Mandatory paid membership. Has the time arrived?

[ben lurkin]

Mandatory? I submit this will have the exact opposite affect of what you're intending and would eventually kill this site! There's a lot of creative people doing all sorts of creative gun-related things here. I'm pretty sure we can come up with some creative solutions to raise adequate funds that don't drive people away.

The glaring problem isn't that someone isn't platinum/diamond; it's that only 3% are currently supporting the site financially! Driving people away isn't the solution. Having the other 97% see the value of this place to the point that a few more are willing to provide some level of financial support is!

 

[Puzzaz01]

Ok, how about if being a gold member is just a regular paid membership. A gold member is a minuscule price to pay to be a member of this site. You can't name any other site that has this much information. I propose we make it mandatory that everyone pays to use this site and if that gets your panties in a wad so be it, we don't need you here. I'll even go a little further, if you've paid before and you hit a bad spot in life and truly can't afford it we'll put a committee together and help you out. Just my opinion.

Darrin

 

[okie]

all the creedmoor bashing beware,,the masses are calling and the forges of the realm may be fired up once more. Taxes, whats that? The secret Creedmoor club will rise like a Phoenix
from the ashes of a wasted land. Take note, WE ARE HERE...PIRATE HAS SPOKEN,,

See if you can get creedmore marketing team to pro
mote the wall...that dang thing will go up overnight!!

 

[6BRAckley]

Dusty's idea is the best I have seen so far. People can continue to read and enjoy parts of the site for free but a small financial commitment is necessary for broader participation.

At least silver to post, free to read, and gold to sell. Its cheap in the grand scheme

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

You anti Creedmoor guys are having a great time.

 

[group therapy]

Dusty's idea is the best I have seen so far. People can continue to read and enjoy parts of the site for free but a small financial commitment is necessary for broader participation.

I concur. simple, fair, proportional how do we start a movement, the grass roots kind

 

[group therapy]

I concur. simple, fair, proportional how do we start a movement, the grass roots kind

and to add to dusty's idea, gold to sell OR PURCHASE!! once you start buying on here, it turns into a progression, kinda like lays potato chips, you cant eat just once

 

[DHuffman]

As of now, over 400 views of this topic have been made. I wonder if any of those who viewed this thread decided to upgrade?

Doubt it.

 

[Boisblancboy]

I’m a part of many different forums with various interests. Some have many many times the amount of active members and the sites are AD FREE with more information than you could possibly read.

Now maybe this site has it but many of the other find active users who volunteer as moderators/administrators to help run the site.

I don’t know all the ins and outs of running a forum but in my experience this would be the only one with a mandatory membership fee and I feel it may not work out as intended.

I’m not bashing the idea just throwing out what I see.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

Geez! I patronize his advertisers. Are they not paying enough to sustain the forum? They sure charge me enough!

 

[Rustytigwire]

Free read non member.
Photos viewed also, some sites give only tiny pic to non member.
Bottom level post
Next level purchase
Higher level sell
My contributions as posts are kindergarden to the main concept of this forum due to lack of experience at this level of expertise. If one is forced so many posts the "bs filler" level goes up. Keep it lean.
All are here to learn, the higher ups do too but more by comparison of ideas. (Argue? Lol)
Books are great, i read my share.
BUT
The interactive discussion of forums is one of the great benefits of the big brother web.
$5 a month? 3-4-5000 people? Ok maybe not.
Life is good right now so i can chip in no sweat.
Others free ride? Sometimes something like this is all you got to hang on to till times get better. I been broke too now and then.
Cheapskates? They are everywhere and will get theirs in the end.
Give some to the NRA too.
Too much coffee today.....

 

[carlsbad]

Manditory paid membership will reduce traffic excessively. It is working well as it is.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Manditory paid membership will reduce traffic excessively. It is working well as it is.

Yes it is working as it is because of the determination of one man whose only mission in life is to devote all his time and energy to the rest of us.

Some of you just don't get it. More money is needed to keep the site operating. It's a one man operation. Mandatory fees are not going to happen but the is nothing wrong about asking members who buy and sell here to pay a fee for the privilege. I too belong to a lot of forums. Most do not charge a fee for posting but buying and selling is a different story. Go look at some of the sites that charge a percentage of the sales price.

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

there are a number of people here who would leave if you asked them for a dollar a year membership. Or at the very least, would post that they would.
I would support creation of a Platinum Class for members at $100 or more a year. Heck, I spend twice that much a year on my Latte and an Apple Fritter at church every Sunday.

 

[charlieyankeesierra]

I think the way things are structured right now is brilliant, and if there is a need to encourage more people to become contributing members it could make sense to continue to whittle down the number of free classified ads for non-contributing members until the desired number of people contribute. I would humbly suggest sticking with the yearly contribution scheme in place and the rewards it offers. I've watched a forum in different sport with 50,000 members become a desert virtually overnight with the institution of a clunky fee for each classified ad system and brow beating users for monetary contributions.

 

[charlieyankeesierra]

I would support creation of a Platinum Class for members at $100 or more a year.

This is an awesome idea.

 

[jimmymac]

Mandatory paid memberships IMO will reduce membership, not increase it. If that's the vision the boss has for this place, then so be it. I'm already invested and will continue to do so.

 

[jimmymac]

BTW you snotty Gold members... Go after the freeloaders instead of suggesting that my privileges be reduced.

 

[linekin]

Other forums have moderators to help oversee things. Maybe this would free up some of the Boss' time. I sure as heck wouldn't want to do all he does. I'm actually surprised he's not burnt out.
Keith

 

[gunnermhr]

There are some world class marksman and gunsmiths that frequent this site, to charge them to share their knowledge is absurd.

My bad for not being a contributing member, I'll pony up.