Michigan Sportsman needs your help

[Shoeman]

As many of you know, we exceeded our Bandwidth.

The next step up is a whopper.
We have had similar fund drives in the past and only 71 members responded.
That is a shame since we have way over 4000 members.
I know many of you give at outings and MnG's, but a total participation is required to keep this thing running at our current pace.

Consider this.....
Any decent magazine subscription runs anywhere from 15 to 25 bucks a year.
Isn't this site more valuable than any of those?
Please use the link below and contribute.


http://s1.amazon.com/paypage/PL2J5BGN9TL82/103-4352066-7939862

Thanks in advance :)

[ESOX]

Even a buck or two from every member would go a long ways towards keeping things going. If you want to use snail mail the address is:

michigan-sportsman.com
PO Box 930291
Wixom, MI 48393


Thanks

[Jimbos]

Done:)

[gunrod]

I sent $20 but I don't know if it worked. It said to put in the dollar amount and then click the button. I'm guessing it stored my credit card number from the previous time I donated but I changed my credit card number. I should get an email confirming if it worked or not. If not, I'll do it again.

Next week I'm bumping up my photogallery. That should help too.

[Steve]

It probably worked. That's what makes amazon nice for this is that a lot of people already have an account there and it's a one click operation.

[Shoeman]

On the provided link, we can keep track of the total amount donated so far.

105.00 and counting.

Thanks guys

[Shoeman]

LOL

[Skeeter]

A donation to Michigan Sportsman for $30.00 from http://chartermi.net/~skeeter185/index.htm Skeeter

[Shoeman]

$205 and counting.....

You guys are great.

Our server cost was increased by 65 % do to our volume. They shut us down this morning for going over our allotment.
This will be an on-going expense.

[walleyehog]

I sent $25 and I think this sight is well worth the donation for all the information that is passed along here. I hope the donations come in to keep us up and running.

[bigberniegb]

I am wondering how much money is needed annualy. I think that it should be all for one and one for all .So what I'm getting at is a small subscription fee should be charged. Then a annual news letter could be posted to notify the paying costemers of how the money was spent.I will contribute but I think there should be a vote. It's the democratic way. Democracy is what our country was founded on. Could someone post a mailing address so I can mail a check. Thankyou.:D

[Steve]

michigan-sportsman.com
PO Box 930291
Wixom, MI 48393

We don't know yet what the yearly or monthly recurring costs will be yet. Our costs for this month are going through the roof since our host has kindly not charged us for excess bandwidth in the past but are going to now. For just the month of January we are looking at $280+

The reason why we don't yet know what the recurring costs will be is that we will likely be looking for a new home on a dedicated server of some sort and don't have the provider or pricing worked out yet.

[Shoeman]

Bernie,
We ran into opposition just asking for contributions in the For Sale Forum (Fee)

Quite unfortunate...:(

[Big Frank 25]

Purty ez din't even need smell chek!;)

[Steve J]

I just put in $25.00. Well worth it! Thanks Michiagn-Sportsman for having such a great site:)
Come on you guys...get out your plastic:p
Everone who uses this site probably spends more then 25.00 on beer and bait every weekend:eek:

[Capt. Lucky]

just sent my 10.00 hope it helps this is the best site on the web

[med123]

Here's my $10.00, It was up to $390.00 when I was on the Amazon site.

I haven't been a member long but This is a good site and I'm looking forward to being on it for a long time to come.


Lot's of good people here... :D

[outsider]

Ya got my 10.00 bucks worth, like to do more but the other half is growling over my shoulder, I cant understand why she thinks I spend to much $$ on outdoor stuff. ( keeps me out of the bars dont it???)

[jeffm80]

I'm in for $20.00, money well spent!!!!!!

[catfishtom210]

If I can pry the card outta wifey's hands later I'll kick in $10.....doubt if she'll go for more than that but could do that again ....maybe once a season? As for making it a pay site I think that could kill a site like this. Many of us come here for the wide range of info and people....this is bound to go down drastically with any subscription fee! If this then snowballs in the wrong direction it could be a disaster!

