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Right now, today, Sunday 21 of May, we have hit our goal for the month. Your support is much appreciated and I will update the sidebar tomorrow to show today's numbers.
Continuing gifts in any amount will be applied to next months goal and much appreciated.
Here's the usual info:
Use this link to subscribe through the Hatbox Membership page:
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Janglewood LLC
602 Higgins Ave
Suite 1 #283
Brielle, NJ 08730
USA
Thank You
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Comments
Erin this is terrible, is
Erin this is terrible, is there any way to generate more revenue ? BC is falling short every month.
I help out each month with extra cash, it's obvious that not everyone does this.
People! One day this site will be GONE.
Karen
Well BC did decide to help with Katies expenses
Let's be frank, that extra money, from a relatively small pool of contributors, is going to be hard to replace, unless those people who don't contribute wake up.
Your site won't let me donate
I'd love to donate to help you keep this site active, unfortunately the site keeps insisting my cellphone number is not a valid number and won't let me proceed. I suppose if you're setup to accept international money orders I could try getting you some money that way, but it would be really inconvenient to do it that way. Additionally some minor annoyances in the way the site is set up:
The link goes to http://bigclosetr.us/hatbox/ you then need to click on http://bigclosetr.us/hatbox/node/13 then scroll down to select the type of subscription/gift then scroll back up to the shopping cart then delete the extra subscriptions (or go back and select the subscription again because it didn't take) click on checkout now then fill out all the billing details, select the payment method and...fill out the billing details again.
I get that some of these are unavoidable but a direct link to http://bigclosetr.us/hatbox/node/13 with the selection moved up to next to the shopping basket link would help reduce the annoyance, as would making the shopping cart link easier to spot (for me it's a light blue small test label on a lighter blue background). If it was possible to eliminate the first set of billing address and only fill it out once after selecting the billing method that would also be good.
Currently your payment site seems set up to discourage people from paying.
Upgrades to BigCloset HatBox
Hi Unicornvzi, We are currently working on making some workflow changes to how HatBox operates that will alleviate how your purchase subscriptions from BigCloset Hatbox.
However as PayPal is currently the only online payment processor we use, we are unable to take subscriptions online from countries where they don't operate.
We hope to re-enable "Pay With Amazon" in the upgrades we are working on for hatbox, and are possibly looking at someone like SKRILL or another CC provider that will accept CC's for us so that we don't make ourselves a target for crackers and script kiddies like want to steal CC numbers.
While the upgrades to HatBox may not come super fast, our goal has always been to keep TopShelf up and running and as fast as possible as our primary concern, and HatBox has always been a secondary Concern. Not because we don't need your money to help us keep TopShelf running but because we want to give back everything we can to the community.
While I don't know about international Money Orders in general I'm sure our Bank could help us get one cached. I recently deposited a money order from Canada and while I assume they are closer, it is still an International Money Order. So it might work that way :)
May I ask where you are located (physically) that you are trying to sign up from?
-Piper (Techno Geek, and BigCloset Minion)
I'm in Israel and while I try
I'm in Israel and while I try and avoid Paypal under the "once burned twice shy" principal (even though I'm assured they've fixed the problems they had with overcharging) they do operate in Israel.
Paypal Issue?
Our side should only ask for an address and not a phone number. So my assumption is that PayPal is the side rejecting the cell phone number? Until the upgrades are finished there isn't anything I can do for the Paypal side of things. :(
-Piper
With all due respect
Then the priorities are backwards. Reality: Without money, the site will go away. Europe would not have been able to fight wars without Jewish bankers, as an example, back in the middle ages, as an example.
Like it or not, there are a lot of community members you serve who are not giving you support and I humbly suggest you be more emphatic in requesting money. Katie's death was very unfortunate but if the money diverted from contributions to help with her expenses is not covered somehow then the site she worked to support may be for naught.
Katie was my friend
Either the site helps me pay what I feel I need to pay or I just pay it myself. Comes out of the same pocket. Katie had more to do with helping the site survive than anyone not working behind the scene would know. Not in the same way as Bob did but when Bob died we also helped out his family, Piper and Sapphire drove up there and worked for several days getting things in order for the family and so we could continue Bob's work.
The situation is somewhat similar with Katie, though not at all the same. Felix does not need us to show up and put technical things in order but a little cash will go a long way to ensuring that Katie's work can be protected and continue to be read here and elsewhere.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
My Dear Friend Erin
You're an extremely patient person.
