Topic: Scotland's Glass site news

[Frank]

Scotlands's Glass continues to grow - and can keep doing so for a long time to come.

With over 350,000 visitors in just over two years it is clearly very useful to many people and glassmakers represented there are seeing some extra business as a result of being shown. We will not charge people for being listed and place no limits on how much of their work can be shown.

However, to keep growing it will have to upgrade it's hosting to a dedicated server and that is expensive. The only alternative being to stop adding material...  UNTHINKABLE. There are several thousand images waiting for the time to add them to the catalogue and lots more articles are being prepared, planned and needed. The List is continually being added too and updated.

The solution to viability and longevity is money. I have added a donation module to the front page where you can donate from one unit of any currency via Paypal, you do not need a paypal account, just a credit card. Alternatively a value added subscription to one of my subscription sites The Glass Zoo or The Glass-Study (which includes membership The Glass Zoo and The Glass Catalogue). Donations can be one-off, weekly, monthly or annually (For the latter 3 you need a Paypal account as Paypal manages the reminders.) Cash in post is also good If anyone would like to make a substantial lump-sum donation that would be best organised after the NPO is organised but do get in touch (E-mail via Envelope Icon to left of this post)

Next year an NPO/Charity will be organised to provide permanent ownership of this and other glass websites and donations will then go into the NPO deposit fund, with its income being used for fees. To be cost effective that needs a fund of at least 50,000 Pounds/Euros/Dollars as well as some volunteers to serve as trustees etc. and eliminate the personal dependency on me.

There is plenty of other scope for being involved in the site community -

Gathering data on Scottish Glassmakers (Post data in forums there), 

Writing articles (Our editors can help you out), 

Sourcing Images for the catalogue and articles, 

Submitting News items, 

Submitting glass links,

Writing a column (not got one yet but possible subjects: auctions fairs, collecting in Scotland etc.), 

Encouraging others to submit articles, 

Gaelic translation,

Helping to manage the site, 

Graphic design for the site (A facelift is planned), 

Technical support.

Probably some others you can think of too.

[aa]

With over 350,000 visitors in just over two years

An excellent result. Have you considered carrying some discreet advertising? --- those figures might generate some revenue.

[Frank]

I want to avoid that, it serves as free discreet advertising to glassmakers and the way the adverts work would disadvantage that purpose. It is intended to be a site for the community, by the community and this process is happening.

Also something very big that I am in the middle of preparing, will probably help in 2 years... I expect to go public in the next week or two.