Seems like simple math though.....get 1 in 10 guys....probably a
typical percentage to kick in $10 and you'd have 4 grand to work with!!


Just my 2 cents and soon $10, together that's worth..oh....about $10.



If I can't get the card I'll send a M.O. and sneak it in "under the radar"! :-)

I hate being so P-whipped! ;-)

Tom

[Hunt4Ever]

Well, if you take $300 per month in costs, times 12, equals $3,600. HHHMMMmmmmmmmm........

$1,500 is NOT enough. Let's shoot to at least double that. $3,000 is a better number. I really like this site. The members here at Michigan-Sportsman can do it. What little interaction I have had with you fellas, and ladies, shows me everyone can chip in. I like the $25 number.

I checked the previous posts and since it is my idea to double it, I will chip in for $50, twice the highestest posted donation.

Anyone care to double my donation?

:D:D:D

[ESOX]

Hunt4Ever,
Truly awesome. I like your style. :)

As I stated in another thread, we aint too proud to beg, and sure aren't picky. Send a buck if thats what you can spare. Every little bit helps,
Thanks,
Paul

[WALLEYE MIKE]

Even tho I am not working much if any right now (no snow) I would gladly pay $25 for this website. Just sent my money in.

[ih772]

All the information that I get off this site is well worth the $15 I just kicked in. Excellent bargain if you ask me.

[Stephen]

Just started using this site and already it's paid off in a few walleye! Thanks to the guys who keep it running....
Steve

[Rat City Hooker]

Steve, Iwill donate 100.00 because this site is the best I have ever seen. Could not make your amazon conection work. Let me know what to do to donate.

[fishctchr]

Come on guys were a third of the way to the goal, I know we can double it easy. If a part time millwright and summertime charterboat captain can donate 25 you can too :p

[fatboy]

steve and gang- no problem sent 25.00 i know this site is worth much more but that's what i can do right now.

[ESOX]

Originally posted by Rat City Hooker
Steve, Iwill donate 100.00 because this site is the best I have ever seen. Could not make your amazon conection work. Let me know what to do to donate.


Snail Mail:

michigan-sportsman.com
PO Box 930291
Wixom, MI 48393

Thanks!
Paul

[perchhead]

i just sent out 15.00 dollars in the mail i have never used amazon. the site is well worth it i wish i could donate more.

[perchhead]

i just sent out 15.00 dollars in the mail i have never used amazon. the site is well worth it i wish i could donate more.

[JCHOGAN]

Good a time as any to loose my virginity. $25.00 in the mail when I get home from work.

[ESOX]

Originally posted by JCHOGAN
Good a time as any to loose my virginity. $25.00 in the mail when I get home from work.

Does this guy know how to make an entrance or what???
Welcome JCHOGAN!!!

Thanks.:D

[krt]

Here's my $20. Does this mean that I am now a "gold" member?LOL. Easy decision being I gave IceTeam money to join their site and I don't even go there anymore. Much more info here.

[jigworm]

You got my $20. Well worth the money.

[JCHOGAN]

Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking here since this site came up. I'll gladly help support a resource I enjoy as much as this site.

[Lunker]

Im giving 20 bucks ... thats just a burgers and a beer ... I can miss that. Great site ... I want everyone to know that Clevelands great Steelheading site, noodlebagger.com is no where to be found now, that was one of the greatest sites ever too. I want to get to the post office now .... later.

[Dick Graves]

Have closed two loans from viewers of this site, advertising works, as I said somewhere else, my $200.00 check is in the mail.

Thanks to the clients who trusted me with their financing and a special thanks to the host of this site.

Dick Graves;)

[fish-hunt]

30 bucks from this virgin
Great site! I check it every day!

[Doughboy]

Just sent my $25 after returning from the Hubbard Lake outing. I know that the 5 walleye I cleaned as a result of this site I've underpaid it's worth. More to follow hopefully.

[johnny white]

sent $25 - keep up the good work - thanks !

[TrailFndr]

Just got back from Hubbard....Sent mine via Amazon....We can not afford to lose this GREAT site

[ybone]

check's in the mail. thanks all for a great site and great info.

