I was waiting for someone to bitch about this. Here is the deal guys. This website is not free to operate, but I don't charge anyone directly to access it. My server costs alone are nearly $40,000 a year, security services are another $10K a year, not to mention hundreds of other expenses I incur each year to run this business. And guess what, I actually like to feed my family too, just as I am sure you do as well.
I make my money in one of three ways: Advertising, consulting work I provide to companies like Autodesk, HP, NVIDIA, Epic Games etc and our online store. No one thing is enough to pay all the bills, so I rely on all of them. I think it's a pretty damn small ask for you to see a few relevant industry ads while you visit the site so I can continue to offer a useful resource for the community for FREE. The ads are actually useful to many.
I recognize why adblockers exist, but thankfully we don't use the obnoxious popups that started the adblocker industry and all of our ads have always been, and always will be, relevant. I regularly turn down offers to host lucrative non industry ads, because I know you would not want to see them. I also recognize that once you turn on an adblocker to block more dubious sites, it's easy to forget you're also blocking the sites you like and wish to support. Admiral provides us a way to remind people of that and whitelist us. Thankfully most people have been doing this.
While I appreciate your point of view that user contributions to the forum, our gallery etc. provide value, and they do, how exactly do you propose I provide you this platform for free? Magic pixie dust? Jon, as someone who has been on this site since nearly the beginning, I have to say I'm a bit taken aback by your stance. Naive, entitled and idealistic to say the least.
Do you not see the irony in your statement: "This entire industry is built on experienced practitioners paying the help they got along the way forward. " So I guess I'm not included in that list, even though I'm paying to operate the platform?
I thought a lot about this situation before I implemented Admiral on the site, and I came to a final conclusion. If users are not contributing to this site in a way that allows me to pay the bills, there is zero reason for me to pay to have you on the site. While I would love to win the lottery and do everything for free, that is not realistic.
I have literally given blood, sweat and tears to this community over the last 17 years and have always done everything with the community in mind. Ask anyone that knows me well and they will tell you the same. I eat, breathe, sleep arch viz. I sadly had to take a 4 month sabbatical last year because I burned it at both ends for 22 years and burned myself out completely. As a result, I'm starting to put a lot more value on my time. I think my ask in return is a pittance to the value I have tried to provide all these years. While I do appreciate you have posted 92 posts to this community in 14 years, that unfortunately does not pay my bills.
You are free to cease visiting the site, that is your prerogative, but it's also my prerogative to only support those that support me. off>
To all of you who whitelisted us and those who support us through our store and click our ads, and contribute to the community thank you. You guys rock! I have some big plans for CGA this year, if all the stars align, but the development costs alone will be $50K+ Can't do that if we aren't making money and I have no desire to offer that service to those that don't value what I am trying to do.