Mudcat 'cashometer'?

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Dec 12 - 09:01 AM

$14,000 goal?

My best bet is at least $14 million has come in from Max's appeal and that he's now rolling in dough. But he deserves it after all the years he's spent developing this forum.

Send in what you can before the Mayan Calendar expires.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 13 Dec 12 - 08:04 AM

LOL, Alex.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Dec 12 - 05:56 AM

The petitions and such they ask you to sign usually have a 'thermometer' to show progress, I assume to encourage others and such a display of incoming Mudcash need be no more than that, heading toward the current need of funds for the data transfer. But creating one would add work.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: alex s
Date: 13 Dec 12 - 04:09 AM

Ah, the joys of Mudcat.....

Long may you prosper.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 12 - 12:55 PM

Max - gave the specific cost and needs in his original thread - it is close to 14K.

Deuteronomy 15:10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart....


Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

Proverbs 11:24-25 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.

Grape vines don't groan while producing grapes -- giving fruit comes naturally from healthy vines rooted in good soil. If you don't enjoy giving, move to a more fitting vineyard.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 11:40 PM

I'd expect when this ain't there anymore we'll know.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 11:01 PM

Saying that there is no goal, sounds a bit like saying that Mudcat is a bottomless pit down which we are all throwing our money. Now, I know that this is NOT TRUE! But, I think it might encourage more folks to give (at least a little) if they feel that it really IS going to save Mudcat. Otherwise, it could sound like "give your money, but Mudcat is going to die anyway".

Our financial support of Mudcat should be seen as an annual thing, not just a one-time crisis intervention. In that sense, there is no goal. But there's nothing wrong with Max giving encouragement by posting something like "we're more than half of the way there" or even "we're almost there!" That means, just for this year, not forever.

I agree that this is an awesome site, and I love the community.
Suzy T.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST,JJ, still cookieless
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 07:34 PM

Jeri, you hit the nail on the head...an awesomenometer is just the ticket....well thunk!

JJ

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: Jeri
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 04:17 PM

I think the problem lies in the fact that no matter how much we send, Mudcat always requires more.
There is no such thing as 100%. Max has given more than all of us combined can send him. If we get anywhere close to what he originally though the needed, something else will break or become outdated, he'll need to hire somebody for which, in a perfect world, he'll be reimbursed, but Max will get it done. Maybe he'll ask for help and maybe he won't.

If he does post a "goal", I hope he adds up all the hours he spends and every penny that has come out of his pocket for hardware, for software, for gas money to go buy those things, for the on-going internet connection/hosting/connectivity stuff, server rental space in his house, headache medication, other medication, and maybe an adequate amount of on-hand bail money. There is no "goal", and there can't be any finite amount.

I think folks want to know they've accomplished SOMEthing, and that, not control issues/trying to get Max to jump through hoops, is what this is about.

People want to know if we're awesome.
That's it!n Forget the money--we need an awesomenometer.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: foggers
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 04:12 PM

I agree that some form of progress report would help, and it is not at ALL about trusting that donations are being used appropriately. It would be good to know if the immediate crisis is solved, and also what is needed to secure the future.

Mudcat is an amazing service to have available; I'd value knowing if there is more I need to or can do to help!

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST,Cookieless JJ
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 03:27 PM

Nobody is questioning Max's trustworthyness - his track record speaks for itself, he is absolutely trustworthy.

Asking how the fundraising is progressing is not at all unreasonable. I wouldn't expect (or wish) Max to give specifics - but it would be good to know if the fundraising is getting close to the target.

Assuming we raise sufficient funds to get over this crisis doesn't mean that more funds wouldn't be welcome - or needed in the future.

No money = no Mudcat.

Unthinkable.

Keep up the good work Max, we ALL owe you.

JJ

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 03:22 PM

It's not about needing any accounting from Max -- goodness knows, we could NEVER really pay for all the time and attention that he gives to Mudcat.
But, it might spur some to give if there was some indication of how it's going in terms of Max getting what is needed. The reason for this is: some people are reluctant to give if the goal seems unattainable.
I'm not saying anything needs to be updated super-often. But, perhaps something on the home page to the effect of:
Mudcat needs YOUR help in order to continue! We've raised x percent of what it takes to run Mudcat for a year -- YOUR donation can help put us over the top!

The percentage, as well as how long it would fund Mudcat, can (and should) be just ballpark estimates, and Max shouldn't have to spend a super long time figuring this out. Just a "guesstimate" would do -- if Max feels like we're at about 20% or 50% or 80%.

Again, let me stress that this is NOT asking for any kind of monetary figure, or accounting. It's simply a tool to encourage others to give. Every little bit helps!!
Suzy T.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: Will Fly
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 03:08 PM

Ordinarily, Kat (and Sandy) I would agree - the 'traditional under-funding' may well be the 'norm' for the continuing, daily presence of Mudcat.

