DONATING (to help support this site) (and, how this website began, and is run...)
donating.htm
© Copyright 2012, R. Fleischer
If you contribute/donate to me, you get the satisfaction of
doing so and helping me.
You won't get special access to me, nor
special treatment in any forum. You WILL get my thanks,
....providing you give me some way of contacting you, easiest for
me is by E-mail. I also would appreciate you introducing
yourself should we be at the same event, etc. Remind me
that you
gave me a donation.....we old folks don't have the best memory
ability!
If you want to contribute/donate, there are two ways (besides a
"Thank You" and a handshake; or even a brewski or cigar at some Rally or other event).
1. You can contribute via PayPal. Go to
http://www.paypal.com. My PayPal account is
the same as my E-mail address, and here is the page with my e-mail
address in an image, to help thwart spammers:
e-mail address
If you send me money via PayPal, it would be best to send the
funds as personal payment ('gift or other'; and NOT as a purchase
payment (where I'd have to pay fees to PayPal).
2. You could also snail mail me a check made out
to R. Fleischer. BE SURE TO SEND ME YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS!!!
2601 Alma Ave.
So. Lake Tahoe, CA
96150-3036
***If you donate via PayPal, PLEASE be sure you describe what
the funds are for!.....without that information on the PayPal form I have to
guess that it is for the Website upkeep and not for something I am selling, or?
Thanks!!!
About this website
This website was started many years ago with my intention being that it
should be a
repository for all Airhead knowledge. It was not long
before I realized that I would never have everything here,
but I COULD have the vast majority of Airhead knowledge.
I have THOUSANDS
of hours of labor in this website, and continue to update and
work on it every week; often daily.
This website is a labor of love...and, maybe, just maybe,
it massages my ego a bit!........but my primary purpose is to give YOU the
benefit on my, and others, many years of experience, and to 'pass-on' that
knowledge. I hope my articles do not come across as my
being some sort of snobby know-it-all.
This website has always been set up for FREE ACCESS for everyone.
I have NEVER blocked ANYONE from access.
I have never EVER steered the reader to any
company
or person where I might gain financially (or otherwise).
There are only TWO types of 'commercial'
things on this website:
(1) At the top of every page is Google-sponsored advertising. When
you click on things there, Google probably eventually sends me a penny or two,
and that helps with my costs. Pennies do add up.
Many years after this website was first made available to you, I
realized that I could help defray some costs by putting Google
advertising at the top of each page. I have ONLY A LITTLE
control over the advertising. Every time someone clicks on one of
the Google advertisements, I probably get a penny or maybe even three; Google
does not really tell me the way they do
it. I control SOME of the code
that places the ads
on my pages.......so ads will be displayed ONLY at
the very top of the page. I TRY to have Google only put ads
on my pages that have to do with BMW
motorcycles, but that does not work out 100% of the time.
The small income from these ads is helpful, but I'd never be able to
live off it (to say the least!).
(2) I have a for-sale/trade page. SALE.htm
I list or otherwise SOME mechanics/wrenches, 'gurus', companies, etc.,,
throughout my website.....but I will NOT recommend anyone, nor
any company, in return for payment(s) to me (in ANY way!),
nor will I
recommend if I am not comfortable doing so!!!!!
Some people and companies are listed inside individual articles. Some are
listed in my URL page, some are listed in my
References page.
I have worked...and NOT.... with certain people who wrote, produced and
published technical articles; and I have links to many of them on this
website.
I have links on this website to a few websites
where I have had no or very little input, but where I find that the
information might be valuable to you. In a couple of instances I even link to
those articles in which I disagree. In quite a few instances I have not
done articles on some subject because they were already well-done
by others and I WILL TELL YOU THAT! In some instances I
helped others do their
articles.
For many years I have participated on the Airheads mailing list
(via Micapeak.com). Long before any of the current guru's
were on that list, it was me that was, in practice, just about
the only source of serious technical information on that LIST.
I used to 'win' the contest, every month, on lines posted! It was a
sometimes heady, sometimes frustrating, sometimes rewarding experience.
I still participate, but I
really don't want to be any sort of annoying 'know-it-all'....and
I
want others to continue to gain knowledge, and to participate.
I also participate on two sidecar lists, the IBMWR.org
tech list, a LeBlond Lathe list, etc.
I have had a surprising (to me) number of requests from those who
would like to pay me in some way as thanks for writing, producing
and maintaining this website.
But, interestingly....FEW have actually donated. I debated with
myself long and hard, and for years!... before putting this donation page and
reference to it on this website.
I simply do NOT want this
website to be 'commercial'.
Due to how the search engines work (Bing, Google, Yahoo, ETC.), I
would APPRECIATE IT... if YOU have a website...if YOU would put a
LINK to MY website on YOUR website. Putting links on Forums, lists, etc.,
can be helpful to all.
