# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/21 "2008-09-18T02:13:54Z")
I just didn’t feel like jumping through the hoops, entering the card number, assuaging my husband’s fears about entering our card into the internet. Well, looking at some of the drivel I used to post, I think the three year break did me good. Getting to absorb without jumping in taught me to think more about what I say. It also taught me to think less like a 15 year old girl. ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Hoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Broken\_Hoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Hoe)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/22 "2008-09-18T02:30:30Z")
> [@torie](#): > > I just didn’t feel like jumping through the hoops, entering the card number, assuaging my husband’s fears about entering our card into the internet. Same here, did not trust the website with my credit card #. And yes, also did not like the clique-ey feel of the board (“charter members” vs the rest of us") and some of the high-handed bannings of paying customers. Which reminds me, did paying customers who were banned get a refund of their unused membership term? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/23 "2008-09-18T02:51:57Z")
> [@BarnOwl](#): > > There are some folks who cannot afford $15/year. Sad, but, I think, true. I’d be willing to bet that most of those people have CDs, DVDs, drink beer, etc. $15 a year for something that is, like TV, pretty well entertaining and new regardless of what time you come to look, and continues to be entertaining up until the time you sign off irregardless of how much time you spent, and will continue to be so for years to come, pretty much only broadcast TV is a competitor price-wise. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/24 "2008-09-18T02:59:11Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > 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? a) If someone is banned, it’s because they reneged on the registration agreement. If you not only agreed to follow the rules, but in fact _paid to be able to follow the rules_, and the proceed to not do so, you don’t deserve your money. b) Your copyrighted content is still yours to publish and sell as you will. And if you think you’ve come up with material that could make you some money, just don’t post it here. Go, sell it. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/25 "2008-09-18T03:05:31Z")
> [@lucky\_henry](#): > > 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. Welcome back, but we allow only one account per person. Please contact me, TubaDiva, Dex or Gaudere with the name of your old account and we’ll get everything merged together (you’ll be able to choose which name you’d like to keep). ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/26 "2008-09-18T03:20:56Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > If they can’t afford $15 a year they shouldn’t be wasting their time posting on the SDMB. Yep. If you can’t afford $15 a year then maybe you should be looking for another job. I’m convinced it is a liberal thing. Everything should be free dammit! Let the government pay for it type of attitude. I like the people here for the most part, but whining about $15 is just too much. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/27 "2008-09-18T03:24:58Z")
It was the principle, for me. In any case, I could still read it, and that was 99% of the enjoyment. I don’t much enjoy inflicting my opinions on others, except in very rare cases. So why should I pay someone to let me do it? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/28 "2008-09-18T03:31:52Z")
Also, the attitude of a few of the posters prior to the pay-to-post implementation was a bit off-putting. Pit threads directed at users who said they weren’t going to pay. Pit threads that were threatening in tone, starting with expletives like “F-you!” I’m sorry nobody tells me what to spend my luxury money on. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/29 "2008-09-18T03:39:03Z")
> [@BarnOwl](#): > > So many assholes. I don’t think we need any more of this. Thread moved to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/30 "2008-09-18T05:53:47Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > Yep. If you can’t afford $15 a year then maybe you should be looking for another job. > I’m convinced it is a liberal thing. Everything should be free dammit! Let the government pay for it type of attitude. > I like the people here for the most part, but whining about $15 is just too much. I never whined, I just didn’t pay. I don’t think I bothered to post a damn thing one way or another re: p2p when it was brought up. For me it was just your basic cost:benefit analysis. I didn’t post that often. I read much much more. Reading was still free. I had been unemployed for long enough that I was just getting to that point of transition between “well, I’ll pay for cheap luxuries every once in a while just so I don’t go insane,” to “can’t pay for anything that I don’t absolutely need.” So $15 was 1\> a lot of money for me at the time and 2\> not money I could spend on a luxury. And after I’d done without posting for a while I found I didn’t miss it that much either. In most cases I didn’t really feel a NEED to post. But I could read and that was plenty entertaining, and still free. Also, WTF with the ragging on people who couldn’t afford it? Even if someone is looking for work 9-5 M-F (and believe me, when the economy tanks, in certain industries you will just NOT find that many openings to apply to), are you really going to begrudge them an hour or so of reading in the evenings? ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/31 "2008-09-18T05:59:03Z")