You absolutely have a right to decide what is and isn't a legitimate business expense. The money that went to Katie would be considered a legitimate expense by each of the four corporations I worked for over the years. Don't give it another thought.
In situations like this a small percentage of individuals contribute a large percentage of the total. When I read you monthly ask it is irritating, but I normally react with a contribution. Perhaps you should contact those who contribute frequently with personal messages.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
So she can
And I do not question it. However.
But I was offered the option to specify how much of my contribution I would donate to Katie's expenses (which I did) but effectively, that is an illusion as there was no real choice to begin with. I on the other hand, though, am not a friend of Katie's and don't care much for her writings, so *shrug*.
Frankly, you might not have reached donor fatigue but I am close. I was about to up another 40 (I had donated last month and do so on a bi-monthly basis) but am thinking long and hard on it, on top of the 38 to 40 I donate as a monthly average as I have steadily upped my donations over the years.
Erin supporting her friend is of course laudable. But there are more creative ways to support Felix that does not pose such a risk to the business, such as financing his debt, say on a credit card (his or whomever's) over a 6 month period for the 1500. Or a 'go fund me' thingy and advertise it here. Frankly, it might be a good model for financing BC. Say an annual kickstarter fund for one year's worth of BC expenses and then Erin may not have to deal with these monthly headaches.
Cash flow is important in any business and sudden shocks are never good. A well run business needs to have a good business plan and stick to it, allowing for what kind of expected possible influx vs expenses, and keeping track of those upcoming expenses, months in advance.
Look, while this is a labor of love for Erin, it is still a business and to put a corporate entity on the line due to the owner taking money out of it for a personal expense, that may not be supportable based on past donation patterns, just is not a good business practice. Business has to stay business.
In the long run, doing so will make it much less stressful for Erin and for her community.
I Heartily Disagree
kimmie,
This site is amazing. It serves a very important function for a lot of people. It also gives us all a place to share our thoughts, dreams, and opinions. The vast number of high-quality stories that are published here on a daily basis are incredible.
Erin and a host of others pour their time and efforts into maintaining this place with no requirement for membership fees or usage limits. It literally hurts me to watch her have to beg for handouts from we who benefit from her labors.
I do not give a flying fuck how she spends the donations I make. I loved some of Katie's work, I did not care for some, and for some I was ambivalent.
This is not about Katie, nor is it about feeling as though Erin is annoying and hounding us for donations. If you want to donate, please do so. If you feel your prior donations were misappropriated, please contact Erin by email. If her response does not satisfy you, then go to another site where you feel more respected.
I have made 2 donations in my short time on this site. In return, I have had a platform for my own stories and wacky-ass opinions. I have been able to read dozens of well-written professional novels by some of the most amazing authors of TG fiction. I have had the good fortune to correspond with many of those same authors who have offered me criticism, advice, and invaluable tips for my own writing. Finally, I have benefited from the feedback and support of the multitude of readers on this site.
I regret that I cannot donate more, but as for me, I will never question how my donations are spent.
Be kind to those who are unkind, tolerant toward those who treat you with intolerance, loving to those who withhold their love, and always smile through the pains of life.
Yes Paypal was the issue with
Yes Paypal was the issue with the phone number, I did manage to get it now - entered my bank's phone number without the country prefix and it accepted it.
Also wanted to say good job on getting rid of most of the pointless annoyances with the payment process.
Donated
Hi Piper
I've just sent you $50 via Paypal, I'm sorry I can't send any more.
Jessi
Thanks, hon.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I gave $US50; everyone needs
I gave $US50; everyone needs to give something!!
Thanks, hon.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Money Sent
Erin, I sent $100 but I do not know whether I will be able to send anything more for a while as I am no longer employed.
waif
Be kind to those who are unkind, tolerant toward those who treat you with intolerance, loving to those who withhold their love, and always smile through the pains of life.
Thanks, hon.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Donations
Sent $50 twice.
Portia
Thank you
That will probably go on next month since I think we made goal for this month.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I have donated what I can,
I have donated what I can, but most months I am in the red as well. Sorry I can not do more.
Jennifer
Thank you
It's understood that not everyone can give every time. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Just
Just send some by the "One-Time Gift"
Hugs and Thanks tmf
Thanks
It's good to get a start on next month and maybe I can pay down some credit cards I've been using.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.