Well with Google ads gone, the plan of advertisements to fund the upgrade is over for now.
As you may be aware, this website is run on MyBB using a Vbulletin skin. Now this has been done to keep a recognizable and easy to use layout for all users, the familiarity factor in short. However, it's been really difficult to keep it how it is, with me spending many hours trying to edit and fix things to make look as much like a "stock" version of a VB board. Pretty much all of the problems this website has ever experienced have been due to me modding the My[/php]BB setup to look and act how it is.
Why upgrade though when the place looks pretty attractive and doesn't seem to be having any major problems going on?
Mainly because I want this place to continue to prosper and develop into the largest model specific automotive forum in the South. And to do so we need the best, and can't afford for the slip ups that naturally come hand in hand with open source scripting.
Security is another issue. Open source programming is notorious for security flaws, that's just part of the package. And I could not live with myself if something were to happen to this place and all the work and effort were to disappear.
We would also be able to add a host of plugins and make this place even more feature rich. All of which are simple and work well, compared to the minimally-supported selection I get from MyBB users. The place will be faster and all of the annoying little bugs you see around the place will finally be gone.
MyBB has done us well. It was the right choice at the time, especially considering this is a completely out-of-pocket operation for me. But I think it's time we move on from a modified DIY forum to an actual professional standard board. It's like going from a Geo Metro dressed up as a Miata to an actual Miata.
So with that I ask you to help me out and donate whatever you can so we can purchase a permanent Vbulletin license and really crack on with this place. As you can see for yourself it costs $180 for the permanent license:
https://www.vbulletin.com/order/
I'm gonna cough up some cash for it, but for anyone who wants to donate they can send me whatever they feel to my paypal account. This can either be done directly to
jackdmaddox at comcast.net
or via the paypal donations link, although I would like for someone to send a test donation ($1 or something) to make sure it comes through properly before it gets the full go ahead.
Thanks for your time, thanks your participation, and thanks for the community.
Jack Maddox
-mx5atl owner/admin
As you may be aware, this website is run on MyBB using a Vbulletin skin. Now this has been done to keep a recognizable and easy to use layout for all users, the familiarity factor in short. However, it's been really difficult to keep it how it is, with me spending many hours trying to edit and fix things to make look as much like a "stock" version of a VB board. Pretty much all of the problems this website has ever experienced have been due to me modding the My[/php]BB setup to look and act how it is.
Why upgrade though when the place looks pretty attractive and doesn't seem to be having any major problems going on?
Mainly because I want this place to continue to prosper and develop into the largest model specific automotive forum in the South. And to do so we need the best, and can't afford for the slip ups that naturally come hand in hand with open source scripting.
Security is another issue. Open source programming is notorious for security flaws, that's just part of the package. And I could not live with myself if something were to happen to this place and all the work and effort were to disappear.
We would also be able to add a host of plugins and make this place even more feature rich. All of which are simple and work well, compared to the minimally-supported selection I get from MyBB users. The place will be faster and all of the annoying little bugs you see around the place will finally be gone.
MyBB has done us well. It was the right choice at the time, especially considering this is a completely out-of-pocket operation for me. But I think it's time we move on from a modified DIY forum to an actual professional standard board. It's like going from a Geo Metro dressed up as a Miata to an actual Miata.
So with that I ask you to help me out and donate whatever you can so we can purchase a permanent Vbulletin license and really crack on with this place. As you can see for yourself it costs $180 for the permanent license:
https://www.vbulletin.com/order/
I'm gonna cough up some cash for it, but for anyone who wants to donate they can send me whatever they feel to my paypal account. This can either be done directly to
jackdmaddox at comcast.net
or via the paypal donations link, although I would like for someone to send a test donation ($1 or something) to make sure it comes through properly before it gets the full go ahead.
Thanks for your time, thanks your participation, and thanks for the community.
Jack Maddox
-mx5atl owner/admin
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