Not Sure What To Do - Close up DGN?

[Troy Spiral (13)]

I've been paying most of the DGN costs for the last several months (We are , or rather I am, now, $120 in debt beyond my normal DGN debt, which, in years past i could absorb but now I cant anymore.

We have always had periods of low activity (read: mods not beating the drums, myself included) and that meant low donations as well, but I just paid for it till we got back on the ball. But I cant do it now, literally cant, not that I just "cant afford" it.

Essentially the only answer I can come up with is to take DGN offline. I don't want to have DGN be online in some half-ass state, either its up , or its not. When the next monthly bill comes, there wont (again) be enough money to pay for it, and the lack of funds in my personal bank account cant absorb it, neither can my now almost non-existent credit.

I get tired of asking for donations, especially when the place isn't active (me not having the energy to promote/be active is the main , self-created problem) and there, seemingly isn't much reason to keep the place going if I'm the only one that really "wants" it to continue. I used to do DGN, even when i wasnt in the mood because there was a large number of people that seemed to want it to continue, and so I kept going out, kept promoting etc, but I dont have the energy to keep promoting/being active, and apparently no one else does either.

Sometime around April 1st or 2nd the next bill comes for DGN , so around march 31st if the money isnt there ill just take the website down and refund any donations that we get between now and then.

[Zil Cinatas]

Oh no, I just joined :(.. I was happy to find there was a place to find the CC playlist, and also a forum for the scene around Detroit. I was just going to do an introduction and ask what the PW for the sex forum was .

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Oh no, I just joined :(.. I was happy to find there was a place to find the CC playlist, and also a forum for the scene around Detroit. I was just going to do an introduction and ask what the PW for the sex forum was .

Well we've been around for 10 years, and have had money issues before, but I always had energy then, which I dont have much of now, which is the key problem. (and apparently no one else really does either)

The password for the adult forum is right under the forum name , its not really a secret its more of a "are you of age?" if you read the descrption of the S&S forum the password is there. =)

Welcome to the place for as long as it still exists.

[Class-Punk]

I've rarely had the money to help donate which has sucked for me, because even as more of ghost town I'd enjoy posting here since I don't buy into popularity contests. A lot of message boards have been abandoned because of Facebook, which is sad because they were around when the internet started and were less representative of large, dehumanized corporations which I'm against. It would be logical to shut it down if necessary in order to save yourself money, other forums and club/bar nights will still be operating. But that's just my two cents, debt rarely seems like a noble thing.

Edited March 7, 2012 by Coffeenated

[Fierce Critter]

I have come to learn that self-preservation in the way of taking care of my own health and happiness sometimes means disregarding what I think the group needs and letting things just go.

I'm going through some of the worst shit I have ever, EVER faced in my life right now. My future is not as assured as I might have once thought. I'm in a period of purging and re-organizing. I am looking very, very hard at what really needs to be there in my life, be it a message board, a person, a pursuit, etc.

Troy, you've been in that place too, for a very long time. I'm surprised you've hung in there as long as you have. But then again, maybe I'm not. I have seen how important DGN is to you, and I have hoped it would continue to give you - if nobody else - the joy you want from it.

DGN has been an incredible and often underrated phenomenon that has served a community well - a community that sometimes has not realized it's true impact, has not appreciated everything that has really come from it. <-- points to self and nods "Present company included."

I came back here a few months ago after YEARS of absence. Why? Because once upon a time, when I was living out of Michigan and beyond miserable, DGN was an 8-hour a day escape for me into a world that didn't hurt, wasn't lonely, and where someone was always there to listen to, or to listen to me. Recent struggles have brought back some of those feelings. And I guess it was just natural to come back to a "safe place," if to a much lesser extent time-wise.

But it hasn't felt the same way. Even though, seriously, it really hasn't changed very much.

I think it's maybe not so obvious that with the change in the social aspect of the internet, with the exploding popularity of sites like Facebook, DGN and other message boards have become dinosaurs of a bygone era. Just as this year's computer becomes "old technology" when the new, improved models come out the following year, well, DGN is the message board equivalent of Windows 3.1.

Troy, I have not wanted to suggest that maybe it's time to let the old girl go as I've seen you struggle over the years to keep it vital, to finance it, maybe to the detriment of your health and other needs. I'm not in your head, though I've feared for your happiness should DGN go toes-up.

