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A note from the founder -- Part II
Deepika   Intermediate MA USA Member since 11/28/01 Posts: 10915 Founder	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 4/12/10 0:21 AM I appreciate and am thankful for all the members who support PatternReview.com on a daily basis. PatternReview's growth over the past 9 years has far surpassed anything I might have predicted when I designed the site as a place for the people who sew to gather and share. It has grown from a passion & hobby to a small business. Like any small business, PR has bills and requires an investment in time and money to run, maintain and to improve its features. I try to do that on a regular basis. In the beginning, I used my personal funds and time-off-the-employment-clock to create and manage PatternReview. Eventually a decision had to be made: was I going to continue to pursue my career as a software developer or was I going to work harder and turn PatternReview into my career. My decision is clear ~ PatternReview.com. There have been a few posts recently questioning a few different things about PR. I would like to address each one: 1. Third party Estimates and PatternReview Some recent posts have speculated about PatternReview's finances based upon a third party report. This speculation is flawed because it is based on a guesstimate and also includes the earnings of a seperate software consulting business. PatternReview.com is a part of OSATech Inc. which also includes a software consulting business that has nothing to do with PatternReview. The third party site marks the numbers clearly as estimates and presents them for all of OSATech and not just PatternReview. Both PatternReview.com and OSATech are privately held and their finances are not open to public purview. In response to the speculation about my earnings, I will only say this: 1. I am a software developer by profession. It can be a very lucrative profession and I in fact did take a drastic pay cut when I decided to pursue PR full time in 2006. I have never regretted that decision and have enjoyed writing all the software which drives the site and in working to increase the features that are available to its members. 2. I have developed the PatternReview.com website and then chose to turn it into my career. After the expenses incurred in running the site are paid, I receive my salary. The salary I am able to give myself today - after 9 yrs of running PR – is still less than what I would make as a software developer working for another company. 3. Among the expenses are things like hosting and bandwidth costs for two dedicated and two shared servers (not to mention the cost of the actual servers and the need to update that physical equipment as the site continues to expand) , Hosted and Licensed software costs for chat, newsletters, shipping solutions, etc., Marketing, Rent, and many other large and small things like getting a logo made or for fax or internet service. There are a myriad of costs involved, just as there are for any business. I pay myself a salary only after all of these expenses are met. 2. Is PatternReview.com a Not-for-profit organization? PatternReview.com is a community for sewers and it is also a small business. It is not a not-for-profit organization. It generates revenues via advertising and products for sale that are plainly visible and not hidden from anyone on the site. Note: Most non-profits pay critical full time employees a market wage. I would have to close PatternReview.com if it did not meet its own expenses and pay me a salary. 3. Compulsion to pay or post People who use PatternReview have the right to use it or not to use it. They also have the right to post or not to post. The terms and conditions are plainly listed. People who disagree with these terms should not use the site. All the member generated content is available to site members for free. They do not have to pay to use the site. In fact the vast majority of the users do not pay a dime...some of these users may post content and yes that content may attract other readers...and if that is unappealing to the posters they shouldn't post. It is their choice. 4. Payments to volunteers PatternReview has many volunteers who do a great job in keeping parts of the site running effectively. I am thankful for them and the role they play not only as volunteers but also as my advisors. We are all adults, and as adults, they have chosen to volunteer for the love of PatternReview and to give something back to the community. It is their choice. I have not hidden the advertising, or the products that are sold on the site from them and they are aware that the site generates revenues. 5. Removal of content and refunds Whenever a member has asked to have their account closed/content deleted/asked for a refund I have always complied. 6. Copyright ownership According to its terms and conditions, content posters grant PatternReview a non-exclusive right on all content they post. This means that the poster keeps ALL their rights but grants PR the right to the content as well. This has been done intentionally. PR needs these rights in order to display and moderate the content. PR also needs these rights so that it can ask other websites that may duplicate this content without permission to remove it. I have had to do so on multiple occasions and typically at the content posters behest. In closing... I have grown up believing that it is impolite to discuss ones finances or ask people how much they make, but after reading some of the repeated mis-statements being made online I find myself forced to explain the things I have in this post. I know that these explanations will not satisfy everyone. However, I hope that for the most of you who find PatternReview.com useful these statements give you insight into my thinking and some ideas about where and how this site originated. I thank all of you again for taking the time to read this and continuing to support the site. ------ - Deepika Founder, PatternReview.com Blog: http://www.deepikablogs.com
