I apologize for the length of the post and perhaps some of the emotional "thanks" at the end. (Perhaps a product of all these damn award shows!)

I just wanted everyone to know what was going on, and I wanted to recognize you guys for making the site a success.

[url=http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?id=104057]Goat's Sappy Info[/url]

As I briefly mention, there are a LOT of changes coming (yes I know you hate change, but you can bite me! [=D]) and a shift in focus. The keys of this are the highlighting of the Industry Forums, where you can interact with the very companies keeping our sport alive and getting us some amazing products! There will also be an upcoming push in the area of having our voices heard in politics as well as in business. I have wanted to make this site a focal point in the protection of our freedoms, so we'll finally see more of that coming...

Anyhow, read up and stay informed!

PS - I apologize for not being around much, it's been a crazy year so far and I've had more to deal with than ever. I look forward for the time off at the convention and meeting you all there!

according to dictionary.com liberal definition 1 sub category b- Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

[:D]

Geez, Goatboy, now you (and others) really have your nuts hanging out in the wind!  I had no idea there was any passing thought of closing down.  I will gladly pay whatever it takes to help keep the lights lit.  I love this place, and appreciate all you do to provide it.  Perhaps you could have higher levels of membership, similar to the NRA?  The only extra benefit would be the satisfaction of knowing I'm doing my part.  Or, to keep it simple, perhaps those desiring to do so could "sponsor" someone who would like to be a Team Member, but genuinely can't afford it.  I am far from well off, but this place is a priority for me, and we usually find $$ for high priority items.  I've said it before, but repeat--THANK YOU for the things you do.  I am very grateful.  

BTW is there a reason the afro smiley face is on the same page twice, or is it just because he is that cool.

No clue on mr afro, probably an oversight on my part...

Things have been very "serious" around here when it has come to the site. The sheer costs associated with it have been very hard to digest most of the time. Originally we were asked to monitor BW usage and we did so without banners, etc (when we had them off weeks ago) and the numbers (limited by the BW we had too, so keep that in mind!) were staggering. To give you a rough idea, we're talking in the Terabytes range per month, and I'm not just talking barely a TB either... heehee (Now imagine this, the Ads are roughly 20k each, while a typical page is in the area of 20-30k so take that number and then triple it!!!)

It's quite a scare to think of the resources we eat on a daily basis. I am worried that even double the BW of the old host will not be enough, but we'll see how that goes! I'm also going to embark on the nightmare of rebuilding the entire site (AGAIN!) in the hopes of increasing performance and dropping the transfer sizes. (To use less BW per average page to further extend how much we can handle!) A rough idea on my time commitment to this process would put it at double what I spent last year. (Everything will move to the .Net framework for those who care!)

Oh and don't forget the constant growth in events, products, etc that we're trying to resolve and improve on each year! [=D]

Mr Afro's definitely cool en ough to have 2 spots on the page, btw i was joking about the liberals thing[:D] Keep up the good work! Dont give in!

disabling pictures in the posts alone would save you a lot of bandwidth and a lot of it is because ar15.com is such a graphic rich site, which is a good thing[:D]

Keep in mind that posts LINKED to other graphics are downloaded at the client, it's only images we host which affect our BW... so that's not much!

I'm telling you, the BW we use per hit is low and below all standards you'll find anywhere. The only thing outside our control is some banner ads which we ask to be kept under 30k (which is realistic)...

ANYHOW, great news to update you all with. I was called a bit ago and informed that the new network will be in place mid April, which means around the 15th (give or take a few days!!!!)

That means, better than ever speeds for everyone! [=D]

Let the countdown begin!