Set the record straight

[txteach]

I feel the need to set the record straight. I have read elsewhere on the internet that our site asks for donations "almost monthly" to help pay the expenses here. I wanted to inform the person/people who believe that nonsense that they are mistaken. This site has NEVER solicited me through email or any other way for donations. We have a raffle with cool prizes, oh, and the prizes are far from a ton of CTVT figures. I hate writing this post but I felt the need to set the record straight. I don't want this to get into a flame war or any crap like that.
I for one feel that this site is run very well and believe it or not would happy pay to help out if needed. I think I'd have a TON more than 15 people who feel the same.

MY 2 CENTS. If they admins feel this is inappropriate feel free to edit/delete. I'm going on emotion here.

[Sideshow Spock]

Once every month or so, palitoy emails me requesting various bodily fluids, some locks of hair, and any recent fingernail clippings. He doesn't say what they're for, just that it's important to the site that he gets them.

I do what I can.

[kennermike]

Palitoy calls me every once a year for Blood samples.I never ask what its for!

[jwyblejr]

If they start to ask for stool samples,run.

[DocDrako]

I've been here since 04 and have never been asked for a penny. If the Museum asked for donations, I would give as much as I could afford to insure it never went away. Might not be a mint, but I'd do the best I could. So if they were asking for donations monthly, I'd be sending them monthly. None of my records show that this is happening though.

THEY HAVE NEVER ASKED ME FOR MONEY in almost 5 years. Take that, rumor-starters!

[thunderbolt]

Gee lemme guess where these rumors are going around.

[Gorn Captain]

Stupid people start stupid rumours. I think we all know where this crap comes from.
I wouldn't worry about it, guys. Those people just have little else to do than pick on others. Their lives are empty and meaningless.
If they envy us, that means we have a great thing going, and they don't.

Btw: I would donate to the MM in a heartbeat. Without being forced to. Every evening I spend on the forum is a night that I don't have to pay an overpriced hooker. It keeps me off the street. I get no nasty diseases. It's a win-win situation...

[Hulk]

The idea for the raffle came from the members here, and were initially supported by sellers donating goods and other members buying tickets in order to support the museum. It was a community idea, and was never solicited by the people who had been bearing the costs.

It has grown into two events held once a year coinciding with Mego Meet into a Custom Auction where customizers donate their hard work in the form of their collectible art, and The Raffle. The raffle lets everyone contribute items and buy tickets for what has become an amazing outpouring of love for a website that actually contributes to the community in the form of knowledge, mass communication, friendship and much more.

Outside of these two events, there is no solicitation of donations or raffle tickets, etc. The only other source of revenue is the Amazon link, as far as I know.

Funny thing is, the costs for running a proboards hosted forum with a few small galleries with stolen pictures versus a self hosted site that actually generates traffic aren't even in the same neighborhood. I don't begrudge someone trying to recover some of the costs they might bear, but let's put some perspective on it. Paid webmasters are a luxury item, when any large community of people of our age group collectively have the knowledge to create dozens of sites related to this hobby (whether they be sales sites, blogs, or just collection related photography sites).

Then again, what do you expect from people who have less useful galleries than when they actually bought the site, inflates attendance claims annually about a 6 year old event from under 200 to over 1000, discourages people from attending the only annual gatherings of Megoheads to be held in the past 5 years, and dismissed the most serious book about Megos (which is also widely considered one of the best collectible books about toys in recent years) as too expensive and not worth buying?

[AUSSIE-Rebooted-AMM]

We love it here. . . .we play. . . .we contribute. . . .we share. . . . .and if there was a need for funds. . . . .and a call to members. . . . I have no doubt enough would be generated to run the site for several years.

Fortunately, the team and family here have things well in hand, that allows for fun on a daily basis. . . . at no cost. . . and no pleas for funds. . . .everything here. . . .just WORKS. . . .to everyones benefit!

[The Toyroom]

Then again, what do you expect from people who have less useful galleries than when they actually bought the site, inflates attendance claims annually about a 6 year old event from under 200 to over 1000, discourages people from attending the only annual gatherings of Megoheads to be held in the past 5 years, and dismissed the most serious book about Megos (which is also widely considered one of the best collectible books about toys in recent years) as too expensive and not worth buying?

And don't forget that the news about the Mattel WGSH line is little more than a blurb over there...you can almost hear the crickets chirping.