[UNCLE AL]

Amazon didn't want my credit card, so I'll send a check snail mail. keep up the good work, and good luck.

[TONGA]

I see a lot of people are sending checks!
You give me a address and I will jump on that boat $25.00
Best site I have found
Tonga

[DaveW731]

Steve:
Just sent in my $$$ by Amazon. Do you have any type of goal for donations?

[bounty hunter]

I tried thru amazon and it did not work so i will have the lil woman put a check out today..Ever concider a banquet type fund raiser? It could be like the ultimate outing but would need a few locations.could have a few gun raffles,rod and reel combo raffels etc?

[Fidel Casserole]

I have a quick question regarding the 'bandwidth problems'.

Now I am no computer whiz but, I noticed that there are MANY photo galleries on here. Don't these pictures take up quite a bit of bandwidth, specially compared to text based postings?

If so couldn't these be cleaned up in order to allow us to have the space we need, w/o paying for additional bandwidth?

Maybe this doesn't play a role at all, but it seems like a logical solution to me. Picture files are normally much larger than anything else posted here....am I wrong?

I know there are a # of sites online that allow posting of pics....but once you hit certain limit (let's say 10 pics) they start charging for each pic over that limit. Maybe you could institute a time limit on how long the pics stay up or a count limit for # allowed to be posted.

Since I don't know all that much about networks I probably just wasted 5 minutes typing this....but if my theory is correct than maybe it could be a partial solution to the problem.

In addition I think the outing idea is a great one!!

[The Mutt]

Hey Guys,

I posted the following message to Steve on another thread. How about some input?


Steve,

How about running a MS.com Auction where fellows like myself could donate equipment, trips etc. to the auction with the proceeds to help pay the bandwidth costs? I'd be more than willing to donate an item or 2 and help run the auction. I've done quite a few of them to raise funds for B4K on a few other sites and it gives folks a chance to help out and and have a little fun too.

Let me know and I can get things rolling for you.

[notmuchtime]

Got back from the Hubbard Lake outing yesterday at 4pm. By the time I cleaned fish showered and went out for an obligation, I didn't get a chance to check the site. Anyway, I'll be sending $50 to Wixom today. Thanks to all for a fantastic site.
Kane

[bounty hunter]

posting piks on here is one of the best parts of this site and especially in the white tail forums..WE all need to dig a few bucks out and keep it going..I'm giving 25.00 and if it were not for some good advice from a good guys from here I would not have perch in my freezer.:D

[Fishfoote]

Tried the amazon link - didn't work. How about pay pal?

[Kevin]

fishfoote, I just tried the Amazon page and it worked. You may have to hit reload or refresh.

Paypal works as well, see the discussion on this page:
Classified Commission Donations (http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22347)

[Steve]

Try the amazon link again. It just worked for me. It's easier to track our overall progress this way although I WILL provide some totals showing the amount that was contributed via checks as well.

[kbkrause]

Just submitted my donation...

[Fishfoote]

Said the recipent was unable to accept payments through the honor system?

Recipient Unable to Receive Payments

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are not able to continue with this transaction because the recipient is unable to receive payments through the Amazon Honor System at this time.
Please try again at a later time.

[bounty hunter]

We are not able to continue with this transaction because the recipient is unable to receive payments through the Amazon Honor System at this time. what is this about?

[Houghton laker]

Houghton laker's son:
Hey guys,

How much do you pay for hosting/ how much bandwidth do you use? My friend does some hosting and its darn cheap. http://www.kazsolutions.com

You might want to check it out :rolleyes:

[Steve]

"Up to 35GB monthly transfer " as specified on their website isn't going to get it done. We went through 100Gb last month.

[KrazyKletus]

The check for $25.00 went out today
Keep up the great work.
This is, by far, the best site for Michigan Sportsmen!

[ONE_SHY]

Steve, Here's my 20.00 bucks and I think that is well worth it to have such a great site to go to.

[Whit1]

The check will be in tommorow's mail.

