how we got started - looking back 3 years

[alantani]

Alan

If you don't mind me asking, I would like to know what it costs to run your web site a year and about how much startup cost was there? Don't worry I don't want to compete with you, but if it doesn't hurt too bad to start up I may do some directing towards your site.

Bill

it was $540, one entire sunday morning, two cups coffee and a stale bear claw.  then it's $50 a year to maintain the photo hosting service and that's it!

sal's post got me thinking about this.  you know, it's been an interesting three years.  there is a board for the norcal kayak anglers and a friend of mine runs it.  before starting this board, i had a talk with him about the problems he had with his website.  he said that the free software for his website (simple machine forums) was great and that godaddy.com would be fine for website and domain name hosting, but that the real headache was advertising.  ok, note to self, no advertising.  so on one sunday morning at the beginning of december 2008, i fired up my laptop, made a cup of coffee, found a stale bear claw for breakfast and pulled out the "fishing" credit card.  i registered the domain name (alantani.com) with godaddy at a cost of $9 a year for 10 years.  need more coffee.....  then i signed up for 150 gigs of space and unlimited bandwidth for $45 a year for 10 years, again with godaddy.  so far it was $90 for 10 years of domain name hosting and $450 for 10 years of web hosting. 

that morning i set up the bare framework for the board, just about like you see it here, using the free software.  by the time this was all done, it was noon and i called it quits for the day.  over the next few weeks, i started copying all of my old posts from all the other boards that i had ever posted anything on.  there was actually ALOT of stuff.  the idea was to have a place where i could archive my old posts.  the problem i was having was that people would ask questions that i had answered somewhere else on some other board.  but because stuff was scattered so badly, i would have to re-write the answer.  it was getting old and tedious.  i figured this would help, and it did.   it also created other problems.  i started getting a trickle of visitors, but that steadily grew.  the idea was to make it an archive site, like a library.  come in, find the info you need, and go fix your reel.  didn't work out that way.  the welcome board was the only one that was open to questions and there were always questions. then, almost just two months into this, our family was hit with a double whammy. 

at the end of january 2009, my wife was laid off from her job at sun microsystems.  that same day, her 90 year old father decided to go out for a walk.  he fell, hit is head on the curb and had a severe subdural bleed.  he spend 5 days in the neuro icu at stanford hospital, then another 7 days on a medicine ward at kaiser.  he went from 70% mental capacity to 10% or less, totally unable to care for himself.  my wife and i ended up spending all of 2009 and 2010 taking care of him.  i spent at least 300 nights over at the old man's house, sleeping in my clothes on the couch.  it was ok.  you do what you have to do for family.  one thing i know for sure.  if my wife would have been working, he could have gone into a convalescent hospital and there he would have died.  i have absolutely no doubt about that.  then in december of last year, my wife got a job and we were able to hire someone to take care of her dad.   he is still pretty much an empty shell.  we still spend alot of time over there, but at least we are not stuck there every night.  right now, he's still kicking.  he can't remember my name, but on a good day he's up to 10% of what he used to be. 

meanwhile, the website continued to grow.  after some encouragement from bryan, we decided to open up.  bryan lined up all of the moderators.  the rules were simple.  we would allow nothing that would be inappropriate for my 12 year old daughter to read.  that was 15 months ago and we had 150,000 hits that month.  it immediately jumped to 180,000, then 300,000 a few months after that.  last month, we had almost 490,000 hits.  of course someone, usually my wife, always asks about advertising.  the answer is still no. 

what about the future?  no grand designs.  my big goal for this year is to clean up the garage.  if i started now and worked full time, it would probably take me 6 months.  i need to start posting tutorials again.  and most of all, i need to do some fishing.  those are my big plans for the year!

[Norcal Pescador]

From a humble beginning to a great, world-wide, bank of knowledge. Thank you Alan for this site.

what about the future?  no grand designs.  my big goal for this year is to clean up the garage.  if i started now and worked full time, it would probably take me 6 months.  i need to start posting tutorials again.  and most of all, i need to do some fishing.  those are my big plans for the year!

