What is so good about Premium, anyway?

[Guest]

Fabulous! I'll get you set up around lunchtime.

[Productive Outs]

After a year of being a premium subscriber, I realized something. Nearly every premium "bonus" is something that is the norm on nearly every other phpBB forum I've been a part of. You've dumbed down the regular UI to make a profit, and it's really sad that people are sending you fifty dollars a pop to use functions that are normal on other boards. The withdrawal of the search function for non-premium users is total crap.

[Chris]

After a year of being a premium subscriber, I realized something. Nearly every premium "bonus" is something that is the norm on nearly every other phpBB forum I've been a part of. You've dumbed down the regular UI to make a profit, and it's really sad that people are sending you fifty dollars a pop to use functions that are normal on other boards. The withdrawal of the search function for non-premium users is total crap.

 

I really wouldn't call what Tim is getting a profit. Tim just changed the server to a more reliable server, which costs more money. In addition, Tim just sent $1,500 for a sponsorship to support the Diamond Jaxx. Granted, there were some donations for that sponsorship, but Tim still had to put up a lot of site money. For the record, everything that is done in regards to media is provided for all NSBB members, whether they are premium or not. I don't know of many other site giving that type of inside information for free. You don't have to pay the $50 if you don't want to, but the $50 is more to help Tim with the cost of the site than cool features.

[Productive Outs]

After a year of being a premium subscriber, I realized something. Nearly every premium "bonus" is something that is the norm on nearly every other phpBB forum I've been a part of. You've dumbed down the regular UI to make a profit, and it's really sad that people are sending you fifty dollars a pop to use functions that are normal on other boards. The withdrawal of the search function for non-premium users is total crap.

 

I really wouldn't call what Tim is getting a profit. Tim just changed the server to a more reliable server, which costs more money. In addition, Tim just sent $1,500 for a sponsorship to support the Diamond Jaxx. Granted, there were some donations for that sponsorship, but Tim still had to put up a lot of site money. For the record, everything that is done in regards to media is provided for all NSBB members, whether they are premium or not. I don't know of many other site giving that type of inside information for free. You don't have to pay the $50 if you don't want to, but the $50 is more to help Tim with the cost of the site than cool features.

 

I will give you that. However, when I had premium, none of that was available. I just don't see the need to gimp standard forum functions for regular users. If you want to make the Diamond Jaxx stuff premium, okay. But removing the search function? Please.

[Chris]

I will give you that. However, when I had premium, none of that was available. I just don't see the need to gimp standard forum functions for regular users. If you want to make the Diamond Jaxx stuff premium, okay. But removing the search function? Please.

 

The removal of the search function was due to it slowing down the site. The search removal was across the board, premium or non-premium. For the record, the search function isn't running in premium at the moment.

[Andy]

After a year of being a premium subscriber, I realized something. Nearly every premium "bonus" is something that is the norm on nearly every other phpBB forum I've been a part of. You've dumbed down the regular UI to make a profit, and it's really sad that people are sending you fifty dollars a pop to use functions that are normal on other boards. The withdrawal of the search function for non-premium users is total crap.

Modzilla lies in wait...

 

 

 

just kidding.

 

 

In my opinion it's worth the 50 bucks just for the part where you don't have to see all the new posts at once before they reset.

[Productive Outs]

You tried to get the search working for premium users, right?

 

Modzilla lies in wait...

 

 

 

just kidding.

 

 

In my opinion it's worth the 50 bucks just for the part where you don't have to see all the new posts at once before they reset.

 

Again, you're paying 50 dollars for a common forum function. These mods that are on this board (the profile things, friend lists, etc) are just phpBB mods. Most take no more than 10-15 minutes to install (unless you're dealing with more complicated ones, such as the attachment mod).

[1908]

After a year of being a premium subscriber, I realized something. Nearly every premium "bonus" is something that is the norm on nearly every other phpBB forum I've been a part of. You've dumbed down the regular UI to make a profit, and it's really sad that people are sending you fifty dollars a pop to use functions that are normal on other boards. The withdrawal of the search function for non-premium users is total crap.