nancy2001   Advanced AL USA Member since 12/3/05 Posts: 6111	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 4/12/10 1:17 AM Deepika, I'm happy to continue supporting PR because I've gained so much from my participation during the past five years. Thank you for making PR the wonderful resource it is. ------ The essence of life is statistical improbability on a colossal scale. Richard Dawkins
Mufffet   Intermediate VT USA Member since 8/14/05 Posts: 8914	Login to reply to this post In reply to nancy2001 Like this post Date: 4/12/10 1:22 AM Quote: Deepika, I'm happy to continue supporting PR because I've gained so much from my participation during the past five years. Thank you for making PR the wonderful resource it is. Well said. ------ "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." --Dalai Lama I have sewing machines
AdaH   Intermediate IA USA Member since 11/21/09 Posts: 2135	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 4/12/10 1:31 AM Deepika, I found this site a few months ago and joined right away. It never occured to me that you could do all this programing, run the site in your spare time and keep it up to date, of course you have to get paid. I really do not understand why anyone would think otherwise. ???? You do such a great job and I for one hope you make lots of money. You deserve it. Maybe there are people who are confusing your site with a blog? -- Edited on 4/12/10 1:32 AM -- ------ Ada
my horse Advanced NC USA Member since 5/9/05 Posts: 803	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 4/12/10 1:36 AM Another 5 year member here. The costs I would have incurred purchasing books, lessons, bad patterns, fabrics or the wrong sewing machine without this resource is significant. PR is less expensive than a sewing mag subscription and many, many times more valuable. Thank you Deepika! -- Edited on 4/12/10 1:40 AM -- ------ She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight. Proverbs 31:13 NAS
KathySews   Advanced Beginner MI USA Member since 10/1/06 Posts: 2895	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 4/12/10 1:51 AM I don't understand why this recent issue and why you are in the position of having to explain yourself. I just don't get it. Stay strong -- this should go away.
ElsaD   Intermediate AB CANADA Member since 1/7/06 Posts: 179	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 4/12/10 1:58 AM Ditto on the positive comments above. Thank you, Deepika! ------ ElsaD
Em's Summer Intermediate USA Member since 2/16/06 Posts: 3174	Login to reply to this post In reply to Deepika Like this post Date: 4/12/10 1:59 AM Hi Deepika-- I guess what went on here last week rocked the net in all corners of the sewing quadrants. I read some of what's out there, but only posted here. I didn't go to anyone's site to post and I didn't post anything about this on my blog. What I had to say, I said here. In retrospect, I think I might have overstepped and would like to apologize to you for my comment about paying the Mods. It really was and is none of my business, and I shouldn't have made that comment. I was going to send you a PM to apologize, but since I posted it publicly in the Misc Civility thread, I decided to post my apology here when I saw this thread. If I know I'm wrong about something, I'm the first to admit it, and I was wrong to say anything about paying the Mods--I'm sorry. I hope there are no hard feelings. Right after this, I'll remove it from my post. On another subject, I was really glad to see Pyrose's post in the new Health Care thread. I strongly believe in lively discussions and think everyone should participate in them. Lauralo's post in the Civility thread said it all--she was raised in a society where people didn't have freedom of speech and the way she spoke about how much she values the right to speak freely and to disagree with others was both poignant and moving. When she said they had to cover the phone and run the water whenever they wanted to voice their opinions, I was very VERY glad to be an American living in a country where we have freedom of speech--where we value it and take it very seriously. When she said that many people in her country are now thoroughly enjoying have discussions/disagreements/debates with others openly, it made me think of the Greeks and how our founding fathers valued that type of discourse. Thank you for the policy change in the Misc section. Again, I hope there are no hard feelings. Best regards, Em ------ From what others have said, the nasty message came from Fitting Woes, NOT Misc Hot Topics or the Civility thread.
Time4me Advanced Beginner BC CANADA Member since 1/22/08 Posts: 728	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 4/12/10 2:04 AM Thanks for posting this Deepika, I am happy that you have clarified a few things. I do have one question about #6 as it relates to photos submitted for a review. I am asking this because sometimes I post photos of my kids in outfits and so I want to completely understand. If I link to a photo (say on Flickr) of my child, does PR (at this point that is you, but that could change if you sold your small business) have the right to use that photo WITHOUT my consent? Thanks in advance.
Tishie USA Member since 4/7/08 Posts: 426	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 4/12/10 2:05 AM Quote: I have grown up believing that it is impolite to discuss ones finances or ask people how much they make, Me too. -- Edited on 4/18/10 11:06 AM --

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