The Donate Button

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Cliffs Note Version (The Short Story)

This Forum is relatively expensive to operate.  It does not run on a home type of PC type but a large state-of-the-art GoDaddy server that runs in a data center with 24/7/365 support with over 99.9% uptime.  We have two part time computer gurus that help us support the Forum, Phil and "Krash", that upgrade and maintain the Forum as required. 

We added a Donate button at the top of the Forum which some folks have noticed.  In the past, Bus Conversion Magazine subscribers have always indirectly supported the Forum.  However, not everyone that uses the Forum subscribes to BCM as they have no interest in the magazine.  Someone suggested recently that we add a Donate button for those people that are not subscribers but still want to contribute in some way to keep the Forum alive.  We decided to wait until the upgrade was complete then we added the Donate button.

So if you enjoy the Forum and find value in it, please consider contributing to it to keep it alive.  You can donate $10, $30, or $75 for a 3 Month, 6, Month, or 12 Month plan. For a donation you can use PayPal or a credit card. 


The Whole Enchilada (More Info)

Recently we upgraded the server and the software the Forum runs on. Both were very outdated and it was taking Phil a lot of hours to make changes on the old server and eventually he was unable to upgrade the Forum software on that old server.  There was no longer any technical support available for the software and many things took much longer than they should have.  So we had to make a decision if we were going to continue to operate the Forum and if so, we would have to upgrade the 10 year old software and hardware it was running on.

So we made the bold decision to do the upgrade to both the hardware and the software.  We also hired a Forum Software expert, "Krash" to help with the upgrade because Phil did not have the time to research it and do it himself.  Thankfully with the help of Krash, we were able to pull this off with only about an hour of downtime late one night. 

Before the upgrade, Krash moved the entire Forum over to a test server and upgraded it to the new version of software where we did extensive testing to ensure everything moved over and everything would work.  It took quite a bit of tweaking but we were able to do the upgrade with very few hiccups.  After that we shut down the Forum and moved all of the data over to the new server where the upgraded software was already installed.

As you can imagine, this was no easy task and took a LOT of time.  The Forum software had not been upgraded in several years and was significantly past due for an upgrade which is why it took so much work.

Going forward we want to upgrade it more often so we will not have to take such big steps which will help minimize risk and will be much easier each time making these incremental upgrades rather than large upgrades as this one was which corrupted some of our data as you may have noticed.  We still have a few bugs to work out but we are slowly making progress.

So again, if you are not a current BCM subscriber and you feel the Forum has value to you, then please consider a small monthly stipend to keep it going or a larger one time donation perhaps annually. 

Periodically, I will post the donation amounts here so you can follow our progress.  It matters that people find value in the Forum and are interested in keeping it alive. Those that do make a donation will have a virtual badge next to their name on the Forum.

All of the donations will go directly to supporting the Forum either for software, hardware, or to pay for the time Phil and Krash spend supporting the Forum. This money will not be used for anything else.  The more money we can raise, the more we can improve the Forum.

If you have any questions about making a donation, feel free to post it here or use the Contact Us tab at the top of the page and use the option for Online/Forum BBS.

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

We received two donations so far.  Thank you for helping keep the Forum alive. 

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

We just received another Platinum Donation.  Thanks TV.  He too wants to keep those wheels a rolling.

Gary

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Another happy customer.  Thanks TB.

BTW, we have a Document on our Document page (of course) of a Bus Lubrication Chart that Gene Lewis put together. Thanks Gene.  Be sure to check it out.  We try to share info like this which is helpful to bus people. 

https://www.busconversionmagazine.com/documents/

[chessie4905]

Gary, I'm not interested in making "monthly"donations. How about also offering a fixed amount. Like 25,50,100. Or also have a $1000 for guys like Cliff with loads of money.

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Gary, I'm not interested in making "monthly"donations. How about also offering a fixed amount. Like 25,50,100. Or also have a $1000 for guys like Cliff with loads of money.

Good idea.  We will consider that.

Gary

[DoubleEagle]

What are the categories of donations being used? We see the "Platinum" banner, but what is the criteria for achieving that and any other metals? Silver and Gold have an Eagle quality to them, but there is also Rusty Steel. 

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

What are the categories of donations being used? We see the "Platinum" banner, but what is the criteria for achieving that and any other metals? Silver and Gold have an Eagle quality to them, but there is also Rusty Steel. 

Click on the Donate button and you will see the different levels.  We are working on perhaps offering some other options in the next few days if you want to hold off a bit.

[eagle19952]

Good idea.  We will consider that.

Gary

yup. it could be called the Clifford Level 1, 2 or 3 button

[buswarrior]

Will bottles of Holy Water be sent for appropriate donations?

Substitute rusty radiator contents from the next luvrbus horror story?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

We have another donation.  Thanks so much for your Donation RG. 

If others wish to make a Donation to keep the Forum alive, please choose the Donate button above to keep the wheels rolling.

Keeping the Forum alive is a team effort just like the guys in this photo.

Gary

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

I just became a Platinum Donor myself. If I can do it...anybody can.

I know it is hunting season for some of you but take a moment to sign up now.

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

We have another new Donation from GA.  Thanks so much.

We also changed our system.  We removed the recurring monthly Donation option due to the hassle of having to set up special PayPal account so now we have 3, 6, and 12 month Donation levels.  Choose the Donation amount you are interested in and choose the level you think you can afford to Donate and you too will receive a special badge beside your name in the Forum for the duration level you chose.

As mentioned earlier, all Donations go directly to supporting the Forum you have come to enjoy.

Chose the Donate button now at the top of the Forum to see the new options. If you enjoy the Forum and want to see it continue, please make a payment today.

Gary Hatt
Publisher

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

We have a new Donor. Thanks CA.  I appreciate your support.

For anyone else who feels they get value out of the Forum and wanting to Donate to "Keep the Forum Alive", click on the Donate button at the top of this page and every $ you donate will go directly to supporting this Forum.  Either to help out Phil and "Krash" or for the hardware and software needed to keep it going.

Supporting the Forum will keep you informed about the safe way to work on a bus, not do stupid things like this guy...

[Geoff]

It looks like he is putting an extension cord on his 50 amp box.  I did the same thing off my air conditioning unit.