Why We Should Donate to Insimenator: An Essay

[mhahse57]

     During the many years I have played The Sims, thousands of free fan sites have been created. Most, if not all, need some form of financial support from their membership, and some that provided my favorite content have been forced to close. The "survivors"--Insimenator, Gay Sims Club, Mod the Sims, and Sims2CarSource to name but a few, have all needed to alter their host/bandwidth costs in order to remain online. Naturally, in this time of recession, all of us are adjusting our budgets to pay for basic needs, but when natural disasters, or other tragedies occur we still give "out of our need" to those causes. When I think of the years of dedication given by managers and creators on these sites, I feel their generosity has enriched all of us Simmers; therefore, let us show our gratitude through concrete action, in this case consistent financial support.
     Take the example of pc-sims (Sims Mod Board). I remember when they begged for volunteers, and financial help. I quickly gave a donation, and offered to assist with moderating, but it was too late; the site closed. The owner kindly replied, and thanked me for my dedication, but a beloved site was sent to the "graveyard" which is still seeking content from fans.  
     Now consider the social aspects of these sites. I have made hundreds of online acquaintances, a few of which have become personal friends. Who among us doesn't recognize the names, Numenor, Beosboxboy, Warlokk, KSK, Delphy, Quaxi, Enayla, and countless others? These people have given freely to us players--we should give freely to ensure their amazing creations remain easily accesible. Neither The Sims Graveyard, nor Paysites Must Be Destroyed, are complete or easy to navigate.
     The Sims EULA: Yeah. The key to why I will NEVER support paysites. I challenge anyone to prove subscriber/donation content is equal, or superior to what we can find right here. I make a modest donation every month, out of my want. Please, fellow Simmers! Let us put our appreciation into action. Let us ensure Insimenator stays online, it's presence and vibrance a continuing part of our lives.  Thank you all who read this and take it to heart.  

Michele Hansen (Momma Michele, mhahse57, and mhanse)

[Stelio Kontos]

If I had a Pay-Pal account or a credit card (or a source of income), I'd donate in an instant.

[mhahse57]

If I had a Pay-Pal account or a credit card (or a source of income), I'd donate in an instant.

I can totally relate to ya, Rock Justice.  I'm and elder simmer so I have those resources, but when I was in college, and later raising my kids as a single parent, just buying food and clothing were major investments. The intent of my post is to encourage financially secure members to sacrifice a latte or two, and help the site owners pay their server costs.

All Simmers deserve access to great CC, not just those with credit cards and PayPal accounts.  After all, we OWN the game. We, or our parents/friends, etc. have paid E-Axis their royalties. I believe the people who run and create for Insim feel the same way. I was, frankly, shocked that with thousands of members, Insim only received $35 in January.  Some really great people are paying out of pocket to get this content onto our computers, and consoles.  No one should feel bad if they can't give.  I'm simply urging those of is who can, to show our appreciation with a modest donation.  If 1000 people give even $10 a month, Insim can continue to give every player incredible content on high-end servers, without struggling to simply stay online.

My sincere thanks for your reply to my post.  I'm glad to know members are reading it.  Hopefully, some few of us will take my words to heart.

Happy Simming, Rock!

Michele

[ancienthighway]

With a few exceptions for large sites like Insim and MTS, fansites created by people wanting to host their own creations shouldn't have a requirement for on going donations in order to keep the site going.  I just renewed my subscription to my host for less than $9.00 a month.  And if that's too much for a creator to come up with, there are free hosts out there.  Or blogs with links to free file sharing sites.  Sites have been closing because the owners have lost interest in the game or because they've felt with the release of TS3, there would be no demand for TS2 items.  These small time sites that claim they can't afford the cost of running the site anymore are really saying their source of income has dried up and they aren't making money from the site any more.

The large sites, like Insim and MTS, are different though.  We the users do eat up bandwidth and stress the servers very quickly each month, requiring "more power", and thus, more money, to remain available.

[mhahse57]

With a few exceptions for large sites like Insim and MTS, fansites created by people wanting to host their own creations shouldn't have a requirement for on going donations in order to keep the site going.  I just renewed my subscription to my host for less than $9.00 a month.  And if that's too much for a creator to come up with, there are free hosts out there.  Or blogs with links to free file sharing sites.  Sites have been closing because the owners have lost interest in the game or because they've felt with the release of TS3, there would be no demand for TS2 items.  These small time sites that claim they can't afford the cost of running the site anymore are really saying their source of income has dried up and they aren't making money from the site any more.
The large sites, like Insim and MTS, are different though.  We the users do eat up bandwidth and stress the servers very quickly each month, requiring "more power", and thus, more money, to remain available.

   It is true that most sole proprietors' sites with limited content, and fanbases, shouldn't need assistance with host-server or bandwidth costs.  If you have your own website, and don't need outside contributions, that is awesome!  And you hit the nail on the head with your comment about the expenses required for huge sites, with huge server/bandwidth requirements.   
   I sincerely want to help InSim make more than the $35 received in January.  I couldn't afford the $1260 annual fees needed to keep this site running.  However, I'll happily spend $100 a year here, where CC from the community as well as creators, is the focus.  And, Sims3 sites are going to become more prevalent as that fanbase starts looking for cool stuff to liven up the game.  I would not be surprised to learn that you are already creating Sims3 content.
   I do feel a need to reply to one of your comments.  PC-Sims did not close because the owners became "bored", had no interest in creating for TS3, or their source of personal income "dred up."  They closed because they believed in offering free quality content, became huge, and without member support went broke.  Period.  I don't want to see that happen to InSim, MTS, Sapphire Sims, SAU, GSC, SimsCarSource, etc. etc. etc.  I don't want to see that happen to your site.
   Thank you, ancienthighway, for your reply.  Your insight as a creator/fansite owner brings a unique perspective to this discussion. I'd love to check out your creations.  You might just get a new member. Happy Simming!

Michele