However, imagine my surprise - and shock! horror! - when I opened up the site a few days ago to see the thread title:

mudcat.org cannot afford to continue...

Max wouldn't have posted that if the 'norm' - the status quo - was running as per usual. "Desperate times call for desperate measures", I said to myself - as did many, many others in the café - and buckled down to help out. A time will come when all the effort that is currently going on may tail off... that thread title will drift down the list into oblivion... Mudcat may well be taken for granted as before as other matters engross us...

A little reminder from time to time of the safety/viability or otherwise of Mudcat seems, to me, to be no bad thing. A little spur to remind some of us - like me - to keep up the work.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 02:47 PM

Sandy, well said!

Folks, Mudcat has always been a labour of love, "traditionally" under-funded, run mostly on whatever Max has available of his own. There is never enough and donations are always needed. Max has kept it going for 14 years or so...he'll keep doing it. I trust him and have no need for updates. If I get up in the morning and Mudcat is there, I know we've all done good.:-)

kat

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: Ebbie
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 01:29 PM

Put that way -as a rain gauge, so to speak- the request seems reasonable but in actuality I don't need it. To me what does make sense is not only to meet today's crunch but to build a comfortable cushion for the future. I doubt that Max has ever had that.

If we can create that cushion, then a stream of donations will meet each year's needs while keeping that cushion for emergencies and upgrades and the like.

What Max has created and maintained in the Mudcat - well, his dedication and foresight boggles my mind.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: open mike
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 01:11 PM

Let nothing get in the way of our continued contributions...
if we think the need has been totally met,we might slack off,
and we musn't do that!

eternal vigilance...

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: alex s
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 11:50 AM

Thank you Janie and Will. You have interpreted my post perfectly.

As for Leadfingers.....

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: Will Fly
Date: 11 Dec 12 - 04:31 AM

I read Alex's OP as a sensible request for a regular, or even irregular update on how much of Max's cash problems we are helping to overcome. If we can see, perhaps, that Max is still struggling and in need, then we can continue to pull out all the stops to help.

It's quite common in the UK for funds required to help a building restoration project to be shown as a giant "thermometer" - or "cashometer" outside the building - such as a church, for example. It helps to keep the project public and the funds flowing.

I also doubt that Max has the time to keep us abreast of progress, but the idea as expressed in Alex's post is perfectly sane and reasonable.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: Janie
Date: 10 Dec 12 - 11:40 PM

Alex,

I'm guessing you are not asking for an accounting but would like to know the money is coming in that is needed for Max to make the upgrades - reassurance, so to speak, that Max is getting the funds he needs to do what needs to be done. Maybe you are even thinking a "cashometer" might prompt more donations if people see we are missing the mark.

You obviously use Mudcat as a valuable resource and are also a valuable resource to this community. There are a lot of practical reasons why that cashometer ain't likely to appear, but good on you for your concern that Mudcat gets the funds it needs to not just keep on keepin' on, but to upgrade and improve the technology and hardware to keep the joint rocking well into the future.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 10 Dec 12 - 11:40 PM

Many times Gargoyle has trod on Mudcatter's toes, but yet somewhere behind it all lies a wisdom that I hold in respect! Well said!

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 10 Dec 12 - 11:20 PM

I don't know the OP's original intention, but when I read the post I thought he might be wondering what percent of the amount needed has been donated. That wouldn't be a bad thing to know, but I'm guessing Max is too busy improving Mudcat to tend to that--and I do trust him. In addition to making a small donation, I'm clicking on more ads than ever and have emailed the Amazon Mudcat link to my one friend I know who uses a Kindle.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: gnu
Date: 10 Dec 12 - 09:43 PM

Fair question but I think the end answer has been given.

So to speak.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 10 Dec 12 - 08:55 PM

IF you dont trust Max , leave !

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 10 Dec 12 - 08:25 PM

Live...and rejoice .....


In the abundance... you gave ... from your own bounty

It is enough ... that each gives according to their means.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Many have proclaimed their "widow's mite "


it is enough...if the Mudcat endures for another year....count our blessings.

Subject: RE: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: nutty
Date: 10 Dec 12 - 08:18 PM

I'm not sure what that would achieve. Would we then expect Max to account for the spending of what has been donated ?

Why not just trust him to use the donations wisely for the good of Mudcat and for his own personal well-being. He would never have asked for help if his back had not been against the wall.

I'm sure you only asked out of curiosity but for Max to give any answer could open a huge can of worms

Subject: Mudcat 'cashometer'?
From: alex s
Date: 10 Dec 12 - 04:22 PM

Can we have an indication on the home page as to how our donations are progressing? Cheers.