 

I really wouldn't call what Tim is getting a profit. Tim just changed the server to a more reliable server, which costs more money. In addition, Tim just sent $1,500 for a sponsorship to support the Diamond Jaxx. Granted, there were some donations for that sponsorship, but Tim still had to put up a lot of site money. For the record, everything that is done in regards to media is provided for all NSBB members, whether they are premium or not. I don't know of many other site giving that type of inside information for free. You don't have to pay the $50 if you don't want to, but the $50 is more to help Tim with the cost of the site than cool features.

 

I will give you that. However, when I had premium, none of that was available. I just don't see the need to gimp standard forum functions for regular users. If you want to make the Diamond Jaxx stuff premium, okay. But removing the search function? Please.

Two things: 1) Tim's not making a profit on the site. Not even close, and I find your implication that he's trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes to make a buck insulting. You should be thanking Tim for his generosity instead of bitching about not getting enough for free. 2) I'm having trouble understanding your sense of entitlement. Is there a set of standards for free message boards out there that NSBB is violating?

[stitchface]

LOL, I hate the premium settings. But I'll renew every year so I can enjoy this forum at my own expense instead of Tim's. You make it sound like he's buying a rolls-royce with the premium money.

[BigbadB]

I see 3 choices here:

 

1) Pay a very nominal fee to help keep this site operating. By helping keep this site operating, you are entitled to extra bells and whistles.

 

2) Don't pay a nominal fee to keep this site operating. Whether you can't afford to or just don't want to, Tim hasn't turned this site into a "required" payment to be a part of this community.

 

3) We all find a new site when Tim decides it is no longer worth paying money out of his own pocket to keep this site operating.

 

If you want the bells and whistles that come with this message board, you'll have to pay for it. If you don't want them, you most certainly don't have to pay.

 

I sort of compare how Tim operates this site with ESPN. You want ESPN Insider, which offers much more than plain ole ESPN? Pay for it. I pay for it. And I'm not complaining.

[mhuber92211]

Whatever happened to the ads on premium? I thought there would be one at the bottom so we could still click on them

[Banedon]

Whatever happened to the ads on premium? I thought there would be one at the bottom so we could still click on them

 

There's google ads at the bottom of the main forum page.

[NCCubFan]

I agree with the sentiment that some others have expressed here. The purpose of Premium membership isn't to sell bells and whistles. The purpose is for Tim to be able to raise enough money so that he can afford to run this site. I suspect that, even with the Premium membership, Tim may not even being breaking even, let alone making a profit. I don't know that as a fact and could be wrong. The bells and whistles are basically an expression of gratitude for those whose contributions allow the site to exist. If there was no Premium membership, and therefore Tim couldn't afford to continue operating the site, good luck finding another site with the insights provided by board members, the relatively troll-free environment, the opportunity to interact with Cubs personnel (including minor league players), etc.

 

I somewhat liken this to PBS pledge drives. They offer different gifts for people who contribute at different levels. People don't contribute mainly because they want the gifts (the required contributions exceed the value of the gifts, so from a pure value perspective it isn't worth it). Rather, they contribute because they like PBS programming and realize that it wouldn't be able to continue without support from users. The gifts are a nice added bonus. People should look at Premium membership the same way.

[Productive Outs]

After a year of being a premium subscriber, I realized something. Nearly every premium "bonus" is something that is the norm on nearly every other phpBB forum I've been a part of. You've dumbed down the regular UI to make a profit, and it's really sad that people are sending you fifty dollars a pop to use functions that are normal on other boards. The withdrawal of the search function for non-premium users is total crap.

 

I really wouldn't call what Tim is getting a profit. Tim just changed the server to a more reliable server, which costs more money. In addition, Tim just sent $1,500 for a sponsorship to support the Diamond Jaxx. Granted, there were some donations for that sponsorship, but Tim still had to put up a lot of site money. For the record, everything that is done in regards to media is provided for all NSBB members, whether they are premium or not. I don't know of many other site giving that type of inside information for free. You don't have to pay the $50 if you don't want to, but the $50 is more to help Tim with the cost of the site than cool features.

 

I will give you that. However, when I had premium, none of that was available. I just don't see the need to gimp standard forum functions for regular users. If you want to make the Diamond Jaxx stuff premium, okay. But removing the search function? Please.

