Every month Erin has to BEG on bended knee, for money to help keep Top Shelf functioning and with the exception of a few who regularly go far past what might be expected, the contributions trickle in with no real solution that could eliminate the problem.
Well, here's my solution. It seems painfully obvious to me, but I understand if it doesn't to everyone else.
There are in excess of TEN THOUSAND members on this site. If each of them would just contribute ONE DOLLAR, each month, it would eliminate any need for Erin to have to BEG for any monetary help.
Naturally, some of us can afford to do more than a dollar and that would just be great if everyone could do that, but a lot of us are just living from hand to mouth and even 5 bucks is a lot for someone who is struggling with just paying the bills.
There are several who go way beyond the call and kick in quite a bit more than a dollar. They are so appreciated that I cannot say thanks enough to them.
For the rest of us, a buck or two a month is all we can do, BUT... I feel almost like I'm freeloading on those who do give large sums each month... So...
Erin is deeply in personal debt because she has given all she has, financially and emotionally to keep Top Shelf online. Piper could make much more in the private sector for doing what she does, but she does it out of love for Erin and for the site itself.
Erin keeps this wonderful resource going because she loves us and what it means to so many. She gives us a safe place to be ourselves, hone our skills as writers and connect with others like us.
Folks, it is up to us... every damn one of us to keep this thing going. If we don't... well, the internet would be a much darker place for us. We have a place where we can write, read, communicate with others and relax, knowing that we are among friends and even fans.
Go to Patreon and send just one dollar a month. If enough of us do that, the amount that would generate would not only keep the site online but would also help Erin get out of HUGE debt... we're talking tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
I've said this before, but you can't get a decent cup of coffee, a soft drink, or even a bottle of water for one dollar! Even some candy bars cost more than a buck!
I'm a Patreon member at ten bucks a month. I also have given ALL the income from my stories that have been or will be published to Erin for the site. I'm not asking any of you do more than that or even close to that. All I'm asking is one lonely dollar from all the members here at Top Shelf.
It's time to stop procrastinating and time to step up. Without you, Top Shelf could easily go the way of the Dodo.
Once again, Thank you VERY much to everyone who is already regularly contributing in one way or another. To everyone else, what's standing in your way? What can be done to make it easier to help? What can I or anyone else do or say to motivate you?
Off my soapbox and waiting.
Catherine Linda Michel
Comments
Patreon since last month
Patreon since last month given a bit more last week.
Even did some small purchase on Amazon.
On tiny bit here and there it all add up to help this wonderful place.
Hugs tmf
Thank you tmf
Believe me, every bit helps and is appreciated.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Make it clear advertising does NOT provide all funding
There are jaded internet locusts who assume sites are supported amply by advertising.
Ironically, not having advertising might garner more income as it makes the onus upon the visitor that, yes, their support is essential.
Please give... I'm retired living on Social Security but give
Big Closet is such a big part of my life I'm giving $50 a month via Patreon since January. My finances are tight, but it comes down to what's important. I fall in the trans spectrum but will never go down that path since I'm too old, would look ugly, and am too set in my ways. BC is my trans relief valve. Paying each month is tough, but since it comes out of my account automatically on the 1st of each month I don't really miss it. To me it's no different than going to a movie. Just do it!
Boys will be girls... if they're lucky!
Jennifer Sue
Thank you Jen.
From one senior to another. Social Security sucks, but it's better than no money at all, right?
Every bit helps Erin and the site.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Pony up people! I do.
I would guess that there are loads of visitors who stop by to read, but never become a member. They can give too, you don't have to be a BCTS member to give via Patreon or Paypal.
OTOH, is the 10.000 the number of current, active members? I'm thinking that it's all the user names that were assigned as people joined, and many of those have drifted away or are no longer with us.
That being said, you're right, that the site would be fully funded if all the folks who stop by to read on a more or less regular basis would give a monthly gift of $1, $5, or whatever they could afford.
Pony up people! I do.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
and it's much appreciated Kris.
In truth, if just half of the active members would do the $1.00 thing, it would ease things a lot.
