ahhhh, you're back!

Leaf, I thought yesterday that something terrible might happened to you, like being �arrested� for taking photos of a public building, or using a tripod in London, or anything that terrible! 

Glad to see that it is not the case!

Another thought could be to have a voluntary donation.. with perhaps a little 'perk' for 'paid members' like a 'members lounge' area of the forum.. for uhhh... members only discussion ... things we only wanted to discuss amoungst ouselves!   ... or perhaps have a perk as only paid members are allowed to have a forum signature (and thus referral links)...   anyhow for the time being things will remain the same.

Just a �Voluntary donation� button is perfect for me (with a Paypal link), no need to have anything special for now!

Thanx
Claude

OK.. for an update here.

I have added a 'support the site' link on the top.  It is not really much new at all, but there will be a 'paid members' area of the forum... for I am not sure what type of discussion, but perhaps it will be useful... i had to think of some sort of perk to give.

One of the better ideas however, is that I have decided that every 'membership' fee that is paid will first go to support a kiva loan.  If you don't know what that is, check it out here
http://www.kiva.org
Once the kiva loan has been repaid - the funds will be withdrawn and used to support microstockgroup.  I have wanted to find a way to support a number of kiva loans and perhaps this is one way.  I have set the membership fee to $25 /year - since that is the amount a kiva loan costs - I hope that is not too much.  Feel free to let me know your thoughts. 

Otherwise there is the regular referral links, and advertising info on that page... i guess you can see it for yourselves.

But as I stated earlier.. The site is going to remain free.  The membership is purely voluntary -  there may be features in the future for paid members but the information, forums and regular site will always be free.

and lastly.
You can check out the microstockgroup kiva page
HERE

Leaf,

That's a really cool idea.  Last time I checked Kiva, they were not needing contributors - go figure!  That was due to the huge advertisement they had received, which brought many helpers in a short time.  I checked and they are open for contribution now.

Regards,
Adelaide

yeah they were featured on Oprah, and Bill Clinton also gave them a few promo's .. immediatly after that they had more lenders than people needing a loan.  They limited the amount people could loan for a while (to try and catch up).. and now seem to be back to 'normal'

Leaf,  I don't use paypal,  I still collect by check......  I suppose that it is inevitable that I must get a paypal account up and running and as soon as I do, I will gladly kick in $25.

MSG has been invaluable to me in my entrance into the microstock world.  This is the ONLY forum that I belong to. It is the only one I've ever found worthwhile.

Thanks for your efforts, sir!!   And thanks to all of you that have helped me!! =tom

I think idea of microstock funding microloans is a pretty cool idea.

Leaf,

I learned about this site from a posting by Flemish on the GS forums. I've been here every since. I've found it a valuable resource not only about the artistry of microstock, which I am still learning, but also about the eccentricities of the various sites. I've also read much from the other folks around here that is just plain interesting. The conversations are often spirited, but rarely turn obnoxious. It is refreshing to be amongst a group people who can have different opinions but do not generally flame one another. And now we find that you have a big heart, too. The site just keeps getting better and more comfortable, kind of like a nice warm pair of slippers on a cold morning.

Thanks a bunch for all your efforts. They are appreciated.

Thanks Leaf. I really like the Kiva idea. I just donated