Reefuge Gold / Donations
Hello everyone,
For a while now users have been asking when we are going to bring back the donation system so users can help support the website. I would like to put an idea forward that will act the same as donations, but the money will not just go to The Reefuge, but to those who help out a great deal in the community and to those who provide good content.
Before I go any further, I would like to point out something that many of you do not know. Currently, I have spent around $10,000 on The Reefuge (scripts, services, coders, support, server, etc). In addition to that, The Reefuge costs $200 a month on hosting alone (it use to be $300). I am happy to pay these costs alone as I believe this community is worth it, but if the site was to at least break even, the money that would have been spent on server hosting can go into further development.
Now, I understand a lot of you would like to donate money to the site, and I am happy to do this. However, this site is not something I have created, it is something the community has created. I merely funded it and set up the way it runs. With this in mind, I would like donations to be a community shared system. There will be a page where users can donate to The Reefuge, but there will also be The Reefuge Gold.
Please keep in mind that the forum features and forum access will remain the same as it is right now - free and open for every member. Basically, if you do not participate in The Reefuge Gold system you WILL NOT notice any change in your usability or access of the site.
The Reefuge Gold
The Reefuge Gold is a different way of donating to The Reefuge. As opposed for 100% of the funds going straight to The Reefuge, it is shared with content creators and those who are actively contributing to the community.
How it works
Users can purchase gold points. These points can be used to purchase account upgrades that are not currently available on The Reefuge (remember, you will not lose any features you currently have). These points can also be used to purchase business services.
The points are also able to be gifted to other members. There will be a little button called "gold" that sits next to the "like" button under posts. If a user who has points in their account enjoys someones thread or post, they can click "gold". This will transfer points from their account to the content creators account.
For the sake of the example, lets assume 1 point = $1 ( keep it simple ). If someone posts up a thread that ten people find helpful, and those ten people gift 1 point each, the content creator ends up with 10 points ( $10 worth ). The content creator can then use those points to buy account upgrades.
However, anyone with points in their account can also cash the points in for actual money. Let us assume a person has 20 points in their account ( $20 worth ) and they would like to cash them in. The Reefuge takes a 50% cut ( the donation to The Reefuge ) and the user gets 50% ( the donation to the user ). The user then gets $10 put into their paypal / bank account.
By doing this, donations are not just going to The Reefuge, but are being shared with who YOU think deserves to be rewarded for their efforts.
I understand mainly the people who would have donated to the site will use this, but I would also like to hear some feedback.
Current Account Upgrades
Thanks.
For a while now users have been asking when we are going to bring back the donation system so users can help support the website. I would like to put an idea forward that will act the same as donations, but the money will not just go to The Reefuge, but to those who help out a great deal in the community and to those who provide good content.
Before I go any further, I would like to point out something that many of you do not know. Currently, I have spent around $10,000 on The Reefuge (scripts, services, coders, support, server, etc). In addition to that, The Reefuge costs $200 a month on hosting alone (it use to be $300). I am happy to pay these costs alone as I believe this community is worth it, but if the site was to at least break even, the money that would have been spent on server hosting can go into further development.
Now, I understand a lot of you would like to donate money to the site, and I am happy to do this. However, this site is not something I have created, it is something the community has created. I merely funded it and set up the way it runs. With this in mind, I would like donations to be a community shared system. There will be a page where users can donate to The Reefuge, but there will also be The Reefuge Gold.
Please keep in mind that the forum features and forum access will remain the same as it is right now - free and open for every member. Basically, if you do not participate in The Reefuge Gold system you WILL NOT notice any change in your usability or access of the site.
The Reefuge Gold
The Reefuge Gold is a different way of donating to The Reefuge. As opposed for 100% of the funds going straight to The Reefuge, it is shared with content creators and those who are actively contributing to the community.
How it works
Users can purchase gold points. These points can be used to purchase account upgrades that are not currently available on The Reefuge (remember, you will not lose any features you currently have). These points can also be used to purchase business services.
The points are also able to be gifted to other members. There will be a little button called "gold" that sits next to the "like" button under posts. If a user who has points in their account enjoys someones thread or post, they can click "gold". This will transfer points from their account to the content creators account.
For the sake of the example, lets assume 1 point = $1 ( keep it simple ). If someone posts up a thread that ten people find helpful, and those ten people gift 1 point each, the content creator ends up with 10 points ( $10 worth ). The content creator can then use those points to buy account upgrades.
However, anyone with points in their account can also cash the points in for actual money. Let us assume a person has 20 points in their account ( $20 worth ) and they would like to cash them in. The Reefuge takes a 50% cut ( the donation to The Reefuge ) and the user gets 50% ( the donation to the user ). The user then gets $10 put into their paypal / bank account.
By doing this, donations are not just going to The Reefuge, but are being shared with who YOU think deserves to be rewarded for their efforts.
I understand mainly the people who would have donated to the site will use this, but I would also like to hear some feedback.
Current Account Upgrades
- Edit Custom User Title (under your username)
- Bypass Flood Check (you do not need to wait between posts)
- Auto-Response for messages (if someone sends you a message, you can have an auto-response set up.
- Animated Avatar (your avatar will be animated)
Thanks.
