However! (and there's always a "however") it appears to me that a very small number of people are buying a lot of coffee. Too much coffee, maybe. You know who you are. I appreciate it -- genuinely! -- but I'd prefer a scenario where more people contribute a smaller amount of mon… err, coffee, rather than a few people making the lion's share of the contributions. In other words, I would like to get closer to the concept of many hands make light work.
With that in mind, I have made a few changes to the Buy Me A Coffee system.
Cheaper Coffee
Effective immediately, the cost of a single unit of coffee will be US$3, instead of US$5. It's totally okay to buy a single coffee. Or two. Or five. Or whatever you want. The starting point is now just a bit more reasonable.
Memberships
I have turned on memberships through Buy Me A Coffee, which are a lot like patronage via Patreon. This is effectively a monthly contribution to the site, and I have set the tiers according to my ideal of many hands make light work -- at US$1, US$2, or US$3 per month. If you'd like to save on an annual membership, you can do that too -- for US$10, US$20, or US$30 per year.
What's In It For You?
But before you get too excited, I want to stress: there isn't going to be a members-only subforum or any exclusive content. If you decide to subscribe, please do so because you want to support the site. And if you don't want to, or think we don't deserve it, or can't fit it into your budget, that's perfectly okay! Modern Vespa has always been -- and will continue to be -- a free site and an exercise in community service.
I will acknowledge, however, that the desire to have stars upon thars never fully goes away, so I will grant a small reward -- a profile award -- to anyone who signs up for a subscription. The award will remain on your profile for as long as you remain a subscriber.
There are three awards that correspond to the three tiers. I have attached the full-size artwork for these (admittedly tiny) awards for your consideration.
I will acknowledge, however, that the desire to have stars upon thars never fully goes away, so I will grant a small reward -- a profile award -- to anyone who signs up for a subscription. The award will remain on your profile for as long as you remain a subscriber.
There are three awards that correspond to the three tiers. I have attached the full-size artwork for these (admittedly tiny) awards for your consideration.
What's In It For Modern Vespa?
One of the main challenges I've had over the years is keeping the cost of running the site as low as possible. I've spent a lot of time optimizing what can only be described as really bad software in order to remove the gross inefficiencies that the site started with. This has worked, up to a point, allowing us to run the site on rather modest hardware with rather modest monthly fees. And Amazon AWS has been good at pushing costs down and performance up, so we've benefited greatly from the relentless march of technological advancement.
It's often been the case, though, that I need more powah, or an AWS service that could provide some benefit at an additional cost. I've generally been reluctant to commit to those additional costs and new services, simply because there's no assurance that the referral fees we earn from Amazon links will cover the hosting costs in any given month. It's all highly variable.
A subscription model, with recurring contributions, stabilizes the income stream and lets me plan service expansions with less guesswork about how to pay for it.
It's often been the case, though, that I need more powah, or an AWS service that could provide some benefit at an additional cost. I've generally been reluctant to commit to those additional costs and new services, simply because there's no assurance that the referral fees we earn from Amazon links will cover the hosting costs in any given month. It's all highly variable.
A subscription model, with recurring contributions, stabilizes the income stream and lets me plan service expansions with less guesswork about how to pay for it.
No Pressure
Again, this is completely optional, and nobody should feel any obligation or pressure to support MV. Do it if you want to. Don't if you don't.
How do I sign up?
Here's the link, if you're interested: Buy Me A Coffee
More Recognition
All of our supporters are listed on the official Supporters Page.
Supporter (US$1 / month or US$10 / year)
Enthusiast (US$2 / month or US$20 / year)
Superstar (US$3 / month or US$30 / year)
⚠️ Last edited by jess on UTC; edited 7 times
I'm in.
