Canoetripping.net Fund Raiser

[Guest]

Robin, without getting maudlin I want to again thank you for keeping a steady hand on the Canoe Tripping tiller.

I figure there was probably a steep learning curve in taking responsibility for CT (4 years now?) and you stepped up and stuck to it. I also expect that those years have required more moderator decisions than we could imagine, or would ourselves have wanted to make.

Canoe Tripping, because of the lighthearted community here, remains my favorite paddling site. We represent a deep and broad spectrum of tripper folk, with vast differences in style, location, boat selection and the ilk, united by a peculiar commonality.

Differences in politics are best left at the put in, and I imagine our real-world conversations around the campfire would graciously avoid stepping on anyone’s toes. And I have yet to see discussion of canoe tripping on a political board (or a High School Sports board, the most venomous of all possibilities)

I am happy to support CT, even at mere pennies per day, less than I have yet to contribute to NPR.

And I may be in the minority, but limited advertising, especially if restricted to quality tripping products (CCS, Bugshirt, Ed’s Canoe Parts, Pole & Paddle, Sweet Composites, etc), would not bother me. If those were a single ad at a time and limited to select(ed) small or family owned businesses I actually be pleased to see more tripper eyes on the mom and pop operations that provide the best gear.

Don’t get me wrong, I love not having ads pop up, especially the oddball stuff on other sites with some vague or non-existent relation to paddling, but a discrete sidebox advertising the (small/family) business of the month would not bother me a whit, especially if that served to perpetuate the site.

 

[ThreeScoutDad]

Donation sent via Paypal.

As others have expressed, thanks for all you do to keep the site up and running.

Bryan

 

[Canotrouge]

And I may be in the minority, but limited advertising, especially if restricted to quality tripping products (CCS, Bugshirt, Ed’s Canoe Parts, Pole & Paddle, Sweet Composites, etc), would not bother me. If those were a single ad at a time and limited to select(ed) small or family owned businesses I actually be pleased to see more tripper eyes on the mom and pop operations that provide the best gear.

Don’t get me wrong, I love not having ads pop up, especially the oddball stuff on other sites with some vague or non-existent relation to paddling, but a discrete sidebox advertising the (small/family) business of the month would not bother me a whit, especially if that served to perpetuate the site.

I agree, if it would help to have the site going w/o hick ups, I think like Mike wrote, a rotation of ads from small privately own companies that supply to the canoe tripping world would be ok with too!!

But I'm happy to donate a small amount every now and again to help out!

 

[Guest]

As usual, Mike is spot on and well said. My check is in the mail. Keep up the good work.

 

[Odyssey]

If it ain't broke...but I like the idea of small commercial ads to support this site.

 

[yellowcanoe]

the problem of small retailer ads is that they have no extra money to pay for advertising. The kind of people we tend to buy from work by word of mouth.. Dan Cooke might be an exception. Jane Barron of Alder Stream Canvas has no budget for froo froo and frankly I think she is quite happy attending some fairs and canoe meets and her stuff sells itself. Meanwhile she goes for the fancy digs.. She emerges at five am from the back of the pickup for coffee..
That gathering with her and Lisa De Hart and Gil Gilpatrick at five am in front of the fireplace at Winona Camps at Maine Canoe Symposium is one of the quiet great times.. All lined up in low chairs .coffee in hand.. looking at the fire.. sometimes speaking..sometimes just being.

I digress.

We just have to remember that those we would welcome ads from might not be able to afford us. I know Robin is not pro commercial..but some ( maybe most!)of those small retailers are also paddlers and it would be wonderful to have them on this site as participants.. Contrary to what popular belief might be ( I could be wrong) the ones I know are terrible sales people and unskilled at hawking wares. The goods speak better!

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I voiced a willingness to have some ads here a few months ago, but I've changed my mind.

My opinion has been affected by the recent total revision of the Pnet site. In my opinion, it has become a superstructure aimed primarily to drive traffic to advertisers. There are links and pointers all over the place to advertisers. The site owners did away with the off-topic forum, at least in part, because advertisers didn't like it. Meanwhile, the thing that will make or break the success of any site--the message boards--seem almost like an afterthought. The functionality is poor, it's complicated, and not user friendly. I don't mean to bash Pnet; I've posted there for years and may continue to do so. However, the forums here are functionally much richer and user friendly--and more aesthetic.

