CZ: Changes to CowboysZone Supporter System

[Reality]

For well over a year, we have had internal discussions on how to improve the recognition that users who have donated to CowboysZone receive. Our goal was to give better recognition to the most recent users who donated while at the same time showing appreciation to those who have donated in years past. We are very excited to announce we have finally created a new system for Zone Supporters that will do exactly that.

In the new system, users who have donated from January 1st of the current NFL season (ex: 2009) through the Super Bowl of the current NFL season (ex: February 2010) will have the CowboysZone Supporter image displayed below their name/avatar. After the Super Bowl, the CZ Supporter system will be rotated and only the users who have donated since January 1st in that year (ex: 2010) will retain their CZ Supporter image. However, every year a user has donated will always be displayed below their name/avatar regardless of whether or not the user is a current CZ Supporter.

On a personal note, I want to let everyone know that donations are always appreciated but not required. I put this site online many years ago so that Cowboys fans would have a family friendly place to support, discuss, debate and complain (when necessary ) about their favorite football team. Over the years I have upgraded the site and the servers to support its constant growth in popularity and activity. I have always avoided placing annoying advertising and sponsorships on the site because I wanted to keep the site clean and fast.

While I have always been happy to cover the operational costs of running CowboysZone, I do appreciate the donations that users make each year. I am glad that the new CZ Supporter system will acknowledge the users who donate, both past and present, so that other users can see who is helping to make CowboysZone the best Cowboys forum site on the internet!

Note: To support the new system, every user must be updated manually so it will take some time to complete this process.

-Reality

[dallasfaniac]

How frequently do we need to donate to make the banner adds go/stay away?

[SteveOS]

How much do you have to donate, to get this status? Great idea, BTW.

[Hostile]

How frequently do we need to donate to make the banner adds go/stay away?Yearly donations will be needed to keep the ads away. As posted we will give a yearly cushion of up to and after the Super Bowl. So a donation in January covers you for 13 months.

No matter what else we do though we will not turn this site into an ad machine and it very easily could be. We will run the minimal amount of ads we can. Revenue from the ads and the donations does not cover the costs of running this site. Reality pays for most of it out of his own pocket and is glad to do so.

We appreciate any and all support.

[Hostile]

How much do you have to donate, to get this status? Great idea, BTW.We have never set an amount necessary because some people can't donate a lot. Every donation is appreciated and every dollar goes into this site. No one makes a profit from this site and it easily could given our traffic numbers.

I was asked earlier about non paypal donations. So even though you aren't asking I want to get this information out to the members. Yes, we do accept them. They are mailed directly to me and I donate them for you.

[DEZBRYANT x88x]

Yeah guys whatever you guys need money wise let me know.

[Idgit]

This is good, guys. I mean to donate more frequently than I do, and sometimes it just slips my mind...the 'supporter' icons are helpful.

[Cajuncowboy]

I've always meant to ask this but now seems like a good time. What are the costs on a yearly basis to run this site? I really have no idea and knowing that might give one a better idea of how much to donate.

Anyway, kinda curious.

[theogt]

I've always meant to ask this but now seems like a good time. What are the costs on a yearly basis to run this site? I really have no idea and knowing that might give one a better idea of how much to donate.

Anyway, kinda curious.They pay me about $1,000 per week for my insightful comments. You can go ahead and make those checks out directly to me.

[WoodysGirl]

I've always meant to ask this but now seems like a good time. What are the costs on a yearly basis to run this site? I really have no idea and knowing that might give one a better idea of how much to donate.

Anyway, kinda curious.
I don't know, but knowing Reality, I really doubt he'd share that information.

That said, I think if you give freely from the heart what you can afford to share, then that's all that matters.

I imagine every little bit counts.

[Cajuncowboy]

They pay me about $1,000 per week for my insightful comments. You can go ahead and make those checks out directly to me.

:clubbed:

[dallasfaniac]

How about, how much would I have to donate each year to compensate for the money Reality is losing by not having adds on my account? Let's say over the course of a year my browser potentially would see an add on this site 36,500 times, lol.

[Hostile]

I am Reality's right hand here, and even I do not know how much he pays for the server costs to run this site or the licensing fees to the software we use.

