[Oni]

Ads and Changes to the Upgrade System
TL;DR: Sinisterly will have ads and changes to the upgrade system soon.

As things are, Sinisterly proudly operates without advertisements or paid user upgrades. User upgrades can be purchased using SP, which is the forum's virtual currency. While SP can be purchased using real money, it is normally earned through the posting of threads and replies, as less than 45,000 of the SP put into circulation was purchased with money. Sinisterly's SP system makes the community unique and rewards members for being active.

While Sinisterly has managed to become self-sufficient and cover its own base expenses over the past 6 months (roughly $70 a month), the inflow of donations isn't entirely constant/predictable, and the community has the potential to become more. To become more, it requires money. Money, that can pay for advertising and expansion (which we've been having trouble with).


[ Pretty Numbers / Ugly Truth ]

Between the months of March and July, over $320.00 of SP was purchased. Not only that, but over the past 6 months, the purchase and upgrade of usergroups has brought in over $250.00. Money has also been acquired through donations and the purchase of awards. An estimated $600 has been received in total over the past 6 months. As a result, Sinisterly's base expenses have been covered by the members since February.

Revenue - Expenses = Profit
$600.00 - $420.00 = $180.00

You might have said, "Well that's great, you have $180 left! Right?" Except, the $420.00 only accounts for basic expenses (server costs and Cloudflare). It doesn't include expenditures that change Sinisterly - like advertising, plugins, and design work. There are a lot of expenses. Sinisterly could very well stay the same as it is and pay for itself as it is, but that's not good enough. We want Sinisterly to stay online, but we also want it to grow and be improved.


[ What Will Change ]

Ads will be added to Sinisterly. They will likely be in the header, between posts, and at the footer. They won't affect the usability or reliability of the site, and upgraded members won't be required to see them. They are ugly and annoying, but they will cover expenses, and help pay for new things.

Changes will be made, so that upgrades can only be purchased with real money. This isn't something I'm particularly keen on doing, but it has to be done. SP will continue to exist, and new things will be offered in the store in exchange for it. Changes to current upgraded members will be announced later.


Have a great day!
If you have any questions or concerns, message me or post below.