I have NO idea if anyone can, or will respond to this, but I thought I’d toss it out anyway…
There are posters (perhaps SOMEWHAT of a minority based on sheer volume, but definitely still present) who believe that settling on a subscription model for the board will destroy it (by reducing new/casual-but-smart posters to near nothing, resulting in a strangulation of needed new blood), and that more optional funding possibilities were flatly ignored. Basically, this whole thing is dooming the boards to stagnation and irrelevance in the medium term. Heck, you probably know all the objections by now.
How would/do you respond? What do you think of the board’s future? I know that you all probably don’t care to defend the CR’s business decisions (or your own) to anyone, and I would totally understand if you decided not to reply, but if you want to give a few words, I (and many others, I’m sure) would like to hear them. Thanks.
Welp, there haven’t been any replies directly to this thread (not that I can say I’m surprised), but I figured I should at least link to this post by Lynn that addresses part of what I asked about (the apparently erroneous impression some had that everyone was just twiddling their thumbs in regards to other payment options). It’s in a thread that’s not very long, and I think it bears repeating.
(Oh, and the thread also contains answers to a couple of other suggestions, like keeping certain forums free to post in, so I think it bears a look regardless.)
Actually, I really wasn’t expecting any replies. Replying to this thread would just beg a horde of users to come in arguing every little point ad nauseum to an issue that’s already a done deal. And any optimism they gave (and their reasons) would just be cynically disbelieved as “propaganda.” Would you willingly subject yourself to that? I wouldn’t, especially since that link I just gave does give some answers.
I guess I was just hoping that a mod or admin would pop in, say their piece, and declare themselves out of the rest of the inevitable shitstorm. Ah, well, it’s okay. Like I said, I understand why this thread’s been empty so far. But if anyone named in the thread title DOES feel like taking the risk, I for one would certainly appreciate it…
I think that even the full price subscription is a bargain. I’m also going to stand by my earlier post, namely, that we HAVE considered every scheme that I’ve seen proposed. We did a lot of research.
I think that the board will experience some shrinkage. Some people will refuse to subscribe, either because they don’t want to or cannot come up with even the modest amount of money needed for a subscription. Some will refuse on principle. I think that most regulars will, in fact, pony up the five bucks for at least the first year.
I think that the boards will become MUCH faster. While Ed doesn’t promise to upgrade the servers, I think that will happen, once the SDMB is in the black. Right now, we’re hugely in debt to the Reader.
I predict the rate of growth in new posters will decline. Before you all say “AHA!”, let me explain something…I regularly examine the new registrations, looking for obvious problems. A screen name such as Pimpdaddy Longstroke, to use just one true-life example, can pretty much be counted on to flame out quickly. I see a lot of obvious fake screen names and addresses. I also see a lot of screen names and addresses that look legit, but that never post. Out of 50 or so new registrations, I might see half a dozen post, and 4 or 5 of those will only have one post. So, while our new registration numbers go up pretty quickly, the number of regularly posting members goes up much more slowly.
Some people have said that they’ll just get new screen names and email addresses after the end of 30 days. If that really starts to be a problem, I have an idea for that. It won’t be popular, but it will be EFFECTIVE.
I wanted to keep some forums completely free, and have other forums read-only for non-subscribers, but I was voted down by TPTB. Well, I very rarely get EVERYTHING I want in any given situation. I think that this is the best solution that we’re going to get.
I should note that while my post above was written with my knowledge and experience as an administrator, I am NOT speaking for the Reader, nor should anyone mistake my comments for an official pronouncement.
Well, OK, look at it this way…I got a fairly good sized box of Godiva chocolates for Valentine’s day from my husband. (He values the integrity of his skin.) However, even though I enjoyed the chocolates very much, I had to ration myself to eating only one or two a day, because I have diabetes. I couldn’t eat several a day, as I would have liked to. Thus, I didn’t get EVERYTHING I wanted in that situation. However, I got most of what I wanted. For the record, HE got homemade lasagna, which is what HE loves to eat. And he overate, and lay on the couch moaning about it.
The secret to a happy life is to decide what YOUR top priorities are, and then try to achieve them. Nobody can have EVERYTHING s/he wants. I mean, even Paris Hilton, who has good looks and more money than Midas, doesn’t seem to have much in the way of brains or common sense. Or good taste. But, there you go. Nobody gets EVERYTHING, though some people get more than others, either through luck or hard work.
As recently as a couple of years ago, my wife and I would have had to request charity to afford signing up. Life is like that. One day, you’re Donald Trump the friend of junk bond dealer Michael Milken. The next day, you’re Donald Trump the bankrupt former friend of junk bond dealer Michael Milken. And the day after that, you’re Donald Trump the TV star and multi-billioinaire property developer. It’s a roller coaster.