Two things: 1) Tim's not making a profit on the site. Not even close, and I find your implication that he's trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes to make a buck insulting. You should be thanking Tim for his generosity instead of bitching about not getting enough for free. 2) I'm having trouble understanding your sense of entitlement. Is there a set of standards for free message boards out there that NSBB is violating?

 

After poking around in the Suggestions forum, I'm going to retract my statement that Tim is making a profit, if possible. If he makes any significant amount of money, I am severely underestimating the amount of premium users.

 

Yes, I do feel as though there is a "set of standards". phpBB was not designed to have the core features disabled. I know there were difficulties with the size of the database. Maybe it's time to start over? I'm not sure. I do not think that people are going to cope with not being able to search, which is one of the strongest features of phpBB, much longer.

 

My initial post was harsh, and that is in part due to me not knowing information that I should have learned before posting.

[BigbadB]

You might not have been hanging around when the site was crashing regularly, and operating extremely slow when it wasn't crashing. Archiving old threads and disconnecting the search function is what helped resolve some of those problems.

 

This place has tremendous traffic. The average poster here has thousands of posts, and makes several posts per day. This is definitely not a rinky dink operation.

 

I'm sure Tim would much rather have enough support from the advertising to not have to charge anyone for visiting this site. But, he needs revenue from somewhere and he definitely isn't getting enough from there. Worse yet, he's not even getting enough hits to the advertisements that he has been able to convince to pay for a portion of what it costs to run this site. If he loses them, he's either going to need more premium subscriber support, or risk losing more money out of his pocket.

 

Tim has created a great place for Cub fans of all ages to visit and share everything Cubs. The minor league section is far and away the best source of minor league information around. They have done player interviews, management interviews, interviews with local sports journalists, sportscasters, etc.., and some of these folks are regular visitors of this site now as well.

 

This isn't a lecture. This is just a reminder that you are part of something special here. If you are donating for premium membership, you're not just getting a few extra features that others aren't getting, you are a contributor to the continued existence of this site. And if you are contributing, I can assure you we are all very much appreciate it.

 

So, send Tim a check! :D

[Guest]

Dobson, you ask a a fair question. Let's set the record straight, though:

 

1) the only standard phpbb feature I have disabled is search. It is currently disabled for both premium and non-premium users as I have found it is the inserts into the database that are taking too much time.

 

2) I am sure the phpbb enhancements I have added for Premium are present at other sites, as well. However, they are actually non-standard enhancements (mods) that I took the time to find, download & apply. There are, in fact, over 20 additions to the base phpbb code in Premium.

 

2) NSBB is currently sitting around 2M page loads per month (during the offsseason!). This also equates to around 15-20M hits per month. With that kind of load, I moved the site to a more robust, reliable server to handle the traffic. That server currently costs me $455 / month. With some planned additions (non-message board related) for 2006 potentially driving up the database requirements, I'm also considering moving to a true database server system that would cost even more per month.

 

3) Add in the cost of advertsing for the site that I pay for and I average well over $500 in expenses most months. In addition, I just laid out $800 of my money to the Diamond Jaxx to help them out and help solidify that relationship. Considering all that they've done for us over the past year and the troubles they had this spring, I consider that a great investment, but it is money out of my pocket.

 

4) That totals to over $7000 out of my pocket that I'm investing in the website this year. Rest assured, there are not 140 Premium members here at NSBB to help me with those costs.

 

5) Nobody here is forced to pay Premium to enjoy the site. I have asked people to join premium if they enjoy the site because I don't feel that $5 per month is a huge investment for people given the amount of time many spend here and the amount of enjoyment I believe people receive from the site. It really isn't about the bells and whistles in Premium -- those are just a bonus for the people who have chosen to support the site.

