The Story Behind SkunkBayWeather Being Shut Down

Here is the story.  This past week we had a Northern Lights show that only happens once in a generation.  It was incredible.  I learned a few things.  On my hit counter I saw 70,000 hits in less than 24 hours.  It was about then that my web host pulled the plug on my site.  No warning.  They just replaced my site with a rude message and no explanation.  They also took away my email.  So, for those who emailed me I had no way to get back to you.  It was then that I found out they no longer have tech support on weekends.  As you can imagine, My frustration level was off the charts.  Getting shut down in the middle of one of the biggest Aurora shows in decades was infuriating.  The next morning through a chat I signed up for a VPS plan.  This more than tripled my hosting fees.  It was the only solution.  It took two days to get my site set up on the new server.

I gave them my backup gmail email address and they started to communicate through that.  They informed me that I had over 339,000 hits in 17 hours and an automated system shut me down.  They also permanently banned me from using a shared server.   I found out that there are several webcam apps that are using my images.  They auto-refresh and each time they do, it is a hit.

The response from the community has been overwhelming.  A very kind community member put up a GoFundMe page to help with these additional expenses.  I have also received some very generous donations via PayPal along with some very kind messages.  This really means a lot to me.

Now, full disclosure,,,,  I have never made a dime from this site,  All of the funds from advertising, donations and consulting fees go directly into my reserve fund.  I report this revenue and pay taxes on it through my business license.  My goal has always been to have the site fund itself.  I funded it out of pocket for many years in the beginning.  These new hosting fees would deplete my reserve fund and I would be back to funding it out of pocket.  So, this new infusion of cash is going to make my reserve fund look much better.

It has been my pleasure to provide this service for the past 18 years.  I am looking forward to continuing this incredibly fun hobby for many years to come.