[tommytwotone]

Hmm, I'm little ambivalent with this. On the one hand great YG will continue, but on the other I do think if a governing body is going to fund the site there should be some obligation for the moderator/site owner to keep the site up to date, even if it's just a case of recording first ascents. Maybe this is the understanding, I hope so.

Certainly an interesting precedent.

Good point. 
I think it's preferable that sites  heavily reliant on user added content should be directly updatable by users, as is the case with pb.info. That way the site isn't tied to the fate/whim of the creator. That said, even then you need some basic maintenance from the creator or the site gets ever more untidy and clunky, as is sadly becoming the case with pb.info....

I agree, but YG is not updatable by users (other than grade voting and comments), Jon has to implement the submitted information himself, which I guess is at the heart of the problem. This fact is that this means that the site (in its current state of operation) deteriorates as a useful medium month after month, year after year. The site has an Alexa ranking of 20,000,000+ I suspect if you looked at its ranking 5 years ago it would have been somewhere around 3000,000.

Putting all the opinion, detail and emotion aside, the biggest issue facing Yorkshire bouldering is that it no longer has a universal hub to record first ascent information. This is a travesty and one that needs attending to some how. Having said all that, I'm not implying that it should be Jon's job to sort out the issue.

Amen to that.

[Bonjoy]

I know Greg, i agree. In an ideal world some person or organisation with the means and motivation would acquire the site, convert the data into a fully editable format (I have no idea how big a job this would be), and then arrange some site management. Otherwise, as you suggest, the site will become less and less relevant until the situation is so unsatisfactory that someone else sets up an alternative site with the same function (which may have the same lifecycle if not well thought through from the outset). There's no money in it though so it would have to be a person/organisation willing to spend some money for the sole benefit of the climbing community

[slackline]

I wonder who fits that bill? 

[Greg C]

For the record, if someone helped me with the initial set up of a new site. I'd do the donkey work and run it.

Edit: Of course, with a it of luck that won't be required, as hopefully Jon will be going to start adding input to YG again.

[Jon Pearson]

Oops. Slight misunderstanding on my part. BMC are contributing a significant amount, but I'll still need donations to keep it going. So, go to it.

So far, since my last request for donations, I've received £0.

[JK]

This thread disappoints me. I donated a tenner last year and thought if everyone who uses the site regularly does the same it will be fine for years to come, obviously I was wrong. When Jon asks for more donations people are happy to post on here they will contribute but then obviously they don't follow through. I'm not sure if people recognise the fact that Jon has set this up in his own time at his own cost and now just wants his costs covered. I bet plenty of people have been happy to 'donate' £24 for the new guide book which I would expect will be making a profit for someone at some point and is also not something which can be updated or, regardless of what it says on the front, is definative (I know the guide has routes as well as bouldering so it is not exactly the same).

If people don't donate and it gets removed then, whilst I would miss it, I would fully understand. I'm not prepared to keep donating when it's obvious others aren't.

[dave]

On the other hand, at least one person has offered to host the site for free. Has Jon explored that avenue?

[Jon Pearson]

Latest update. As well as the BMC, The Depot have offered to sponsor the site. Many thanks to Steve for this. New adverts will be appearing on the site in due course. There's no need for donations now - I've refunded the two people who had already donated - and the site's survival is assured for another year. Thanks all.

[andy_e]

Excellent news! Well done to Sdunning et al. for securing this resource for us all!

[Will Hunt]

That's brill! Thanks Depot and BMC!

[slackline]

This thread disappoints me. I donated a tenner last year and thought if everyone who uses the site regularly does the same it will be fine for years to come, obviously I was wrong. When Jon asks for more donations people are happy to post on here they will contribute but then obviously they don't follow through. I'm not sure if people recognise the fact that Jon has set this up in his own time at his own cost and now just wants his costs covered. I bet plenty of people have been happy to 'donate' £24 for the new guide book which I would expect will be making a profit for someone at some point and is also not something which can be updated or, regardless of what it says on the front, is definative (I know the guide has routes as well as bouldering so it is not exactly the same).

If people don't donate and it gets removed then, whilst I would miss it, I would fully understand. I'm not prepared to keep donating when it's obvious others aren't.

