever. Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/163 "2005-09-24T23:50:29Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > If they can’t or won’t show us the money then they shouldn’t be using supposed losses as an excuse for doing whatever. I don’t get that either. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/164 "2005-09-24T23:50:42Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > If they can’t or won’t show us the money then they shouldn’t be using supposed losses as an excuse for doing whatever. Put great big flash banners, pop-ups and midi files all over the site if you want, but don’t expect me to buy that you’re not coining it already. Do you demand that your grocery store opens its books if they raise the price of cheese? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/165 "2005-09-24T23:53:44Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > If they can’t or won’t show us the money then they shouldn’t be using supposed losses as an excuse for doing whatever. Put great big flash banners, pop-ups and midi files all over the site if you want, but don’t expect me to buy that you’re not coining it already. Maybe they didn’t figure out that you and the rest of the Scooby gang would figure out their scam. ---
**Author:** ![Domokun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Domokun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domokun)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/166 "2005-09-24T23:54:24Z")
Because being unable to run a messageboard with a few thousand users for $40G a year is a pretty extraordinary claim and we’re supposed to be wary of those. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/167 "2005-09-24T23:55:35Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > Because being unable to run a messageboard with a few thousand users for $40G a year is a pretty extraordinary claim and we’re supposed to be wary of those. I don’t think the people who are saying it’s extraordinary are doing very well with their case. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/168 "2005-09-24T23:56:47Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > I’m gonna bet that Ed Zotti knows a lot more about the finances of the reader and the message board than anyone else in this thread. What you and Catsix are so frantically engaging in is equal parts guessing and flailing. So my ‘guess’ is foolish, but your ‘bet’ is meaningful? > [@Harborwolf](#): > > Guess what. The customer isn’t always right. Catsix and others are telling Ed friggin Zotti what the boards finances are and demanding information that he really can’t give out. I think his response was better than was deserved. We’re not demanding, we’re asking, out of common courtesy, that after the pleas of poverty we see some explanation of how the money was spent. Or at least an explanation on why this information cannot be provided. > [@Fear Itself](#): > > I don’t think they are unable, I think they are unwilling… Think = guess, does it not? This is my whole complaint, that we’ve never even been told _why_ such requests for information have been completely ignored. We do not know who is deciding to keep this information private. For a place dedicated to ‘fighting ignorance’, this isn’t a great example to be setting. ---
**Author:** ![Domokun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Domokun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domokun)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/169 "2005-09-24T23:57:30Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > Do you demand that your grocery store opens its books if they raise the price of cheese? No, but if they told me their $20 cheeses just aren’t turning a profit so in future it’d be $25 and I’d have to pick it up from the wholesaler myself it’d be a big “WTF?” moment followed shortly by “Come the fuck on”. ---
**Author:** ![Domokun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Domokun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domokun)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/170 "2005-09-25T00:03:36Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t think the people who are saying it’s extraordinary are doing very well with their case. [http://www.big-boards.com/](http://www.big-boards.com/) From that list I only see 1 that charges it’s users to post. Yes, obviously running a messageboard is horrendously expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/171 "2005-09-25T00:04:52Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > You’re actually saying that it costs more than $41,000/year to run [boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com)? > > You’ve got some balls if you expect that to be believed. $41,000 dollars? Where does that go-hookers and blow for staff? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/172 "2005-09-25T00:07:09Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > From that list I only see 1 that charges it’s users to post. Yes, obviously running a messageboard is horrendously expensive. I didn’t see anything that told me which sites were pay sites and which weren’t. Regardless, statement #2 doesn’t follow from #1. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/173 "2005-09-25T00:07:33Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > $41,000 dollars? Where does that go-hookers and blow for staff? No, right now it’s just hookers _or_ blow. You have to pick one or the other. We’re hoping the Google ads will change that, though. _:: rubs hands together ::_ ---
**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:** [September 25, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/174 "2005-09-25T00:07:58Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Think = guess, does it not? No, it is my opinion. > [@](#): > > This is my whole complaint, that we’ve never even been told _why_ such requests for information have been completely ignored. Yes you have, over and over and over… > [@](#): > > We do not know who is deciding to keep this information private. Why is the identity of a nameless suit at the Reader relevant to anything? > [@](#): > > For a place dedicated to ‘fighting ignorance’, this isn’t a great example to be setting. It is damn hard when ignorance fights back. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/175 "2005-09-25T00:10:02Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > No, right now it’s just hookers _or_ blow. You have to pick one or the other. > > We’re hoping the Google ads will change that, though. _:: rubs hands together ::_ That’ll never work. You guys need to ditch Google and make a deal with [HookersnBlow.com](http://HookersnBlow.com). ---
**Author:** ![zeeny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zeeny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeeny)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/176 "2005-09-25T00:11:01Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Oh piss off. I’m gonna bet that Ed Zotti knows a lot more about the finances of the reader and the message board than anyone else in this thread. What you and Catsix are so frantically engaging in is equal parts guessing and flailing. > > If this twists your britches so much, you can pack your balls and go play with your self. Can I ask you: "Why do you think to ask such a thing? Really. Who doesn’t want value for dollars provided? I think that most people on earth expect that _a paid service_ is at least _somewhat_ answerable to them about any changes in their terms of service. Do you not think so? If so, I’d expect you’d have an answer that covers that. So far, none has been provided. My husband tells me I am fighting a losing cause here. Is this true? I hate the idea that I am creating a problem here that does not already exist. If the “charter members” here tell me I am overstepping my bounds (even one of them) I will cease and desist. I am only a “guest” here and whatever I post should be held in that light. I am just asking for a _transparent_ model of profit. What should _new_ subscribers expect here? Beyond that, I expect many “regulars” will take this as an opportunity to “take down” whomever they perceive as their “opponents”. I’m sorry about that, but I don’t know what I can do to address those concerns, under the circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/177 "2005-09-25T00:11:49Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Yes you have, over and over and over… Where, and by whom? I mean hard facts from people who know, not speculation. > [@](#): > > Why is the identity of a nameless suit at the Reader relevant to anything? We _don’t know_ it’s a nameless suit making this decision. It could just as easily be a decision by the board admin to not ‘encourage’ discussion of such matters. Is it an unreasonable request even to ask who decides what we should and shouldn’t be told? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/178 "2005-09-25T00:15:36Z")
> [@zeeny](#): > > I think that most people on earth expect that _a paid service_ is at least _somewhat_ answerable to them about any changes in their terms of service. I agree. To those who want to compare this place to a supermarket…where’s the Customer Service desk? At the moment, I think I’m stood in the main entrance, shouting a lot, with a crowd of ‘satisfied customers’ shouting back. Is that what you see happening in your beatified example, Wal-Mart? ---
**Author:** ![Domokun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Domokun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domokun)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/179 "2005-09-25T00:17:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I didn’t see anything that told me which sites were pay sites and which weren’t. Regardless, statement #2 doesn’t follow from #1. Well if you want to believe it costs more than $40G/year to run a place like this be my guest. Not sure how anyone anywhere would ever run a message board, website or whatever without heavy subscription fees if bandwidth, disk space and databases were that costly. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184/180 "2005-09-25T00:19:29Z")
> [@Domokun](#): > > Well if you want to believe it costs more than $40G/year to run a place like this be my guest. I just don’t find “there’s no way it costs that much!” to be a very persuasive argument. Especially since people with experience running a board are disagreeing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-its-really-not-that-fucking-expensive-to-run-a-message-board/323184.md?page=10)