Maybe it's something you need to let go so the worry and the struggle will go away. Maybe then you'd be able to focus on other personal needs you might not even have known the extent of with DGN ever in the forefront of your life.

I most definitely would feel a pang of nostalgic emptiness were I to type dgn.net into my browser and find only a future of "page not found" in response.

Whatever you decide, I wish you luck. Sincerely.

{{{Hugs}}}

[Troy Spiral (13)]

I've rarely had the money to help donate which has sucked for me, because even as more of ghost town I'd enjoy posting here since I don't buy into popularity contests. A lot of message boards have been abandoned because of Facebook, which is sad because they were around when the internet started and were less representative of large, dehumanized corporations which I'm against. It would be logical to shut it down if necessary in order to save yourself money, other forums and club/bar nights will still be operating. But that's just my two cents, debt rarely seems like a noble thing.

Facebook was around all through our peak period of activity (600+ posts a day a few years ago) and was around during our most recent peak of 300+ posts a day less than a year ago, its really not much of an issue. The peaks always coincide with promotion and on-board activity of a few key posters and the lows (like now) relate to the lack of activity from a few key people (not always the same people, but usually me being one of them). There have always been online distractions, its just about promotion and activity.

If i was still working, even if it was my first crappy job at Meijer the DGN costs would be no big deal, the problem is i'm not working , and my credit is hitting its upper limits. I'm a bit in shock that there arent at least a few people with decent jobs that could absorb what to me, would be a fairly small cost if I was working , even if just out of nostalgia or a desire to not see the place go away.

Seems like every time i start thinking "well cant afford it, game over" someone donates, but this time its more stark, as usually even if no one does I can make up for it myself, but the rope is getting short.

[*Siren*]

Personally, I don't want to see DGN go. I met the love of my life here and made a lot of good friends. DGN will always have a special place in my heart.

[phee]

If I had the money... I would do the monthly thing.... but unfortunately, gotta feed the kids and keep the roof over the heads... and yes I met my wife through the site as well

[Class-Punk]

Facebook was around all through our peak period of activity (600+ posts a day a few years ago) and was around during our most recent peak of 300+ posts a day less than a year ago, its really not much of an issue. The peaks always coincide with promotion and on-board activity of a few key posters and the lows (like now) relate to the lack of activity from a few key people (not always the same people, but usually me being one of them). There have always been online distractions, its just about promotion and activity.

If i was still working, even if it was my first crappy job at Meijer the DGN costs would be no big deal, the problem is i'm not working , and my credit is hitting its upper limits. I'm a bit in shock that there arent at least a few people with decent jobs that could absorb what to me, would be a fairly small cost if I was working , even if just out of nostalgia or a desire to not see the place go away.

Seems like every time i start thinking "well cant afford it, game over" someone donates, but this time its more stark, as usually even if no one does I can make up for it myself, but the rope is getting short.

I might be getting a job soon, but if that doesn't pan out I'll just be mostly broke and in college, and that's only if the gas costs aren't too much because its all lab work; culinary science, since the university has body parts confused with math problems. So I'm in the dark for now.

[Fierce Critter]

RE: My post above - Hey, you know, I could also be totally full of shit.

[Nienna]

I get it... and I know that I have been way too distracted with my own health crap for almost a year to really post much. I've not been out much either. I went to VnV on Wednesday and it inspired me to check out DGN, and try to get back into the loop and get out to the club more and all that. I came back here, because I realized that while I still have those long loved friends that I met here, some over a decade ago, I don't know alot of people in the scene anymore. I was hoping to make some new friends. So the loss of this touchstone would be painful to me, as I'm sure it would be for others as well. At the end of the day though, if it is becoming too heavy of a burden Troy, you have to choose yourself over anything else.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

This honestly isnt about the activity (although the activity is related to the donations indirectly) its just about the bare bones costs to keep DGN online.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Sometime around April 1st or 2nd the next bill comes for DGN , so around march 31st if the money isnt there ill just take the website down and refund any donations that we get between now and then.

[creatureofthenyte]

Not for nothing, but you Could sell some advertising space, which could quite possibly fund the site operations. This is why Facebook is free to use; advertisers pay the operating costs of the site by advertising on it.

Edited March 10, 2012 by creatureofthenyte

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Not for nothing, but you Could sell some advertising space, which could quite possibly fund the site operations. This is why Facebook is free to use; advertisers pay the operating costs of the site by advertising on it.

