Support 3Reef Sponsors I'm a CPA so I believe in full disclosure. I don't have any financial interest in 3Reef, I don't know Matt personally, I don't know any of the financial details of 3Reef. To emphasize this point, both Jason (Jackets) and Scott (Szidls) can tell you I've put up posts like this on other boards too.
With those disclosures out of the way, I can tell you that I've been highly involved in numerous boards so I know how they work financially. Us members get everything for free, sponsors cover most expenses, and the owner usually covers the shortfall out of their own pocket. I'm not saying that this is happening here....I don't know any details. I'm just sharing my experiences. It's also been my experience that most Board owners have no desire to make a lot of money off of it as they do it for the hobby. They would like for it to break-even though so they don't have to pony-up money each month.
If you value a forum like 3Reef, when you buy something online, buy from a sponsor if at all possible. However, make sure you click-through one of their banner ads or an ad from the sponsors page so they know the sale came from supporting 3Reef. For instance, right now I'm looking at a banner ad for a sponsor. I could easily go to their web page by directly typing their URL in the browser window but then that sponsor would have no idea how I heard of them. The amount of traffic a sponsor gets through click-throughs determines how long they remain a sponsor. The more sponsors, the more additional features can be added to the board. It's that simple. _________ Curt |