ASSTR (which stands for alt.sex.stories text repository) was created to archive stories posted to a "newsgroup" named alt.sex.stories, back when newsgroups were what people meant when they said "the internet". Ever since I first created my subsite on ASSTR, to save my stories, I have asked and urged, even pleaded, for readers who liked my stories to donate to ASSTR, to help ensure its continued survival as a bastion of free speech and anti-censorship.
In the last several years (2016 to 2020), ASSTR has encountered problems affecting numerous features of the site, including the ability of new readers to locate authors they would be interested in reading, the ability of readers to see what new stories have been posted, to see which authors have recently posted new stories, even to see which authors exist.
Also, during the same time, many features that authors depended on were affected, including the ability to receive counts of the number of times each story had been read, receive feedback from readers forwarded by ASSTR anonymously, and access the site from a web page in order to make changes, edit the author's profile, and upload, edit, rename, or delete stories on the author's subsite.
These lost features have made it much more difficult to use the site, both as a reader and (more importantly to me) as an author. E-mail to the site caretaker pleading for these problems to be fixed has been ignored for years.
Therefore, I will no longer ask or urge anyone to donate to ASSTR. I can no longer assume that there is anyone in the world with the desire, ability, and authority to fix these problems with ASSTR. As far as I can tell, there is no one at the helm, and hasn't been for years. That also means that any donations that have been sent to the site are far more likely to eventually end up in the coffers of pro-censorship anti-ASSTR assholes than to go to someone who supports ASSTR. If the diligence in picking up donations matches the diligence in answering email and fixing problems, then the funds will pile up in a mailbox somewhere and someday be confiscated (i.e. stolen) and used against free speech instead of for it.
If I'm wrong, and there is actually someone in the world with the desire, ability, and authority to take decent care of ASSTR, then PROVE IT BY DOING SO. You could at least put up a new status message every few years. Even that much would make some people a lot happier.
Note: All of the previous still applies despite ASSTR coming back online in January 2026 after 2 years and 3 months of being non-existent. As pleased and as hopeful as I am about it coming back, I'm waiting until the new owners, whoever they are, fix problems and most especially update the donations page, at the very least put up a new status message (last changed in 2017, 8.5 years ago). I will not recommend anyone send any donations. That address on the donation page is an invitation to donate to whoever takes the money from that post office box, and I'd bet it won't be anyone having anything to do with ASSTR.
Most sincerely and regretfully,
Georgie Porgie