Is .041 cents a day really all that much? ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/32 "2008-09-18T10:06:00Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > Is .041 cents a day really all that much? That’s a good way of looking at it. Once the Large Hadron Collider gets going, we can figure out how much it costs per second, or even down to a quantum of time. Seriously though, aside from prophylactics, it’s about the best $15 a year I spend. (Yes, $15. And that’s a good year. What’s your point?) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/33 "2008-09-18T10:10:50Z")
$15 a year isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. But being unemployed right now it was a tough amount to cough up. I imagine it’s a lot for people on fixed budgets like students and retirees. When the supposed free posting became several months overdue however, I bit the bullet because I just could not stay away for any longer. As for next year, I haven’t decided. Supposedly they’d rather have the ad revenue than the $15, and if potential ad revenue becomes worth more than $15 they might up the subscription fee. I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay more than $15 just to be ad-free. And if they really are making more from ad revenue, then paying the fee just to be ‘supportive’ doesn’t make as much sense as it used to. That said, if I think about all the websites I visit and participate in, if I had to pay $15 for each that would get real expensive real fast. And it’s half as much as the monthly internet bill - more if your sharing internet with anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/34 "2008-09-18T10:22:32Z")
It’s not always $15, though. For those of us overseas, with different exchange rates, it’s different amounts of money. When I first paid for membership here, it was something like AUD$21 per year- and $21 is an amount of money that’s just out of “Trivial” and into “Needs to be thought about a little”. For me, I decided it was worth it, but if the membership fee had been £15 or €15 then I probably wouldn’t have paid; the exchange rate would have made it prohibitive. ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/35 "2008-09-18T10:25:23Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > 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. 😛 Sort of describes my view as well. 7 or 15 or whatever I paid wasn’t a lot for me. Despite being an economist (who is very aware of the ability to be a free rider) I still pay/donate to some sites that I like. I figure that if I chip in a couple of bucks for something that probably provides me with several hours of enjoyment is ok, even though I may not technically have to pay in order to enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/36 "2008-09-18T10:38:44Z")
It never worried me- I get so much entertainment here. I can imagine those with strict budgets not being able to cough up though. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/37 "2008-09-18T10:57:31Z")
I come at it from the other side. I have not found another site that keeps me consistently coming back. I have _never_ tired of this site. I’d gladly pay a little money to help them keep their lights on. The SD is the _only_ internet service I care to pay this way. I register a couple of DNS names, and I host a server for $20 a month, and I’ll occasionally throw some money to Dan’s Data, The Week in Tech and the now departed Real Happy Hour…but the SDMB is the only one I renew without hesitation and expect to continue to do so. You can get up-in-arms and principled about what you will or will not do with your free, copywritten, juicy content, but really, it’s hard to find such a large spread of smart people. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/38 "2008-09-18T11:04:27Z")
At the current rates, 15 USD is like 2 or 3 euro’s, so no, it’s not that much. I gladly pay, but to be honest, I think they should be paying me to share my wisdom and witticisms with y’all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/39 "2008-09-18T11:12:40Z")
When my subscription expired, several things came together: -I was getting ready to quit my job and move to grad school, where I’d be living mostly on loans -I was so busy I really didn’t spend much time on the boards -It was announced that the boards would “soon” be free So I didn’t think it was worth it to reup. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053/40 "2008-09-18T11:22:05Z")
I pay $40/month for my RoadRunner high speed internet. I pay $10/year to get rid of the ads on FlyerTalk. $7.50/year for SDMB was more than a fair price. It’s all the cost of entertainment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-15-a-year-really-all-that-much/464053.md?page=3)