I know this, we have the absolute fastest servers available. Not little in home stuff that crash on game days or need graphics taken down so they don't lag. The biggest baddest dogs in the yard protect this site and keep us in business.

This site is as well maintained as it possibly can be and we're getting some new stuff again this year. Other sites are run for profit, this one is not. I know for a fact that almost every month he pays out of pocket for some of the costs and he does not have to.

We could have signed up for the Dallas Cowboys to cover all costs, but some things that we were unwilling to do were in the offer. He could put ads anywhere he chooses, and he chooses instead not to. As I said, this site is not an ad machine and given the traffic and what he could make by doing so it is pretty darn cool of him. I wouldn't blame him one bit for adding more ads, but he doesn't.

That is why I say every donation is appreciated, because it goes directly to the site or upgrades we do to the site.

[zrinkill]

You guys must be doing it in alphabetical order .....

:laugh1:

[Angus]

We have never set an amount necessary because some people can't donate a lot. Every donation is appreciated and every dollar goes into this site. No one makes a profit from this site and it easily could given our traffic numbers.

I was asked earlier about non paypal donations. So even though you aren't asking I want to get this information out to the members. Yes, we do accept them. They are mailed directly to me and I donate them for you.

Hostile, how can donations be sent to you?

:confused:

[Hostile]

Hostile, how can donations be sent to you?

:confused:I send people my mailing address and they can mail the donation. Then I will make the payment and give the donation info to Reality. Several people have donated this way. Including one of our Mods.

[dallasfaniac]

So you really live in that off-shore bank account?

[Angus]

I send people my mailing address and they can mail the donation. Then I will make the payment and give the donation info to Reality. Several people have donated this way. Including one of our Mods.

Please send it to me then. Thanks.

:)

[Maikeru-sama]

So if you donate, you can have the ads removed?

[dalsyk]

For well over a year, we have had internal discussions on how to improve the recognition that users who have donated to CowboysZone receive. Our goal was to give better recognition to the most recent users who donated while at the same time showing appreciation to those who have donated in years past. We are very excited to announce we have finally created a new system for Zone Supporters that will do exactly that.

In the new system, users who have donated from January 1st of the current NFL season (ex: 2009) through the Super Bowl of the current NFL season (ex: February 2010) will have the CowboysZone Supporter image displayed below their name/avatar. After the Super Bowl, the CZ Supporter system will be rotated and only the users who have donated since January 1st in that year (ex: 2010) will retain their CZ Supporter image. However, every year a user has donated will always be displayed below their name/avatar regardless of whether or not the user is a current CZ Supporter.

On a personal note, I want to let everyone know that donations are always appreciated but not required. I put this site online many years ago so that Cowboys fans would have a family friendly place to support, discuss, debate and complain (when necessary ) about their favorite football team. Over the years I have upgraded the site and the servers to support its constant growth in popularity and activity. I have always avoided placing annoying advertising and sponsorships on the site because I wanted to keep the site clean and fast.

While I have always been happy to cover the operational costs of running CowboysZone, I do appreciate the donations that users make each year. I am glad that the new CZ Supporter system will acknowledge the users who donate, both past and present, so that other users can see who is helping to make CowboysZone the best Cowboys forum site on the internet!

Note: To support the new system, every user must be updated manually so it will take some time to complete this process.

-Realitywhere do I send the paypal payment? cowboyszone?

[Maikeru-sama]

where do I send the paypal payment? cowboyszone?

There is a Paypal link at the top right of the page.

[dalsyk]

There is a Paypal link at the top right of the page.
thanks!

[Cajuncowboy]

I am Reality's right hand here, and even I do not know how much he pays for the server costs to run this site or the licensing fees to the software we use.

I know this, we have the absolute fastest servers available. Not little in home stuff that crash on game days or need graphics taken down so they don't lag. The biggest baddest dogs in the yard protect this site and keep us in business.

This site is as well maintained as it possibly can be and we're getting some new stuff again this year. Other sites are run for profit, this one is not. I know for a fact that almost every month he pays out of pocket for some of the costs and he does not have to.

We could have signed up for the Dallas Cowboys to cover all costs, but some things that we were unwilling to do were in the offer. He could put ads anywhere he chooses, and he chooses instead not to. As I said, this site is not an ad machine and given the traffic and what he could make by doing so it is pretty darn cool of him. I wouldn't blame him one bit for adding more ads, but he doesn't.