[UBlink]

I'll add my own $0.02 here. In order to make premium membership somehow special, Tim had various options to differentiate it. One would be to have special content available only to premium members. Another would be to restrict posting rights in the forums for non-members. A third is to have a "premium" user interface for premium members. Of the options out there I think Tim made a reasonable choice. Non-members have access to all the same content and all the same forums. Members get a few bells and whistles and don't have ads in the forums. And I know, for me at least, I look at my premium membership more as a donation to help offset Tim's personal outlays. Another way of saying it is that while the additional benefits for premium members may not be worth $50, the overall value of the site is easily worth the $50. I say, if you can afford the $50, please contribute.

[sandberg23]

Dobson, you ask a a fair question. Let's set the record straight, though:

 

1) the only standard phpbb feature I have disabled is search. It is currently disabled for both premium and non-premium users as I have found it is the inserts into the database that are taking too much time.

 

2) I am sure the phpbb enhancements I have added for Premium are present at other sites, as well. However, they are actually non-standard enhancements (mods) that I took the time to find, download & apply. There are, in fact, over 20 additions to the base phpbb code in Premium.

 

2) NSBB is currently sitting around 2M page loads per month (during the offsseason!). This also equates to around 15-20M hits per month. With that kind of load, I moved the site to a more robust, reliable server to handle the traffic. That server currently costs me $455 / month. With some planned additions (non-message board related) for 2006 potentially driving up the database requirements, I'm also considering moving to a true database server system that would cost even more per month.

 

3) Add in the cost of advertsing for the site that I pay for and I average well over $500 in expenses most months. In addition, I just laid out $800 of my money to the Diamond Jaxx to help them out and help solidify that relationship. Considering all that they've done for us over the past year and the troubles they had this spring, I consider that a great investment, but it is money out of my pocket.

 

4) That totals to over $7000 out of my pocket that I'm investing in the website this year. Rest assured, there are not 140 Premium members here at NSBB to help me with those costs.

 

5) Nobody here is forced to pay Premium to enjoy the site. I have asked people to join premium if they enjoy the site because I don't feel that $5 per month is a huge investment for people given the amount of time many spend here and the amount of enjoyment I believe people receive from the site. It really isn't about the bells and whistles in Premium -- those are just a bonus for the people who have chosen to support the site.

 

Tim, are you able to deduct any of these expenses on your tax return as a business loss? With my brief experience preparing taxes, it seems to me that some (or all - I don't know all the details behind your operation) of the expenses should be able to used as a business loss/gain (obviously a loss right now). I know that won't help in making more money but it would help a bit with the taxes. :shrug:

[Guest]

Dobson, you ask a a fair question. Let's set the record straight, though:

 

1) the only standard phpbb feature I have disabled is search. It is currently disabled for both premium and non-premium users as I have found it is the inserts into the database that are taking too much time.

 

2) I am sure the phpbb enhancements I have added for Premium are present at other sites, as well. However, they are actually non-standard enhancements (mods) that I took the time to find, download & apply. There are, in fact, over 20 additions to the base phpbb code in Premium.

 

2) NSBB is currently sitting around 2M page loads per month (during the offsseason!). This also equates to around 15-20M hits per month. With that kind of load, I moved the site to a more robust, reliable server to handle the traffic. That server currently costs me $455 / month. With some planned additions (non-message board related) for 2006 potentially driving up the database requirements, I'm also considering moving to a true database server system that would cost even more per month.

 

3) Add in the cost of advertsing for the site that I pay for and I average well over $500 in expenses most months. In addition, I just laid out $800 of my money to the Diamond Jaxx to help them out and help solidify that relationship. Considering all that they've done for us over the past year and the troubles they had this spring, I consider that a great investment, but it is money out of my pocket.

 

4) That totals to over $7000 out of my pocket that I'm investing in the website this year. Rest assured, there are not 140 Premium members here at NSBB to help me with those costs.

 

5) Nobody here is forced to pay Premium to enjoy the site. I have asked people to join premium if they enjoy the site because I don't feel that $5 per month is a huge investment for people given the amount of time many spend here and the amount of enjoyment I believe people receive from the site. It really isn't about the bells and whistles in Premium -- those are just a bonus for the people who have chosen to support the site.

 

Tim, are you able to deduct any of these expenses on your tax return as a business loss? With my brief experience preparing taxes, it seems to me that some (or all - I don't know all the details behind your operation) of the expenses should be able to used as a business loss/gain (obviously a loss right now). I know that won't help in making more money but it would help a bit with the taxes. :shrug:

yep, any loss I have is deductable. Which helps a bit.

