p2pnet not for sale: update II
p2pnet news view P2P:- Since my last update my wife, Liz, and daughter, Emma, and I have been talking a lot about what we can do and what we can’t do, and what it’ll mean to us as a family, to keep p2pnet online.
Filesharers belong to a P2P community and p2pnet.net serves as a part of that. It’s a voice among the growing swell of other voices promoting honesty, respect, openness and freedom online, and that’s the way we want things to continue.
“It was looking as though this coming Yuletide season might have been the last for p2pnet,” I posted last Wednesday. “But Christmas has come early, I said.
“Cliff Haerden, who runs MultiBox.be in Belgium and who`s also a p2pnet regular, is donating a server, with all the bells and whistles. And that means p2pnet will keep on truckin`. 
”
And when I continued, “I`m still looking for $2K a month to supplement the ad income, but I may have a way to deal with that too”, I was thinking about a loan and we were successful, which means we can now get through until March or April next year.
So p2pnet is now officially off the market.
And on that, interestingly, of the enquiries which arrived, more came from Russia than anywhere else. I guess they don’t have the same constraints there as we do. 
Be that as it may, none of the suitors wanted to identify themselves or say what their plans would’ve been for the site had they become the new owners.
Pass.
I also talked with a well-known net personality who’s been involved with online content distribution since the beginning. Unlike the Russians, he told me exactly what he had in mind, and maybe we’ll be able to connect in some other way.
‘ … threatened to close down p2pnet … ‘
In a post on Rupert Murdoch’s ideas about the value of online content, “Jon, you also believe your ‘content’ or ‘product’ is worth money and have recently threatened to close down p2pnet if people don`t start paying up,” said an anonymous (as usual) comment. “Yet you have never paid anyone who has written articles for you which had helped you earn your salary from your former anonymous benefactor. Are you a hypocrite? Yes you are. Please respond intelligently.”
I’ve had a few other thoughts like that expressed in Readers’ Writes, as well as in emails, and I answered »»»
Did you see my post that I might have to close p2pnet down as a threat? That suggests it means something to you.
I get up at 3:00 every morning, answer emails and stuff until around 4:00, and then post until around noon. Then I spend another hour or so working offline. And I often log back on again for an hour or two in the later afternoon. Just like now. Not only but also, I now work on a2f2a.com. Every day. For free. And I make and receive phone calls related to both sites. And I`m a husband and home-schooling father. I used to be an amateur musician as well, but I don`t have time for that any more.
This isn`t about content, or how much it is or isn`t worth. I`m not demanding payment. I honestly believe I`m providing something that`s needed and I`m asking for help to keep on doing that,
I posted `p2pnet: close to collapse` seven days ago. How much as come in? $376.03, after PayPal has deducted its fee. So if I say (very conservatively) I worked for 8 hours a day for six days, that`s about $7.80 an hour. But please don`t think I`m belittling that. I`m not.
And I haven`t mentioned the lawsuits. One was entirely pro bono, and one wasn`t, and it cost me a lot of money I had to borrow and still haven`t paid back. It would have been more had it not been for the $2,000 readers donated. And we`ve contributed our own savings over the years. So now we don`t have savings.
I thought I`d had it when I made that first post, but with Cliff on board, and a lot of thinking, my wife and I believe we may have a way to keep going until the end of March. That`ll give me breathing space, and thanks to Rogan, we`ll also be re-jigging the site which will, I think, make a big difference.
As for paying contributors, I`d love to and now I have someone to work with Cliff it`s possible a project I`ve had in mind for five years might be fired up. If it does and it works, it`ll be an earner and I`ll not not only be able to pay contributors, I`ll be able to hire a writer, and maybe two.
Keeping on keeping on
The biggest problem with keeping a site up is ISP and host costs. But thanks to Cliff, hosting is taken care of, and ISP dollars are a fairly small expense.
We’ll worry about loan repayments and other things when we need to.
But I’ll be leaving the donations button up for the time being.
I’m very, very grateful to the people who’ve put their hands in their pockets to help me out. The amount is still at $376.03 and although their contributions are valuable, it’s clear the only way I’m going to be able to keep going is by attracting more ads.
Rogan will be re-designing the site and Ken Baron, a professional New York advertising consultant who’s helped me before, will be coming back as the p2pnet advertising manager.
In We are the walrus, I said »»»
I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
That`s from The Beatles` 1967 song I Am The Walrus. The attribution is to both Paul McCartney and John Lennon, but the words are Lennon`s and for me, they sum up what the net is all about.
Peers to peers. People 2 people. Sharing. Caring.
P2P.
