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Fundometer

What is a Fundometer? That's our clever little name for the fundraising meter that appears on thousands of pages throughout the site! That's right: we're fundraising! Yes, we know that maybe we could've picked a better time (plus maybe a more conventional name for the meter). Why bother doing things the easy way, right? In any event, we can use your support more than ever and we hope that you'll take some time to read through this page, maybe bookmark it for easy access down the road and so on and so forth. Now, let the FAQ section begin!

Q: Why does a site like HonestGamers need money to operate?

We need money to operate because sites don't stay online for nothing and content doesn't come free. There are server costs, expenses for promotion and much more.

Q: Doesn't ad revenue generate enough money to cover costs?

There are some months where ad revenue does indeed cover our costs of operation. Unfortunately, those months don't come along as often as one might hope. In the interim, we have to find other ways to cover those expenses.

Q: Just do play the Devil's advocate role here, does it really cost $5,000 a year to run the site?

Current costs to run the site are below $5,000 a year. There's no need for the follow-up question, though (which we imagine must be "So why are you trying to hit that target?"). We are aiming for $5,000 a year because building the site up to its current level cost a lot of money along the way, money that now has been joined by interest and other fees. These expenses keep us from easily investing in the site's current operational fluctuations. They keep us from investing more heavily in our talent. They keep us from investing in promotion that will allow us to grow more quickly. Until the existing debt goes away, we're going to have to fight much harder than we should to gain any traction.

Q: Why should I care if you gain any traction?

There are many sites online that provide regular game coverage, including news and reviews. We realize that. We also feel that HonestGamers offers things those others sites don't, including a review-centric community where those who wish to improve as critics will be able to do so while perhaps making some awesome friends along the way. Hopefully, you're already taking advantage of all of that. Now imagine if there was more of all of it: more staff members producing great content, more exclusive news stories and more timely reviews... more of everything you love. We think you'll agree with us when we say that such a situation would be truly awesome!

Q: Okay, so what can I do to help?

If you really enjoy the site, if you believe in its future and you would like to contribute to an online destination that entertains you, informs you and engages you, we hope that you'll consider making a financial donation by way of PayPal. It's a well-known service that allows you to send us money that we can then allocate as needed most, something we've already been doing but that we can do even more effectively with your generous assistance. Here's a handy link for your use:

Remember that we're happy for any donation that we receive. Whether you have $1 to spare or $100, a euro or a British pound or something else entirely, we appreciate your monetary support.

Q: What if I can't spare the money to donate directly? Are there other options?

Some people aren't ready to donate outright, but there's good news: you can buy things for yourself at popular online merchants and it'll help HonestGamers in the process. We'll update the meter accordingly, so you'll see the effects. Merchant links are available throughout the site, particularly on game profile pages. Here are links for two of the merchants that we feel will interest the broadest variety of our visitors. Clicking either link will take you to the appropriate merchant site and will ensure that we receive proper credit if you make any purchases.

Play-Asia
If you have games and other entertainment imports (including idol DVDs and Blu-Rays, popular movies and more), Play-Asia is a great place to stop. You can find region-free movie players, foreign films and much more. Play-Asia costs a little bit more but ships to many locations throughout the world. This ensures that you can purchase items that might not otherwise be available to you! And of course, HonestGamers benefits!

Amazon.com
You can buy games for shipment within the United States while enjoying low prices and (in some cases) free shipping! Old games and new are both available, but you don't have to stop with games! Amazon.com features many other items of interest to gamers, including books and music, movies and even clothing. Any purchase made through the affiliate link will benefit HonestGamers.

The important thing is to remember to stop by HonestGamers first when you want to shop online. We love it when you buy the stuff you wanted anyway and we get affiliate checks. The fundometer loves it, too!

Q: I'm interested in contributing, but I don't want to give you something for nothing and I don't shop online. Am I out of luck?

Not necessarily! If you own a business that could benefit from banner advertising on HonestGamers, we may be able to work something out. You should view our information about advertising with HonestGamers to see if your site may qualify.

Sponsorships are also an option at the rates cited for banner ads. If you don't necessarily want to advertise but you'd like to sponsor the site's content, we'll be happy to hear from you. The site can even run without banner ads if you'd like it (users would surely think highly of you). You'd be getting positive exposure that even ad blocking software wouldn't be able to ignore.

Q: None of the above sounds particularly good, but I'm still interested in helping with the fundraising and I have an idea that you might like. What should I do?

If you have a suggestion, comment or idea, we'll be happy to hear from you. Just use the site's contact form and someone will get back to you with a response or additional information as warranted.

Q: If you're unable to meet your fundraising targets, should I expect the site to close?

There are currently no plans to shut down the site. That's true whether we meet our fundraising goals or not. We're merely making this push because although we believe that the site is already a fantastic resource, we're confident that we can make it even better. If that ever changes and our financial situation puts the site's continued existence at risk, rest assured that we will inform you well in advance of any closure and that we will continue to look for alternatives right up to the very moment that the site disappears into the ether. That's all worst-case scenario talk, naturally. The short answer is that we're not going anywhere.

Thank you for attentively reading through the above information. If you still have any questions, please use the site contact form and we'll get back to you as possible. Even if you're not able to contribute anything more than your smiling face, we appreciate your support and hope to see you around the site for many years to come!

HG 2009 Fundraising Progress: $348 / $2500 (14%)

Click to learn about the Fundometer or to advertise.

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