The Store is open!!!

Don't feel singled out though, I am Mr. Sarcasm.

OK, you'll be hearing from my lawyer in the morning...According to all my friends I'm Mr. sarcasm, and I'm not giving up the title without a fight

SILENCE KNAVES --
Enough of this petty bickering!

-- Sir Kasm

Can't wait for the t-shirts and coffee mugs to start appearing; but I think, David, that there is one glaring ommission from the shop that we've talked about any number of times...

I looked and I looked but I couldn't see the sandwiches

A :-)

Did someone say sandwhiches?  :o Where? Where?

SOrry, I'm easily distracted by food. ;)

Well I think this site is great and I bow down to Paul for pocketing the cost for me to me to be here *Bows down - I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy* and if there is anyway I can help to keep this site up and running then you can bet your bottom dollar (pun) I will.

Just a suggestion for the future: How about live lessons, via web cam /video lessons online - anybody who wants to see the specific techniques being used in a lesson can log on for 1$ / 1£ with the amount of people accessing the site for the lessons there should be an uptake.

You are still offering a free site, just visuals are extra - people can choose which they prefer and 1$ a time isn't going to break the bank.

Just an idea - you could always try auctioning off some of that non flammable lighter fluid Nick has, I'm sure Ronson or Swan would pay top buck (pun) for some of that.  (or a crazy arsonist would pay good money to keep it off the shelves)!

How about sponcered EXTREAM SOLDERING?

Ok Ok I could carry on all day with this but I won't

Cya Pet  ;D ;D ;D

One of the nice things about Paul is that he hates to "beg" for money.  I had to remind him to post the annual fund drive last December (I know you all participated ;) ), which he did reluctantly.  You will notice a similar new link at the bottom of every recent lesson.

So put your money where your mouse is!  Or not - this site will be here either way. :D

Laz

Hey Laz, I'm gonna have to agree with you about Paul.  In our limited correspondence he seems to be a very honorable man and is not fond of the donate thing. Yet I look at it from my possibly skewed perspective.  This, by far, the best guitar site on the planet.  (If anyone objects, I'll have to find you and shoot you down after playing Stairway 50 times).  I am astounded that this site is free and it has better quality stuff than most pay sites.  My economics classes taught me that this equation is impossible.  Out the door with econ 101.

Here we have Paul, David, and the many contributing writers (and mods) dumping a tremendous amount of their "free" time into this site.  They could be out on a nice Saturday night drive.  Out at a bowling alley.  In a hot tub with a beautiful gal (flip flop if your are a gal).  Eating ice cream at Baskin Robbins (yea, a subsidiary of Dean Foods).  Catching up on their reading.  Working longer at their regular jobs and collecting overtime to pay for a bigger home or other toys.

Nope.  They are right here sacrificing their time and dispensing their knowledge so that all of use mere mortals can enjoy the love of playing guitar at a higher level.  Let's at least illustrate the dollar value these guys are sacrificing by doing this for free.  Let's say David charges only $25 an hour to teach guitar lessons.  Say he writes articles, posts in the forum, and answers GN questions for 15 hours a week.  That's $25 x 15 = $375 a week.  That's $19,500 a year!  That's $58,500 over three years.  And, that's just David giving up the opportunity to get paid for his knowledge.

Say Nick is a non-salaried accountant.  He makes $30 an hour during his normal 40-hour week.  There is always overtime work available at $45 and hour but he writes and posts here at GN for 15 hours a week.  That means Nick is giving up $45 x 15 = $675 a week to be here with us.  Let's say Paul … you get the picture.  The stuff we are getting for free is donated from the generosity that comes from the hearts of many people here.

I like what Pet said above.  Just this past Saturday night I went out to see a band in a Chicago bar.  I knew where it was located and I knew it would cost me about $5 a beer.  What if I said to myself “I'll just skip that that last beer and donate the money I would have wasted to GN.”  Do you subscribe to any guitar magazines?  I do to two or three.  I don't remember exact amounts but I'm thinking one is about $2 an issue and another about $1.  Forego a pack of cigarettes ($3.50).  A lottery ticket ($1).  If half the people who visit here regularly would donate just dollar this site easily run and pay for upgrades to equipment.  We'd get more MP3's, more lessons, more quality everything .  Just something I had thought about for awhile.

Dennis  ;)

[move]Rock on GN![/move]

I have to be blindest man alive.  At home something could be on my table for days and I won't notice it and the all of a sudden "hey, where did that come from?"  I just went out searching for that little PayPal icon I swear I saw somewhere this week.  Or maybe just some link word that said donate.  If any of you see what I'm talking about could you post a link to make it even easier to donate?  In the meanwhile, it's time for me to get some huge glasses.  I'd never make it as a detective . . .

If there is anywhere I could send I cheque to I will happily donate, I don't have a credit card by choice *It's an evil bit of plastic that fools you in to spending money that's not yours* but if there is another way to contribute it's yours if you wan't it.

Ok Pet, you're on it!  I remember you can write checks to a Canada address.  You could simply PM Paul and he could PM it back to you.  Yet I'd think it would be cool if Paul would list it here in this post?  Ya out there Paul?  Come on and drop an address for us here.

Sure thing Corbind - do you have any idea what the charges are for transactions from non american banks are?

Pet you know i have a credit card and i've already kindly used for you ;D

Honestly, I have no clue.  I suspect you have a checking account?  You could just mail a check.  Or, if we can find that elusive PayPal thing, that would be the easiest.  See, I haven't had credit cards in a decade.  Yes, they are a way of buying things off your future earnings.  That's why Only have 4 things in my wallet:  cash, debit card (with Visa logo so it can be used as a credit card but money withdrawn from my account just as if I wrote a check), social security card and the business card of the local guitar tech.

Do you have a debit card?  If so you can pay by PayPal and the currency will automatically get converted to whatever currency is used in Canada with a small fee taken out.  Pretty cool!

Paul's Address

My card isn't debit, good job to - means I have to make an effort to get my money, which makes me think twice as to spending it!!

I was talking to Tom Serb (NoteBoat) and he found out that if I sent him a cheque it would cost me to get it processed over your way - OUCH!!

LOL yes Dave I know - Thanx! Was that a reminder to pay you back? *damn*

Cool Twisty Pie, I will check that out, ta very much.

Sure enough, my bank (NoteBoat, Inc.'s bank, anyway) confirmed a MINIMUM charge of US$45 to deposit a foreign check.

It's no wonder the US runs such an export defecit.