Finally, as I also said somewhere else, p2pnet.net stopped being a personal blog a long time ago. It’s now a community resource and one way or another, it’ll keep on truckin’.
Cheers! And all the best…
Jon
If p2pnet has value for you, help me keep it online. Cheers! And thanks : )
(If you don`t fancy online payments, please email me at p2pnet @ shaw dot ca and I`ll send you my snail-mail address.)
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
November, 2009
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November 29th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I am one of those writers for p2pnet who doesn’t get paid for her contribution. I don’t in any way see Jon’s efforts to earn a living off of this site as hypocrisy, even though he’s profiting to some extent off of the (unpaid) work of others. I believe, and have explained as much here and elsewhere, that we must find ways to make the free and open spread of information not only possible but feasible–and that means we need some people to devote their workdays to gathering, writing about, formatting, and circulating information. I have another job already, and besides, I have not a single entrepreneurial bone in my body. I could never carry off what Jon does. For his contribution to making information open and free, I will gladly donate what I have to give–not money but writing. Not money but a public voice, and a willingness to help direct traffic to this space. If it helps, I will also click on ads. From each according to her ability, right?
November 29th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I am happy you are able to keep going Jon. In the future, if I can donate more, I will. I am finally starting a job on Tuesday after being without work for over a year. I know what you are going through, and I wish I could do more.
A quick note about the people who “Reader’s Write” comments, especially someone like the one who stated this: “Are you a hypocrite? Yes you are. Please respond intelligently.”
“Please respond intelligently”, these are people who have nothing better to do except post negative comments, and try to ruin everyone else’s hopes, and of course are too afraid to even say who they are…it’s always annonymous.
Again, it is great to hear you will be online for some more time, and I do hope the plans you have work out. Have a great holiday season, and I am sure 2010 will bring great things.
Sincerely,
Glenn Davis (aka Sir Sabre, as I am not afraid to post who I am
)
November 29th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
This is amazing Jon, you have now experienced EXACTLY what the creative minds in the movie and music industry have experienced for more than a decade, thanks to the majority of your readers.
Congratulations. We hope it will add to more balanced reporting.
Maybe, somewhere down the road, you can assist upcoming artists and creative minds in collecting some goods or cash for them too!!!
I’m sure that the Lord will then go and open his gates for you again.
November 29th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Poor Jon, almost afraid to beg for money, and we all know why. Spending so much time to convince himself and others that it is easy to build a community, a society, on the basis of free.
November 29th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
@ Jenna:
“From each according to her ability, right?
Absolutely. And you have tremendous ability and clarity of thought. It’s great that you’re willing to allow me to publish you here.
Really.
Thanks.
And Cheers!
November 29th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Jon, you have to admit, you are only WRITING a freaking BLOG and cannot even cope. What about people who have to ask recording studios for help. Pay to rent a video camera? Or when they need to buy some movie props?
Ideas are great. Realizing them sometimes costs money. Writing about them apparently too.
Do not freak out about people simply asking to be paid for their hard work. Do not freak when those people feel sad when others go and copy it, not so much to enjoy it, but simply to make lots of money themselves.
Learn to differentiate.
November 29th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
@ Glenn:
“I am finally starting a job on Tuesday after being without work for over a year.”
I hope the jobs works out for you, and happy hols to you too, mate.
Cheers!
November 29th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
@ Mafiaa
“Maybe, somewhere down the road, you can assist upcoming artists and creative minds in collecting some goods or cash for them too!!!”
That’s what’s already happening over at a2f2a.com, the site I started with Billy Bragg. The bottom line is: artists need to be aid, and fans want to pay them.
Cheers!
November 29th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
@ Con_Science and Rambo:
As I say here:
“Freedom of speech doesnât … include allowing fools free rein.”
Cheers!
November 29th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Great! Keep it up!
November 29th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Great to see the site stick around! Hopefully after I move I will be able to help out in some way.
Happy holidays!
November 29th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Can’t Liz and the crew at the company we’re not allowed to critisize, help you out some?
November 29th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
“This is amazing Jon, you have now experienced EXACTLY what the creative minds in the movie and music industry have experienced for more than a decade, thanks to the majority of your readers.”
OH REALLY? You mean some corporation is taking 90% of the profit, while Jon does 90% of the work?
