Additional Membership Options

[Matty80 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Matty80]

I'm not sure that there are "clicky groups"... and certain individuals that are seen to gang up are dealt with, within the forum as any bully would be. If there are members that feel otherwise, perhaps a PM to the moderator of choice would be in order.

Now its time to get this thread back on topic.

[mudboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mudboy]

It's a tough thing, it does revolve around money, I know one other small forum I am in we have a simple page with expenses for month and keep a tally on donations and we always cover costs. Is this about covering costs or making money?

I do not believe anyone should be out of pocket for this forum as there are a lot of members and most people on here have saved 100's of dollars on the tips and ideas gained from this forum.

If the admins spend a lot of their time making and keeping this forum up and running they should get something out of it, as time is money

I think if the amount was less like 20 or 30 dollars there would be less negativity about this and I am sure the revenue would be higher by keeping it to a smaller amount.

I agree that business should pay as they have all made money from this forum.

That's my 2 cents worth anyway
David

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

I think you only say that MLC because you are in the 'Inner Circle'..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl6GU...eature=related

and you still won't be my friend....

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

I hope the money grab for membership is not about making money from this site from the contributors!!!
I know how much advertising costs on a web page and I am pretty sure the amount on this site is more than enough to cover costs of hosting the site and general running costs. A forum is a place for the public discussions of public interest. The common word in this statement is public, without the members this forum is not a forum. Just remember that we all share our own intellectual property on this site for free. By charging for certain memberships to be able to use an App that I have paid for to access my information I am disheartened and will think twice about providing more Free information.
Also if I was a mod I am essentially working for Pradopoint for free while the admin are making money. Aaron I understand you have to cover costs. It if you are just covering costs and not using this as a money making scheme I urge you to make the financials public and transparent so we can understand why you want $55 to be able to use Tapatalk. At this time I believe that I supply more than $55 worth of information a year so why should I pay?

As others have said my 2c worth.

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Do we get ads turned off if we pay $55?

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Do we get ads turned off if we pay $55?

That seems to be the case, but to be honest I hadn't noticed, I had already mentally tuned out the ads.

Cheers Andrew

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Do we get ads turned off if we pay $55?

There's other ways to turn off the ads...

[William Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close William]

I used to be an active member and contributor to the forum, and I must say the forums development has been interesting.

I respect that the admin has been covering hosting costs either by ad revenue or otherwise. Though, like many others, I don’t agree with the direction the forum is heading or for the motives behind it. This situation reminds me of how our government tackled the mining super profits. If the point the admin is trying to make is that individuals/retailers/companies are taking advantage of cheap advertising on the forum and that the admin wants a piece of the profit pie…. why is this coming out from the users pocket? If anything it should be the users who benefit from it as they are the lifeblood of this forum.

This did make me think further. I don’t see any additional expenditure happening as a result of this (potentially huge) influx in revenue. These extra “features” are merely what is already available as part of the web hosting / forum package. My next thought was to do some basic math with some assumptions to figure out how much revenue this new structure could generate.
So a year ago the forums 10,000th user was registered. So let’s say 5% of the registered user base (500 users), actually go for the Basic membership of $55per year. That’s $27,500 per year.

There’s no denying that there are a few DIY or retailers here on the forum, to name a few: ABR sidewinder, traxide, guy who sells voltage booster diode, amts bash plates and wheel spacers etc… Let’s be conservative and say 2 people register in this pool as retail members. That’s $990 per year.

Then we have corporate members. There are two who fit this space that come to mind. ARB (our member Sam who recently made it into their marketing dept has created a profile) and ChipIT. Let’ assume just one signs up. That’s $990 per year.

So in total that’s $29,480 per year cash in hand tax free. So the next question is, where does it all go?
A random Google search will give an estimate of how much hosting costs are. For unlimited traffic on a business web hosting plan, its $449 a year. The revenue from a single corporate member alone will well and truly cover costs.

Is this a dash for cash? I don’t know, but I’ll let you be the judge of that….

In the meantime as this is now a member funded venture, how about we remove all the ads (at least for paying members if it hasn't been done already)? If this is truly a community forum, how about some transparency on the funds generated and what it’s being spent on? I personally would have made a donation if the proposition for site funding was made differently. If I were a paying member I would be peeved that the admin is making a profit simply because they are upset that businessmen are taking advantage of for forum for cheap marketing. I think I'll remain a free registered member. Let's hope it remains free in the future.

There’s my 2 cents. You’ll have to beat me for the other 5498c.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

OK, I am a paid member so here is my $55 worth.

I think the implemtation of this new system was very poorly handled, no consultation, it just appeared, and I started this thread as Admin had said nothing. The removal of access to tapatalk was also a huge mistake IMO, I don't use it so it has no effect on me, but those that do feel like they are being held to ransom and having to pay $55 for something they previously had for free.

