Edit:
I'm simply blown away with you goats. I was expecting a somber farewell in this thread but instead you've done the exact opposite; pulled off a rally at the bottom of the 9th. On a personal note, and this may seem sentimental, but you have given me a new hope for Voat at very dark time for me.
All I can say now is: Let's do this! I think your message is clear. We have a ton of work to do, a short window in which to do it, and I fully understand I can't do it alone. We will need all hands on deck if Voat is to have any chance at survival.
I will post the plans I have for Voat as well as a status update on your contributions by Monday.
P.S. Old goats, be nice to the new kids. ;)
Original Post
As I sit here about to write one of the most difficult announcements yet, I was just reminded that my account is one month shy of three years old. Nearly three years ago I came here from Reddit when the vote counts disappeared and I felt I could no longer trust what I saw. Nearly three years ago I met @Atko and started contributing code because I believed in him, his mission, and what he was doing. So much has happened during these last three years.
I know a lot of you are new, but Voat has been through a wild ride, and never at any point was it an easy one. My memories are bittersweet when it comes to Voat. I’ve sacrificed the best years of my life for Voat, I’ve lost my business partner whom I miss a lot, I’ve lost people in my life, I’ve given up golf which was my passion, and even with all this I still believe in Voat. I still see the dire need for Free Speech in this world, I fear a world without it, and I still will do anything I can to continue providing it.
But alas, I am powerless to keep Voat running without financial support. As of right now Voat has no solid commitments. Voat has always needed a financial partner whom had balls of steel and backing deep enough to give Voat the capabilities to run as an actual business (being able to hire staff and set itself apart from its competitors), not just a one man show. Potential investors have one or the other of these traits, but we have yet to find one with both. In this day and age, this is Voat’s unicorn.
In the past Voat has been lucky enough to be part of special programs designed for startup companies which gave us free licensing on various products and significantly reduced hosting costs. These programs have since expired and we are now paying full costs. Last month was our first non-discounted month on Azure and the usage was $6,600.90 USD. Donations, ads, and merchandise only put a dent in this and this is the primary reason why we have not launched another merchandise run. And begging for donations was always something we hated doing.
I’m writing this announcement to prepare this community, and the Voat family, for the possibility of a closure. I’m not certain on timing and I have too much invested in this place to give up just yet, so I cannot provide any timelines. In the meantime, I will soon be scaling back all Voat’s servers by at least 50%. I will also turn off some features that are resource intensive.
Voat needs funding. Without it, Voat will be no more.
Voat needs an Angel
Canary
https://voat.co/v/announcements/1330806
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Zanbato ago
I would consider donating, but think about this. I have been on the site almost 4 months, at least everyday doing something here. talking or view adnroid/tech/computer/food stuff. I still can't upvote more than 10 posts a day, I can't downvote at all. Why? Because I don't circle jerk around pizzagate sub talking about how Podesta is #1 pedofile,
This site is basically just a glorified the_donald subreddit into a full site. If you have different opinions, you can't participate fully. So, no I won't donate
Artofchoke ago
Lol. Aside from the pedos, I have the most unpopular opinions here. You certainly can participate fully, if you are willing to put forth ANY fucking effort. You're lazy, and entitled. The vast majority of us blocked Pizzagate the day they arrived. It's too hostile here for you, and that's fine. But don't blame the site when the issue is you.
Zanbato ago
the site caters to only people who have the very similar mindset (the_donald/antiSJW/White Rights/RedPill/etc) So basically, if you aren't one of these people, you will never have a full account unless you post porn or something. I still find the site useful for some content, its just a glorified echo-chamber, since user with different opinions won't be able to influence content. With Reddit at least I can vote on a lot of the crap that I see. (ironic site name also btw)
Artofchoke ago
I ain't into any of that shit. Until people who aren't so... rabid, for lack of a better word, until normal people grow spines and come here and challenge that, the population is going to stay the same. Bring OC, bring interesting shit. Tolerate being disliked, sally fucking forth.
Zanbato ago
Just looked at your post history and lol.
I don't mind being disliked, but I don't have the ability to vote on content because I don't "fit the mold" here.
Artofchoke ago
Do an introduction post. Post some innocuous shit to funny, or aww. It's very quick.
Then you can rain your reeking pessimism down on everyone, and they'll be helpless to stop you! (Comic villain laugh goes here) ♡