# How much does it cost to run Askaboutmoney?



## Marion (2 Feb 2012)

Brendan,

Would it be possible to get a rough estimate of the costs involved in running the site? We moved server recently to ensure a better quality service so that obviously is an expense.

This would be useful in light of Sueellen's banner requesting donations to help defray the running costs of Askaboutmoney.

(The link to make a donation, for those who may not be aware, is at the bottom of the page).

Marion


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## Brendan Burgess (2 Feb 2012)

Hi Marion

The monthly cost of the new service is 

Hosting £80
management £40
off site back up £9
Total               £129
VAt               £25.80
Total          £154 sterling
Total in euro    €180
Per annum - €2160 

There are some other costs e.g. buying new software licenses or paying for one off work e.g. if we want to do a mobile version, so in total around €2,500 per year. 

Brendan


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## Sue Ellen (4 Feb 2012)

Thank you cashier, every little helps


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## iamthemoney (4 Feb 2012)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Hi Marion
> 
> The monthly cost of the new service is
> 
> ...



Hi Brendan,
do you mind if i ask, 
what board software are you running askaboutmoney on?


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## browtal (5 Feb 2012)

Brendan, we must make you minister for Finance.  Well done for keeping cost so low.
 Browtal


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## micmclo (5 Feb 2012)

Will you make me a mod if I donate?


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## Gervan (5 Feb 2012)

Is Paypal the only way to donate? I started to put in my credit card details, but didn't like Paypal's anti-privacy policy.


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## Brendan Burgess (5 Feb 2012)

Hi Gervan 

Good point. I have updated the notice as follows: 

If you don't like PayPal, or if you want to avoid having your donation  reduced by commission, you can transfer money directly into the  following account 
 Brendan Burgess 
AIB 52 Upper Baggot Street  
Sort code 931063
 Account number 35797273


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## Gervan (5 Feb 2012)

Thanks, my bit transferred.


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## Westgolf (5 Feb 2012)

*appeal*

Hi All,

Contribution made, happy to help, have gotten many many times the value of my contribution from this site,

Westgolf


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## jpd (5 Feb 2012)

how about a running total of donations?
With average donation?


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## snowy (5 Feb 2012)

my little bit is now in the pot 

if all goes well and it goes over the amount required , where will the money go , any chance of an app ??


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## TheShark (5 Feb 2012)

Small donation on its way.


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## irbx (5 Feb 2012)

made small donation.


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## The_Banker (5 Feb 2012)

donation sent...


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## mercman (5 Feb 2012)

Donation made


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## roker (6 Feb 2012)

Donation will be made today as soon as I go to bank


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## rob67 (6 Feb 2012)

donation just sent


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## Janet (7 Feb 2012)

And at the risk of seeming very annoying, could you please post (or PM me) the IBAN and BIC codes for that account?  Very happy to make a donation to keep AAM going as the excellent resource it is.  If I hadn't found it I'm really not sure I would now be looking at my last few months of debt.  It has been a very long journey but every journey has to start somewhere and there are few better places than here to do so.


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## Brendan Burgess (7 Feb 2012)

Hi Janet

I don't get annoyed when receiving money

 IBAn    IE35AIBK93106335797000


BIC    [FONT=&quot]Aibkie2d[/FONT]


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## Janet (7 Feb 2012)

Thanks.  Small donation on the way (not quite out of debt yet  ).


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## DMcL1971 (7 Feb 2012)

Made a donation last night. A small price to pay when I consider the amount this site has saved me over the years.


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## suzie (7 Feb 2012)

Thanks for the site, donation on its way...

S.


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## oldtimer (8 Feb 2012)

donation sent this morning.


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## venividivici (8 Feb 2012)

*Thank you*

Your website saved our bacon in 2008 - we could've invested €1.3 million - the proceeds of farm sale - in shares as advised by our (now former) accountant.  The advice we received here was invaluable. It's important that you keep this forum going. Donation sent via paypal


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## Eithneangela (8 Feb 2012)

I'd like to donate but I have a problem with a personal name on the account. I don't like Paypal but I would donate to the ASKABOUTMONEY (registered company name etc.)  account rather than a personal name account. Don't mean to be sticky, and will donate to keep the site going, but what about transparency? Isn't that what all this stuff is about?


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## Janet (8 Feb 2012)

Eithneangela said:


> ... but I would donate to the ASKABOUTMONEY (registered company name etc.)



AAM isn't a company though, is it - it's a discussion forum run by an individual (with help from a team of volunteers).  I haven't been around much over the last few years but this is something I'm fairly sure Brendan has always been very upfront about.

Obviously I can't find the place where this was discussed before now just 'cos I want to.  But I'm sure Brendan or someone else will be along to explain properly soon.


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## tallpaul (9 Feb 2012)

Donation made even though I don't look in as often. However this site has been great over the years.