[stitchface]

taxes? I should get going on those . . .

[sandberg23]

Dobson, you ask a a fair question. Let's set the record straight, though:

 

1) the only standard phpbb feature I have disabled is search. It is currently disabled for both premium and non-premium users as I have found it is the inserts into the database that are taking too much time.

 

2) I am sure the phpbb enhancements I have added for Premium are present at other sites, as well. However, they are actually non-standard enhancements (mods) that I took the time to find, download & apply. There are, in fact, over 20 additions to the base phpbb code in Premium.

 

2) NSBB is currently sitting around 2M page loads per month (during the offsseason!). This also equates to around 15-20M hits per month. With that kind of load, I moved the site to a more robust, reliable server to handle the traffic. That server currently costs me $455 / month. With some planned additions (non-message board related) for 2006 potentially driving up the database requirements, I'm also considering moving to a true database server system that would cost even more per month.

 

3) Add in the cost of advertsing for the site that I pay for and I average well over $500 in expenses most months. In addition, I just laid out $800 of my money to the Diamond Jaxx to help them out and help solidify that relationship. Considering all that they've done for us over the past year and the troubles they had this spring, I consider that a great investment, but it is money out of my pocket.

 

4) That totals to over $7000 out of my pocket that I'm investing in the website this year. Rest assured, there are not 140 Premium members here at NSBB to help me with those costs.

 

5) Nobody here is forced to pay Premium to enjoy the site. I have asked people to join premium if they enjoy the site because I don't feel that $5 per month is a huge investment for people given the amount of time many spend here and the amount of enjoyment I believe people receive from the site. It really isn't about the bells and whistles in Premium -- those are just a bonus for the people who have chosen to support the site.

 

Tim, are you able to deduct any of these expenses on your tax return as a business loss? With my brief experience preparing taxes, it seems to me that some (or all - I don't know all the details behind your operation) of the expenses should be able to used as a business loss/gain (obviously a loss right now). I know that won't help in making more money but it would help a bit with the taxes. :shrug:

yep, any loss I have is deductable. Which helps a bit.

 

We've been told at work that the government only allows a loss on one business for 5 years...after that time, they expect the business to take off so it should be showing a profit at some point. Were you aware of that?

 

At least you can take the loss on the taxes. It's better than nothing.

[Guest]

Dobson, you ask a a fair question. Let's set the record straight, though:

 

1) the only standard phpbb feature I have disabled is search. It is currently disabled for both premium and non-premium users as I have found it is the inserts into the database that are taking too much time.

 

2) I am sure the phpbb enhancements I have added for Premium are present at other sites, as well. However, they are actually non-standard enhancements (mods) that I took the time to find, download & apply. There are, in fact, over 20 additions to the base phpbb code in Premium.

 

2) NSBB is currently sitting around 2M page loads per month (during the offsseason!). This also equates to around 15-20M hits per month. With that kind of load, I moved the site to a more robust, reliable server to handle the traffic. That server currently costs me $455 / month. With some planned additions (non-message board related) for 2006 potentially driving up the database requirements, I'm also considering moving to a true database server system that would cost even more per month.

 

3) Add in the cost of advertsing for the site that I pay for and I average well over $500 in expenses most months. In addition, I just laid out $800 of my money to the Diamond Jaxx to help them out and help solidify that relationship. Considering all that they've done for us over the past year and the troubles they had this spring, I consider that a great investment, but it is money out of my pocket.

 

4) That totals to over $7000 out of my pocket that I'm investing in the website this year. Rest assured, there are not 140 Premium members here at NSBB to help me with those costs.

 

5) Nobody here is forced to pay Premium to enjoy the site. I have asked people to join premium if they enjoy the site because I don't feel that $5 per month is a huge investment for people given the amount of time many spend here and the amount of enjoyment I believe people receive from the site. It really isn't about the bells and whistles in Premium -- those are just a bonus for the people who have chosen to support the site.

