The Future of the BWD Website Depends on You

[Sandy Beach]

Just imagine, having to pay $ for every click you make on this BWD website....well, that is a possible reality in the future for all of us wind addicts.

There is much appreciation to those regulars who give to this site religiously, but, nothing runs for free and due to some of the big sponsors that have recently withdrawn their support, BWD may require a user fee to provide the same level of service.

Please step up and donate some money for this integral part of our daily routine and lifestyle. Maybe, as we shake our booties doing the wind dance in this beautiful sun, our wallets will fall open.

We do love the red on the forecast page, but don't want BWD to be in the red for providing us this access.

Thank-you for considering clicking on the button that says, 'Make a Donation' on the top left corner of the home page.

[Ned]

Nice post SB...

I will make a donation as soon as I can afford one. I'm paying a little bit for that summer of awesomeness chasing wind.

I'll take a rain check on a McKenzie King for BWD.

[eastside]

Bring in the user fees, at least for some services. That way the site could pay for the U of W model and upgrades or just basic operation. One thing learned from the U of W issue is how many people use the site daily, often for commercial purposes. None of these people who wrote in contributed, did they? They would and should pay. Not just the same old regulars. I don't really see a negative to going to user pay for some services, but I don't know the economics of websites.

[Johnnyman]

I'm with Eastside. Donating on a regular basis is the same as paying user fees and there are many regular users who don't donate ever. I imagine that they would start bucking up if their use was blocked especially those people who make decisions for their buisness with the info.
The bottom line is what ever BWD and his elves want to do is fine with me. If Dave thinks user fees is worthwile it's fine with me.

[nanmoo]

The thing to remember is that if BWD charged a user fee the site would likely lose it's sponsors as traffic would seriously decline (let's face it, only a small proportion of the free loaders are going to buck up even if their access is denied). So the fee would have to cover all the potential lost advertising income that the site currently recieves. Not to mention administration time and effort goes up substantially as memberships would now need to be managed more carefully (ie. yearly renewals, managing access, setting up a structure that limits access).

- Tony

[bwd]

Thanks Sandra for the post, and to Morewind, Snarfer, Kus (and Giles a few weeks ago) for your donations!!

I agree with Nanmoo. I don't like the free loaders either, especially the ones that just complain and don't contribute $ or useful posts (you know who you are), but setting up a user pay system is a bit complicated and a last resort for me.

We have lost some sponsors (4 so far), especially for the winter, and the webcam monthly internet bills still need to be paid. I think the answer is to find a few more large sponsors (similar to Bosun's when they existed) instead of fund raising and having the same people donate that always do. That's great but I always feel bad about that. I added Google ads a few months ago and get paid when people click on them but this amounts to about half of what Bosun's was giving (they were quite generous).

So I have some work to do to find some more sponsors and if anyone wants to help let me know. Maybe a local boating shop or a kiteboard/windsurfing company? I plan to update the donate page with a current sponsor list and the total money coming in each month and going out for expenses (mainly internet and web hosting). Also I will summarize how to support the site, but here's a quick list:

- donate $: http://www.bigwavedave.ca/donate.htm;
- visit sponsors pages and let them know you saw their ad on BWD;
- click on the Google ads that interest you (I get $$ per click);
- buy stickers: http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewto ... 3703#23703
- buy sunglasses http://www.bigwavedave.ca/xtreme.htm
- buy a helmet cam or GPS here: http://www.gpscity.ca/video-cameras.htm ... =13JXW2JLL
- or just be active in the sailing log and forum.

Thanks
Dave

[ToesideT]

What about the local Westmarine stores?

[goflyakite]

I agree with Sandy Beach, users should donate when they can, cheque is in the mail.

[Vik]

Good post. I keep forgetting to donate. Just sent in my $$ via Paypal.

BWD is a great site...especially now that I've learned NOT to look at the webcams/wind forecasts on days I can't kite!

[bwd]

Thank you Vik, Morewindpls and Mortontoemike for your donations!

What about the local Westmarine stores?

Good idea, thanks.

Dave

[bwd]

The donation page has been updated with the latest details:
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/donate.htm

Thanks Graham (Gdawg) for your donation!

[Sandy Beach]

Many thanks to the hosts of various webcams around the island, and for the people who found/contacted those hosts. A lot of community support really helps this website function, but it also takes cash/donations/sponsors.

Personally, it surprised me to see so many wind seekers at Columbia Beach (last Saturday), all of whom utilize the BWD webcams/forecasts for their decision to venture there. Many people (with top o the line gear, and vehicles) were surprised that the BWD stickers were not free. They range from $1.50-$5.00 per sticker, the cost of a hot launch or coffee. Where are our priorities?

I remember prior to the BWD forecasting tool/webcams, many hours were spent by windsurfers at beaches waiting patiently for wind. The sport of windsurfing doesn't seem to be growing by a huge amount, but kiting is taking off exponentially, and therefore, many more people rely on this invaluable resource. Think of how much time/energy/fossil fuels are saved by this BWD website and just what we would all do, if Dave had to pull the plug.

Every drop in the bucket counts, and if we would all just contribute a small amount to keep this website running, it will help.

Today, while drinking your coffee, be a star and buck up!

[downwind dave]

i want to hear more about the 'hot launch'

[Sandy Beach]

good catch, Dave ...or cold

[bwd]

Lots of donations in the last few days. Thank you to blackdogvan (Reuben), BA (Betty Ann), Jellyfish (Pat), Joe & Speedy (Joe & Christina), morewindpls (Mark) and sean c (sean)
http://www.bigwavedave.ca/donate.htm

We had a great BWD meeting last night. Thanks to Geoffy for hosting and Sandy Beach, BA, Jellyfish, Joe & Speedy for attending. We have some great ideas for new sponsors and fundraisers. It's great to have so many enthusiastic supporters. There is still lots of work to be done but hopefully we can keep the website financially stable and around for the long term.

dave