[Phishblowz]

donations make the free sites free...if the expense of the site was completely out-of-pocket for admin, who the hell would want to run a site

I think the joy of knowing you contributed to the site should suffice (though I would love to see t-shirts...maybe hats too) but if you are a flag-waver and need to be acknowledged for what you do, maybe add an "I donated to ttd" on their header...but as far as ratio credits for money...I don't see how it matters without an enforcement of ratio requirements, so I guess I wouldn't care...but I know other sites have ratio requirements and your account is checked after every so many gb dl'd, and donations add to the amount of gb you can dl before a ratio check from admin...in a case where folks donate money to get around a ratio enforcement, I think that's weak, not to mention the fact that it becomes an ethical nightmare...if a ratio is enforced, it should be required that you keep up with it, and not just throw money at it to make it go away, otherwise it would be like buying access to the bootlegs (which goes against what we do)

where we are allowed complete access for free, you are not at any time selling anything or offering anything of illgotten gain from the donations received, so what you do to thank the monetary helpers is up to you...you need not explain yourself and your financial dealings in relation to the site...if I didn't have faith that this place was on the up and up, I wouldn't be here...you have my full confidence with how you spend the donations...fear not

just whatever you do, please don't offer any "exclusive areas or torrents" for donaters, because that would make the donations seem more of a payment for access than a contribution in good faith...

direwolf-pgh said "Money for ratio credit is bullshit - that is a hustle." but this is really only true if the ratio was a requirement for membership...and according to other forums that is not (nor will be anytime soon) the case here, so if you wanna toss some ratio credit so the donater can feel better about himself, then go for it...it's really an insignificant number anyway, so it doesn't make a difference...but if you ban folks at a .50 ratio (or whatever) and they can override that and continue to rape the bandwidth because they paid you to leave them alone about it, that would be a bit of a hustle...so if you plan to enforce a ratio, please don't give out credits (to avoid seeming inappropriate) but if ratios are just for shits and giggles then feel free to throw em a bone...it don't matter to me in the slightest...but I still say a hat or t-shirt is the way to go, because you can technically charge whatever you like (PBS style) for it, and we actually get something to show for our contribution without feeling like we donated for status symbols...besides, the publicity couldn't hurt

but what do I know I just know I trust you to make the best judgment call you can make, and although there will always be those who disagree with you, including myself from time to time (I still love ya though) I know in my heart that you do what you do with the best of intentions and I wouldn't hold it against you...

while I'm at it I would like to take a minute to say thanks for creating a place where we can all get together and share this stuff (as well as our opinions) it can get crazy sometimes, but all in all, there's a lot of good folks and great opinions here...I have learned alot from the forums here, and my collection has benefitted greatly from this place too...so thanx a million for everything...you're the best...hope my opinions help you with your concerns, I'm sure you'll make the best decision possible...or at least the most respectable decision possible, and that's good enough for me...keep up the good work

and to speak briefly on zombfuckingsucks' comment about selling "perks"...if the "perks" are only for the purpose of appearance and don't actually give you any additional access to anything then you can't really consider it a sale or exchange...it's kinda like saying if you do me a favor, I'll be your best friend...it's really just a charitable service, but technically speaking, you received something for the service (friendship) as was bargained for beforehand...a sale IMHO has to actually requires a tangible gift of value in return for the payment...this would only be the case if the ratio had a required level to be maintained, or if there was access to new areas or torrents...if the only thing you get is a pat on the back, I can't hardly consider that sales...and as far as merchandise goes, you can announce that as outright sales because the merchandise is legit, and you could put all profits toward the site and not be harassed for profitting on illegitimate recordings, as they remain free and open to all members regardless of whether or not they donate