Thank you for shouldering your part. If only more did.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Advertising Income
I ran a website for nearly a decade. My site's traffic was larger than BC's, yet I couldn't monetize that traffic beyond $500 a month. I finally hung it up because it just wasn't worth it.
If you're suffering under the misconception that BC is rolling in ad money, think again. Catherine is right. The site needs more patrons.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Thanks for chiming in, Angela
and thank you so much for all YOU do to help the site. Believe me, it's appreciated more than you know.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Amazon link request
I've been remembering to give though PayPal monthly, but I still have difficulty remembering to go through the BCTS Amazon links so you get the commissions on my purchases. Would you please put a reminder with links to Amazon on the top of the home page so when I check for new stories it will remind me to shop through your links? Thanks.
The price of a coffee at Mickey D's
I'm one of those who routinely toss in $50 or $100 a month, and signed up for $50 a month through Patreon. I've heard and made this plea myself. However those out there who reject the thought of $1 a month will just go somewhere else to read stories, leaving us writers poor places to post our stories. Oh by the way, if this site goes, do you think Fictionmania will still be around?
Karen
Karen
remember, I'm only talking about registered members of the site. Guests and occasional readers are a horse of a different color. I don't think charging to read stories here will help at all.
I don't really think Top Shelf will fail. Not if _I_ have anything to say about it anyway. I'll harangue, I'll beg, I'll plead, whatever it takes,I'll do.
As for Fictionmania... well, they function on a lot smaller budget and have more "volunteers." They don't have a real Webmistress or anyone to help get books published, or any real "extras." They also allow just any fantasy/fetish there is under the sun in their stories. I have no problem with that or the readers who like that. It just ain't my bag.
Will it be around? Probably. It's lasted the test of time with no real signs of fading other than a couple of hiccups years ago.
IMHO, there is NO better site for us than Top Shelf though. Hopefully people will finally pick up on my $1.00 idea and keep the site going much more smoothly.
Thanks for your help.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
I agree, only those who are registered, not casual readers
Most stories on FM are too much for me also, and the system is nothing like BC/TS with comments, blogs, and PMs. This site must be devilishly complicated to maintain.
Karen
Okay...
I haven't worked in years, and I'm still in the process of trying to convince SSA that I'm disabled. I have about $75 of disposable income a month. I give $1 a month through Patreon. And I don't use the site like I used to, I don't write anymore. But BCTS is important. It has been a huge comfort for me on so many occasions. If I can give a dollar a month, I'd like to think that most users can.
~And so it goes...
Thank you Erica.
now we only need 9,999 more just like you to reach the goal.
EVERY dollar helps folks. One at a time, one after another. We can DO this if you all help.
Thanks to all who contribute.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Demographics issue?
It seems as if those who need BC the most tend to be those who are the least able to afford it.
Am I just guessing?
I am curious as to what is the demographics of those visiting the site so we can tailor the funding model.
Demographics
Unfortunately while some demographic data is collected by our advertisers, we don't use most of that info and do not intend to in order to respect our readers privacy. We do look at the large grain data to determine what sort of OS, machine and browser is being used by our visitors and where people live in terms of nations and time zones. That's about it.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
You wrote,
"It seems as if those who need BC the most tend to be those who are the least able to afford it."
If someone out there can't afford a dollar a month, they need to let someone know that they are in such a horrible situation. My heart hurts for anyone who can't afford a dollar.
Thank you for helping.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Of course
I donate a healthy amount every 2 months and a little something for weird emergencies but since I am not retired yet, that is possible for me. My above average donation helps cover those unfortunates.
There is really no excuse for anybody in any but the most desperate financial straits not being able to put in a dollar a month, my Deity, that is the typical price for an item out of a junk food machine in the US.
There are different situations
For example, I could easily afford $10/month. However, I have no realistic way to send them from my country to USA for less than $50 - and that is already a bit beyond my budget. (My country is not a high-income one.)
Others might be in a similar situation. Still others might be prevented from sending by physical handicaps, or simple forgetfulness, or not wanting the sum / receiver to show in their payments...
Erin, could we brainstorm / collect the different reasons why someone might be willing to pay some money, but be prevented from that, and devise ways to get around the obstacles?