[Fishbomb]

I can't get the amazon.com pay option to work either, I'll try again tonight.

[Steve]

Please tell me the error you guys get with Amazon. Be specific and I can take it up with them to get it fixed.

[Fishfoote]

I posted the note (text) I received when trying to use the amazon option a few post ago. Basically it said the recipient was not on the honor system...maybe they've read some of the fish stories on this site:D

[Steve]

My hunch is that Amazon put a hold on the account because they thought something funny was going on due to the enormous amount of activity over the last couple days. I have dispatched an email to them. In the meantime, I set up a paypal item to accept general donations for 2003 fund drive here:

2003 Paypal fund drive (https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=steve%40michigan-sportsman.com&item_name=2003+michigan-sportsman.com+fund+drive&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD)

[Fishfoote]

Paypal worked great - I just wanted to push the amazon total over $1,000 - it was at $980 last time I looked. Great work all you Michigan-Sportsman members!

[tony_1]

Recipient Unable to Receive Payments

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are not able to continue with this transaction because the recipient is unable to receive payments through the Amazon Honor System at this time.
Please try again at a later time.

[Steve]

I have contacted amazon about this problem. Looks like they think there has been too much activity on this account in a short time thank to all of you making donations :)

[Reeltime]

Paypal worked fine for me, however for those without a Paypal account, Amazon needs to be reset. I tried it before Paypal and it still is turned off - 1035am.

This is a great site, the donation is well spent. Besides, if you compare bandwidth to fishing gear, you always need to spend a bit to get the newest-latest-greatest upgrades! A little more horsepower is always a good thing.

[Chuck1]

Man I was ready to pull my hair out after 6 tries on amazon, then I followed the messages, and paypal only took 3 tries to get a password nobody already has. But it was twenty bucks well spent, C'mon guy's empty them wallets. I am a new member but I have been viewing the site for a long time, and I think it's the best hunting ,and fishing site anywhere. You have everything covered. keep up the good work. Chuck1

[Fish Factor]

I Just added $30 to the cause... Small price to pay for a great site.
Keep up the good work!

[TROUT TRACKER]

Thanks for the paypal link already have a account with them took 1 minute and 20.00 is on its way. Thanks for the great site.:D

[Bigardo]

Keep up the good work 30 is on its way. Best site around for fishing and hunting info!!

[Fishbomb]

Boy, I tried the PayPal link and it says the page cannot be displayed. Tried 4 times. Going to try Amazon again.

[Fishbomb]

I can't get either one to work. On PayPal the address for the fund comes up briefly and then the" page cannot be displayed " takes over. I'll try again tonight.

[Steve]

I just tried the PayPal address and it seems to work now at least for me. Amazon, what can I say. I'm pissed. It's great to use for things like this as people can immediately see the progress, but they shut us down because we received too much money too fast from you generous folks. I sent them a nasty-gram yesterday trying to get it re-opened.

[Outcast]

I am new to the site and i think it is great. my 50 is on the way.

[ifish4eyes]

Even though I'm out of work, I'm sending 12 bucks snail mail. This has been the best interactive sportsman forum around and without it, the internet would be boring again. Larry.

[med123]

Steve, You are going to get the money that was pledged on the Amazon site arn't you ??

If not let us know so that we can try again on the PayPal site.

[Steve]

Oh yeah, we definitely get the money, no doubt about that.

[SteelYarn]

Hey Steve, Shoeman

Just added a $ 25.00 donation you guys do a great job here. This by far is the best sportsmans site around.
I really and truely appreciate the information given and recieved on this site. Thanks again

Wally...

[treeman]

Pay pal worked fine for me. Sent 50 in case someone else can't afford the ante.

[Steve]

I just saw that one come in treeman and I thank you.

[fishindude644]

this is the best site on the web for all outdoor persons. i put in $20 hope this helps

[Fishbomb]

I guess my parental controls that are set up on my computer won't allow me to access Pay Pal or Amazon. I tried going to both sites directly and it won't display the page so I'll be sending in a check.

[The Teacher]

Sending a $20 check in the mail today. Keep up the good work!