I now say that one ad will begin a slippery slope, like one cigarette or one drink. I like the uncommercialized feel here; it's like fresh mountain air and crystal clear water.

As long as Robin can get enough operating money through small donations, I say stick with that model. It will bring in more members, which means more wallets for contributions.

 

[sweeper]

If it's not broke, let's not try to fix it.

I don't care for (now) Pcom it's too big and far too many WW kayak posts to filter thru. We have a small community of like mind paddlers and is my go to site for canoeing.

 

[red langford]

Payment/donation sent. Thanks for all your hard work and putting up with us.

 

[Robin]

I like Mikes idea of supporting small site related retailers but I doubt there would be enough revenue returned vs. the cost of the IT guy setting it up and maintaining it.
I agree with Glenn on the slippery slope theory and I'm proud we are one of the few paddling sites without ads. I'm not thrilled with soliciting donations from the members but it's working out and the next fund raiser should not happen before a year from March.
The large increase in hosting fees created a drain on funds available this year, but with the nice response to the fund raiser we are set till March 2018.

 

[yellowcanoe]

thumbs up..

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

I voiced a willingness to have some ads here a few months ago, but I've changed my mind.

My opinion has been affected by the recent total revision of the Pnet site. In my opinion, it has become a superstructure aimed primarily to drive traffic to advertisers. There are links and pointers all over the place to advertisers. The site owners did away with the off-topic forum, at least in part, because advertisers didn't like it. Meanwhile, the thing that will make or break the success of any site--the message boards--seem almost like an afterthought. The functionality is poor, it's complicated, and not user friendly. I don't mean to bash Pnet; I've posted there for years and may continue to do so. However, the forums here are functionally much richer and user friendly--and more aesthetic.

I now say that one ad will begin a slippery slope, like one cigarette or one drink. I like the uncommercialized feel here; it's like fresh mountain air and crystal clear water.

As long as Robin can get enough operating money through small donations, I say stick with that model. It will bring in more members, which means more wallets for contributions.

Robin,

I'm with Glenn 99.444% (sorry Glenn, nobody is 100%). When I stumbled on this site, I spent less and less time on Pnet. Since the change to Pcom and the frustration I'm having with the new format, I may never go back. Looks like you're stuck with me.

Jon

 

[Odyssey]

Paypal was faster and hassle freer than stepping out into a cold and blustery November morning to go to the post office...which is closed today anyway.
I'm really happy that there are folks here who feel enough like kith and kin to support this forum. A big thanks to all you contributors who post trips, advice and thoughts. And the odd rant here and there too. And especially for your $ support.
Thank you Robin.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I'm really happy that there are folks here who feel enough like kith and kin to support this forum.

This reminds me of another reason to continue with member financing: Member donations are a community effort that reflect and remind us of the heroic community effort, born of tragedy, that created this second version of CanoeTripping.net.

I'll recite briefly that tragic history for new members who may be unaware of it. The first version of this site was solely created, owned and financially maintained by Willis Brown -- a member, like many of us, of another beloved site, solotripping.com, which gradually went defunct. This site was moderately successful for its first couple of years, populated mainly by refugees from solotripping.com.

On December 7, 2012, at 6:34 a.m., Willis posted a thread entitled "I am Sorry Good by". The content of the post was simply a link to his local town newspaper, the Daily Star, where he knew a shocking article would be appearing soon. Within minutes, Willis shot his wife to death and then committed suicide. The police were called at 6:45.

Members of this community responded to that thread with shock, grief, and questions about whether and how the site could be kept alive. Members posted ideas and communicated privately. We exchanged email addresses in order to contact each other in case the site went dark. Members collected information about how to operated a website. There were legal questions about how to transfer ownership of the site from Willis's estate. Contacts were made with his family. I communicated with the police and the Daily Star reporters. Many members offered to contribute money to keep the site alive. Finally, Robin stepped forward to take over the site administration, figured out how to transfer the ownership, and began a slow process of learning how to maintain, update and otherwise administer a website. (Now he's the expert.)

