O.K. Elky owners, it is time for us to step up to the plate. El Camino Central needs our help financially. Nothing in life, even things on the Internet, are free. Robert (acauth1) More shoulders most, if not all of the financial responsibilities that keep the El Camino Central web site up and running. While purchasing ECC gear on cafepress.com does go toward the support of the site, more donations are needed to keep up with the demand of more and more El Camino owners joining and using the computer hardware, bandwidth, etc.

Lets not limit the growth our hobby due to monetary reasons. Lets keep the El Camino Central web site "totally member supported". We have a great sight, great sponsors, and a great creator.

I personally don't have a problem with contributing money to things that provide value to me. Don't you agree?

I have already sent my check to:

Robert More
104 S. Lampasas St.
Round Rock, Texas 78664

I urge as many as you as possible to write a check and drop it in the mail today. All contributions go directly toward supporting El Camino Central.

Regional Directors, please send an email restating this request to as many of your regional members as possible.

Remember, "It's all about the Benjamin's".......

I've always thought that paying "dues" should be required for all the value gained from our membership and helpful information.

Should it be monthly, quarterly or annually?

Is there a recommended amount as of yet? With over 2,000 members, a small amount would add up to a lot of money. Of course, we'd lose a few deadbeat members, but so it goes.

I would suggest that Robert More or John Harris post a recommended amount of "voluntary" dues.

Regards,

Elky77

I'll drink to that !!
The check is on the way.

Yeah, ok dues would be nice but then I want a laminated card with the secret handshake printed on back. Then I want a newsletter every month in full color called "Tales from the tailgate" and a pen that says NECOA and , and , and....

Anyway if you want to start charging "dues" then you have to have more than a website with a message board. Stuff like access to apecial techinical info, parts locator or group purchase deals etc.

I am also a member of V6fbody.com which uses the exact same format as this site. The difference is that to pay for their services they have a bunch of advertising banners everywhere. You get used to them but they are kind of ugly.

Whatever you decide to do make it fair.

Please let me clarify something real fast. There are no dues or any other requirement to pay any money to anybody on this site. Period.

That being said, I was only trying to point out that ECC needs help and we all get a benefit from this site.

There is no "set" amount. If you feel you want to contribute, then by all means, do so. What ever you feel you can contribute, that is fine. The name and address is strictly the "creator" of ECC, Robert More. He has paid and continues to pay for everything that we do. Nobody can think that it is correct for one person to foot the entire bill for over 2900 members??

I posted this subject on my own. It is not meant as anything official or in regards to any future policy change of this site.

I strongly agree with 72 Elky !!!

Hey guys, Do one of you have a paypal account we can send money too?

Yeah, ok dues would be nice but then I want a laminated card with the secret handshake printed on back. How about a secret decoder ring? Not to worry folks! it's in the works...

I'll be happy to help!

I'll send a check by the end of the week. I think I've been here long enough to do that.

I think a paypal link would be best. Out of state checks are a real pain to deal with for both the sender and receiver.

Lots of groups are going that route. I know I even contributed to a web site that helped me out with a couple of EBAY auctions that way.

You'll get a better result if you make it easy.

I wouldn't mind seeing advertising by vendors or suppliers of El Camino specific items...I'm sure it would be to their advantage to directly reach a customer base of nearly 3000 Elky owners...I'm surprised they haven't contacted Robert concerning the possibility of advertising on ECC. I'm also a member of another G-body website, who has a sponsor, he's getting increased business by advertising. On the other hand, I am not opposed to a yearly membership fee either if that will keep this site in exsistance, it could be voluntary if that's what is the general concensus. How about for a $10 membership fee you get something though...like a Necoa sticker. $25 gets the T shirt, $50 gets a hat (I only wear black hats by the way hint hint) What ever is decided, I'm for it as long as it's reasonable.

I'm glad that this subject stirs some interest and has people thinking "out of the box", so to speak, of ways to contribute.
Ideas such as Paypal, vendor advertising (no popups or banners), and other idea's are great and could be implemented in the near future as more members let their opinions known.
But until then, I would still ask that if you find value in ECC, send Robert a check to cover some of his expenses. Doesn't matter how much, whatever you feel your comfortable with. It all helps.

We all know it is worth it.

