Site info updates: Sponsors, prize shipping, donations, upgrades, etc

drp

aa
Oct 25, 2007
2,273
2,628
A few months back, we had an issue with our ad network where it would spew 'bad' ads. And by bad i mean sometimes malicious. While other sites will put up with that crap, TF2M wont. So we totally ditched network ads, and went with a safer method. Now all ads on TF2M are supervised and reviewed before they are served.

Due to this, about 1/3 of our site income was slashed, making it just a bit tougher to try and break even. This past month, we were featured on the Valve blog for our sweet plr/ctf contest. This brought in people by the thousands. Ofcourse, most of these tf2'ers downloaded our 250mb map pack. This is the result.

XXjdF.png


Close to 2000GB of transfer last month. I literally had to ask a tech at the DC to move us to a higher capacity machine. Which was done in a matter of minutes.

Now, we do have a new sponsors page, showing people/establishments that have supported us in some way or another. They can be found here: Sponsors!

If you're looking for a product or service they offer, give them a try.

Also, a few have asked on how they can donate apart from getting a vip subscription on the site, and some have even suggested a price increase. Of course, I said no to the price increase, but I have setup a page where, if you'd like to be even more generous, can send a little extra to help fund the site.
That can be found here: Donate!

Oh, and before I forget, those of you who were lucky enough to jump in and claim the really cool tf2 keychains, those have NOT shipped yet. I, in my infinite (not really) wisdom, failed to remember that I actually need stamps to send envelopes. Sorry about that! They should be going out soon. Same goes for our contest winners.

Again, I want to thank everyone who has an active donation status. It means a lot to me and rest of the staff.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

-TF2Maps.net
 

Locutus

L2: Junior Member
Nov 3, 2009
85
13
Wow, 2 terabytes of data sent over the internets.

That's ridiculous. :O
 

drp

aa
Oct 25, 2007
2,273
2,628
Just curious, how much of a shortfall do we really have?
wouldn't really call it a shortfall as I do cover whatever costs are not met. even if members would not donate anything, I'd still cover the entire bills so its not worries, but the help from all of you guys is great.
 

Okrag

Wall Staples
aa
Jun 10, 2009
1,029
655
Good thing I was planning on donating anyway. I just have to cancel my Xbox Live account.
 

Delusibeta

L3: Member
Mar 21, 2009
100
14
I recommend putting links to these new pages somewhere on the front page.
 

Firest0rm

L4: Comfortable Member
Sep 27, 2009
171
33
Just keep making more of those "ZOMG!!!!!" threads in the vip section, that'll be a good fund raiser. TPG posted one right when my donator ran out and it drove me crazy.

those don't work too well when non-donaters (or at least me) can see the 1st sentence or so through the front page (usually proclaiming that it's a fake) :rolleyes:
 

Armadillo of Doom

Group Founder, Lover of Pie
aa
Oct 25, 2007
949
1,228
Yeah, DP loves us more than we shall ever know:) On a related note, I've been pondering an idea. Our active member count averages 1,000 these days. If everybody contributed $1, we'd be set for a year. And if everybody bought a 12-month subscription at $1/month, we'd be set for several years, lol. Even accounting for those who don't use the community enough to contribute, or honestly can't chip in for whatever reason, that still leaves a huge number of people with disposable income of $1 or more.

We did once before, kinda last minute notice. But what would happen if we hyped this deal and made it a huge event? Assuming that everybody who has ever heard of TF2M knows about it well in advance; I think that a couple hundred $1 deposits is a very conservative estimate. Perhaps 50 or so pony up $12 for the year. You (community) could add to this by offering ideas for new vip stuff ;) Every single penny is (and always has been) reinvested into the community in the form of prizes, events, and expenses of course.

The real hurdle here is that the plan requires a community gathering of unparalleled magnitude. I think we'd have to add some big additions to the vip benefits in order to garner enough people for this to be practical. But even a 1 month buy would bring an extra $1000, and we do could do some very fun stuff w/ that :D What do you all think? (yay for Communism?)

Edit: Anyone who makes a Highlander Gathering reference gets the ban stick :p
 
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gamemaster1996

L13: Stunning Member
Sep 30, 2009
1,064
134
I'll donate as soon as a i make a paypal.
 

Flame

aa
Jul 19, 2009
368
865
Host a custom maps tournament at some point

get your comp maps tested, get teams to pay a small league fee, and give em monetary prizes depending on how much money the entrance fee is.

youll make a profit, get more feedback, and help out the competitive community.

id be willing to help. it couldnt be soon but maybe around summertime