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## Newbie! (9 Feb 2012)

Donation almost on its way. Just waiting to change credit card details on paypal!

Thank you Brendan for this website, it has helped us on numerous occasions over the last 6 years. And thank you to the number of posters who take the time to repeatedly help someone like me who doesn't have a great grasp of finances or taxation. With the help of AAM I am learning all the time.


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## LDFerguson (9 Feb 2012)

Eithneangela said:


> I'd like to donate but I have a problem with a personal name on the account. I don't like Paypal but I would donate to the ASKABOUTMONEY (registered company name etc.) account rather than a personal name account. Don't mean to be sticky, and will donate to keep the site going, but what about transparency? Isn't that what all this stuff is about?


 
There is no company or commercial enterprise called Askaboutmoney.  It's a website owned by Brendan Burgess.  Since 1999 the cost of running the site has been approximately €8,000.  Fundraising (excluding this round) has raised around €2,000.  Brendan has paid the other €6,000 out of his own pocket.  

Brendan has received no sponsorship and no advertising revenue of any sort.  Any such offers are rejected in order to maintain the impartiality of the site.  

Setting up a company around Askaboutmoney would significantly increase the running costs, although it might afford Brendan some additional protection.  To date Brendan has received 50 solicitors' letters threatening to make him personally liable for defamation by some anonymous posters.


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## 1968 (9 Feb 2012)

I have got some great tips from AAM down through the years and have often wondered how you made any money from this site.  Donation on way. Might be an idea to post the usernames so we know you have recieved the money.Keep up the good work.


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## Lorraine (9 Feb 2012)

small donation made via bank account from appreciative user.
Thanks for all you do on AAM.....


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## sam h (9 Feb 2012)

Great site,

Just made a small contribution - every little helps!!


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## dewdrop (9 Feb 2012)

Is it wise not to have the protection of a limited company in this type of situation?


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## Purple (9 Feb 2012)

1968 said:


> IMight be an idea to post the usernames so we know you have recieved the money.


 I don't like that idea.


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## ontour (9 Feb 2012)

I also agree, no lists, instead people who donate should have the icon that shows them 'online' changed to a gold star.


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## Purple (9 Feb 2012)

ontour said:


> i also agree, no lists, instead people who donate should have the icon that shows them 'online' changed to a gold star.



Lol


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## Sn@kebite (9 Feb 2012)

ontour said:


> I also agree, no lists, instead people who donate should have the icon that shows them 'online' changed to a gold star.


Actually a lot of other forums do have a VIP or "donator" tag to people who have given money.

I'm not sure if it is a good thing, will persons who have donated get preferential treatment and if so do other members get treated as less important. It could open up a new realm of cyber classism!


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## PaddyBloggit (9 Feb 2012)

Contribution made.

Keep up the good work Brendan.

This forum and the invalauble service you provide is needed more than ever these days.


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## Annie51 (9 Feb 2012)

Donation sent.  Also I think it is very reasonable the amount you spend in  running the site.  The government should take notice.


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## dubgem (9 Feb 2012)

My small donation in the pot too, glad to support your good work, many thanks


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## Vanilla (9 Feb 2012)

1968 said:


> Might be an idea to post the usernames so we know you have recieved the money.


 
Wouldn't be possible since people, I presume, have and will donate via their 'real name' account or paypal which won't show up as username unless they deliberately add a message.


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## pudds (9 Feb 2012)

small offering made wish it could have been more.


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## MugsGame (10 Feb 2012)

Sn@kebite said:


> £80 excl VAT sounds shockingly high for a site with about 11K unique visits (?) per month.



AAM is  a lot busier than that (even discounting for unique visitors).



Sn@kebite said:


> Im currently running a website on a $10 (7.50 EUR) VPS pm and i do backups myself all it costs is 7.50 incl. VAT a month. That's with 7K unique visits pm according to google analytics.
> 
> Im not exactly sure what the site involves but 2 grand a year to run a forum is absolutely mind-boggling. Never heard of it in my life.





S.L.F said:


> there just has to be a better option than spending €2.5 for a forum.



AAM has had a varied hosting history, including third party forum sites, shared server, dedicated server, and now a fully managed service from forum specialists.

AAM does not have any staff. Brendan has in the past relied on knowledgable technical volunteers from the community, but they are not always available when problems arise (e.g. repeated power and hardware failures leading to disk corruption), particularly during the working day. 

Managed hosting with competent staff is expensive. I can think of a number of instances where "professionals" paid to perform specific maintenance actually broke AAM. It's worth paying for backups to be done properly. Even where backups are supposedly included in the service, it hasn't always meant they were being carried out!


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## Scotsgirl (10 Feb 2012)

Bit broke at the moment Brendan, but will gladly be making a donation at the end of the month.

Scotsgirl


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