 

Tim, are you able to deduct any of these expenses on your tax return as a business loss? With my brief experience preparing taxes, it seems to me that some (or all - I don't know all the details behind your operation) of the expenses should be able to used as a business loss/gain (obviously a loss right now). I know that won't help in making more money but it would help a bit with the taxes. :shrug:

yep, any loss I have is deductable. Which helps a bit.

 

We've been told at work that the government only allows a loss on one business for 5 years...after that time, they expect the business to take off so it should be showing a profit at some point. Were you aware of that?

 

At least you can take the loss on the taxes. It's better than nothing.

Yep. I've got a couple more years to get this to turn a profit, though. :D

[sandberg23]

Dobson, you ask a a fair question. Let's set the record straight, though:

 

1) the only standard phpbb feature I have disabled is search. It is currently disabled for both premium and non-premium users as I have found it is the inserts into the database that are taking too much time.

 

2) I am sure the phpbb enhancements I have added for Premium are present at other sites, as well. However, they are actually non-standard enhancements (mods) that I took the time to find, download & apply. There are, in fact, over 20 additions to the base phpbb code in Premium.

 

2) NSBB is currently sitting around 2M page loads per month (during the offsseason!). This also equates to around 15-20M hits per month. With that kind of load, I moved the site to a more robust, reliable server to handle the traffic. That server currently costs me $455 / month. With some planned additions (non-message board related) for 2006 potentially driving up the database requirements, I'm also considering moving to a true database server system that would cost even more per month.

 

3) Add in the cost of advertsing for the site that I pay for and I average well over $500 in expenses most months. In addition, I just laid out $800 of my money to the Diamond Jaxx to help them out and help solidify that relationship. Considering all that they've done for us over the past year and the troubles they had this spring, I consider that a great investment, but it is money out of my pocket.

 

4) That totals to over $7000 out of my pocket that I'm investing in the website this year. Rest assured, there are not 140 Premium members here at NSBB to help me with those costs.

 

5) Nobody here is forced to pay Premium to enjoy the site. I have asked people to join premium if they enjoy the site because I don't feel that $5 per month is a huge investment for people given the amount of time many spend here and the amount of enjoyment I believe people receive from the site. It really isn't about the bells and whistles in Premium -- those are just a bonus for the people who have chosen to support the site.

 

Tim, are you able to deduct any of these expenses on your tax return as a business loss? With my brief experience preparing taxes, it seems to me that some (or all - I don't know all the details behind your operation) of the expenses should be able to used as a business loss/gain (obviously a loss right now). I know that won't help in making more money but it would help a bit with the taxes. :shrug:

yep, any loss I have is deductable. Which helps a bit.

 

We've been told at work that the government only allows a loss on one business for 5 years...after that time, they expect the business to take off so it should be showing a profit at some point. Were you aware of that?

 

At least you can take the loss on the taxes. It's better than nothing.

Yep. I've got a couple more years to get this to turn a profit, though. :D

 

Ah, I couldn't remember when you started this site. So, if you don't ever turn a profit (scary thought, huh?), can you just not claim the loss on the 6th year and then start right back up and get another 5 years of loss to take? (I probably should know this, seeing as I'm a tax preparer!)

[Guest]

Dobson, you ask a a fair question. Let's set the record straight, though:

 

1) the only standard phpbb feature I have disabled is search. It is currently disabled for both premium and non-premium users as I have found it is the inserts into the database that are taking too much time.

 

2) I am sure the phpbb enhancements I have added for Premium are present at other sites, as well. However, they are actually non-standard enhancements (mods) that I took the time to find, download & apply. There are, in fact, over 20 additions to the base phpbb code in Premium.

 

2) NSBB is currently sitting around 2M page loads per month (during the offsseason!). This also equates to around 15-20M hits per month. With that kind of load, I moved the site to a more robust, reliable server to handle the traffic. That server currently costs me $455 / month. With some planned additions (non-message board related) for 2006 potentially driving up the database requirements, I'm also considering moving to a true database server system that would cost even more per month.

 

3) Add in the cost of advertsing for the site that I pay for and I average well over $500 in expenses most months. In addition, I just laid out $800 of my money to the Diamond Jaxx to help them out and help solidify that relationship. Considering all that they've done for us over the past year and the troubles they had this spring, I consider that a great investment, but it is money out of my pocket.