I'm surprised they haven't contacted Robert concerning the possibility of advertising on ECC.To be honest I've contacted those vendors that currently give the group discounts...not a peep, attempted several others...no response what so ever. To be honest, it's a bit frustrating! So, any contact information would be greatly appreciated!

Will be more than happy to put up a few bucks to help out the site. As far as something in return I've seen a few sites that let you print out your own membership card. If someone who knows how to do this (Not me, computer moron here)you could make a few different styles,members pick,fill in info and print.What ya think fellow Elky owners?

I don't see what the big deal is about setting up a paypal box if its so important. IN fact why don't you set one up for him and we can all use that. I'm sure he trusts you.

Take you all of 5 minutes. In case you haven't noticed sending a check is not the safest way to pay someone anymore. I only pay by check if I absolutely have to and then only to the water and power co. and such. They aren't set up for online billing yet. Money orders are a problem too. Big no no to use online western union. No protection at all and hard to trace. They write a paper money order and mail it to the recipient. Not smart at all.

Lot easier to trace your transactions for both sender and receiver too.

Morning James. I don't mean to sound defensive in anyway, but I guess I'm missing your point here. I only mentioned about a totally voluntary and simple way of making a contribution to the site creator and the one person footing the bill.

I agree that some good ideas have been brought forward to make a more formal way to contribute. And they can and should be discussed / implemented, which is exactly what this forum is for.

But for now, it is not a "big deal" to send someone a check. It takes all of 2 minutes to write a check and put it in an envelope. You said yourself, you pay by check to other utilities.

Any yes, I have done exactly what I asked others to do, without incident.

Lcamino67 wrote:
I've seen a few sites that let you print out your own membership card..

Check out this forum thread from the past:.ECC forum on businees cards (http://www.elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=1517&highlight=business+card)


I have a template for "business" cards that have the ECC / NECOA logo on it. Also has a place for your own name, or ID, email, website, etc.

If your interested, send me an email at : jlevitan@holycross.edu and I'll send you the template along with what supplies you will need. It is very easy to print out on your own printer and they come out very nice

A system is being put into place as we speak with paypal option, will be online this afternoon or evening! More to follow....

I , for one will send you money with paypal. Let us know.

A system is being put into place as we speak with paypal option, will be online this afternoon or evening! More to follow....

Cool, let us know as soon as it's ready.


:-)

Ok, I didn't see the paypal option anywhere and I needed another T shirt so I bought one. I hope a good chunk of that goes to the guy footin the bill.

I will help out via Paypal as soon as you guys give the get go.


l8r

:cool:

I , for one will send you money with paypal. Let us know.


http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/I-Agree.gif

Peter (87SS),
Call and ask to speak to Mike Goodman at Honest Charley's. Make sure he understands it is for ECC and NECOA combined.
I had given him a "heads up" about someone contacting him a few weeks ago.
-dan

Please read the following post and offer your comments and suggestions for improvement on the site contributor program:

Ok guys, thanks for your support and all of the encouraging comments. But to be honest, this is your site as much as it is mine, if it were not for our members the site would be nothing. I began El Camino Central Sept, 2002, as a labor of love for the El Camino, and to share some of my experiences and good-old-fashion know-how.

Since then the site has taken off exponentially. Our first six months or so we were almost 500 strong and still growing when we merged membership with the NECOA,(many ECC members were already NECOA members.) I logged in a few minutes ago, 7:30pm, April 27th, and noticed 96 people online, 31 were members and the remaining 65 were either visitors or members who had not yet logged in...that's a lot of El Camino enthusiasts in one place at one time. It's hard to deny that with just over 2900 members ECC/NECOA is the largest group of El Camino owners in the world! Granted, we get a lot of drive-bys, but the majority of our membership tend to stay and contribute to the growth and popularity of the site... and that leads me back to what I said before, without you guys contributing content, offering advise and taking the time to answer questions, this site would be just another "website with a message board". However, as we all are fully aware, we are much more than that. We are a community of men and women who share a common bond... the love of the El Camino and it's GM cousins, and we bring to the table our combined experience to help one another along the road and the information highway. We are nearly 3000 strong and growing at a rate of 5-10+ members a day, and that's strength in numbers. Any El Camino or aftermarket parts supplier would be foolish not to want to advertise with us. I for one, do not care for spinning ads, pop-ups, pop-unders, and flashing banners, as they distract from the content and generally make navigation a nightmare.

