[Forum News]

[Zenith]

Dear fellow guildies

Before I say anything else, I'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks to those who have donated thus far, some of whom give generously time after time. However, sadly the level of donations we currently receive doesn't reach the level we need to keep the forums running for any huge length of time. The forums aren't free (only my services in maintaining them are free, we still have hosting, software and domain renewal costs), and more so than ever I'm unable to support them myself as I've done in the past because both Wolfstar and I are out of work.

With this in mind, and after some lengthy discussion with Inner Council members some changes are going to be implemented to hopefully encourage new donators and provide some small thank you to those who do donate for the benefit of the guild. Whilst I appreciate that not everybody is in a position to give, I and other IC members do feel that the number of people donating regularly is disappointingly small in relation to the size of the guild.

The changes thus far are as follows -

* Donators will now have a special 'VIP Member' badge under their names as a prominent thank you on behalf of us all.
* The biggest change is that the arcade will now be closed to everyone but donators.
* PM storage limit has been increased for donators from 100 to 250.

The arcade has also had its scores reset.

There may also be other additions available for donators in the future, just so you know this is, to use a formal term, 'subject to change'.

How to donate

Donations are done through Paypal, you can make a donation by clicking here or using the link at the top of the forums list on the index. There are 3 options - a monthly automatic payment of £2.00 for continual access, a one off payment of £6.00 for 6 months access, and a one off payment of £20 for 12 months access.

For those who can't or don't donate for whatever reason, I hope you will understand that this is a necessary step to secure the web presence the whole guild has enjoyed for years. The aim here isn't to exclude anyone, but to provide an incentive to help us stay online. Nobody will lose any basic forum functionality, and the photo hosting remains free.

The only other possible choice to raise funds was to plaster the forums with advertisements, which nobody wants to see happen.

Thanks all for your understanding.