Crowdfunding for more server resources

I'm amazed that such a valuable resource as FreeToastHost can exist on such meagre, donated computing resources. It is a tribute to the efforts and skills of all involved in its operation. (My understanding is that a physical server was donated some time ago).

I think that FreeToastHost could be even better, and easier to manage, if we could collectively fund some more, and more robust, computing resources.
This might be:-
1. an upgraded or new server  (mainly a one-time purchase) OR
2. a new, cloud-based platform (e.g. on AWS, MS Azure, Google, or similar - an ongoing, usage-based monthly cost).

As I understand it, content on our FreeToastHost websites is not being indexed by search engines fully, due to the limited server capacity. 

A new server would not be very costly; a refurbished used server could be much less expensive. (It would however involved substantial effort by the administrators to carry out the transfer).
A cloud platform service would allow scaling up and down as appropriate during the Toastmasters year; and could be upgraded later with very little effort. It could also include services such as CDN to protect from DDOS, bad crawlers; and to reduce server load. Total cost might be higher.

I'd like to know what the FreeToastHost admins think of this. Has it been explored recently?

The other question is: how many users of FreeToastHost would be willing to donate a few dollars, either on a regular basis or as a one-off, to upgrade the system?

If 50 clubs were to contribute, this could work. For example: a once-off donation of USD$20 by each club would buy a good amount of hardware.

regards
Chris Simmons

 

You are under several pieces of misinformation.
FTH is already in the cloud and the benefactor continues to pay for the server and related costs.
While your idea has some merit the benefactor does not want any external influences to the design of FTH, one of the reasons there is no external advertising on FTH.
The issue with search engines is that they don't know or care about the fact that there is over 12,000 individual sites on the server and the search bots can hammer at the server for all the sites all at once. There isn't an affordable solution that can prevent this except controlling the actual bots and what they can index.

If you are not happy with FTH there is nothing forcing your club to use the platform, except for its ease of use and no cost to the club.
 

Hello Brian
Your reply has certainly shut down this discussion for me. You've made clear, in a few abrupt sentences, that nothing is to be done. And you've concluded with an aggressive tone (ala "If you don't like it, go away"), which seems to treat my polite query as a troublesome complaint. I think this tone is inappropriate and unhelpful. I appreciate that there are many frustrations in doing this work, but to me that doesn't excuse your apparent attitude.
regards
Chris Simmons

Your comments have been received. sorry you felt it was abrupt. 
I do not write long winded verbiage at the best of times.

 

Brian wrote:

...
I do not write long winded verbiage at the best of times.

I can vouch for that.  

Chris, I have teased Brian a bit in the past for being "Mr Terse" in his forum posts, but I can absolute assure you he is a very nice, laid back guy.   Brian has been supporting FreeToastHost since version 1 in the very beginnings in 2004, long before any of us ever got involved.  It takes someone with a big heart that really cares for that level of commitment.  

Let me see if I can provide some additional context on this...   

Often with money comes some expectations or a sense of entitlement on the part of those providing the money.  That is where some of our concerns come from.  We prefer to have some detachment from being obligated to any one or several clubs or even overly obligated to TM.  This gives us the freedom to strike appropriate balance between what is best for the clubs and districts using the system and what is best for the system itself.  Just speaking for myself, if I did not have that freedom, some of the features that you now enjoy would never have gotten done.  Also, the system would perform much worse.

I am not going to say that some funding would not help.  Specific examples would be Litmus testing of emails and automated remote testing of website functionality. (would need $ for both)  However, given even your initial comments, we seem to be getting fine by without it.

Therefore, the question becomes how do you take money without losing the aforementioned freedom and having undue influence.  I do not think we have answered that to our satisfaction yet.  

Also, do you lose the "Free" in FreeToastHost at that point?  Also, if you get more paid stuff from monetary contributions, does that start to "feed on itself" over time and require even more contributions? 

The only thing I could think of that *might* work is some sort of setup like a foundation where people contribute anonymously.  But even in that case, clubs might be tempted to say "we contributed to your foundation, therefore, we want you to do this new thing".