Will Myswag.org live on? It's up to you...

[Brett]

Righto Swaggers,

We’ve reached a crossroads in the life of the Forum and we as a community need to work out which way we are going to go.The plan to move the hosting from Digital Pacific to Amazon (to try and make the server fees a bit more affordable) hasn’t worked out. Whilst one of our IT savvy Forum members has had a red-hot crack at getting it sorted, it has proven to be too problematic.  We thank him so very much for his time though and give him an A+++ for effort. Asking Firefox (the Forum member who volunteered his expertise and moved the Forum to Digital Pacific back in 2012) to sort it is out of the question as he is a man-in-demand in his job.

As some of you may have noticed over the last little while, the Forum has become quite laggy. That’s because, effective 1st July 2024, it has not been receiving critical security or cPanel updates or vendor support. The server will continue to function, however newly discovered vulnerabilities will no longer be patched. This increases the risk to the server and data over time.

Because the Forum is proving too hard to move, our only viable option at this point in time (if we want Myswag to live on), is to upgrade our server with Digital Pacific. After speaking with Brett and checking the specification of our current dedicated server, Digital Pacific have come to the conclusion the server that will suit best is a cPanel Managed VPS 3. For a fee, they can assist us with the migration. They will also provide a bulk migration discount to make this transition more affordable. The catch is, to be eligible for the bulk migration discount, we need to pay the annual Server Fee up front. See below:

• 1 Month: $308.90/mo  +  Migration charges

• 1 year:    $3,069.20   (18% Discount) + No migration charges

• 2 year:   $5,482.30   (28% Discount) + No migration charges

• 3 year:    $7,845.36    (33% Discount) + No migration charges

We (Brett and Jill) are not prepared to front the $3K on top of the $14K we already have.  We simply cannot keep pouring money into it. So this is where a decision needs to be made.


As a community, do you want to:

• Take up Digital Pacific on their offer and all Members (not just the same old people who cough up every single time) contribute in some way to raising the at-least $3069.20 (1 year Server Fee) so that there are no migration charges. This option would mean Members would then need to be prepared to keep coming up with the Server fees each month/year for the life of the Forum.

OR

• Say, “well it was a good run of 18+ years Myswag but it’s time to pull the plug” and shut the Forum down before anyone’s data is breached

We love the Forum and we have met many Members that we now call friends because of it. We are however at a point in our lives where we can’t give the Forum as much attention as we used to so it needs to remain fairly self-sufficient. Between Brett’s work (DIDO), Jill’s work (permanent night shift), two tweens, aging parents etc our lives are pretty hectic.

I’m going to add a poll to this post to start with and then we’ll go from there.

All thoughts and alternative ideas are welcome…

Brett & Jillsy

[Hairs]

It's a tuff one Brett,
We certainly don't want you Brett & Jill out of pocket.
Running/moderating a forum Web based is a costly and time consuming exercise.
Most groups, community based, even businesses have made the transition to Facebook, Whatsap.
Our 4wd Club is even questioning the dollars spent on a Web site, is it worth it?
And yes there are many who don't use social media platforms forms, for many reasons.
What ever is chosen, I will support, because I have received support from many Myswag members.
Just my two Bobs worth.


You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

[Gandalf the White]

I've enjoyed the forum and have met and made many new friends across the nation as a result, inc some now lifelong friends. 

As with any good thing I.e. Tupperware, Old Format Camping Stores, Canvas Campers, Freedom of Speech in the USA etc, times are a changing, priorities and future plans for all of us will continue to evolve. 

I think you and the mods have done a great job, even potentially saving some people's sanity and possibly lives, but it might be time to wrap it up.

I know there's some that don't use social media and use this forum to stay in touch, but if the friendships are strong, they'll find a way to stay in touch.

[xcvator]

I know that this subject has been raised before, but what about advertising on the site ?

[Harbourmaster]

The proverbial rock & a hard place. Done the Northern Simpson trip purely because of this forum. Would be a loss to see it go but social media is making it hard for many forums. If there are enough to throw in some money I’m willing to contribute to help keep it going. Haven’t been on fb since Jan it just gives me the Shites.

[MattNQ]

I find the forum format much better for going back to old posts for reference - eg when I was building a kitchen for my camper- can pull up previous threads on kitchens. Facebook is horrible for that sort of thing.

I was up until recently on a US camera forum (Nikonians) where you pay a small subscription - $12 USD per year for access to all the forum.

Do you think a yearly fee of $20-30 would work for MySwag? I would pay it.