The first that comes to my mind is to use some software that pays a little for clicking on ads, and set the receiving account as one provided by Erin. (BEWARE: some of these softwares are actually malware! If this idea is accepted, we should probably make a list of "good" pay-per-click software. However, beware also that someone might connect your IP address to the BC-related account, and sell that info to any bidder. Such are the times we live in, and USA are a long way from any GDPR or similar. A solution might be if Erin registers a company that is connected only to her, or to a convenient stooge. It is her debts we want to help with, right?)
Another idea: Many of us have skills that can be applied online, and some have the time to do it. Writing program code, or documents, or proofreading / editing texts, or processing photos, or translating stuff, or consulting... the list is endless. If Erin can somehow find such a type of work (or if one of us can, and can set the receiving account as one provided by her), some of us might be willing to do the job. (It might be paid far below what we are used to - but we are doing it for Erin, not for ourselves! However, as with the previous idea, someone might connect your IP address to a BC-related company and sell that info to any bidder. It would be great if Erin handles the relaying of the work, or sets somewhere an Internet proxy to work from. I am sure that the second will be child's play for Piper.)
Tailing to that: there are online games and environments where the player can earn something by applying some skills, and that something can be converted to real money. Some of us might be skilled enough to earn this way something for her, and willing to do it.
What do you say, Erin?
Money orders and mail
Would having a European or British mailing address help anyone? Sending a money order by mail is used by a few of our supporters to avoid having a traceable expenditure.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Or how about a prepaid debit
Or how about a prepaid debit card? Buy it with cash. Cards like Green Dot, etc are available all over the world. Or use a MoneyPak bought with cash to reload a card that BCTS has?
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Thought of that a while back
I tried it and guess what? It still asks for a ton of info that will ID you, so no it is still traceable, so I use money orders.
prepaid debit card
They aren't available everywhere. In my country they aren't, probably in other countries too.
Here it is perfectly
Here it is perfectly traceable - you can't send a money order without giving all personal data from your passport or equivalent (that is, containing all the same personal data) ID document. But if the mailing address looks innocent, this will not be a problem.
Does anyone know how much it costs to mail money from other countries to Britain or Germany (or wherever Erin can have a mailing address)?
Taking Responsibility
I get really sick of hearing about a crisis every month, and it would not be necessary if we did our part. If you have any access to the internet, you can afford $1-2 a month. No whining and no excuses. This site will either succeed or fail, and it would be sad for it to just go down because no one took responsibility.
Don't try to talk to me about this. No excuses.
Some of us are up to our
Some of us are up to our eyeballs in debt. Have to love the US medical / insurance industry. Paying 400 a week for the priveledge of paying 20% of something inflated 20x what it should cost... After you pay the deductible of course. That is if they don't just send the whole thing to collections a year later which insurance does not cover year old bills.
I threw a little bit (25) but can't do it often.
As to reducing overhead have you looked into AWS or another host? I have dealt with them, azure and racks pace but on a much larger scale. More need to know the backend, db and bandwidth requirements.
AWS
With our traffic and database requirements, it would cost 5x to 20x times what we pay now to host BC. The Breast Form Store actually promoted us a trial with a cloud host but the pricing was exorbitant and the service less than adequate. Instead, we have built our own cloud and make a small amount leasing out our excess capacity to other small operations.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I dunno. I know an issue I
I dunno. I know an issue I had before is trying not to tie my card or RL identity to this type of content. Maybe accepting bitcoins in the short term could bring some more in of those in a similar position. The only ones I saw was direct credit card and PayPal which are traceable.
Bitcoin
I can accept bitcoin personally. PM me to set it up. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
New Patron
As a hetero male, I may be in the minority but I don't care. I'm retired and living on Social Security, however I want to support good writing and I have found several excellent authors whose work I enjoy on this site. Excellent characters make for a good story no matter who they are. I just joined Patreon to help support this site. Please join in supporting if you can.
"Natives who beat drums to drive off evil spirits are objects of scorn to smart
Americans who blow horns to break up traffic jams." Mary Ellen Kelly
Thank you db-guru.
