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Can we have an update on the state of the ISF?

Orphia Nay

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Orphia Nay
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It’s been 6 months since some of us donated to the upkeep, upgrade, and development of International Skeptics.

Just wondering how it’s all going.

The forum is noticeably faster and I haven’t had any Bad Gateway errors for a long time.

But a few concerns have been raised in this thread in Community that maybe bots are getting in again:

https://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14334851&postcount=69

Hopefully we can have an update, please icerat?
 
Here is an update. Icerat has taken our money and is in hiding. He cannot upgrade this forum and does not want to admit that fact. The best he could do is start again. He has not posted since April.

NB: That is my opinion and nothing more.
 
rjh01 said:
Here is an update. Icerat has taken our money and is in hiding. He cannot upgrade this forum and does not want to admit that fact. The best he could do is start again. He has not posted since April.

NB: That is my opinion and nothing more.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. I asked for a reckoning of what the money raised had been put to and got bumpkiss. He's, shamelessly, away with it and it's up to him alone to prove me wrong.
Edited by zooterkin: 
<SNIP>
Edit for rule 11/ rule 12
 
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bluesjnr said:
I completely agree. I asked for a reckoning of what the money raised had been put to and got bumpkiss. He's, shamelessly, away with it and it's up to him alone to prove me wrong.

Edited by zooterkin: 
<SNIP>
Edit for rule 11/ rule 12
Click to expand...

This has got nothing to do with the mods. Their job is to ensure we keep to the rules, not to speak for the owners of the forum or anyone else. So we are safe from the mods actions.
 
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rjh01 said:
This has got nothing to do with the mods. Their job is to ensure we keep to the rules, not to speak for the owners of the forum or anyone else.
Click to expand...

I'm totally aware of the fact that the mods are not here to speak for the owner of the forum. That fact doesn't bar me from insisting that they shouldn't deign to.

I'd like to hear from icerat. I'd like a breakdown of what costs have been incurred in the improvements thus far and how much of the, very generous, donations were used as well as what, if anything, remains.

So we are safe from the mods actions.
Click to expand...

?
 
rjh01 said:
Here is an update. Icerat has taken our money and is in hiding. He cannot upgrade this forum and does not want to admit that fact. The best he could do is start again. He has not posted since April.

NB: That is my opinion and nothing more.
Click to expand...

That whistling you can hear is me over in the corner seat between sips of my Glenfiddich.
 
Darat said:
Anyone like a pony as well?
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Those of us who donated are certainly entitled to get an update on progress. When someone who promised to improve the forum goes radio silent and people simply ask for a check-in, that certainly doesn't equate to asking for a pony.
 
I understand technical difficulties. I understand things not going according to plan. I understand cost overruns. And I understand "real life" taking priority.

But I don't understand the disappearing act. It would only take a couple of minutes to post an update.
 
The disappearance is a nail in the coffin, because nobody will want to donate to the cause after this sorry performance.
 
Looking less like a, "go fund me" and more like a, "go **** you".
 
varwoche said:
I understand technical difficulties. I understand things not going according to plan. I understand cost overruns. And I understand "real life" taking priority.

But I don't understand the disappearing act. It would only take a couple of minutes to post an update.
Click to expand...

Maybe now is the time to get the original group together and say to Icerat - there are no more donations, but we'll take it off your hands for $2000, take it or leave it.

I'll leave someone else to explore that.
 
shemp said:
From my POV, it looks like the forum certification has lapsed again. Anyone else seeing this?
Click to expand...

Yup.

A few years ago my other forum, Cosmoquest, was dying. I saved it, first getting a fundraising drive going then donating more than half the required money.
I won't be doing that again. I'd miss this place, but I'll live.
 
I find it interesting to compare this forum with another one I spend time on, a frequent flyer website. It is not large (60k members) with about 600 on line now (like here, mainly bots). Most posts are very on topic, but they have community and general sections. That forum is far more active than this. Why, when it operates only in a small market (Australia) in a very niche area?

Largely, because members get value. The forum runs a website with very informative articles and runs a podcast. It advertises on airline websites. It has three paid membership levels which among other things gives access to webinars which shows how to get best value for points (far more elaborate than many would imagine). It has at least one paid staff. It also has moderators who don’t actively participate.

So small informative forums catering to niche markets can survive. Why can’t this?
 
We’ve survived 2 decades without having to pay for membership.

I don’t regret throwing some money icerat’s way to keep it going a bit longer.

I’ll message him to see if he’s seen this thread.
 
Orphia Nay said:
We’ve survived 2 decades without having to pay for membership.

I don’t regret throwing some money icerat’s way to keep it going a bit longer.

I’ll message him to see if he’s seen this thread.
Click to expand...

My difficulty is sending money to someone who shows no interest in the forum.
 
lionking said:
So small informative forums catering to niche markets can survive. Why can’t this?
Click to expand...

Lack of effort.

I'm completely convinced the forum could thrive with some sensible actions.

zooterkin said:
And yet, the forum is still here, and work has been done to improve it.
Click to expand...

:dl:

Obviously some use of the word "improve" I'm not familiar with.

A free security/https everywhere certificate was obtained, but what minuscule benefit that offered has been trumped several million times by the current state of the forum being closed to non-members.

The "work" done has been an enormous net negative,
 
The Atheist said:
A free security/https everywhere certificate was obtained, but what minuscule benefit that offered has been trumped several million times by the current state of the forum being closed to non-members.
Click to expand...
Essentially, the forum has been closed to new membership for ... how many years? Previously it was because registration/email was broken. Now it's because the forum appears not to exist when viewed by non members.

In short, the forum is fatally broken and the owner is absent except for a brief grifting exercise, making it unlikely he'll be able to solicit more donations. And for some incomprehensible reason, he won't hand it over to someone with the ability and motivation to fix it. It's not as if it has any monetary value.
 
varwoche said:
And for some incomprehensible reason, he won't hand it over to someone with the ability and motivation to fix it. It's not as if it has any monetary value.
Click to expand...

Sounds like something toddler Trump would do - if I can't have it I'll break it so nobody else can have it either.

Disappointing.
 
The Atheist said:
I'll have $10 on the renewal date of the domain name in August.
Click to expand...

Has anyone else started a countdown to the disappearance of the forum?

Given that the owner hasn't posted - and I can't believe he's unaware of the threads here - or made any attempt to explain what's happening to the money, I'm sticking with my prediction above.

Rjh will be able to tell you the exact date.
 
The Atheist said:
Has anyone else started a countdown to the disappearance of the forum?

Given that the owner hasn't posted - and I can't believe he's unaware of the threads here - or made any attempt to explain what's happening to the money, I'm sticking with my prediction above.

Rjh will be able to tell you the exact date.
Click to expand...

The forum will cease to exist on 15 August 2024. I made that prediction three years ago and it only became false because I predicted it.

Ref: This forum will cease to exist on 15 August 2021
 
varwoche said:
I understand technical difficulties. I understand things not going according to plan. I understand cost overruns. And I understand "real life" taking priority.

But I don't understand the disappearing act. It would only take a couple of minutes to post an update.
Click to expand...


Just pass it on to people who do want to keep it going. It's no big deal.
 
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