[duggie]

I for one would love to see the forum live , happy to pay a  subscription every year to help make that happen , only need 150 members pay a $20m fee and your server costs are covered .

[GeoffA]

I've been waiting for something like this...

I'm in for a subscription.

As I sit here at 6am, there are 369 Guests, 2 Users logged in. That is not unusual.

 

[Fizzie]

That was a heck of a thing to be hit with, first thing on Monday morning!

After thinking about it for a while, I've got to say that I can't see an answer that I like

I for one would love to see the forum live , happy to pay a  subscription every year to help make that happen , only need 150 members pay a $20m fee and your server costs are covered .

Which is what I've been suggesting for a few years now, of just setting up a direct transfer of $1/mth (which I've recently upped to $2!!!), but it hasn't worked From previous updates to the Bank Balance thread, monthly donations = $3 (which my change should have taken to $4)

Yes, 150 people x $2/mth = $3600 / year = problem solvered, but do we actually have 150 active members When you look at names on posts, I'd think we'd be flat out having 30 members on here regularly, which would then mean $10 / mth from each of them, which is well & truly getting up there, especially if you're retired / pension

On that, according to the members list (which, by a scary coincidence, shows 10666 members!), we've had 131 people sign up since 1/7/24, but only 5 of them have ever posted. Maybe it has to become a requirement that you pay $2 / mth to become a member

Of course, the simple answer is somebody winning the Lotto, then donating $20k, which would fix everything! (& I've been trying, but it hasn't worked yet )

[DannyG]

Sorry if any of this is out of line but does the forum need to be on such expensive server these days?

I am far from an expert but I have a forum on the same software which has over 10,000 members and is about as active as this one is these days and I have it on a cheapo US server that works fine. I am sure it gets a bit laggy at peak times but so be it, its free and the resources for zero cost are huge.

I am right in the middle of the Gibb River road at the moment but I am happy to see if I can help with any of the migration when I am in a better spot.....(not better, it doesnt get better than this but you know what I mean hahaha)

Either way I am certain youll get enough or already have enough of a base following that would pitch in on a sign up and youre in, dont pay and youre out basis.

[WilSurf]

Wow, 18+ years already.
This forum has very valuable information, I always come here to see info for tracks or areas to go to.

What are the other site options?
I have asked another forum I am member off how they do it as they don't ask for donations.
That forum is hosted on XenForo https://xenforo.com/

[Bird]

I see it both ways. keep or close.
There is a crazy amount of outstanding tech info on this board that would be very sad to see disappear.

Its been unfair on Brett and Jill for a long time to wear those sorts of costs. I'm really shocked at the prices mentioned- but I'm shocked at the cost of most things these days.
I'd like to see it keep going, I'd be willing like few others to chip in.... but not at that cost... also how do you keep it fair for those who pay and those who dont.

I also find forums that ask for $ from when you register are off putting (eg: some photography forums), which may not help keep the turn over of new members and those leaving...
In 18yrs theres been many great members come and go just through natural changes in their personal situations - all forums/boards/groups/clubs go through it... Also some of those who left have started their own forums.. but this place has outlasted em.

Certainly Danny's hosting suggestion is worth investigating...

I think Fizz hit on something - think we'd be flat out having 30 members on here regularly, I thought by lunchtime today there'd be outrage and 20-30 posts on this, but see if that changes by the end of the week.. that may help Brett decide.

YMMV

[Bad Scott]

Need to keep the forum going. How many friendships have been made just from this site. How many trips have been ran where friendships have been formed.
As the famous Hutchie once said. It's an internet dating site for camper trailers.
Bad Scott was formerly announced at the Knockwood camp fire on the Friday night antics hosted by Lost, aka Bird in 2014
Swagmail tom toastie adventures travelling the world, to be finally delivered to Lost at the famous National Meet in Victoria.
I'm in for whatever it takes.

[NZMarkb]

I’m ok with paying an annual fee but we need a lot more than the 11 people that have voted that way (a least 100) and it will be viable

[GGV8Cruza]

I have been waiting for this to happen for a while. I take my hat off to Brett and Jillsy for their continued financial support of the forum. Also to all the regular members that have supported the forum for little of a lot, thanks for keeping this forum viable.

As others have said, this is a place of great knowledge and a resource for all things outdoors and camper related. I have also met lifelong friends as so  have my kids, who we still go camping with and have a fantastic time.

I am not sure if the fees that have been mentioned can be backed up by the smaller regular users and contributors of the forum at present. I am currently remote and have limited access but maybe a quick poll could be set up to see what size of contributions could be raised from the members that would like too. It could give us an idea of what sort of monies could be raised.

GG

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