November 29th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
A little song for MAFIAA, Con_Science, and Rambo
Welcome to shillville
The air here smells just fine
Smells just like bullshit
Deceit, mistruth and lies
They work real hard, you know
They post here every day
All of the shills online
Who work for the RIAA
We know just what you are
And who your workin’ for
So why not just give it up
And quit bein’ a corporate whore
November 30th, 2009 at 12:13 am
Some (quite possibly most) people see a person fall down and simply laugh at them. Only a few would think to lend a hand and even fewer actually do. A bit cynical perhaps, but that is how I’m beginning to see the world now that I’m growing older. It gets harder and harder to remain upbeat and keep an idealistic outlook on life as a Gen X’er. I’d help out if there was some way that I could, but being disabled and unemployed as I am makes for a very tight money situation. If I ever won the lottery, Jon would most likely be the first person to benefit. He has done a lot of what I feel to be valuable work, never expecting anything in return or even a simple thanks for the effort. He does it solely because it is what he strongly believes in, something that should always be commended whether you agree with his viewpoint or not. It is without a shadow of a doubt that I can say his site has indeed enriched my life. Without p2pnet I probably wouldn’t even know what is going on in Canada most days, not just about file sharing but the really important things, like liberty and freedom, things people take for granted far too often. The regular new channels rarely report on the types of things Jon does, and when they do it is always with their own spin. Jon works hard to unspin such news and deliver it as it should be, even when the truth hurts. All I can really do is thank Jon once more and let him now that I for one am happy things are looking up for him and the site. Meeting places such as this one are far too few and I’m glad it will be around for at least a little bit longer. Take care and God bless you and your family!
November 30th, 2009 at 12:53 am
“Filesharers belong to a P2P community and p2pnet.net serves as a part of that. Itâs a voice among the growing swell of other voices promoting honesty, respect, openness and freedom online, and thatâs the way we want things to continue.”
Exactly, well said!
November 30th, 2009 at 2:36 am
Well I read a lot of things here
and maybe I can kind of be used as a small example on living open source … in most of the ways. I work as a freelance IT specialist and I am getting payed for kind of selling my experience … not any products all products build by my company are open source even our financial numbers are! But of course you have to make yourself some money to live. I never cared about having lot’s of money … just when I go to the super market … I want to be able to pay for my food 
That’s one of the reasons why I support things like p2pnet but also other projects … and for free. My commercial clients pay of the costs for our servers and in order to learn and test things I donate webspace, servers, rackspace to project that deserve it. If the project involves freedom of speech and a bright look on active important subjects I think everybody should even if it is not always your idea. During the last months I traveled a lot, I visited Sweden, went to Germany and France, had a talk with some people in Britain … and that changed my way of thinking about some subjects … not only file sharing also a lot of other things (British cooking was not one of them … god damn). So people … instead of just respond as a bunch of pathetic **sholes just respect other people’s voice … and calling yourself MAFFIAA is already saying enough about your way of thinking 
I think it will be a good thing to have p2pnet on European servers. It will allow people to speak freely both comment posting and the site content itself.
If Jon can make living of it … well then it’s a good thing for him … that’s wat open source and creative commons is all about. It allows you to make money however it is a social payment system. You make money we talk … while commercial ways of working makes you pay to use a small part only for yourself and under limited conditions. Those times are over, people are not that stupid anymore. Information want’s to be free and has to be free in order to let culture develop itself onto the next level!
November 30th, 2009 at 2:50 am
Oooh…those Russians.
I say, sell to the former TPB crew, or the ISOhunt crew. Now I’m wondering how much the RIAA/MPAA has offered you so they can serve up DRM-loaded ring tones, DRM-crippled mp3’s, DRM-crippled WM files and one sided “news”?
This has been an interesting website after accidentally stumbling across it. If this web site goes under, since it is Creative Commons just torrent the code and DB.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:11 am
I’m glad you have things sorted out for the time being, but have to question your sanity in taking out a loan – how will you repay it unless you secure a regular income?
I still think you ought to have an option for people to subscribe with automatic monthly payments – I know I would probably pay into that – however if you don’t do it, I will most likely forget!
November 30th, 2009 at 10:35 am
@ Rabbit80:
PayPal allows you to make regular monthly payments. Other than that, I don’t now how it could be done.
As to orgnising an income, that’s what the advertising will be all about.
Cheers!
November 30th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
@Jon
“PayPal allows you to make regular monthly payments. Other than that, I donât now how it could be done.”
Does it? I have looked hard, and not seen that option when I click on the donate button (even when logging into my account!)
PayPal does have a subscription service that you can use though (It is an option for you to choose – and has an extra cost) which would let you make a supscription model.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Wotcha Rabibit80:
Regular payments come under ‘Products and services’ then ‘More products and services’ then ‘Subscriptions and Recurring Payments’
Cheers!
November 30th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
@Jon – yep – i found that.. And it allows you to set it up.. There is no option for me to pay you on a regular basis of my own free will!