That is why I say every donation is appreciated, because it goes directly to the site or upgrades we do to the site.

I hope my question didn't come across as anything other than curiosity. I really appreciate this place. I was wondering what the nut was on something like this. We have toyed around with something similar for another project but we went in another direction.

[ThreeSportStar80]

Ok admins/mods I want to donate you guys got me!

[Hostile]

I hope my question didn't come across as anything other than curiosity. I really appreciate this place. I was wondering what the nut was on something like this. We have toyed around with something similar for another project but we went in another direction.It didn't to me. I try and anticipate the next question and answer as much as I can.

[dreghorn2]

Sometimes it is very difficult to quantify exactly what something is worth to you.

I access this site multiple times per day and have done so for years. I also read several other forums most of whom are well run, this site however, without question is the finest i have seen.

The traffic is enormous and the information fast and topical (the daily zone is fantastic for up to date information). In addition there are many members with specific skills, insights, and contacts all of whom make the "being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys" experience so much deeper.

The moderators here do a terrific job of keeping an overwatch of the board. This is not an easy thing to do and a lot of time is required by people who are just volunteers. I have seen many forums, all with great intentions, disintegrate from lack of supervision.

It is easy to see that this is a labor of love for those involved, and i hope that if the time ever comes that serious financial help is required, that they do not hesitate to request it.

This is a great site and i hope it continues to be run in the same manner for a very long time.

[Achozen]

The green box kinda throws me off. You guys should have made it blue.

[Reality]

The green box kinda throws me off. You guys should have made it blue.

Moderators have blue boxes .. I wanted to go with purple for Supporters, Hostile suggested pink and Juke wanted a completely transparent image. We settled on green :D

-Reality

[Reality]

Sometimes it is very difficult to quantify exactly what something is worth to you.

I access this site multiple times per day and have done so for years. I also read several other forums most of whom are well run, this site however, without question is the finest i have seen.

The traffic is enormous and the information fast and topical (the daily zone is fantastic for up to date information). In addition there are many members with specific skills, insights, and contacts all of whom make the "being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys" experience so much deeper.

The moderators here do a terrific job of keeping an overwatch of the board. This is not an easy thing to do and a lot of time is required by people who are just volunteers. I have seen many forums, all with great intentions, disintegrate from lack of supervision.

It is easy to see that this is a labor of love for those involved, and i hope that if the time ever comes that serious financial help is required, that they do not hesitate to request it.

This is a great site and i hope it continues to be run in the same manner for a very long time.

Very well said and appreciated!

[Hostile]

Moderators have blue boxes .. I wanted to go with purple for Supporters, Hostile suggested pink and Juke wanted a completely transparent image. We settled on green :D

-RealityI said hot pink for Eagles and Redskins fans usernames. You said our members would beat them up and make them cry if we did that.

What exactly was the drawback again?

[WoodysGirl]

The green box kinda throws me off. You guys should have made it blue.
Brain wanted a variation of this.

:welcome:

You should be happy with the green.

[Yeagermeister]

Sometimes it is very difficult to quantify exactly what something is worth to you.

I access this site multiple times per day and have done so for years. I also read several other forums most of whom are well run, this site however, without question is the finest i have seen.

The traffic is enormous and the information fast and topical (the daily zone is fantastic for up to date information). In addition there are many members with specific skills, insights, and contacts all of whom make the "being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys" experience so much deeper.

The moderators here do a terrific job of keeping an overwatch of the board. This is not an easy thing to do and a lot of time is required by people who are just volunteers. I have seen many forums, all with great intentions, disintegrate from lack of supervision.

It is easy to see that this is a labor of love for those involved, and i hope that if the time ever comes that serious financial help is required, that they do not hesitate to request it.

This is a great site and i hope it continues to be run in the same manner for a very long time.

Thanks I do my best to cover for the rest of the slacker mods ;)

[PullMyFinger]

:clubbed:


LOL love that smiley!

[PullMyFinger]

Unfortunately I'm unemployed right now, but when I get to working again, I'll be more than happy to donate.