On the other side of the coin though, Aaron has implemented a new mobile friendly system for those that used tapatalk, so tapatalk aside, no one has lost anything, no one has to pay if they dont want to, everything really remains the status quo for the vast majority of members.

I expect that if people are now paying for the forum it is only reasonable that Admin (Aaron) is more active in dealing with technical issues on the forum, instead of having things take months to be fixed.

For the life of me though I don't understand what the issue is if Aaron is making money out of this, I say good on him if he can, If he is making a million dollars a year out of it why does it matter? I pay a dollar a week, and if I don't think I am getting my dollars worth then I wont pay next year.

I get a lot of value out of the friendship, the fun, and the info I get from others on this site, $55 is cheap given that it is a voluntary contribution, in fact I think of it as a donation as the extras you get for the money are of little value.

Cheers Andrew

[Matty80 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Matty80]

I get a lot of value out of the friendship, the fun, and the info I get from others on this site, $55 is cheap given that it is a voluntary contribution, in fact I think of it as a donation as the extras you get for the money are of little value.

Well said mate!!! (Didn't feel like quoting everything you said - but that too!)

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

I get a lot of value out of the friendship, the fun, and the info I get from others on this site, $55 is cheap given that it is a voluntary contribution, in fact I think of it as a donation as the extras you get for the money are of little value.

Opinions - everyone will have one. So here is my 2c - as I won't pay the annual fee:

The new fees were poorly implemented... I think that's an agreed point.
The pricing structure is not transparent. $55 seems to be a figure just plucked out of the air for minimal extras (*perhaps a warm & fuzzy feeling aside).
If the issue is advertising or benefiting from those seeking to make a profit from the forum - then target the commercial aspects. Charge those that seek to sell, whether it be individuals, businesses or whatever. But not the general user.
If it were a voluntary fee, with an explanation about what fees would be used for (i.e. site improvements, responsive admin support, etc) then most might actually want to contribute.
If there were a minimum entry (low) price for some basic extras over simple access (i.e. tapatalk, own avatar and maybe emails/PM mailbox) - then more might voluntarily pay.
If the pricing fee for basic users were more along the lines of shareware (i.e. seeking a voluntary contribution above a basic nominal fee) - more might also pay.
If you previously used tapatalk, and wanted to continue to do so, then it's not voluntary. You are now forced to pay for this privilege.
The fee isn't a donation - doners decide the amount of their contribution - not comply with a set fee. But the forum could introduce a membership level with basic features based on an annual donation above a basic rate (say $10).
The fee is an annual fee - it doesn't even include a discount for loyalty (each year).
The new fee structure doesn't appear to have considered the loyalty of its members and provided an initial entry arrangement. Perhaps a pricing discount based on length of membership to date, or their contributions to the forum, etc. An introductory offer to get members on board might have been a better strategy.
What about those members who's better halfs are also on the forum - do they both now need to pay a $55 fee (i.e. MrsAJ12)?

I acknowledge that you don't need to pay the fee to retain access as a member. That is my choice. But it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth the way this was implemented considering that this is a public forum that, quite frankly, is what it is because of the members who have made significant personal contributions - not because of any particular features of the forum. Quite frankly, the forum was excellent when it was just basic. Why? Simply because of its members and their contributions, their camaraderie, friendships, their willingness to help one another, their frankness in providing information about their Prados, trips, experiences, etc.

But if this commercial change means that it we will lose members, or members might not be as active or contribute as much as before, then that is a sad outcome. I hope this doesn't eventuate.

I wear the Pradopoint.com sticker on my car not to promote a commercial business - I do this to promote the community of this forum, which I love being a part of. But it makes me think twice now.

That said, I acknowledge those that are happy with the new fees, and applaud those that freely contribute to the forum, either financially or in-kind through their active involvement, valuable posts and assistance. They are what makes Pradopoint.com something that I enjoy and want to participate in. But if this changes and starts to cost money for the privilege of me giving my time, sharing my information, talking about my experiences with my Prado and helping others, well, I am likely to do something else.

Indeed, without tapatalk, I won't be as active as I was before, especially when travelling. Perhaps this is a good thing - the misses is forever complaining about my 'other love of my life'.

Steps down from soapbox, grabs his car keys and tells the family we're going out to dinner tonight - instead of playing around on Pradopoint.com

[mudboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mudboy]

Very well said ntp

Let's hope it does no change what has been created by all the active forum members

David

[pradi2 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pradi2]

OK, I am a paid member so here is my $55 worth.

I think the implemtation of this new system was very poorly handled, no consultation, it just appeared, and I started this thread as Admin had said nothing. The removal of access to tapatalk was also a huge mistake IMO, I don't use it so it has no effect on me, but those that do feel like they are being held to ransom and having to pay $55 for something they previously had for free.