Don't worry. We won't be too tough on you for being non gender confused. Welcome to the best TG fiction on the 'net and thank you for your support.
We DO have some really superb authors who post here. You seem to have a great attitude and it's appreciated.
Catherine Linda Michel (also a Social Security "freeloader")
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
throwing money too the kitty and patreon every month
I got a monthly at $10 to the Kitty in the hatbox, and a $10 to the Patreon as well.
I am at my limit on spare cash. Wish I could do more.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Thank you MadTech01
I think most of us feel the same way. We wish we could do more, but feel helpless to attack in a meaning way the huge costs of financing the site.
What most don't see, I believe, is that one dollar from each member, every month WOULD not only solve the problem, but it would help with improvements and really boost the production and sales of real books for our authors.
Thank you very much for your commitment to the site and the wonderfully talented authors who ply their wares here.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Amazon
We have links here for Amazon, through which BCTS gets an associates fee; a percentage of the purchase. The bigger the purchase the more BCTS gets. The links take us to Transgender Fiction, in Books. But we can shop anywhere on Amazon and BCTS gets their percentage. I don't know the percentage, but whenever I need to order something online, I see if I can find it on Amazon, through the links provided. Amazon often has the best prices as well, or at least competitive prices.
It turns out that I need to replace the front hubs on my car. The two hubs cost $291.98. That will provide nearly 100 times what BCTS would get from the purchase of Pea Pod, the currently advertised book in the top right corner of the home page.
So folks, if you can't afford a regularly reoccurring donation, then at least do your online shopping at Amazon through the links on the home page. That's something anyway.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
That pesky privacy issue
Buying via a link will lessen privacy FWIW.
Guess I'm once again in the minority.
I've reached the ripe of old age of 73 and finally come to the conclusion, I don't give a rip if I'm outed. I realize that not everyone is willing to risk that for a variety of reasons. I was once there, where paranoia ruled all my trans related activities.
Now I'm convinced that I have nothing to fear, but fear itself. Now, I can't say that I've heard what the problems with PayPal or Amazon are so I can't comment on that, but I suspect that it's a personal issue that everyone would decide on an individual basis.
As far as PayPal goes, the only thing anyone but the folks a PayPal get is your email address. My Patricia_Allen email at Yahoo was set up with my backup email from Lycos.com and my Lycos.com email was set up with a Geocities (does that date me?) account as a backup email
which was backed up by my now defunct AOL account. AOL, Geocites and Lycos are now dead ends. Accounts closed or host no longer in business. PayPal doesn't care what email address you use, so long as it's monitored and you can respond to email sent to it. Then all they need is a bank account to draw from/credit to.
So if you're paranoid about that, you don't trust them, or your bank to keep your transactions private.
In my personal life, there are very few people or entities that I'd be concerned about finding out I had anything to do with the trans community. Work would be the only one that would have any possible detrimental effect. Again, personally, that is/was unlikely, since my last company had a pretty comprehensive anti-discriminatory policy including gender and gender expression. So it would boil down to personal embarrassment among my pears.
Now, being retired, it's even less a concern, since Uncle Sam isn't about to pull my Social Security check because of a "lifestyle choice" on my part. So I've chosen to say that all the people I'd really not want to find out about my trans nature really have too much else to concern themselves about to research just where I spend my money or just what web sites I visit online.
Just saying, does anyone really care that much about me and my legal activities to go to all that trouble? The only one I know who has the resources are government entities and I have to ask, what's the worse case scenario? The way I see it, I'm way to small a fish for them to fry for being trans.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
To each their own
I am sick of being monetized so I object to being tracked like some wild animal by the oligarchs just on general principles.
It seems like we all wear this invisible tracking collar that all the marketers use to follow you everywhere you go.
Shopping link added at top
Added a shopping link to the top of BC menu, it goes to Amazon without a category search. :) It SHOULD go to your local Amazon but that does not work for everyone.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
No problem with helping
But I do have my principles. I do not like to feed monsters like Amazon and PayPal. We have one of the best safeguards for internet payments in France, virtual cards, that are only valid for one purpose and one amount. Unfortunately those cards do not work either on Patreon nor the hatbox.
