First, Co-VID delayed our ad's admission/approval/denial and we were in limbo since March when we opened. They re-opened their queues sometime earlier this month, and I've been going back and forth with them since. Despite my best efforts, Google Ads is denying us the option for ads, despite me telling them that we are not associated with xRED and simply branching off after that one closed down. I even went through the trouble of verifying the account with a phone number NOT directly associated with me. However, Big Brother sees all, and I've been turned down (4 times now) because once an account is closed with them, it remains that way forever and I can't re-open a new one under a different name/email account/phone number. The blacklisting is real, girls.
It probably didn't help that the site was linking to xRED, but at any rate, it's basically a done deal. It's also why I'm now forwarding directly from xRED to here, cause who gives a fuck now lol
So, bad news: come next year (in March, I believe), we'll need to renew the server. Despite my best efforts to avoid it/literally creating this new place to be self-funded, I will be doing a donation drive at the time, because while I'm fine with not making back the money I invested in here, I'm not willing to do it on a yearly basis. Love you, but from a distance, tbh, and I need my money for Apple products, really.
Whether the site sticks around or not will be, once again, entirely up to you.
But, good news (I guess), the annual cost for renewal (at this point in time, at any rate, it might go up or down by the time we renew, but I have no way of knowing that now), is significantly less than on xRED (huzzah for a good server at half the price!).
I had originally paid $300 when I bought this new set-up (versus the annual $1400 we were doing on xRED), which I'm not getting back now, but, again, I consider it a nice "investment" anyways because I've grown attached to you 'delightful' folks. Out of curiosity, I went looking for the renewal and as of now:
Which is less than half of what we had to come up with for xRED and if 40 people donate $10 or there abouts, we're good. We had up to 70 something people donate last time around on xRED, so assuming some of those are still around and willing, it shouldn't be as difficult. That said, the world is upside down at the moment, so who knows what the rest of 2020 will bring.
So come next year, I'll do an open-ended begathon, where hopefully we reach that amount, and if we surpass it to the point of double ($860 at this time), we could even have this whole thing covered for 2 years and be more 'secure' in the site sticking around. This is all assuming that prices stay more or less the same, which again, up or down, no idea, can't see into the future.
So this will be either a lovely continuing experiment of community support, with far less funding needed, but still run by you, or not, in which case it'll be a 1 year extension on xRED's demise, a reprieve from splintering the fan base across whatever number of forums pop up in case we go down, and the true, final exit for yours truly.
This is still 9 months away, which in this age and time, is no guarantee of life or of anything, really, but I prefer for things to be known and in the open from now just so that y'all are aware.
I shall let you all know more when the time comes, sometime in January/February of next year. If we're all still alive.
Until then, just thought you oughta know.
Night, friends
But overall, do like darker themes aswell!
Will send a diaper cake for your trouble, Reina.
