We're Back Up! New Features!! Donations

[TallDude]

First off, let me apologize for the downtime, the upgrade to the latest version of vBulletin and other software took longer than expected and then my ISP decided to have an outage. DOH!

Whats New?

Donation Message At Top of Page - Save The Whistle Post!!

The first thing everyone is going to ask about is probably going to be the Donation Message at the top of the page. So let me explain that.

I need help!

This website costs roughly $180/month (previously $250/month) to keep up and running. The site runs on a dedicated server with tons of space for everyone (ever notice how many photos this site has?) I've been paying the full cost out of my pocket for the last 3 years without advertising or asking for donations. Since I have been unemployed since July 2008, this unfortunately has to change and I am asking for your help.

What do you get for your donation?

First off, you get the satisfaction of helping keep this great site that we have built up and running. I didn't build this by myself, without your posts and photos, this would just be an empty shell.

Everything you are used to using on the site, is still free! The only exception is that you need to be a bronze, silver, or gold supporter to POST classified ads, you can still browse and buy stuff all you like.

Sounds good to me, what is this bronze, silver and gold stuff?

Glad you asked! There are 3 donations levels, all of which have some common features and a few differences. Regular Members DO NOT have these features.

Common Features:

• The satisfaction that you are helping keep The Whistle Post going with a donation.

• The ability to customize your user profile including font, colors, visibility, etc.

• The ability to start Social Groups! Always wanted your own little forum? Maybe you like Red Cabooses! You can start a Social Group to find others with the same interests and have your own discussions!

• You get a custom badge that will identify you to everyone as a Supporter of The Whistle Post! This will appear under your name in every post and also on your profile. There are 3 badges (Bronze, Silver, and Gold!). You can see my badge at the top of this post.
  

Specific Features

• Bronze Supporters can have 10 classified ads active at any time
• Silver Supporters can have 20 classified ads active at any time
• Gold Supporter can have 30 classified ads active at any time

More features will be added as time goes on!

I don't have a paypal account, what other method is there to donate?

You can send a check if you like. Please make it out to Kevin Morris and mail it to:

Kevin Morris
PO Box 215
Sumiton, AL 35148


What are the donation levels?
Bronze Supporters are members who donate between 25-49 dollars a year
Silver Supporter are members who donate between 50-74 dollars a year
Gold Supports are members who donate over 75 dollars a year.

You can also donate a custom amount anywhere from $5 and up.

If you get tired of seeing the donation message, there is a box in the right corner of that section that allows you to minimize just the donation message.

I can't stress enough that I NEED YOUR HELP to keep this site up and going.

Social Groups

As I said in the above, Social Groups allow people with similar interests to come together to discuss their interest. Maybe its Red Cabooses, or Fallen Flags, or SD40-2 diesels. Regular members can join already created social groups that Supporting member create. You can post photos, discussions, etc. Just like a mini-forum!! You also have a list of all the members of the group so you can exchange private messages etc. Its lots of fun and is all the rage (otherwise Myspace, Facebook, etc. wouldn't be so popular).
Click on the Community Link or the Quick Link at the top to check them out.

Updated Control Panel (User CP)

There's a bunch of changes to the user control panel, just click the User CP link and check them out! Expanded Private Message functions, more profile options, etc! Check it out!


Profiles
The look and feel of the profile section has changed. Click on anybody’s username and check it out!

There are probably some new features I've missed, take a look around and see what's new!

Thanks!!

Thanks for making this site a great place to talk about model railroading over the past 3 years, I look forward to many more.

Go to the front page to make a donation by clicking "Home" or going to The Whistle Post - Model Railroad Forum