I know there are others like me out there, who have severe doubts about using Amazon, so this tie might actually not do only good. I may sound the odd one out, but I do donate stories, but that takes time to come to fruition. All my attempts at helping short term so far got refused by the payment sections on this site. Sorry guys, but a little constructive criticism must be allowed.
I am an experienced professional woman and at almost sixty five now I am well aware of the traps we can all fall into in business. There is something wrong with priorities here, I just don't know enough, to put my finger on it, but this seems like government funding: You have a bucket with ten holes but only eight plugs, that you need to move around for plugging the holes, so while you plug one another gets reopened by necessity.
That way you get too busy plugging holes to take care of changing the bucket for one without holes, if you catch my drift? There is no way one dollar a month is too much for using this site to read and write, but there must a method be found, that everyone can actually pay it in an easy fashion. I wonder why Virtualis works on so many sites and in allmost any country but not here? It is like any old master card, really.
Monique S
Another Patreon
Finally added a Patreon pledge at one of the higher levels. Now the next goal of $1000 is a bit nearer... ;-)
I bought my apartement in December and have to pay for it for the next 15 years.
But last week my health insurance came through with their part of the payment of my SRS so that now I have a bit more money left each month.
Martina
Thank you much, md.
Attitudes like yours are exactly what I was hoping to reach. Again I'll say, the more we can get to just give a little each, the more the total will add up and eventually become self sustaining.
Yes we are trying to get the site to be self sustaining, but I think it behooves us all to help Erin get out of the huge personal debt she has incurred, trying to keep things working as well.
Thanks very much for your help.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
" new hatbox coming "
Hope so. Some of us struggle to type ! Yeah, was recently just on SS too. Responded to an unsolicited job offer [ almost deleted it as Spam, now love it ! }, just got a buck/ hr. raise!! Gave a 1 time gift. COULD no get recurring to work !! Dislike passwords n' that scene, [ showing age , . . right ?? ] will watch for new n' improved hatbox . jjc
johncorc1
Exchange rates
I give when I can but it's a pity exchange rates cost so much unfortunately
Endangered Species......BCTS?
I'm going to throw my 2 worn and rubbed nickels into the comments here also. If anyone remembers 10+ yrs ago now (when I was actively keeping things going) I hosted and maintained singularly a TG fiction site in order to give something to the broader internet community and from which I have gotten solace and entertainment from the hundreds of TG (and curious) authors who endeavored to share their creative works. I finally bowed down to Erin and Co's vastly superior efforts in carrying the torch for these authors and readers in offering them a haven. I have said before and will say again. I is not an easy or inexpensive task. It takes a decent amount of time, effort, knowledge and especially funds.
BCTS is coming up to 2 DECADES of service to the TG internet community. That is a hella long time for an ACTIVE website and company to exist and grow imho. Your grown kids are going into college or have their own kids in that time. The WAYBACK archive website is filled with defunct sites that have come and gone many times over. If Erin is to even carry BCTS for another 5 years more let alone 1, it will take a conscious effort for EVERYONE to simply give as little as 1 dollar. There are several avenues available to donate. Patreon is now an excellent way to do so.
As for myself, for which I am not saying this to expect any acknowledgement or praise or a scratch behind the ears, I am one of the $50 a month donators on Patreon also. I also have bought at least 90% of the published books by authors on this site even if I have the free versions via BCTS archived or saved elsewhere for personal retrieval (most older ones are only on old CDs or flashdrives gathering dust). The main reason I mentioned everything above is that I do not even frequent BCTS on a regular basis or even read most of the stories on here anymore for various reasons, some of which I Erin is aware. I continue to donate monthly. I continue to buy new published Books from authors here, old and new stories, a good portion of which I have previously read. I even prefer the Published versions, but that is a personal preference. Basically I will continue to support Erin and Co. in their efforts as I would expect anyone should. Their efforts for the last almost 20 years are nothing short of astounding and selfless.
Beverly Colleen
**********
I am a leaf on the wind, but someone turned the fan off.
Thanks, hon
All this is known and appreciated here. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.