• After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.

    I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.

    For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.

    From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.

    Sincerely, Jeff D.

Stormtrack funding drive (donations not required)

Jeff Duda

site owner, PhD
Staff member
Site owner
Supporter
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Oct 7, 2008
Messages
3,822
Location
Thornton, CO
Hello, Stormtrack community!

Going back at least as far as the appearance of the online forums for the modern-day Stormtrack community, membership has been free and will remain so. Costs to run the group (generally from an administrative/clerical POV) have generally come from owners, with additional help from some very generous donors over the years.

Well, costs to run the site have not gone away, and it has been a while since we have held a fundraiser. So now is the time. @Mark Blue can clarify any numerical errors, but it costs around $225/month to keep the lights on, and Mark has been paying that money out of pocket since he took over from Steve Miller earlier this year. What do you say we chip in and help?

At the top of the web page there is a link to a donation page, where you can use your PayPal account to contribute whatever amount you feel is necessary. You can donate as little as $10; but the default offering is $1/month, for a total of one $12 payment, and you have the option of making that automatically renewable to help support the site going forward. Anyone who donates will receive a "supporter" tag under their avatar.

No one will be required to donate to the site for membership. We understand that times are harder now than they have ever been, and some folks simply do not have the financial ability to donate. And that is fine! Your participation in threads and discussion is what makes Stormtrack the community that it is, not the money you put into it. And let us be clear: the site is not in danger of going down if we do not receive substantial donations. Anything helps, but nothing is required.

Thank you for your contributions to the site, whether financial, personal, intellectual, or out of pure curiosity. Now let's party!!!!
 
I’m thankful for the recent contributions and am humbled by the generosity everyone has shown to date. Every little counts and I appreciate you guys and hope we can maintain the core group of members who make this place tick. Special thanks to @Jeff Duda for spearheading the announcement and getting it off the ground! Please remember you may also purchase a Supporter tag subscription through ”Account Upgrades” in your user control panel for $12 per year. Just click on your profile picture / username towards the top right header section to access this feature.
 
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