I would like that link to be exactly this:
http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/
I put this donation page on the website near the end of
2010, to see what would happen. Response is fairly low. I guess I could complain,
but I am not upset, not bitter, not in the slightest.
But, it is an interesting study in psychology.
There are a lot of interesting comparisons, and chit chat that
could be done around the campfires,
about how BMW owners tend to
be 'cheeeeep'.....such as trying to extend their bike's
battery life to way beyond what I CONSIDER to be good
practice.....and, thereby, do more wear and
tear on such as the
charging system (let alone being stranded some time). ....and how some complain about the cost
of the high quality premium oils that I recommend (but oil is
such a TINY part of ownership costs)....and how
some
have been using cheap car oils for years without a problem, ETC.
Discussions on these, and other subjects,
are seen on the Airheads LIST now and then. In
actuality, I am not at all
sure this is a thing that BMW riders have over anyone else, for
anything, these days. The internet, a vast wasteland of
innuendos, false information, lies, some good stuff too, is
often regarded
by many as 'free' whether it is, or is not. Witness the
very large number of folks who illegally download and use music.
LOTS more of all this goes on.
I have always turned down requests for payment; or for ideas about privatizing
the website and then requiring payment for access. I do NOT want
commercial use of my website material. I
also did NOT want to be
under ANY obligation to ANYone, nor did I want any possible
liability problems from someone's lawyer, who might infer that if
I sold access, I
must therefore be liable for the content...whether
or not the person using the information had the proper ability,
talent...or just plain did things correctly....or not.
I have witnessed a few instances in my lifetime where lawyers
have ruined things for others.
In the past, and continuing to this day, I have, at various
motorcycle events, occasionally accepted a cigar or a beer, or an
ounce or two of single malt scotch. I have even had a few folks
mail me a bottle. These things are all appreciated, but I do
NOT!! want to place myself in the position of asking for such; nor the obligation of repaying
someone.
The 'thanks for your website' and handshake...and....camaraderie at a rally or other event is what I appreciate
the most.
It is VERY gratifying for someone to come up to me and
just
extend
a hand, and say 'thanks'....it even boosts my image with Penny
(my lovely wife). :-)
Whether or not to accept donations for this website upkeep has
been debated between myself and my wife, and some friends, ...and
between me and my mirror... many times for some years. The
website,
and costs, have gone up over the years in some respects, and down
in others. I can certainly afford
to keep it up and pay all costs. Quite a few people have told me that they wish
I WOULD accept donations. I have had some folks tell me that they would like to see some
videos and other things.... that would require me to have proper equipment, which I
would have to purchase. I have discussed these various things, from
financial and moral standpoints many times. After quite a few discussions
(some with myself!), I decided it would be OK to accept donations, but I would
not obligate the sender nor myself.
Examples of those who do pretty much the same
sort of requesting for donations... are such
as Duane Ausherman who runs HTTP://W6REC.COM ...a good site by the
way, and while I
do not agree with everything on that website....I do suggest you
snoop around it.
Those with websites more directly involved with
sales of labor and parts to the public (Tom Cutter's Rubber
Chicken Racing Garage; Ted Porter's Beemershop,
and Anton Largiarder and his site at
www.largiader.com come to mind) do not request contributions, etc., a
policy which would seem proper for commercial sites like theirs.
There is SOME technical information available on
Tom's and Ted's websites too.
So, there you have it...in a
typical Snowbum verbose bit of prose (?), I will accept donations.
There will
be NO automatic public on or off any LIST acknowledgment. ...UNLESS you
want that.
I am NOT going to
solicit donations on any LIST (Micapeak.com does,
once a year...and I do contribute to
Micapeak just about every year..., and I have no problem with Micapeak doing it...and
think it proper, considering their
large costs and what they do for the motorcycling community).
If you contribute/donate to me, you get the satisfaction of
doing so and helping me.
You won't get special access to me, nor
special treatment in any forum. You WILL get my thanks,
....providing you give me some way of contacting you, easiest for
me is by E-mail. I also would appreciate you introducing
yourself should we be at the same event, etc. Remind me
that you
gave me a donation.....we old folks don't have the best memory
ability!
If you want to contribute/donate, there are two ways (besides a
"Thank You" and a handshake; or brewski or cigar at some Rally or other event).
1. You can contribute via PayPal. Go to
http://www.paypal.com. My PayPal account is
the same as my E-mail address, and here is the page with my e-mail
address in an image, to help thwart spammers:
e-mail address
If you send me money via PayPal, it would be best to send the
funds as personal payment ....as a "gift or other"; and NOT as a purchase
payment (where I'd have to pay fees to PayPal).
Please be sure that the PayPal notification I get shows that it
is for website upkeep!
2. You could also snail mail me a check made out
to R. Fleischer.
2601 Alma Ave.
So. Lake Tahoe, CA
96150-3036
Be sure I get your E-mail address!
© Copyright 2012, R. Fleischer
Return to Technical Articles LIST Page