On the other side of the coin though, Aaron has implemented a new mobile friendly system for those that used tapatalk, so tapatalk aside, no one has lost anything, no one has to pay if they dont want to, everything really remains the status quo for the vast majority of members.

I expect that if people are now paying for the forum it is only reasonable that Admin (Aaron) is more active in dealing with technical issues on the forum, instead of having things take months to be fixed.

For the life of me though I don't understand what the issue is if Aaron is making money out of this, I say good on him if he can, If he is making a million dollars a year out of it why does it matter? I pay a dollar a week, and if I don't think I am getting my dollars worth then I wont pay next year.

I get a lot of value out of the friendship, the fun, and the info I get from others on this site, $55 is cheap given that it is a voluntary contribution, in fact I think of it as a donation as the extras you get for the money are of little value.

Cheers Andrew

was going to put my 2c worth in to but i won't have to andrew did that for me.Great reply mate...

[Signature035 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Signature035]

Well said ntp..... not sure where this is going to now.... after 5 years of membership, I must say I don't think this will help grow our community. Still undicided whether I will or won't pay.... I am a taptalk user...

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

Opinions - everyone will have one. So here is my 2c - as I won't pay the annual fee:

The new fees were poorly implemented... I think that's an agreed point.
The pricing structure is not transparent. $55 seems to be a figure just plucked out of the air for minimal extras (*perhaps a warm & fuzzy feeling aside).
If the issue is advertising or benefiting from those seeking to make a profit from the forum - then target the commercial aspects. Charge those that seek to sell, whether it be individuals, businesses or whatever. But not the general user.
If it were a voluntary fee, with an explanation about what fees would be used for (i.e. site improvements, responsive admin support, etc) then most might actually want to contribute.
If there were a minimum entry (low) price for some basic extras over simple access (i.e. tapatalk, own avatar and maybe emails/PM mailbox) - then more might voluntarily pay.
If the pricing fee for basic users were more along the lines of shareware (i.e. seeking a voluntary contribution above a basic nominal fee) - more might also pay.
If you previously used tapatalk, and wanted to continue to do so, then it's not voluntary. You are now forced to pay for this privilege.
The fee isn't a donation - doners decide the amount of their contribution - not comply with a set fee. But the forum could introduce a membership level with basic features based on an annual donation above a basic rate (say $10).
The fee is an annual fee - it doesn't even include a discount for loyalty (each year).
The new fee structure doesn't appear to have considered the loyalty of its members and provided an initial entry arrangement. Perhaps a pricing discount based on length of membership to date, or their contributions to the forum, etc. An introductory offer to get members on board might have been a better strategy.
What about those members who's better halfs are also on the forum - do they both now need to pay a $55 fee (i.e. MrsAJ12)?

I acknowledge that you don't need to pay the fee to retain access as a member. That is my choice. But it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth the way this was implemented considering that this is a public forum that, quite frankly, is what it is because of the members who have made significant personal contributions - not because of any particular features of the forum. Quite frankly, the forum was excellent when it was just basic. Why? Simply because of its members and their contributions, their camaraderie, friendships, their willingness to help one another, their frankness in providing information about their Prados, trips, experiences, etc.

But if this commercial change means that it we will lose members, or members might not be as active or contribute as much as before, then that is a sad outcome. I hope this doesn't eventuate.

I wear the Pradopoint.com sticker on my car not to promote a commercial business - I do this to promote the community of this forum, which I love being a part of. But it makes me think twice now.

That said, I acknowledge those that are happy with the new fees, and applaud those that freely contribute to the forum, either financially or in-kind through their active involvement, valuable posts and assistance. They are what makes Pradopoint.com something that I enjoy and want to participate in. But if this changes and starts to cost money for the privilege of me giving my time, sharing my information, talking about my experiences with my Prado and helping others, well, I am likely to do something else.

Indeed, without tapatalk, I won't be as active as I was before, especially when travelling. Perhaps this is a good thing - the misses is forever complaining about my 'other love of my life'.

Steps down from soapbox, grabs his car keys and tells the family we're going out to dinner tonight - instead of playing around on Pradopoint.com

I also feel the same way.

I also wonder where the fees are heading, it's $55 this year, what will it be next year? I could understand if the Admin were going to sponsor the GTG or organise more than the site, I too have done the sums and think that $55 is way overpriced for what is on offer.

I too used Tapatalk, I paid for it to use Pradopoint, now I have an App I paid for that is now useless to me unless I pay $55. And yes I can easily afford this but that is not the issue, like others it is the principle. Next year to access the forum will there be a membership cost for that? Disclosure and transparency are two qualities that this forum no longer has.