Alan, it looks like you have a plan. Here's how to implement it:
1- Do a tutorial on what you need to go fishing of your favorite species.
2- Find the stuff you need during your garage cleaning to fish for the above species.
3- Prep and load the boat before the season opens.
4- GO FISHING!

 

[broadway]

    I found the start of AlanTani.com pretty interesting.  I find it amazing that for less than $1,000 you were able to make my second home
I love where the site is right now, and hope you keep advertising out of the equation.  Before ya gotta due that I'll pay dues
Many thanks to you, Alan! ...and Bryan for being a heck of a right hand man, and of course the top shelf mods we got on here,
Dom

[Bryan Young]

Yeah, we have had some set-backs with the garage and inventory organization.  Sorry Alan...life happens sometimes.  I've got a simillar goal for my garage as my wife wants me to move my portable reel repair bench outside into the garage...and into the cold.  There are several other goals as well, including trying to build a line winder that I can actively monitor the line tension.  And also try to get some fishing and maybe crabbing in.

Mahalo Nui Loa to all members, old and new in maintaining this home away from home.

[Dave Bentley]

Congrats to all concerned.
I am sure that every one who has ever had a serious look at this site will appreciate the work and effort put into making this fantastic resource available to us all.

Well done and keep it up.

Dave B (Australia)

[Rare]

Alan

i need to start posting tutorials again.  and most of all, i need to do some fishing.  those are my big plans for the year!

Can't wait!  Okay, now. I can't be the only one asking what is this bfast-stale bear claw

[Alto Mare]

You did great Alan, The numbers speak for themselves.
Also, Bryan and the mods have done an excellent job contributing to this great site.
Now get started on that garage, it won't get done if you just keep looking at it and shake your head .... Go get some fish first
Hey, maybe I should come over and build you some custom rod and reels cabinets.

I'm happy to be here.
Thank you!
Sal.

[Keta]

Thank you Alan.

[Bryan Young]

Great idea Sal.

What we really need is parts shelves/carts so that we can roll it to the bench for whichever reel mfg. he is working on at the time, and incoming reel repair desk (so that he can get the incoming reels out of his house to make wife happy) and outgoing shelf.  Then a station for a line winder...and if there's still room, a rod wrapping station ('cause my wife doesn't want it in my garage ).

[inhotpursuit]

Well worth the effort many thanks for a great site Alan.

[Alto Mare]

Great idea Sal.

What we really need is parts shelves/carts so that we can roll it to the bench for whichever reel mfg. he is working on at the time, and incoming reel repair desk (so that he can get the incoming reels out of his house to make wife hapy) and outgoing shelf.  Then a station for a line winder...and if there's still room, a rod wrapping station ('cause my wife doesn't want it in my garage ).

Bryan, I was thinking 2 days now you're talking a month. My wife can't be without me for that long, not that I blame her .....no comments from you Dominick.

[alantani]

Alan

i need to start posting tutorials again.  and most of all, i need to do some fishing.  those are my big plans for the year!

Can't wait!  Okay, now. I can't be the only one asking what is this bfast-stale bear claw

ah, you've missed out of one of life's great pleasures!  THIS is a bear claw.  even 3-4 days old, they still taste great.  if they get a little hardened and stale, you can wash them down with a little coffee. 

[broadway]

I'm drooling!!! 
Dom

[Nessie Hunter]

Alan, I have been reading and following you Tutorials on other sites for many, many years.
I saw years & years ago on BD where you said to the effect that:

"Reel repair was just a hobby that turned into a Monster"

Now it looks like the Web site had the same outcome!!   LMAO

Your hobbies seem to grow like weeds...

Great place and I think we all thank you & the "Mod Squad" for all the time & work you put into it.



.

[xaf]

The site works great for me.  I consider it one of the best sites out there.  Informative and easy to use.