Forum ~ Contribution towards the cost!

[Sculptured Box]

Hi,

Following on from Neil's email regarding the drop of Google / Forum income, I reckon we should be contributing towards the cost incurred by Neil for this great Forum!

An annual donation of $10.00 is not too much to ask?

This user support operates successfully for a number of other Forums.

Now is the time !

[Howdya do that]

Well done Tony, I have just been looking for which section to make the same suggestion!

Count me in let us know how to pay

[CanFly]

Count me in too!

[echnidna]

I'm not interested

[m2c1Iw]

Perhaps a dreaded poll is called for!!!!

I think Neil said he expects a separate guest page will fix the problem but if not I agree and it would be way under priced at that

Mike

[ubeaut]

No polls please. Nice thought re the contributions and I have been blown away by some of the replies to last nights email. (forgot to say please don't reply, didn't I) Have said it before and will say it again here and now.

As long as my bum points to the ground I will strongly resist charging members to use these forums. It started as a free site and I want it to continue as a free site. I will rely on the ads and if they don't come back up to expectations then I'll continue to fund the shortfall myself.

Strewth - You lot might want to have a bigger say in what goes on here if you paid and as the benevolent dictator of these forums all I can say is, "NO Way! That just wouldn't be right at all.."

Again thank you for the kind and generous thoughts and offers of support shown in the emails I've managed to read so far. (I'm sharing them all with the Mods and Admin who really deserve the bulk of the praise).

Cheers - Neil

PS The best contribution anyone can make to these forums is to continue using them.

[Pheonix]

Why cant it be like Sawmill Creek $6 a year earns you contributor status?

[dai sensei]

I respect Neil's wishes, but it doesn't stop members ensuring they spend up on UBeaut's products at the WWW shows or via the internet.

That way the users get to have great products, and Neil gets to make some $'s from the profits, which in turn partially get returned into this forum.

[ss_11000]

i would pay to use this site but neil doesnt want it that way so i'm not going to argue guess i'll just have to do what dai said and buy more of his stuff

[Sculptured Box]

Neil

I have a problem with the direction your "bum" is pointing on this issue. Why not Poll the members and be guided by their decision?

[Gunnaduit]

If advertising revenue has dropped due to the tabs, and that can be turned around by putting more ads on the front page, then go for it. Some of those ads might even be woodwork-related and potentially useful.

Neil is right about not charging a subscription fee - the live-in diehards mightn't mind but the thousands of people who are through-traffic would disappear, and the forums would be like a ghost town. You wouldn't get even nearly the diversity of feedback the forums have now.

Go for the ads - strobing , length-enhancing , warez.ru , whatever. Or even better, develop a fees structure so that more woodies suppliers , no matter how big or small can get an ad on; peak-traffic, off-peak, big, small, intermittent, permanent, etc. Is that possible?

[weisyboy]

how bout a donation niel?

i think Gunnaduits idea about teh adds is good.

Or even better, develop a fees structure so that more woodies suppliers , no matter how big or small can get an ad on; peak-traffic, off-peak, big, small, intermittent, permanent, etc. Is that possible?

[Sculptured Box]

The payment of a subscription would entitle the contributor to start and contribution to the Forum.

This will not restrict the ability of those who visit to continue with their fly~by visits.

[Master Splinter]

I adblock aggressively at hosts file level, so all I can say is "What ads?"

Can I donate since I adblock?

[ubeaut]

I have a problem with the direction your "bum" is pointing on this issue. Why not Poll the members and be guided by their decision?

No Poll necessary! My bum points in the right direction I know it and a poll would not convince me otherwise.

Go for the ads - strobing , length-enhancing , warez.ru , whatever. Ads won't be any more intrusive than they are now. The bulk of the adds are already woodworking related or related to the thread or forum they are displayed in. With the very occasional one that's out of context because there's nothing related to the subject available.
Or even better, develop a fees structure so that more woodies suppliers , no matter how big or small can get an ad on; peak-traffic, off-peak, big, small, intermittent, permanent, etc. Is that possible? We already have this and the majority of businesses who frequent the site aren't or don't appear to be interested. Matter of fact the bulk of the prices charged are extremely good just ask weisyboy and anyone else who has put adds in there how much they paid for their ad(s). But do it in a PM as I do not want the payments to be made public for reasons that will become apparent after you know the amount paid.

Cheers - Neil