[s]starcraft[/s]
My own small site, » StarFire, doesn't require much money to maintain. Larger sites however, like GosuGamers and PGTour, have to contend with thousands of visitors using up precious bandwidth as they download files, read news, and post in forums. Sites running server-intense activities such as hosting a private ladder on top of all this face annual operating costs in the thousands.
Some sites are able to stay ad-free, and they are usually the medium-sized ones. Smaller clan sites usually use ad-supported free hosting, while larger sites must pay high hosting costs. Medium-sized sites such as » BWProgrammers.com are able to do without ads because their owners can afford the affordable pricing. The unfortunate problem for large and small sites as a result is that they must depend either on free hosting which is often limiting and unflexible, or ads, which can generate different amounts of revenue depending on how many ads the users click.
What this is leading into is how so many sites are forced to depend on third parties for survival. Many sites have died over the past years as a result of not having the resources to continue. However, much of their content is still available online at the » Internet Archive.
Our community doesn't have many, if any, subscription sites, so we are all forced to depend on ads. Advertising powers the sites, advertising and sponsorship. You can't be a major site without some kind of financial support, and yet all the major sites are run by volunteers. Now, I ask you - would you pay or donate to help keep sites alive? Would you donate even $5 towards hosting? Do you even click ads and support the sites you visit, or do you just ignore them. These sites will not be here forever - there is no guarantee that ads will provide you with a solid source of income, or that you will be sponsored forever.
When isga.org was still around, many sites were able to ignore their hosting costs because of a generous donation. Now, you are the isgsa.org, the individuals who keep this community afloat. Bandwidth can cost between 25 cents and $2-3 depending on the provider, although in general it is much cheaper for large sites on a dedicater server. If you assume that once images are cached, a page is around 10 kb in size, it means that every 100 pages you view is costing the site money. The bandwidth usage can be higher or lower depending on the site, and how many images they use, as well as page size. 100 pages may seem like a lot, but when you add it up over a month or a year, you may be costing a site a few dollars a year, if not more. This adds up with each user. If you were to click on ads that interested you instead of ignoring them, or to donate a small amount each year, you could make up the difference.
Now, I ask you - do you feel that it's worth the cost to you? Keep in mind that in a capitalist system, nothing is free - someone is always paying the cost.
Please note that this article is my own opinion and in no way reflects GosuGamers' financial situation. As for my intent, it is not to make people feel guilty, but to encourage more support.
All of the StarCraft sites share something in common - we have a drive to survive. When great sites like isgsa.org perish, in part due to a lack of funding, we all lose. The community as it stands now is mostly a small collective of ad-supported and sponsored sites who depend on users to click enough ads to keep them alive. Hosting costs money.
My own small site, » StarFire, doesn't require much money to maintain. Larger sites however, like GosuGamers and PGTour, have to contend with thousands of visitors using up precious bandwidth as they download files, read news, and post in forums. Sites running server-intense activities such as hosting a private ladder on top of all this face annual operating costs in the thousands.
Some sites are able to stay ad-free, and they are usually the medium-sized ones. Smaller clan sites usually use ad-supported free hosting, while larger sites must pay high hosting costs. Medium-sized sites such as » BWProgrammers.com are able to do without ads because their owners can afford the affordable pricing. The unfortunate problem for large and small sites as a result is that they must depend either on free hosting which is often limiting and unflexible, or ads, which can generate different amounts of revenue depending on how many ads the users click.
What this is leading into is how so many sites are forced to depend on third parties for survival. Many sites have died over the past years as a result of not having the resources to continue. However, much of their content is still available online at the » Internet Archive.
Our community doesn't have many, if any, subscription sites, so we are all forced to depend on ads. Advertising powers the sites, advertising and sponsorship. You can't be a major site without some kind of financial support, and yet all the major sites are run by volunteers. Now, I ask you - would you pay or donate to help keep sites alive? Would you donate even $5 towards hosting? Do you even click ads and support the sites you visit, or do you just ignore them. These sites will not be here forever - there is no guarantee that ads will provide you with a solid source of income, or that you will be sponsored forever.
When isga.org was still around, many sites were able to ignore their hosting costs because of a generous donation. Now, you are the isgsa.org, the individuals who keep this community afloat. Bandwidth can cost between 25 cents and $2-3 depending on the provider, although in general it is much cheaper for large sites on a dedicater server. If you assume that once images are cached, a page is around 10 kb in size, it means that every 100 pages you view is costing the site money. The bandwidth usage can be higher or lower depending on the site, and how many images they use, as well as page size. 100 pages may seem like a lot, but when you add it up over a month or a year, you may be costing a site a few dollars a year, if not more. This adds up with each user. If you were to click on ads that interested you instead of ignoring them, or to donate a small amount each year, you could make up the difference.
Now, I ask you - do you feel that it's worth the cost to you? Keep in mind that in a capitalist system, nothing is free - someone is always paying the cost.
Please note that this article is my own opinion and in no way reflects GosuGamers' financial situation. As for my intent, it is not to make people feel guilty, but to encourage more support.
