I just spent a few days talking to Juggledad and I want to be the first one to reveal that Montezuma theme is coming up with a few new features (thanks to JD). Namely, the ability to add blog excerpts to "page" pages, and to specify the number of posts displayed in "the loop" (useful on sites sites where you wish to include the latest post or two to an ordinary page).
The full details are TBA, but the reason I am posting this here is because I would like you all to vote in a poll that is important to a survival of this website and the continuing support/upgrades like these for both Atahualpa and Montezuma.
Do You Want More Updates/Continued Support?
Over the past years I have built hundreds of websites on Atahualpa alone, and I would not have been able to do so without the help of Paul, Flynn and Larry. Each lousy $20 donation I made to support was nothing compared to the value I got back (some of those websites have brought in 7 figures in revenues to projects I am a part of).
Unfortunately, knowing the amount of work and dedication it takes just to keep this forum alive, and having seen too many folks here asking tens (even hundreds) of questions without ever donating, I feel that continuing to allow "the other guy" to pick up the tab is not a viable model for a continuing survival of this forum and these themes.
JD has been answering roughly 12 questions a day since he joined the forum. A ton of them technical questions requiring programing and bug fixes. On top of it all, he has become a volunteer upgrader for both Atahualpa and Montezuma.
The same thing goes for Larry, who presently has close to ten thousand posts here. Yet neither of these guys are employees nor partners. They are just guys who are stoked about being able to help out, and as a result have been granted the ability to receive donations.
Unfortunately, I happen to know that too few people donate. As a professional internet marketer, I have never seen a forum business model like this survive. My guess is that this one wouldn't have survived this long were it not for the fact the themes Flynn created are hands down the best on the web. They attracted the support of these amazing folks willing to help out.
Keep this community alive with a simple vote - right here, right now
Here is what I propose - if you too feel that living without this forum and these individuals' amazing help would be a sad existence, vote "Yes" in the poll above:
"YES, I agree that any member with more than 3 posts who wants an answer to their question and hasn't donated at least $20 bucks in the past 3 months should be required to make a donation"
An average person spends over 700 bucks on lattes in a single year and gets nothing out of it. Forcing the abusers of the forum to donate just 20 bucks before they get an answer they can use forever should be a no-brainer.
If you disagree with forcing the abusers to donate, vote "No":
"NO, I am simply so awesome that the forum moderators should feel privileged to provide me with unlimited tech support, while continuing to upgrade the theme and create the supporting documentation without compensation"
I am not a moderator, an affiliate, nor do I have the power to make this change. But I am hoping that the mods will read this post, pin it and eventually make it happen (with your support).
Let's keep this forum and the themes alive, folks!