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« on: March 07, 2012, 05:06 AM »
Hi db90h,
sorry i don't get your point.
A donation is at your free will, with no obligation at all. Neither for you, nor for the recipient of the donation. It's not a contract like in a business where you order, pay in advance and get what you ordered. So i don't see a right to have a look in the books or command what the donations have to be used for. EXCEPT if there is a special donation event (like the one we did in the past for collecting donations to give it to the AHK author and such - THAT donations are entrusted for a specific purpose and should only be used for the announced purpose of course).
Also, i see it more, that donations are for the PAST. For the hint i got from a member, for the work a member did, for an app i got from a member, for the work a member did. Notice past tense here! Of course a donation is an invest in the future too (motivation to go into a certain direction or whatnot), but there is still no way to force something by donations.
I agree of course, that if there are certain points where a good hint can help to save money (e.g. the server costs - suggesting a cheaper solution) is always welcome and should be followed if appropriate. But i think mouser would be the last person that refuses to follow a good advice, if all aspects fit our needs. But keep in mind: Price is not the whole picture. I just want to throw in speed, bandwidth, reliability, space and features, that are a few facts that matter too for a server; beside the price. A good tradeoff must be found here. And last but not least...a switch means work, and maybe a lot of work...so that should be counted in too. Mouser works voluntarily for DC and so he have to make the work in his free time. Nobody should and can't force him to do anything. He is our buddy and not our staff or servant!
Also, have you already noticed, that all donations made to DC are added to the members account as Credits (minus the money transfer fees of course)? And that the donating member can distribute that credits at his own will among other members, which, on the other side, are allowed to get the money paid out again? I don't know how often this happens and, to be honest, i'm not interested to know it either, but you have to subtract these sums from the assumed "income" of DC too.
Of course you could always decide to not donate anymore. That is the only way you can influence the way the money is spent and where the site will go. If the majority of the members agree with you, the mass will "force" mouser either to follow or fold DC. But that's again HIS decision, not ours.
Nevertheless, i'm very satisfied how DC is and what mouser do. I trust in him and i'm confident that he is a honest guy that stands behind the "donation" idea that is the tenor of DonationCoder site. And if i look back in the past, i still got more out of DC than i donated. Not all countable in money, but also in good ideas, time savings and last but not least in a whole bunch of hours of fun in good company. How would you account the fun factor in money? I can't!
And to prevent any sceptical repiles in advance:
Of course i get now $1000 from mouser out of the precious donations pot for saying and writing this post. I hope all members find this usage of the money very appropriate. :)
(And i hope too all readers have noticed that this last paragraph was pure joking and deep cynism!)
Just my 2ct. DC forever! WOOHOO!
Greetings
JoTo