View Full Version : Paid forums.
stumpjumper
06-19-05, 06:57 PM
I'm back from a 2+ month hiatus from the internet and i see several of the more useful forums outside of the general Q&A stuff is now only open to members who have shelled out cash.
As much as i can appreciate the impetus to keep out spammers, isnt there a better way to handle this other than require us to pay for a membership? I know server colocation costs money, but I genuinely appreciated having a place on the web where cyclists could gather and trade idead, fun, hardware, etc.
How long before "Commuting" or "Classic & Vintage" suffer the same fate??
:(
Maelstrom
06-19-05, 07:36 PM
There is no forseable chance in that happening. The paid areas were created to assist in some revenue to keep the boards running and to stop spamming. Both of which it has helped quite a bit. Other forums and subforums will not see this fate. :)
There is no forseable chance in that happening. The paid areas were created to assist in some revenue to keep the boards running and to stop spamming. Both of which it has helped quite a bit. Other forums and subforums will not see this fate. :)
more like it depends on your mood/time of day :D
How long before "Commuting" or "Classic & Vintage" suffer the same fate??
Probably never.
There is going to be a distinction for those members who have upgraded memberships vs. the members who pop in and use the forums, yet don't contribute towards the forums. Donations are not manditory, but they do help Joe so that you do have a place to come and talk about your ideas, fun, hardware, etc. Without these donations, this place wouldn't be around for long. THAT is why Joe decided to give upgraded members a distinction- they are the backbone of the forums and there should be a way for Joe to thank them for their help.
If you don't want to donate, don't worry about it- there will be members who want the upgraded member status.
Koffee
stumpjumper
06-19-05, 08:31 PM
Probably never.
There is going to be a distinction for those members who have upgraded memberships vs. the members who pop in and use the forums, yet don't contribute towards the forums. Donations are not manditory, but they do help Joe so that you do have a place to come and talk about your ideas, fun, hardware, etc. Without these donations, this place wouldn't be around for long. THAT is why Joe decided to give upgraded members a distinction- they are the backbone of the forums and there should be a way for Joe to thank them for their help.
If you don't want to donate, don't worry about it- there will be members who want the upgraded member status.
Koffee
Its not really a matter of wanting to donate, its more a matter of being poor :D
Again, I understand the expense of server colocation, software, etc.
I'd just hate to see folks who dont pay cash get shut out of forums. When i got here, I'd already passed other cycling "forums" by. I appreciate a community, not a paysite.
I enjoy the site, I appreciate the work (both by Joe and by the mods) , I tolerate the google ads, i wish I could distinguish myself as a paying member...
but I cant.
Just promise me that nothing outside the Marketplace will be pay-to-play and I'll feel better?
BostonFixed
06-19-05, 09:19 PM
Which forums are currently paid-only?
Which forums are currently paid-only?
well I think the selling forum is only paid members other than that its free.
operator
06-19-05, 09:59 PM
THAT is why Joe decided to give upgraded members a distinction- they are the backbone of the forums and there should be a way for Joe to thank them for their help.
That's not what I recall Joe saying. He said the advertisements etc. almost pay for running the site.
Yes, the advertisements, etc. almost pay for running the site. Call the "etc" part member donations.
Members aren't donating huge sums of money everyday. There are still out of pocket costs that Joe covers that can't be raised from the advertisements and member donations. He ain't rollin' in it if he's currently sleeping on his sister's floor. ;) (granted, it's because he's leaving on an adventure soon, but if he had the money, he wouldn't be sleeping on a floor either).
Be thankful we have members who pay- we could be running into some problems here without them.
Koffee
As You Like It
07-18-05, 10:47 PM
I'm liking this forum a lot, but I had one quick question before I go and subscribe. The $25, is this an annual fee, one-time, or something else?
One time. It's good for something like 40 years (I think). So if you're 13 and donating, you'll be paying again when you're 53 if you still want to donate again. ;)
Pretty much, it's a lifetime kind of thing.
Koffee
monogodo
07-19-05, 07:05 AM
Of course, nothing's stopping anyone from donating as often as they want.
Very true. I've donated several times and will continue to do so.
Koffee
Forums page views are not worth as much in the web advertising world as unique content pages but with decent traffic there is still plenty of money to be made. Price engines are willing to pay CPM if traffic qualifies and judging by the amount of users here I'm betting it could negotiate a decent rate. Not only that but with feelers out to the right manufacturers and with the capability of being topic specific even more could be made via vendors/manufacturers, etc... There is always the concern of appearing biased but with it being only user driven forums it shouldn't be too large of a concern.
Anyway, my point is that the server costs should still be less than $1k/mo, even less depending on how the traffic is optimized. One banner per page could easily cover that.
Just my $.02
You'd think that, but once, Joe posted how much he had to pay for his server. And that was back when we had a max of about 800 users online. The server costs came out to about $750. Now, we can easily have 2000 users online.
I hate banner ads too. Accidentally click on one, and you've got problems. I'd much rather have ads on the page. And if you don't want to see it, then pay, and if you don't want to pay, this is how Joe pays for the server. It's a lifetime fee, and it's pretty nominal. And it's VOLUNTARY. Why people are up in arms over something voluntary is pretty puzzling. A handful of people here are supporting other people's enjoyment of the forums by keeping the server costs up, and other people are up at arms because they have to scroll past a few advertisements and read for free?
Incredible.
Koffee
You misunderstand me Koffee, I have no problem at all with the paid membership and to be honest only laziness has kept me from joining. My point was simply that I understand the balancing act of maintaining a responsive server with an acceptable pipe and maintaining a profit margin that doesn't include red ink! Google ads would not be my first choice, but the simplicity of their program definitely makes it hard to pass up.
There is no bigger hater of pop-up ads than me I can assure you. But personally I don't mind static banners from reputable sponsors. I look at them much the same way you look at the paid membership. A necessary evil to deal with in exchange for a cool place to hang out and learn a bit while you're at it.
I'd personally like to see the income improve a bit so that the server could be upgraded and speed up page delivery! Maybe a couple of dually CPU servers with load sharing enabled would do the trick! Regardless, I've had a good time so far and personally don't care if someone gets stinking rich off of a site so long as it's enjoyable.
I do like your competetive spirit though. :)
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