I wonder if the authors of said guide utilised the website and acknowledge the site as aresource for their publication? Would their publication even be definitive without such an up-to-date resource (even with the limitations of users not being able to edit it directly, i.e. not the same as peakbouldering.info)

If so are they willing to funnel a proportion of every guidebook sales profit (which is I would imagine slim at best) back to the website?

others have made offers, and they may have received private responses, but I don't see any public response to their offers from the person requesting donations, if there was it may encourage others, perhaps?

so come on Jon, what do you say to those who are offering to help? Or are you waiting for them to put their money where their mouths are?

it's great that the sites future had been secured for another year, props to the BMC & Depot (and very kind of Jon to refund the donations received), but will there be another thread in a year?

this is not a slight on Jon's efforts which are substantial, but trying to address long-term sustainability.

and JK as for not donating just because others don't, that's just facile. Do you donate to the charities I choose to support? I doubt it, but it won't stop me from donating to them, because it's what I choose to do, and I do so because I want to, not because other people donate to them.

disclaimer : I rarely boulder in Yorkshire and hasn't donated to the site.

[andy_e]

If so are they willing to funnel a proportion of every guidebook sales profit (which is I would imagine slim at best) back to the website?

They already have!

[slackline]

If so are they willing to funnel a proportion of every guidebook sales profit (which is I would imagine slim at best) back to the website?

They already have!

that is genuinely great, and the way it should be (what is the percentage?).

 maybe that should be publicised more widely. I've not bought the guide so have no idea whether this is stated in there.

[andy_e]

Not directly though Total climbing and the Depot are the same person.

[slackline]

Not directly though Total climbing and the Depot are the same person.

oh ok, but is that the same as a proportion of each guide's profit being donated as I was asking?

also isn't the 'definitive' guide JK is referring to the new guide from the YMC (as it covers routes)?

[Bonjoy]

07.11.2012
Coming soon - updates!

[andy_e]

also isn't the 'definitive' guide JK is referring to the new guide from the YMC (as it covers routes)?

I don't know, both guides would have benefited from yorkshiregrit.com so I'm not sure which he's referring to but I assumed he meant the bouldering guide.

oh ok, but is that the same as a proportion of each guide's profit being donated as I was asking?

No, but it's good that one of Yorkshire's key players is willing to donate to one of Yorkshire's key resources, even if he's not supporting it through guidebook sales. I'm not sure how profitable the guidebook will have been anyway!

07.11.2012
Coming soon - updates!

 

[slackline]

I don't know, both guides would have benefited from yorkshiregrit.com so I'm not sure which he's referring to but I assumed he meant the bouldering guide.

Well JK mentioned 'routes'so I think I know which they were getting to

[ quote author=andi_e link=topic=18558.msg382882#msg382882 date=1352454655]

No, but it's good that one of Yorkshire's key players is willing to donate to one of Yorkshire's key resources, even if he's not supporting it through guidebook sales. I'm not sure how profitable the guidebook will have been anyway![/quote]

no disagreement, but they are not the same. and there is the possibility that a lump sum donation exceeds a proportion of each guidebook sale (if the proportion was low #statingtheobvious)

07.11.2012
Coming soon - updates!

 
[/quote]

what you are both saying.

[Jon Pearson]

Rock + Run will be supporting the site as well. Thanks to Greg C.

[fatneck]

Can't seem to get on it today... Anyone else having similar issues or is the problem at my end?

[SA Chris]

Francis H just posted on FB saying Jon has jacked it in?

[fatneck]

Gutted!!!

[slackline]

Always the Archive (captured 2013-12-07)

[shark]

There really is no need if this is the case.

We are happy to pick up the site and have said so previously.

We can start from scratch if there is a demand but it seems a duplicated waste of effort to do so for users who have contributed.

[SA Chris]

Gutted!!!

RIP Yorkshiregrit.com

For many years Jon updated this fabulous resource. But all good things come to an end.

I'd like to say thanks to Jon for all his hard work and it sincerely has been a pleasure taking photos and video for it. It got me into photography.

Here's to Yorkshire Grit raise your glass and Like.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/climbersbalm?fref=ts