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+---- Thread: Membership Fee (/Thread-Membership-Fee)
Membership Fee - LeoAU - 11-05-2003
Hi all,
just a couple of thoughts...
20 dollars as a fee is not much. This will however, limit the number of new users. Solution - give 1,3 or 6 months trial period and it is up to that person to join after this.
The other side of this non free membership - can someone ban a member who subscribed to this forum? He payed to be a member, so he is entitled to a 1 year membership and the owner of this forum has to provide the services he received money for.
Another thought - for the owner of this forum - isn't this place some kind of promotion of his services as well? And if we all buy something from him once a year - would the profit cover the running costs of this web site?
Can I also ask a question - what kind of running costs are we talking about - 100/1000 a year?
Don't get me wrong, if existance of this place will be under question, I'll be one of the first ones in the long (hopefully) queue to pay my 20$.
Membership Fee - otlichnik - 11-05-2003
Some of us can't, or won't, use paypal.
Art, do you have any other methods of payment? Cash in envelope? US $ money order?
We would need address to send to.
Shawn
Membership Fee - Henry Sakaida - 11-05-2003
My suggestion is to have it purely donation. Those who appreciate the value of this membership will donate. I always use the 20/80 rule. About 20% will give, and the 80% will take and not give back. That's life. I wouldn't expect those who are not regulars, to donate to this site, and it doesn't make sense for someone who drops in once in a while, to pay a membership fee. The 20% of us will keep this site going.
But why not have a donation drive, say during the month of May?
With donations, you don't have to split hairs about membership dues requirements, etc. Just send in a check. I sent cash. For foreign members, I know it's a big hassle to send in a small amount...you can show your support by submitting an article.
Membership Fee - Art - 11-05-2003
LeoAU,
I never wanted to have a fee which was required by all to pay. That's why I asked for donations first. If the donation system doesn't work, then most likely you will see some sort of a small general membership fee imposed on a yearly basis. The few members that have contributed so far have really helped. I paid for this years server bill in September, and the money donated will pay for the next. It would be great if the money was plentiful enough so I could research getting the site onto a faster server, but I'm not going to invest the time and energy unless the money is there to back me up.
Regarding banning..there are no special rights granted to those who donate. If you went to the movies and yelled "FIRE" in the theatre..I don't think you'd get your ticket purchase price refunded. I am working on a Forum Fund FAQ which addresses this.
Regarding promotion for myself, the profits I used to make selling items went to paying the bills for the forum. I'm slowly getting out of the selling business. There are no profits. No one wants to pay the new prices coming out of Russia.
Regarding costs, approximately USD $250 per year. This has been donated already. What I take in between now and next September will let me look for a faster home for the forum. Faster=more expensive. A dedicated server (which ideally is what this forum should be running off of) can run $900-$1000 per year. However, I would be happy with the current bills being paid. I don't want to stretch donation money to thin so that I can't cover the bills.
Art
Quote:Originally posted by LeoAU
Hi all,
just a couple of thoughts...
20 dollars as a fee is not much. This will however, limit the number of new users. Solution - give 1,3 or 6 months trial period and it is up to that person to join after this.
The other side of this non free membership - can someone ban a member who subscribed to this forum? He payed to be a member, so he is entitled to a 1 year membership and the owner of this forum has to provide the services he received money for.
Another thought - for the owner of this forum - isn't this place some kind of promotion of his services as well? And if we all buy something from him once a year - would the profit cover the running costs of this web site?
Can I also ask a question - what kind of running costs are we talking about - 100/1000 a year?
Don't get me wrong, if existance of this place will be under question, I'll be one of the first ones in the long (hopefully) queue to pay my 20$.
Membership Fee - Art - 11-05-2003
Shawn,
Sure, I would be happy to furnish my mailing address to anyone who can't/won't use PayPal. Just PM me. Avoid cash in an envelope, because if I get a envelope that has nothing in it, it poses problems. Also, If there are other forms of electronic funds transfer that anyone wants to me to look into, let me know.
Art
Quote:Originally posted by otlichnik
Some of us can't, or won't, use paypal.
Art, do you have any other methods of payment? Cash in envelope? US $ money order?
We would need address to send to.
Shawn
Membership Fee - Art - 11-05-2003
Henry,
Article submission for international members in place of a donation is a great idea. Many members are close to, or in Russia. Lot's of great opportunites for research material.
Quote:Originally posted by Henry Sakaida
My suggestion is to have it purely donation. Those who appreciate the value of this membership will donate. I always use the 20/80 rule. About 20% will give, and the 80% will take and not give back. That's life. I wouldn't expect those who are not regulars, to donate to this site, and it doesn't make sense for someone who drops in once in a while, to pay a membership fee. The 20% of us will keep this site going.
But why not have a donation drive, say during the month of May?
With donations, you don't have to split hairs about membership dues requirements, etc. Just send in a check. I sent cash. For foreign members, I know it's a big hassle to send in a small amount...you can show your support by submitting an article.
Membership Fee - Dante688i - 11-06-2003
Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to through in my two cents. I think that placing the donation button on the site was a very good idea. I hope that people will take the time to easily provide a little assistance to continue this wonderful site, I know I will.
Also, to Art, thanks for providing some details on your views and the way in which the funds could help the site in the past couple of posts. It's good to know how we can help the forum and your work on it.
Well, just the thoughts of a fellow collector.
Hope all are having a nice day.
-Sean
Membership Fee - Al-muell - 11-13-2003
OK, call me an idiot, ignorant, primitive or whatever, but how to use this #&*@% PayPal?!!
Membership Fee - Art - 11-13-2003
Al,
Are you having problems using it or would you like to know what it is? Try visiting PayPal.com if you are having problem with their service. I can also accept donations via mail if PayPal is not an option for you. PM me and I'll give you my address.
Art
Membership Fee - Al-muell - 11-13-2003
Please forgive me for making it so unclear.
The problem is that I cannot even register ("Country" gap doesn't have the proper option) and I don't have a credit card (visa electron card is, to my knowledge, not a credit card and it is not widely honoured).
This is probably an effect of living in a strange "border country".
For the similar reasons I cannot send money normaly, unless You accept money in "registered letters" (it isn't fully legal, is it?).