I have been working on a subscription type system, or membership level if you will, similar to what many other sites are already offering. However, I have been at a loss as to what we would offer as an incentive for members for their support. Some sites offer their supporting members some web space, special chat room access, access to unlimited classified ad submission and the like. But these are things that are already offered to all members here for free!
Regardless, I can assign special ranks, give a t-shirt, cap or similar, email forwarding service ala uname@elcaminocentral.com, a membership card etc., that would be easy! (I like the membership card idea, kind of cool.) Of course, anyone who already owns an El Camino already knows the secret handshake.

It is no secret that I have been footing the bill for running and maintaining the server and bandwidth. I have also paid for one server upgrade, a handful of hard drives and more memory.
The growth of membership and the large number of folks we have been seeing online at times greatly affects server performance and bandwidth... this is why we are seeing some slow loading times. The time has again come to upgrade both.
Thus far I have been subsidizing the site by selling Elky parts on ebay. I am not complaining, nor am I begging, but if you guys are willing to donate funds to support the effort, We are willing to accept them!

All of that being said, please visit our new support page here:

http://elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=5

Thanks guys!

Robert More

I just sent my contribution to ECC through the new paypal account. It only takes a minute to do. I encourage everyone here who has benifitted in one way or another from the information at ECC to dig deep into their pockets and contribute also. It doesn't matter what the amount is.

Thanks Robert for a great site.

All of that being said, please visit our new support page here:

http://elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=5


Nice job Robert. I believe that will help out with the expenses of running such a great web site.

My ONLY suggestion..... How about if we put this page along with the "Daily"?????? Most members go there first thing when they log in, whether they want to admit it or not... :-)
Only partialily fooling around. But, maybe a link on the main page, right under the "Daily"??

Come on everyone. Even if its only a few bucks with 3000+ members it will add up to help the site.

Just think about how much you like it here.

Here we GROW again! Past the 3000-member mark and focusing in on 4000 before too long. NECOA/ECC has achieved "critical mass" and our success will breed more success. The level of cruise nights and group attendance at car shows across the country by our members is beginning to look very impressive. It could not happen without active members and a dynamic website with all these features that make people keep coming back for more. That brings up one very hard economic rule:

"THERE AIN'T NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH!"

Or, in our case, a free website. Since Robert More has been making so many changes to reflect our member's requests and the demands of our growing organization, we should start to take the financial burden off his back. Voluntary contributions from anyone who benefitted from information off this website should provide enough funding without making it mandatory, or needing to offer "rewards" in the foreseeable future.
I would like to see a small link to this contribution page prominently displayed at the top of our home page, where the link to Cafe Press now is located. 100% of each contribution will go to support Robert's efforts, instead of just a small percentage of any profit funneled back from that vendor from mugs and T-shirts. Once this site becomes self-supporting, we will be in a much better position to discuss commercial terms with our favorite Elky vendors to display their logos and provide links to their catalogues.

Just made my donation. In addition to the shirt I mean...

:-D

Check is on the way! Keep up the good work!

so what would it take donation wise for www.ronsraceshop.com to be a sponsor?

so what would it take donation wise for www.ronsraceshop.com to be a sponsor?

Were you thinking of maybe a rotating banner

http://www.ronsraceshop.com/images/header1_02.gif

like this up top where the El Camino Central Logo Stuff banner is?

I'm sure we could work something out that would be acceptable to us all.

yuppers that banner would look nice. i good with that as long as all the members are as well

I'd like to see a discount to our members from Ron's. The Banner is fine, give the members another site with a possibility for quality parts at a discount (if Ron's can work with us on this).
Also, accuracy in prices does help, but it can be tuff keeping up with them, it would be nice to have a toll free number to call for verification.

My Zero Two!

Lee "Caveman49"

We’re a growing company and hopefully when we expand we'll try and make everything easier for you guys. As you can tell the site is far from finished but we're working on it. As of now if you guys need something or are interested in some sort of part you can e-mail me at ronjr@ronsraceshop.com with the part number you have in mind or type of product and I will try my hardest to match or beat summit and jegs prices. Some of their stuff I may not be able to beat because they’re the powerhouses of the aftermarket auto industry but hopefully in the near future that will change. Also, if any of you are interested in something we don't carry let me know and I'll get that company under our wing.

