It has been over a month and a half since we launched our fundraiser project, and we're happy to announce that it has been a rousing success. This doesn't mean that we're completely out of the weeds (a project like ours never truly will be), but it does mean that we've secured funding for at least a few months longer barring any unforeseen challenges. Because of the show of support you've made, we'd now like to express a few words.
What.CD is a collective endeavor, and the quality of this endeavor is dependent upon all of us and not any one of us. That said, when we made our donation plea, we were admittedly hesitant to ask the community directly for help. While drafting our sitewide request, we were reminded that the primary source of our pride--and the reason we volunteer for this job--is our userbase. From the community staff down to our newest members, so many users take it upon themselves to contribute to the site by offering up rare uploads, creating perfect rips, scribing thoughtful forum posts, brainstorming new projects, drafting useful reports, sustaining seeds and more. In the wake of this fundraiser, we've also seen how this community is willing to rush to What.CD's aid with great heart and ample generosity in the site's darkest hour. The best way to express our gratitude and appreciation is perhaps the simplest: thank you.
We'd also like to offer special thanks to traveling, without whom this fundraiser wouldn't have been possible. Known by many as What.CD's unofficial 't-shirt monster', traveling has always been one of the site's most ardent supporters.
And now a few notes about topics related to donating, merchandise and the fundraiser:
Donating: Donations remain essential, as financial support from our userbase is the only way the site can continue operating in the future. As always, please consider donating if you have money to spare. This is a link to the donation page. We accept Flattr and bitcoin donations.
Flattr: We understand that Flattr seems difficult to use, but it also offers a number of benefits, particularly where security is concerned. If you'd like to learn more about donating with Flattr, please read the wiki article. If you'd like to donate a lump sum after having logged into your Flattr account, please go here.
Donor status (Flattr): Some of you still haven't had your donation status applied, particularly Flattr donors. Rest assured, it's coming! Remember: lump sum donations are anonymous, and if you want donor status you'll still need to send us a Staff PM including your transaction details. Please title the PM "Flattr Donation" or something similar.
Buying merchandise: While traveling has stepped down from his role as our t-shirt provider, there's still a chance for you to pick up the What.CD merch he poured his heart into making as long as it's in stock, including the limited edition Christmas t-shirt. Stock is very limited. Once the remaining inventory has been depleted, current designs will be retired.
Donation Koozie [Donor Status: Yes]
Christmas Rippy T-Shirt [Donor Status: Yes] (Stock: All except mediums)*
Gazelle T-Shirt [Donor Status: No] (Stock: Only X-large sizes remain)*
Question Mark T-Shirt [Donor Status: No] (Stock: Only large and XXX-large sizes remain)*
*At the time of this posting.
Accessing the merch store: We're aware that some users have had difficulty accessing the links over the last month. The easiest solution is to anonymize the links by adding "http://anonym.to/?" before the URL. As an example, the current store page -
http://whatshirts.portmerch.com/ - would become anonym.to - free dereferer service after the change. Another solution is to try different browsers, as some users have reported that this helps.
Donor status (merchandise): If you've made a koozie or Christmas t-shirt purchase, the fastest way to receive donor status is to send a staff PM. In the PM, please include either a screenshot or pasted text illustrating your transaction details, including (at a minimum) the items you purchased and your total. Please title the PM "Merchandise Donation", "Koozie Donation" or something similar.
Customer support: Port Merchandise handles billing, customer support and shipping of What.CD merchandise. If anyone has any concerns about their purchases, we suggest that they contact Port Merchandise directly. Port Merchandise has a customer support page located here. This page can answer basic questions, and it also links to a form for contacting the company.
That's all for now, everyone. From the bottom of our hearts, thanks again. Oh, and stay tuned for another announcement heading your way soon. It seems that there might be a new 'monster' around the corner...