[TheSkaven]

This is a good idea. It's no coincidence that I always donate after Reality posts the donation stickies. If he didn't do that, I'd always forget. When you see the same button in the same place month after month, you just don't see it anymore when you visit... if that makes sense?

[SA_Gunslinger]

it's shameful that I haven't donated as long as i've been here. i love the place. i'm just THAT broke.

ugh.

[Dodger12]

Yearly donations will be needed to keep the ads away. As posted we will give a yearly cushion of up to and after the Super Bowl. So a donation in January covers you for 13 months.

Great idea. I couldn't figure out why I was seeing the adds after getting used to not seeing them for some time. And as someone mentioned earlier, it's a great reminder. You guys (and gal) do a great job and I couldn't imagine going online without having CZ around. Nice work........

[casmith07]

in the spirit of it being my birthday, and a new beginning, I've donated.

Appreciate the professionalism of all of the mods here, even in my freak-out days when I first joined :lmao:

I think I'll also be updating my avatar and my signature. Newman's been my favorite player for a long time but I want something more distinguished and unique to my user name. Anyway no idea why I'm even posting all this haha. Go Cowboys! :star:

[wesleyc288]

Time to donate to my favorite site of the past 2 it 3 years. I should have done it alot sooner.

$25.00 is not much but it's all I can give right now. I'm still trying to figure out how to pay for this semesters tuition. I Also want to say thanks to everyone who puts in the effort required to make this site the best forum on the web.

[Capt.Gut]

Yeah. Time to donate....

[calico]

i just donated a very small amount and am sad that I forgot to donate last year. This is one of the best sites on the web and i stop by here maybe 10 times a day and that is during the offseason. hopefully i will be able to donate more next month but just want everyone who runs this place to know that you are doing a great job and it is appreciated!

:starspin

[SDogo]

HOS, dont use paypal so can you send me the info to send it to you. Times are tough but I would like to do a little some thing to show my support for all the years I have been chewing up the bandwidth. lol

[JonJon]

How much do you have to donate, to get this status? Great idea, BTW.
Hey Steve, just wanted to give my appreciation for the operationsports.com gamers page. You have done a fantastic job over there. I am known as jdub2k4, the same in which I was formally known as over here.

[GimmeTheBall!]

I could really go for a system that includes hats and coffee mugs.
And for those who do not contribute, insert Zone messages that flash in their posts "Cheapskate" or "tightwad." That is America to me.

And, yes, it is time to donate.

Hey, how about a marathon one day?

[Heisenberg]

I could really go for a system that includes hats and coffee mugs.
And for those who do not contribute, insert Zone messages that flash in their posts "Cheapskate" or "tightwad." That is America to me.

And, yes, it is time to donate.

Hey, how about a marathon one day?

I'd buy a CZ hat or mug as long as it wasn't too fugly. :D

[Avaj]

I'm confused, so how much do you need to donate to get the green supporter under your name??

[Biggems]

Im not sure, but I am willing to bet that if every member donated just $20 a year, it would cover a large quantity of the costs, probably not all of them.

Now, if everyone donated $20 every 6 months, I believe it would cover the costs for running the site, as well as some surplus money to upgrade various aspects that Reality and Hostile would like to implement.

[Biggems]

Wow, I thought there was only about 1500 members.....I didn't know there are 14,000+ members on this site.

Let me change that to $10 a year for every member to donate. That is $140,000 a year. I dont know anything about running a site, but this seems like plenty, of course I am probably wrong.

[Jay]

What is the process for donating? Do I PM someone and then send it via paypal? Let me know, if someone can shoot me a PM that'd be great.

I PMed one of the mods about a year, year and a half ago, asking about how to donate. I never received an answer, though.

[Heisenberg]

What is the process for donating? Do I PM someone and then send it via paypal? Let me know, if someone can shoot me a PM that'd be great.

I PMed one of the mods about a year, year and a half ago, asking about how to donate. I never received an answer, though.

Top right of the page under the "Log Out" button, there's a make a donation thing. Click that and it takes you to Paypal to do it.

[Jay]

Ha, I feel stupid now. Thanks Ozzu, much appreciated.

[Rackat]

Ha, I feel stupid now. Thanks Ozzu, much appreciated.
Heh, I never noticed it before either. I looked for it under my profile, lol. I finally made a donation tonight. :D