[Jinx]

I sent in $ 10.00, money is tight right now but can send more in the spring. Work is slow, Fishing is good. Thanks for allowing me access to the best site on the internet.

[fishctchr]

Good job jinx and welcome to the greatest outdoor site on the net. Wait till you go to one of the outings and meet this rag tag bunch :D No refunds.

[gman]

Just sent 20 to paypal. will send more when I can. Best site in Michigan, would hate to lose it.

[Danatodd99]

Jinx,

welcome aboard.
Thanks for helping out.
This is one heck of a site, that's for sure.
It's nice to see new users participating.

Again, thanks

[Bulldog]

I am in I'll mail my check today 25.00

good luck

[Kevin]

Thanks Dad!

[Jinx]

Thanks for the warm welcome. :D

[garyrodbender]

Steve,I just tried Amazon and they also said not excepting $$ @ this time :eek: will continue triing `til they do! Come on people every little bit helps.BEST SITE OUT THERE!!!

[Steve]

Gary, check my announcement at the top of each forum. Amazon shut us down cause we collect so much money so fast. PayPal is still a viable option and we get more of the money than we do with Amazon in the end.

[catfishtom210]

Steve,

First, thanks for the great site.....first season for me here and it is not only the best fishing board I've been on.....it's the best board of any kind. This is due to the willingness of members to share information, the quality of character (and characters) on here, and the excellent moderating to keep things positve!

I "pledged" $10 immediately, way back when the drive started, but hadn't sent the money order. I already had a paypal account and finally backed up my words! I also assessed myself a "late penalty" of $10 so add my $20 to the kitty! BTW Steve, you may want to keep the paypal link at the beginning or end or on another sticky....I had to search for it and it'll be buried deeper by the day!

As for the members: There seems to be such a high percentage of good guys here ("guys" includes male and female members), the kind you wouldn't mind camping (or fishing, hunting etc.) with or in the next campsite! The good guy to a-hole ratio in here is amazingly high! :-) I gotta wonder though if there are guys out there like me that either pledged on here or to themselves that need to pull the trigger and do it! Maybe I should issue a challenge to do so with the member who assesses the highest late penalty on themselves winning!! (Not that there would be a prize but maybe we could get a member to "sponsor" one! Actually, I could offer a "split expenses" smallie trip on Lake St. Clair to someone if they were "boatless"!)

People who haven't pledged might also think of the "good karma" generated by your good deed! We all know the fishing "juju" affects us all so this couldn't hurt!!

I hope to send $10 by season to continue supporting this site, (and of course posting these long-winded posts!). I look forward to the open water season as I'm sure this site is going to help me catch more fish! (Maybe I'll finally hook a muskie on LSC even!)

Time to step off my soapbox and into the boat or shanty! Thanks for this site!

Tom

[catfishtom210]

Just a thought...at least I think that's what you call it!:

A fundraising idea could be to have guys who are gonna fish anyhow offer others without boats or access, etc. a chance to fish with them for donating.

You could even take this further and have a thread with guys offering such trips with "bidders" for each. Kind of like our version of one of those bachelor/bachelorette auctions you've all probably seen. This might even fire up a competition between the "sponsors" to see who can get the highest bid. Guys could post their experience/skills, fish species, pics of the boat, etc. to make their offer stand out! It could even evolve into a "trade a trip" board!

Just thought (need to share when I get one!)!

Tom

[mcanes1]

I'll be sending a $20 money order (that way the wife won't know about it and she would be able to put it against my so called "fishing budget"). Great site! How's the "money drive"
going?

[flip69]

$10.00 for now,will send more later.

[Big Frank 25]

Since I missed the Christmas Party. I thought I'd drop some change and bump this to the top!

Merry Christmas ALL!

[ONE_SHY]

Steve,
Here's my 20.00 I hope it helps keep this the best fishing site on the web.

[Jigster]

Count me in for $20 I'll have to go snail mail since the amazon
web stuff ain't workin so good. Keep it up Steve. If we don't get enough you can always raffel off some of your gear! :D

Jigster