So, will YOU be renewing in **November ** when the ad revenue program is still going to be just “another couple of months” away?
I should add a “my bad” here. I was under the impression that all the memberships expired on May 1st. Clearly wrong.
I wasn’t trying to make a doomsday prediction either, really, but it still doesn’t seem like a good idea to leave the paying members who decline to renew* out in the cold during the interim phase.
**This is the really confusing part of it. I read in one thread that an admin stated that memberships are basically undesirable, that they’d rather have everyone “see” the ads. *
I didn’t realize somebody thought this thread was started to change something on the boards. I thought it was obvious that it was started for the sole purpose of bitching and complaining in frustration. Please don’t subvert this thread, into a complaint about whining. I think you can find one of those in the pit too.
Ed has stated that one main reason they are switching back to free posting is that pay-for-posting seemed to severely stunt membership growth. So basically on this switch over year they want to have it both ways - have all the die-hards pay up and then grow membership with free posting. I’m sure they are quite pleased with the number of current subscribers that are completely happy to put on their best shit-eating grin while they do it.
I share your skepticism regarding the “this will kill the board” claims. It’s somehow managed to survive nine years of such deaths.
Can’t say I thought pay-for-post was going to kill the boards, or that it would cost us valued posters (though I think it has, but my definition may be more expansive than yours), just that the comparative dearth of new blood would eventually result in the same old people endlessly rehashing the same old arguments with each other in GD and the Pit.
I think there’s certainly been more than a bit of that in recent years.
It’s still worth $7.48 a year, and then some.
Heck, I’d probably pay $7.48 a year to read Bricker and RTFirefly post.
Man, you think everything is a “conspiracy” perpetrated by “the man”. I know black panthers more laid back than you. Sheeet Honky!
So worse-case scenario, you pony up another $15/year ($7.50 for charter members such as moi) and they switch to free-to-post sometime in the next few months?
Sorry. I can’t muster up any outrage. If it’s any consolation, you’ll still be free of the ads, which were a huge source of outrage, IIRC.
I subscribe to FlyerTalk, which has the same platform. Both are still the best in their class, IMO, and worth the $$.
You mean like this?
I reupped in February. I couldn’t bear the thought of not hanging out with all you smart guys, much less not being able to make smart comments and generaly make an ass out of myself.
I’m sure I made a spelling error somewhere.
For me, it’s not the money, it’s the principle of it. They want us to pony up for another year’s subscription, but it’s only good for a couple of months. Obviously, they know most of us are too addicted or too loyal to not shell out again.
I am firmly in the camp of those who think that TPTB should just extend our subs until the board goes free-to-post. Especially for Charter Members, who have been paying since the beginning.
Yes I will, I hate ads, and I think the money is well worth the price of no ads.
I hope that works out to $6.50 for Bricker and 98¢ for me, because Bricker actually knows what the hell he’s talking about most of the time. 
It’s a moot point anyway because I doubt the SDMB is going to a pay-to-read business model.
So I see that the graphic banners and in-thread ads have been mostly replaced with Google ad-sense text ads. So I guess something is shaking up. Whether a deal just collapsed or is about to begin, only the gods can say, I suppose.
Okay, I’m growing tired of this.
Every so often, someone asks TPTB to deliver on their promises. Immediately, the same folks step up to denounce the poster as a whiner. It’s always the same: Love the SDMB, or don’t let the door hit your fanny on the way out.
The BBQ Pit is full of threads crying foul to poor customer service or shady business practices. Scores of dopers join in on the outragefest. Look, the SDMB is a business. Why should it not be held to the same standards?
I agree 100% with danceswithcats. We’re being led by a carrot on a stick. Every month it’s “Good things are in the works! Just be patient!” We’re never given any real specifics or progress reports. “Keep your hats on, lads! We’re working hard as we can! Just keep quiet and pay your fees!”
So why don’t I just leave? Well, I don’t pay for a subscription to the SDMB because they’re great boards (they’re not). I pay because I enjoy intelligent discourse with people who don’t write posts like, “OMG lmfao me 2! lolol” I pay because I know I can ask a question, no matter how stupid or personal, and get a thoughtful and non-condescending answer.
If you pay for a service, you expect quality commensurate with price. You don’t pay to be lied to. You don’t pay for snarky emails from admins (yes, I have received such an email in the past).
If the new server or free posting is delayed, that’s crappy but life’ll go on. Just apologize and own up to it. Keep us in the loop. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.
The text-based Google ads seem particularly ineffective compared with graphical ones, especially placed between the OP and the first reply. Nothing catches your eye as you scroll down.
I have to believe they’ll use full page interstitials a la nytimes.com. Maybe the most effective method for targeted advertising would be individual ads for each forum. Click on Cafe Society and get a promo for a new movie; a political ad for Great Debates and so on. Perhaps anger management therapy ads for the BBQ Pit.
And you’re not getting your 4¢ per day’s worth?
I won’t, because I’m not resubscribing until they stop lying about this stuff.
Everything Zotti claimed was bullshit. All lies, up and down. I base that on the fact that it is my universal experience, and indeed has been the universal experience of pretty much all human beings since the dawn of time, that when people keep making and breaking bullshit promises, the next vague promise is going to be bullshit, too.
Not if you consider other boards have more uptime and no bullshit claims for 0¢ per day.
“Generally” has two L’s. You’re welcome.
Do you think it’s more likely that the administration is a bunch of money grubbing bastards, sitting around plotting ways to string us along and get more subscriptions out of us while lying about improvements they’re going to make, or that they honestly want to make the improvements and are simply over-optimistic about their ability to deliver with the resources they’re given?
Because if it’s the latter (and I suspect it is), complaining that they aren’t as good at this as they think they are isn’t getting you anywhere. You’re fooling yourself if you’re counting on it getting better because of optimistic predictions. I know “take it or leave it” isn’t your favorite answer, but those are the only realistic options you’ve got, short of bestowing superpowers on the server and the admins. Personally, I’ll take it, because I still think the board’s a good deal.