Thanks, Ron JR

Well, personally, I thought you had a great site! If you're still working on it, I can't imagine it getting much better! :-D

Made my donation today over the paypal. One question can I get a coffee mug? :lol:

Made my donation today over the paypal. One question can I get a coffee mug? :lol:

With or without coffee in it?
:P

As soon as i get a job i will donate. It is a good site!

I would like to donate and while I'm at it do one of those rankings. But I am not very sophiscated when it comes to exchanging money over the internet. In fact, I am very hesitant. Can I just send you a check to you at the address listed above?

I would like to donate and while I'm at it do one of those rankings. But I am not very sophiscated when it comes to exchanging money over the internet. In fact, I am very hesitant. Can I just send you a check to you at the address listed above?

Yes, a check is fine.

Thanks
Robert More

Morning Don. Feel free to send a donation directly to Robert More. His address is:

Robert More
104 S. Lampasas St.
Round Rock, Texas 78664

All donations go directly to support the web site. I'm sure I can speak for Robert in thanking you, as all donations are appreciated.

Guess I wasn't fast enough in responding :-)

Thanks for the response. I will get that out to you today. Again thanks for you efforts, this is truely a wonderful site and in fact the only one I look forward to everyday.

fantastic site....my paypal is on the way!!

I see this is an old topic that has been renewed, so, since I now have a new home here, I decided to chip in fpr the cause. I'll be sure to chip in on a regular basis because I do get allot of info from here and its the right thing to do. If it wasn't for this site, I'd be in some other forum surfing thru allot of BS, this one is more focused on what I'm looking for, thx for being here... :)

i just saw this is a new topic, being 8 months old. sounding like someone trying to make himself look good, i have been wanting for the past few months to contribute, but i wanted to drop the bill and get the platinum rank. not so much as to have that platinum under my name, actually i'm happy w/ my 4 wrenches. anyway, i'm gonna get on it as soon as xmas is paid off, which should be soon after, i hope. but an idea, going off of the getting a business card or something. call signing up for the site a freebee, which as i can tell acauth1 wants, which is beautiful; but make becoming a member of NECOA cost just a few dollars. (am i right in assuming that joining this site is about the only way of becoming a member? i could quite possibly be wrong, i don't know too much about it. as far as i know, i'm a member, and quite proud. i tell people all the time when they look at me funny for endlessly talking about my camino.) and maybe getting in touch w/ the guy who makes those el camino diplomas, and getting a deal set up w/ him, officially joining the NECOA and site, gets you a diploma? maybe not master of the el camino, but something else. anyway, just an idea. and as soon as the new bed's paid off (bedroom, not the important one) my contribution will be in. thanks for reading my few cents worth, assuming you made it this far. also, a site administrator should shove this thread on general BS, it seems to get a few more hits than the most.

I'm new.......and old and .....on and on...... but there is a "supporters page" listed at the top of my screen on every forum I go to. It has "PayPal" buttons for each level....."ie" Platinum, Gold, Silver and Patron. Does that money go to the same place as a check would? If so......I'll be pressing the button soon.
Thanks for all the info so far and thans for all to come!!!

Bob

...Does that money go to the same place as a check would?
Yes it does Bob.

Thanks 87ElCamino....It's on it's way

I've enjoyed the site enough!! :) Sent my contribution thru Paypal! When does my "Patron" rank show up??

There is a page on this site that includes 4 levels of contributions,patron,silver,platinum,gold with paypal.why send a check?
also there was supposed to be a membership card etc but I never got anything except the silver contributor next to my screen name. I would not be opposed to annual dues based on the date you joined the site,and make it according to the levels afore mentioned with patron being the minimum. just random thoughts,bitches,etc.

80beingbuilt wrote: also there was supposed to be a membership card etc but I never got anything

Email me at jlevitan@holycross.edu and I'll send you the Word document template and instructions. It works well, and most members that I've given it to seem to like it.

It looks like:

http://elcaminocentral.com/albums/album199/a73elkyss.jpg

email sent,THANKS!

Sent it via email this morning 80beingbuilt.

