# Is $15 a year really all that much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 17, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053 "2008-09-17T21:47:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/1 "2008-09-17T21:47:12Z")
Now that we have gone to free-to-post, it seems a lot of past posters are coming out of the woodwork and are posting again. I would expect some of that, but the number of past poster that have restarted posting is quite astonishing. Is $15 a year really all that much to so many people? Or is it the principal of the matter? (i.e. why pay when other boards are free?) ---
**Author:** ![Typo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Typo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/2 "2008-09-17T21:51:45Z")
I guess for me it was kind of a combination budget/principle thing. No, $15 isn’t much, but I weigh entertainment and other nonessential expenses very carefully, and I just couldn’t justify the expense. I do better if I’m disciplined and don’t allow “just this one” to slip through, just like I know I’m not likely to eat “just one” cookie or “just one” cigarette. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/3 "2008-09-17T22:06:21Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > Now that we have gone to free-to-post, it seems a lot of past posters are coming out of the woodwork and are posting again. > > I would expect some of that, but the number of past poster that have restarted posting is quite astonishing. > > Is $15 a year really all that much to so many people? Or is it the principal of the matter? (i.e. why pay when other boards are free?) I don’t know about in this particular instance but it seems people in general are reluctant to pay for intangibles online. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/4 "2008-09-17T22:30:45Z")
The $15 was better spent on other things. (and at the time the board was running very slow, if at all) ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/5 "2008-09-17T22:47:32Z")
There are some folks who cannot afford $15/year. Sad, but, I think, true. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/6 "2008-09-17T22:52:58Z")
Not so much about able to afford, more about willing to sponsor the Reader for a haphazard service. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/7 "2008-09-17T23:04:26Z")
I re-registered about three months ago, knowing that free posting was coming. I thought it would be kinda dickish to jump back in only after it went free. Guess I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/8 "2008-09-17T23:07:13Z")
Principle. Much though I missed many people here, I wouldn’t pay a penny for the opportunity to provide free content to someone who isn’t making me any money by taking that content. Once upon a time, I would, but then things changed, and those things are for discussion privately or in the Pit (which has really lost most of its appeal to me anyway). ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/9 "2008-09-17T23:11:54Z")
> [@BarnOwl](#): > > There are some folks who cannot afford $15/year. Sad, but, I think, true. If they can’t afford $15 a year they shouldn’t be wasting their time posting on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/10 "2008-09-17T23:13:11Z")
So many assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/11 "2008-09-17T23:30:06Z")
It was principle. If you can afford an internet connection, you can afford $15 a year. And it was more like $7 a year if you paid from the first cycle on. My wife kind of laughed/rolled her eyes whenever I paid because she thinks messageboards are stupid (gotta say I kind of agree with her but I’m a complicated guy :p), but to me it was worth it. I’ve gotten my money’s worth through entertainment and knowledge gained here. I’ve taken long breaks from the boards, once for about 9 months straight and many, many times for a few weeks at a time, but I never seriously considered not renewing during pay to post. ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/12 "2008-09-17T23:37:12Z")
Combination of budget and principle – but mostly the latter, based on events on the board. I’m going to take 'punha’s lead, though, and say that’s not really for open discussion. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/13 "2008-09-17T23:40:27Z")
Let me just say that for whatever reason, I’m glad to see a number of “oldsters” come back. Who knows, maybe the ads will annoy some of 'em enough they’ll pay up. If not, I hope most of 'em anyway stay. We shall not discuss who because you know who you are. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/14 "2008-09-17T23:49:48Z")
> [@BarnOwl](#): > > So many assholes. So much time. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/15 "2008-09-17T23:59:12Z")
I paid because $7 wasn’t a lot. Even though I don’t post a lot, and what I do post doesn’t contribute much anyway, you know, the board had to keep going. I could afford $7 for that. That, and I wanted that shiney “Charter Member” tag. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/16 "2008-09-18T01:01:30Z")
Well, as a non-paying member, they can’t ban me and keep my money. They are welcome to ban me as a non-payer, and I don’t feel ripped off. That and why should I provide them copyrighted content _ **and** _ pay for the privilege? ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/17 "2008-09-18T01:01:30Z")
$15 for something I don’t particularly need? Yes, that’s too much money. Paying $15 for the SDMB isn’t much money. Neither is buying fresh pasta instead of dried, buying an americano from Starbucks ($2.85) instead of a double-double from Tim’s ($1.53). Supersize my fries? Also not that much money. Personally I don’t need to supersize, thank you. And I don’t need to spend money where it doesn’t need to be spent. If you consider the SDMB to be an essential part of your life, $15 really isn’t that much. But it’s not the center of everyone’s universe. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/18 "2008-09-18T01:13:48Z")
No, the money isn’t all that much, and I paid it a couple of times. But it limited the influx of new voices and became a country club where dissent was starting to be unwelcome. I think easing the barrier to posting will improve the board. I was right when I said pay-to-post would suck the board dry. Let’s see if I’m right again. ---
**Author:** ![lucky\_henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc8723/32.png) [@lucky\_henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucky_henry)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/19 "2008-09-18T01:49:44Z")
What we post is free content for the website. Damned if I was going to pay them for the privilege. During the pay to post years I read the site occasionally, now that it’s free again I’m back with a New Improved Name. ---
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/20 "2008-09-18T02:08:50Z")
I went the opposite direction. I paid to post each year, but then never actually got around to posting much. But, ehhh. Seven bucks a year is a lot less than I waste on other stuff. Now that I see a lot of familiar names back, I may actually post more. But probably not. I’m pretty lazy that way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053.md?page=2)