All during this time of tragedy, chaos and site rebirth, CanoeTripping.net has been a community effort. This reborn site, the second version, has always been supported by member donations.

Maybe it sounds sappy, but retaining the practice of community financial support serves as a continuing reminder to me of the very special circumstances, and the very special community, out of which we were created here.

 

[yellowcanoe]

That was a sad day that Dec 7.. I remember contacting someone... think it was his son.. I hope that WIllis can see how successful this site has become.

 

[Jim Dodd]

This reminds me of another reason to continue with member financing: Member donations are a community effort that reflect and remind us of the heroic community effort, born of tragedy, that created this second version of CanoeTripping.net.

I'll recite briefly that tragic history for new members who may be unaware of it. The first version of this site was solely created, owned and financially maintained by Willis Brown -- a member, like many of us, of another beloved site, solotripping.com, which gradually went defunct. This site was moderately successful for its first couple of years, populated mainly by refugees from solotripping.com.

On December 7, 2012, at 6:34 a.m., Willis posted a thread entitled "I am Sorry Good by". The content of the post was simply a link to his local town newspaper, the Daily Star, where he knew a shocking article would be appearing soon. Within minutes, Willis shot his wife to death and then committed suicide. The police were called at 6:45.

Members of this community responded to that thread with shock, grief, and questions about whether and how the site could be kept alive. Members posted ideas and communicated privately. We exchanged email addresses in order to contact each other in case the site went dark. Members collected information about how to operated a website. There were legal questions about how to transfer ownership of the site from Willis's estate. Contacts were made with his family. I communicated with the police and the Daily Star reporters. Many members offered to contribute money to keep the site alive. Finally, Robin stepped forward to take over the site administration, figured out how to transfer the ownership, and began a slow process of learning how to maintain, update and otherwise administer a website. (Now he's the expert.)

All during this time of tragedy, chaos and site rebirth, CanoeTripping.net has been a community effort. This reborn site, the second version, has always been supported by member donations.

Maybe it sounds sappy, but retaining the practice of community financial support serves as a continuing reminder to me of the very special circumstances, and the very special community, out of which we were created here.

Doesn't sound Sappy to me ! Infact, I'm glad you shared it with us !
I didn't know. Makes me appreciate Robin even more !
Thanks !!

Jim

 

[boatstall]

I was also unaware of this backstory.
Kudos to Robin for becoming the backbone of what does seem to be an extremely dedicated community.
Thanks also to those whose presence, and supporting efforts, gave Robin the motivation to take on the role that we all benefit from.
Proud to be allowed to share and reap the benefits that all the background work provides for us. Thanks again Robin.

Thanks Glenn for sharing.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Here is the Daily Star article reporting the death of Willis Brown and his wife and mentioning this site:

http://www.thedailystar.com/news/lo...cle_f0c2ec3f-7da8-5fa8-a2b3-d3597e6e76d3.html

 

[Guest]

I voiced a willingness to have some ads here a few months ago, but I've changed my mind.

I am kind of rethinking that as well. I would willingly tolerate small/family business ads in large part to help support those niche companies that produce some of the best gear.

But the real world expertise and opinions on this site do a better job of recommending those types of companies and products than any manufacturer’s ad.

Between the “Small Scale Site Related Retailers” section, and reviews in other places and threads, the best gear from well run small business gets repeated mention from folks who actually know and use gear. Those are better and more reliable warts-and-all testimonials than any ad, and are probably more effective at directing commerce.

The one area where even a small/select advertising revenue stream might be advantageous is in some future transition of site ownership. When Robin gets tired of managing this site who is stepping to the plate?

Not I, said the little red hen.

In looking for the text of that familiar childhood tale I found that there is now a modernized version.

http://www.bgolden.com/oso/little-red-hen.htm

 

[Odyssey]

But the real world expertise and opinions on this site do a better job of recommending those types of companies and products than any manufacturer’s ad.

A very good point.