Thank you all, especially those who've responded to the call for support. Still, the response has been lukewarm, hence this follow up in the hope that more will see this note and contribute something, no matter how small. Every little bit helps, and little bits from more members especially so.

Cheers,
...Alex

Trying to collect information from other sites has made me appreciate Alex's steadiness over the years.

Other forums have gone defunct, or crashed and moved repeatedly, losing all their data each time. Nobody knows who's in charge of the technical stuff - or they do know, but whoever it is doesn't respond. Forums that use free hosting services are continually crashing, or out of service for days at a time without warning while software is updated; and when they're up, they're always bombarding you with advertisements.

We don't take much notice of Alex around here because he's quietly competent. The Sphere has suffered one or two crashes (that's inevitable), but as far as I know, no data has ever been permanently lost. When we want to revisit a Bake-off sonnet from 2004, all it takes is a simple search, and voila - http://www.ablemuse.com/erato/showthread.php?t=5608 - there it is.

Another thing is, people who aren't technical often don't appreciate what goes into creating and maintaining a site like this. They tend to dismiss it as "that voodoo that you do". Well, it's not voodoo. It takes time, effort and brains. With his skills, Alex can probably command a pretty good hourly rate even in this economy, yet he spends time on this site for free. That alone is a generous gift, independent of what he spends out of pocket.

When stuff needs to get done, most people are fond of saying they want to help. What that usually turns out to mean is "I'm willing to complain, dispense patronizing advice, contribute vague and/or redundant information, and generally pretend to be concerned, but I'm not willing to exert myself in the slightest, physically, mentally, or financially." Alex deserves better than that.

Check made out, in envelope, addressed, ready for tomorrow's mail.

Thanks for everything, Alex.

What Rose said. I hope that those who haven't seen the notice before, or set the reminder aside as we all frequently do, will send what they can afford. Thanks all for the help - it helps us all.

Check sent early this week -- hope it's arrived!

I'm still trying. It valued Australian dollars at almost half their real value. Still struggling but help is on the way.
Janet

It gets worse and worse. I get so far, invent pass-everythings and phrases and think I'm home and dry and then I get this:
1.0.21010This session is invalid. Please try again.This session is invalid. Please try again.
That was the third attempt.

I have sent money to the Sphere before and it was always hard but now it's in the realm of madness. The problems are with my bank I think. Working on it.

We have about 231 active members today. Each giving only $25 or equivalent yields $5775 USDollars.

Is $25 so much to find? (More or less 15 GBP.) The price of a decent meal or a meal with a friend?

Most of us can double or triple that, or more.

Consider what you get : critiques, giggles, annoyance, success, news, all in one slot.

Google check-out is a simple process for us non-Americans. I did it this morning in less than a minute. Janet - a $25 American dollar donation costs $28 Australian dollars at the moment. If it's telling you otherwise, there's something terribly wrong. Don't press any buttons! I don't know which option you're using? Can I help at all? While I was at it, I set my Google calendar to alert me every quarter to make a donation. Perhaps you can post this sticky every quarter, too, Alex, to prompt our forgetful or tardy minds.

Imagine if Eratosphere simply ceased to exist.

Cally

Thanks Cally. Done!

(My problem was that I'd said: "Google? Be serious!" And then found that serious was a disaster.)

Cally, smart lady, a regular flow of revenue is key to any enterprise. Good solution.

Also, what Rose said.