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Do you have $1, $5 or $10 a month?

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I'm with Hap, I like this Spridget forum, it's one of the best and the only reason I come to this site. But would I pay for it... no way! There are too many other options for forums and Spridget info. MGexperience, Spritespot, MGOC, Moss, etc. As good as this one, maybe not. But I bet if you decided to charge to post it would dry up in short time and you would find the same group of guys at one of the other forums.
 
I'm a relatively new to British cars, and therefore Spridgets forums.

Being a member of several Sridget forums, I feel this and Skye's forum are the 2 best, but this forum has a much greater participation rate. I can post a question and get a response within minutes, where it can take days on Skye's.

Converting this to a pay site would definitely cut down on the activity level of the site, which would kill the site. Basil really needs to get google ads on the site, plaster them all over the place. It may kill some of the charm which exists on this site, but I'd rather that than no site all.
 
I don't mind paying - more than worth it for what I get back. (and in fact did pay) you do get what you pay for and I get value. At the same time, there are ways to do this that is the best of both -eg. no ads if you pay.
 
in reality, people will not pay, some will, most will not. It isn't fair to have a few people pay the way for the masses.

as John said, there are many other options, and people will simply migrate to the other forums.

converting to a pay site will certainly kill participation, and that's what makes this site so great.

google ads are the way to go, it's simple to implement, requires minimal maintenance and delivers returns.

converting to a pay site requires a lot of time to administer, and is not a long term solution, as the majority of people will not pay.

also, converting to a pay site will increase users expectations. what if a post is not answered, or took a long time to get any responses? does that paying customer have a legit gripe? wanting his money returned? and there's the issue of currencies, a price in the US may not be acceptable in other parts of the world.

there are very few forums which charge an annual fee, and for good reason.
 
Check under the posters names and see who already pays and then check the number of posts for each. Most of the subscribers have been here for quite some time, ergo they must derive some value from it and have stepped up in an attempt to maintain it!!! Paypal obviates the foreign currency problems, and I must add that there are precious few posts that have ever remained unanswered!!
BUT...I have it on good authority that in a perfect world the members would not have to pay if enough vendors/advertisers could be found to help carry the burden!! :wink:
 
I am going to play devil's advocate here for a moment... mainly because I can't help myself, and also because I am avoiding work. But before I do I want you all to know a) I totally appreciate this site b) I very much appreciate Basil and all the hard work he does c) I really, really appreciate all you guys.

Basil, it seems this issue has come up every 6 months or so. You seem to be on the same schedule that I am with wanting to sell my car. And like with my car, the ugly truth is that neither one of us is likely to make any darn money. So I say, if you are tired of the BCF, then let it go, man. Life is too short. You don't owe any of us anything. On the contrary, we all owe you quite a bit, but you are unlikely to get paid that debt in anyway real way unless you decide to make a world tour of all our favorite local bars. I imagine you could drink for free in almost every major city in the US and quite a few in Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

If you let the BCF go, we will find a way to reconstitute elsewhere and LBC life will go on. Like with our cars, if you look at the BCF as a dollar proposition, you our guaranteed to be disappointed. And if it ain't making you happy, there is no point.

And if you are ever in Austin, Texas, it would be my most esteemed pleasure to introduce you to some of our excellent local brews.
 
Morris said:
And if you are ever in Austin, Texas, it would be my most esteemed pleasure to introduce you to some of our excellent local brews.
Click to expand...

Likewise Canada - of course here it will be real beer :laugh:
 
Ouch! JP! Why you gotta hit below the belt like that. Ugh!

Awwwwwww go drink your moose pee...
 
Morris, I think you nailed it. Basil could get a plate of BBQ and some colds ones in Greenville, SC anyday on my dime, he has offered up a place for all us to share our passions and develop life long friendships, for no other reason than that Basil is a hero to me, if I were a rich man, I'd probably just write him a big fat check, so this place could go on forever.

JP, I'll take a stale beer in Austin anyday to listen to the music there :smile: I drank alot of cheap beer listening to Stevie Ray in my youth, and enjoyed every one of them :smile:
 
I got the Flordia Panhandle covered guys.
 
after Basil is finished drinking and eating at JP's house. I will drag him to my house and feed him and water him with more real Canadian beer. Hap you can come to, being that you are both use to drinking beer/water I had better limit you both to a couple of real beer.
Thanks Basil, I enjoy your site.
Phil
 
I look at the forum user list and we have 9384 people registered. Basil asked for subscriptions earlier in the year and as I see postings I notice a lot of us never bothered to chip in. Some may ask how do I know this? It is listed on every profile as gold, silver, platinum. My over all point being if we had all chipped in originally and continue to do so on a yearly basis I would think Basil's needs might be met. If the 9384 paid $25.00 eack per year that is $234,600.00. I realize that some of that number might drop out but??????

So kick in like he asked originally and forget about the site being free. There is no such thing as a free lunch and I enjoy eating my lunch here.

Mark
 
Remember, of the 9384 members, less than 10% are truely active & would contribute!
 
tony barnhill said:
Remember, of the 9384 members, less than 10% are truely active & would contribute!
Click to expand...

iagree.gif
I also believe that if Basil went to a mandatory membership fee, the membership would drop from the thousands down into the low hundreds. But, on the bright side, they would probably be the ones that contribute mostly to the forum questions and the knowledge base material now. I'm not saying to run a closed forum, that would be terrible. But, if you don't become a paid member, then you can read but not comment. OK, just another 2 cents worth.
 
This site is priceless. The numbers of times replies on this site pulled
my as* out of the fire is worth a membership.

Count me in for a membership fee.
 
Bruce_B said:
This site is priceless. The numbers of times replies on this site pulled
my as* out of the fire is worth a membership.

Count me in for a membership fee.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm a notoriously cheap SOB, but you can count me in too, if that's what is needed to keep the site up.
 
I have know problem paying, just need a email with a link reminding me to send money. It musst be simple. I just tried to find a link to pay and after 15 mins gave up.
How do you pay.
thanks
Phil
 
It is in your, my stuff.
 
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