I've done a "search" and found out what the red stars are.
My Q is:
Is there an length of time one should wait before donating?
I've only been here for abt a week but the info I have received has been of great help/quality and I can only conclude will continue.
I don't want to seem pretentious, being such a newb and all.
SpokeApe

I think it's a great idea myself...under the old management, the red star lasts virtually your entire life, and it's only $25. If you think that the help and advice you've reaped are worth that amount, go for it.

It does have the side benefit of giving you a bigger avatar, and gets rid of the advertisements.

East Hill

Looks like next paycycle I'll have a red star then.
This site is great for the uninitiated like myself.
Since I didn't know squat when I found it, I've more than tripled my knowledge!!
Not bad for a white gorilla!!
SpokeApe

It's always good to have a satisfied customer... .

Pretty good for a white gorilla!

East Hill

Honestly I don't know why one would donate now as the site has been bought by a large company (Internet Brands) to be run as a for profit operation.

When it was a labor of love run by Joe I tried to donate, but it was impossible do to PayPal restrictions.

I have to admit I am not certain what the new management intends. Perhaps we could get an administrator to put in his two cents worth as to the direction of Bike Forums.

East Hill

I would actually like to hear what the future of the stars are as well. I hope they will continue to buy an ad free version of BF and access to the sales area for those of us that are already contributers. I am not sure I would contribute under the current ownership if I had to do it again. As much as ad free is nice, I pitched in my money to support an independent operation.

Yes, the representative of the new owners posted some responses in Foo, but as I do not normally visit that forum, and the thread degenerated into the usual Fooishness, I gave up reading it. So, I don't know what the new owners really intend.

East Hill

Hmm. What makes you think Joe wasn't running it for a profit? Just curious.

I'm sure toward the end in was turning a profit, but in the days before the massive onslaught of ads I assume that the profit was slim, if none.

There was a noticeable change in the forums when it was turned into a money maker. I posted about it when I noticed it. The mods were cracking down on little things and the ads were becoming much more prevalent. It was clear an investment was being protected.

So, we still don't have an answer to the question...what does the purchase of a red star mean now, and in the future?

East Hill

This is a bit like the blind men and the elephant. You're making assumptions based on your perceptions. Instead of assuming that the profit was slim to none, assume that Joe was out of pocket many months prior to running the banner and text ads.

As far as moderation becoming prevalent, keep in mind that the forum membership doubled from 30k to 60k with no appreciative increase in moderators about 12-18 months ago. It got to be way too much for the few mods that we had just to keep on top of the spam. By the time 2007 rolled around, we had a bigger moderation team, and a new plugin that eliminated 90% of spam. This meant that moderators could actually do their jobs.

Okay....
So I'll hold off on the star, I guess?
The ads don't bug me, and my avatar is fine how it is.
I thought I would be helping and individual defer costs.
I'll keep watch.
SpokeApe

You should consider your donation as supporting the forums, regardless of whether it is owned by an individual or a corporation.

That's exactly what I figured and why I offered to donate. My PMs on how to donate other than by PayPal were never returned so I figured the money wasn't needed so badly.

Who did you send your PMs to?

Joe. Two PMs in total, about a week apart.

Recently, or at some point in the distant past?

See also:

https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-suggestions-user-assistance/284617-way-donate-membership.html

$25 for a red star on this site is the biggest bargain in all of cycling.

This site is more valuable than any magazine, catalog, or bike shop when it comes to getting the straight dope on gear, rides, and just plain good conversation/debate.

At a point in the past. About nine months to a year ago if memory serves me correctly.

I'm hoping to get a ton of stuff for the site and my blog from Interbike 2007 too.

That would be about right. If you still want a star, please email or PM me.

Do you have any idea why I never got a response from Joe about donating?

I certainly can't answer for him, but I do know that he had to switch email addresses, as he had a problem with the original one for payments. It's possible that he was waiting until he sorted that out before he responded, and then your PM just got lost. That's just my guess, based on all the issues he had with his Yahoo mail a while back.

But I have sorted things out for you.

So Ziemas gets a freebee?