# I renewed my subscription to the forums today **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 18, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565 "2007-04-18T02:12:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/21 "2007-04-18T16:13:05Z")
[QUOTE=Kotick] Whew, good thing this thread appeared to remind me to re-up. Anyway, I thought this charter member denomination was something about a free charter trip to some exotic charter member place. So wheres the charter trip planned this year? [/QUOTE] We’re going to the Virgin Islands, where all the geeks of the world feel right at home. Hey, who let all the plebes in? ---
**Author:** ![Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silence_of_the_clams)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/22 "2007-04-19T09:02:22Z")
Room 101, at the Virgin Islands this year! Wohooo! I’d better pack my multicoloured shorts and squid-repellant. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/23 "2007-04-19T09:58:33Z")
I reupped yesterday or so. I suppose the cash-flow at the Chicago Reader is weighted toward this time of year. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/24 "2007-04-20T02:54:29Z")
[QUOTE=Kotick] Whew, good thing this thread appeared to remind me to re-up. [/QUOTE] Didn’t you get a “just a friendly reminder” e-mail from **Cecil** and his minions? I was planning to re-subscribe anyway, but that _personal invitation_ clinched the deal! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/25 "2007-04-20T05:47:18Z")
No personal email came to me. I post occasionally; I’m still debating whether to renew. I need to defend my title in fantasy football… …and if I go, will a certain person miss me? ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/26 "2007-04-21T18:48:20Z")
Sorry to revise this, but I really do want to know how a Charter Member differs from a humble “Member Only” like myself. Can’t find anything in the FAQ. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/27 "2007-04-21T18:54:53Z")
[QUOTE=Fiddle Peghead] Sorry to revise this, but I really do want to know how a Charter Member differs from a humble “Member Only” like myself. Can’t find anything in the FAQ. [/QUOTE] This board use to be free. Any member who has paid continually since the board went to requiring a paid subscription to post is a “Charter Member.” We are the cool people who renew for half price ($7.49). People who subscribed after this are just Members and pay full price. I always figure I am getting my $.02 worth a day on this Board. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/28 "2007-04-21T18:55:32Z")
**Mbossa** answered in [Post 12](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8477773&postcount=12) . ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/29 "2007-04-21T18:56:22Z")
Test post to see what I actually am… …ah poo. At least I’m still good lookin’ 🙂 Here’s a hunka hunka member love! ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/30 "2007-04-21T19:12:01Z")
[QUOTE=Fiddle Peghead] Sorry to revise this, but I really do want to know how a Charter Member differs from a humble “Member Only” like myself. [/QUOTE] Although you joined in 2001 and the “pay-to-post” requirement only kicked in three years ago, you either submitted the subscription fee after the “Charter Member” deadline had passed, or you let your membership lapse at some point before rejoining. If neither of these is the case, your status is in error, and you should contact the administrators so that you can renew at the $7.48 per year Charter Member rate. Incidentally, a Charter Member is not listed as such if he/she rates an even more prestigious description, such as “Administrator”, “Moderator”, or “SDSAB” (the last of which stands for “Straight Dope Science Advisory Board”, and denotes someone who has “assisted” **Cecil** in researching or writing articles, or has otherwise performed noteworthily meritorious service to the cause of fighting ignorance). So all Charter Members are charter members, but not all charter members are Charter Members. On preview, I see that others have already answered the question, but my post expands on their points, so I’m not editing, even though I’ve enjoyed exercising that option on other occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/31 "2007-04-21T19:20:45Z")
[QUOTE=DeadlyAccurate] **Mbossa** answered in [Post 12](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8477773&postcount=12) . [/QUOTE] And you answered me. I must have been drunker than I thought the other night. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/32 "2007-04-21T19:32:34Z")
Wait, you mean I’ll never achieve Charter Member status (it’s the $7.48 subscription rate that really counts), no matter how long and how continuously I re-up? Well, I’m not cool, I’m not good-looking, but at least I still have a big. . . . pair of eyeglasses. So there. ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565/33 "2007-04-21T19:49:37Z")
[QUOTE=Sternvogel] Didn’t you get a “just a friendly reminder” e-mail from **Cecil** and his minions? I was planning to re-subscribe anyway, but that _personal invitation_ clinched the deal! [/QUOTE] My _personal invitation_ got filtered into my junk mail folder, which I happened to check for the first time in a month or two yesterday. Otherwise it would’ve taken this thread to remind me. Not sure if anyone would notice my disappearance, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-renewed-my-subscription-to-the-forums-today/400565.md?page=1)