Yeah , unfortunately the traffic even at its peak wasn't enough to generate much money , about 10$ bucks a month from AdSense, which, just didnt seem worth it to spam the board with ads for 10 bucks. (We did try it for several months) Although even then, it wouldnt even if it was a bit more money, be enough to pay the bills by the time I end up $170 dollars out (really im several thousand dollars out over the decade, but about 2 months ago my credit and money hit such rock bottom that I cant absorb it anymore)

[DJ Nocker]

Its been a good run, I appreciate DGN for the few friends it has given me.

[Enishi]

I would certainly be sad to see DGN go, I found many of my current friends on this forum. :( For awhile though I was donating and got a bit tired of it since the post count was mostly remaining stagnant. It saddens me, but everything changes and people move on.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

I would certainly be sad to see DGN go, I found many of my current friends on this forum. :( For awhile though I was donating and got a bit tired of it since the post count was mostly remaining stagnant. It saddens me, but everything changes and people move on.

In years past times of "low activity" also meant "low donations" (right now is no different) which, I just paid for, didn't even bat an eyelash as the cost out of my income was minimal, and then , eventually I would get back in gear , activity would pick back up, and donations woudl pick back up, but I dont have a $$ buffer now, its not just we "could use donations" its "the board goes offline if we dont get donations".

Really its lack of energy from the staff (myself most of all) to keep the activity up (not a new problem been on and off since the earliest days of DGN) that is the problem, the board has always had its low activity times, some even worse than it is now, and the "down" cycles in the past, were just easily gone through via my bank account paying for what the low-activity board didnt pay for, until we got things back in gear, but I can't seem to scrounge it up anymore, not every month anyway.

All of this would just be "busines as usual" in a sense, until we got back to beating the drums (we always do) but I just cant personally foot the biil (like i usually have) when the donations weren't there.

[DJ Nocker]

Id probably donate more if I agreed with how the forum was ran, as well as had interest in more of the subject matter.

[phee]

Id probably donate more if I agreed with how the forum was ran, as well as had interest in more of the subject matter.

Honest question.... (because I can totally understand the second part).... when you say how the forum was ran, what specifically would you change?

[DJ Nocker]

Honest question.... (because I can totally understand the second part).... when you say how the forum was ran, what specifically would you change?

This is something to long for a post, and I dont feel like being harassed by certain mods for things they mat regard as trolling, if you are seriously interested in my thoughts, PM me, or hit me up on facebook.

[phee]

This is something to long for a post, and I dont feel like being harassed by certain mods for things they mat regard as trolling, if you are seriously interested in my thoughts, PM me, or hit me up on facebook.

Fair enough.

I may.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Id probably donate more if I agreed with how the forum was ran, as well as had interest in more of the subject matter.

I don't like how many aspects of say, the red cross is run, but I still benefit (or have benefited) from its existence, I'm not sure I'd say I don't want to help a place because I dont agree with everything they do. I also have spent a ton of time helping promote events , that I didnt necessarily agree with how they were handled but did get some benefit from them.j

But its true, DGN will never be Youtube, cant please everyone. (A lot of people think we arent strict enough, and a lot think we are too strict, cant win)

[DJ Nocker]

I don't like how many aspects of say, the red cross is run, but I still benefit (or have benefited) from its existence, I'm not sure I'd say I don't want to help a place because I dont agree with everything they do. I also have spent a ton of time helping promote events , that I didnt necessarily agree with how they were handled but did get some benefit from them.j

But its true, DGN will never be Youtube, cant please everyone. (A lot of people think we arent strict enough, and a lot think we are too strict, cant win)

First, I dont disagree with some, I disagree with most. But I do still owe dgn thanks for helping me with several things, thus, I stick around.

Second, I understand you are sick, that being said.

It took you 3 months after industrial wednesdays closed to figure find out that it was over... Ive been on this site for years, You never go to anything (save maybe city club once in a while), and so you dont promote shit. Maybe you did before, but you havent in a couple years. The most you do is say something looks cool and "hope your health permits you to go". The people who say you arent strict enough are the reason this forum is dead. Ive heard several moderators say that they have given you several good ideas to help the board, and that you are just stubborn and want it ran your way, and now the site is closing.

Edited March 13, 2012 by DJ Nocker

[Epic_Fail_Guy]

I kinda have to agree with knocker here..

And will respectfully decline posting my opinions on here, for similar reasons as knocker.