:cool:

Im a non-addicted user of ECC, but i enjoy the ride. Im digging in the shallow pockets for you.
the calendars are cool, i would love to see some new tshirts, the only thing im missing here is "girls with elky" photos.
seriously, I appreciate the site, the knowledge, the friends, and the administrator.
i prefer to donate leisurely, rather than pay dues. when im not browsing this site, im working to pay for my money pit...(a 77 elky).
please look forward to a donation banner next to my name and keep helping myself, and people like me, who sometimes have stupid questions.
what a nice group of people I have found here!!!

I'm reviving this thread in the General BS forum because I think it'll get more exposure here. As everyone who comes here on a daily basis already knows, the site is getting slower and is sometimes completely off line. Read this announcement from Robert More for more information about that.

http://elcaminocentral.com/article-210--0-0.html

If you want to help keep this site going, please make any contribution that you can afford to ECC. Donate any amount you wish. It doesn't have to be alot. But with over 9000 registered members we should be able to raise enough cash to upgrade the server and keep the site afloat. Here is a link to the
SUPPORTERS PAGE (http://elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=5).

Thank you!

As Ernie (87ElCamino) has written above and Robert More has also stated, the website is having severe problems keeping up with demand from our members and visitors. Over the past three weeks, many members have not been able to log in due to the traffic overloading our inadequate servers.

Just so everyone understands the extent of the problem, please consider these facts:

* We have 9467 members of NECOA/ECC who have 703 member albums

* The site has about 535 "hits" per hour on average; or 5868 per day.

* Today there were 18,725 hits and the total since launching is over 22 million hits

* Members have made 129,510 posts, spread out over 20,642 topics.

It is essential that new servers be added to keep up with demand or we will be unable to support our members. Please remember that this website is the personal property of Robert More, who volunteers his time and money to build and maintain the site that we depend upon. We cannot continue to ask him to take time away from his business and family to constantly make repairs and restore the site from overuse any longer.

Every member is requested to make some contribution, no matter how small, to keep the site functioning, so that we don't have to resort to charging everyone annual dues to access the site. Those of you who have a PayPal account can click on this link to make your contribution right away in a safe fashion. This is the link under Forums, to go to the Supporters Page:

http://elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=5

If you do not have PayPal, please mail your check or money order directly to the Site Administrator, Robert More, at the following address:

Mr. Robert More
c/o A/C Authority
104 S. Lampasas Street
Round Rock, Texas 78664

Please note on your check "ECC contribution."

Thank you all for helping this site remain the best auto resource on the web. Please make that contribution NOW!!!

After seeing 82 Elco`s forum asking for help in Region 6 (Fl.) I sent in a platinum membership through Pay Pal.It`s easy and painless.Thanks to you that have sent in a donation and hope you others will help a really great site continue to help us all.

Hey thanks Lenny. I've been reading some responses. Big thanks to all that have stepped up thus far. I received a confirmation email from Robert.

For the record... Robert asks that you please provide him with your user name. Your Necoa # in addition to your name so that he can update our profile information.

I think we'll get there.


BTW... Lenny. I like your quote. I think I've been in the wasn't that fun category a time or two. :D

I think you are about to see a whole bunch of folks step up to the plate from all over the country. This is going to be a dynamite site.

OK 2000 members x $5.00 that's $10,000.00 and I don't care what you have given in the past.
We need a new computer -- NOW!

Go for the dues later.

Agree! My payment was sent via paypal less than a week ago. TTT for a great forum and important topic.

Of course I haven't got my sponsorship label. But it's done.

OK 2000 members x $5.00 that's $10,000.00 and I don't care what you have given in the past.
We need a new computer -- NOW!

Go for the dues later.

I think some sort of dues might be a good idea, but I'll leave that to the board members. Either way, I'll continue my support.

If we have 10,000 members (close enough) and 1/2 are not active, alive or numb, that leaves 5,000 x $5.00. Not a bad system.

Just a note to say that my money order donation will go into the U.S. Mail tomorrow. Hope to send more later. Thanks for all you do. Life wouldn't
be the same without the site.

Hey gang,
I'm an old codger, retired and on a fixed income but I just Paypaled in 50 bucks to help keep this place going----I consider that a fine investment for the return I get from here---you guys are special friends I sure don't want to lose...............Dan

P.S. the link to the contributors page did not work ---at least for me....