 

4) That totals to over $7000 out of my pocket that I'm investing in the website this year. Rest assured, there are not 140 Premium members here at NSBB to help me with those costs.

 

5) Nobody here is forced to pay Premium to enjoy the site. I have asked people to join premium if they enjoy the site because I don't feel that $5 per month is a huge investment for people given the amount of time many spend here and the amount of enjoyment I believe people receive from the site. It really isn't about the bells and whistles in Premium -- those are just a bonus for the people who have chosen to support the site.

 

Tim, are you able to deduct any of these expenses on your tax return as a business loss? With my brief experience preparing taxes, it seems to me that some (or all - I don't know all the details behind your operation) of the expenses should be able to used as a business loss/gain (obviously a loss right now). I know that won't help in making more money but it would help a bit with the taxes. :shrug:

yep, any loss I have is deductable. Which helps a bit.

 

We've been told at work that the government only allows a loss on one business for 5 years...after that time, they expect the business to take off so it should be showing a profit at some point. Were you aware of that?

 

At least you can take the loss on the taxes. It's better than nothing.

Yep. I've got a couple more years to get this to turn a profit, though. :D

 

Ah, I couldn't remember when you started this site. So, if you don't ever turn a profit (scary thought, huh?), can you just not claim the loss on the 6th year and then start right back up and get another 5 years of loss to take? (I probably should know this, seeing as I'm a tax preparer!)

I don't know. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

[sandberg23]

Dobson, you ask a a fair question. Let's set the record straight, though:

 

1) the only standard phpbb feature I have disabled is search. It is currently disabled for both premium and non-premium users as I have found it is the inserts into the database that are taking too much time.

 

2) I am sure the phpbb enhancements I have added for Premium are present at other sites, as well. However, they are actually non-standard enhancements (mods) that I took the time to find, download & apply. There are, in fact, over 20 additions to the base phpbb code in Premium.

 

2) NSBB is currently sitting around 2M page loads per month (during the offsseason!). This also equates to around 15-20M hits per month. With that kind of load, I moved the site to a more robust, reliable server to handle the traffic. That server currently costs me $455 / month. With some planned additions (non-message board related) for 2006 potentially driving up the database requirements, I'm also considering moving to a true database server system that would cost even more per month.

 

3) Add in the cost of advertsing for the site that I pay for and I average well over $500 in expenses most months. In addition, I just laid out $800 of my money to the Diamond Jaxx to help them out and help solidify that relationship. Considering all that they've done for us over the past year and the troubles they had this spring, I consider that a great investment, but it is money out of my pocket.

 

4) That totals to over $7000 out of my pocket that I'm investing in the website this year. Rest assured, there are not 140 Premium members here at NSBB to help me with those costs.

 

5) Nobody here is forced to pay Premium to enjoy the site. I have asked people to join premium if they enjoy the site because I don't feel that $5 per month is a huge investment for people given the amount of time many spend here and the amount of enjoyment I believe people receive from the site. It really isn't about the bells and whistles in Premium -- those are just a bonus for the people who have chosen to support the site.

 

Tim, are you able to deduct any of these expenses on your tax return as a business loss? With my brief experience preparing taxes, it seems to me that some (or all - I don't know all the details behind your operation) of the expenses should be able to used as a business loss/gain (obviously a loss right now). I know that won't help in making more money but it would help a bit with the taxes. :shrug:

yep, any loss I have is deductable. Which helps a bit.

 

We've been told at work that the government only allows a loss on one business for 5 years...after that time, they expect the business to take off so it should be showing a profit at some point. Were you aware of that?

 

At least you can take the loss on the taxes. It's better than nothing.

Yep. I've got a couple more years to get this to turn a profit, though. :D

 

Ah, I couldn't remember when you started this site. So, if you don't ever turn a profit (scary thought, huh?), can you just not claim the loss on the 6th year and then start right back up and get another 5 years of loss to take? (I probably should know this, seeing as I'm a tax preparer!)

I don't know. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

 

Good luck with it all! And keep up the good work here.