Of course, there are those of us who would be willing to pay the subscription fee for those posters we enjoy reading…
Talk about blackmail. Mwahahahahahahaha!
I’d pay it, and I think I’ve only posted from home once. Of course I’d rather have people pay me for my opinions, knowledge and creatively mispelled words. But you can’t have everything.
I had this conumdrum when Salon went subsription, but I didn’t sign up for their service, as I could get most of the stories I wanted elsewhere. But I like this community we’ve got here and honestly, I spend twenty bucks without much thinking about it.
Wow, are you that melodramatic in real life?
Gee, I guess you’re just fucked for life then, huh? You might as well just crawl under a rock until you’re able to get away from wherever you are. :rolleyes:
Aren’t you in school, racinchikki? Don’t they have any on-campus jobs you could do? Are you telling me that, over the course of a year, there is not one single occasion where you would have the opportunity to do some odd job for a couple hours to make a few bucks to spend on a SDMB subscription? Where the fuck do you live, Siberia?
Oh, wait, newsflash looks like you may be getting a car after all. Problem solved. Not quit your whining and go get a fucking job.
The donation issue has been covered before - numerous times - and the answer from the SDMB Staff has always been “no”.
I would pay. Absolutely. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve been entertained, I’ve made some great friends.
When Salon went pay. I stopped going there. Sad, too, cause I liked Salon.
I am so poor that I honestly can’t justify any expense that is not either school books or food. There are no words for exactly how poor I am.
I love the Straight Dope. I’ve been here for years. I feel like the Beatles are breaking up again or something. I don’t want to have to leave.
Well, I’m relatively new here, and verging on full-blown addiction. My job just ended last month, so right now, I’m in the not-a-chance I’d pay category. Even when I’m feeling a bit more flush, I have my doubts that I’d pony up a registration fee, for a number of reasons:[ul][li]I love the SDMB’s current incarnation, and would hate pay for a membership and then find that the board has become un-populated.[]I consider usury a pox on society, and choose not to have a credit card. It might be too much of a hassle to bother finding a way to pay.[]It’s the people that make this board such a joy. What if they just pick up en masse and move over to another vBulletin board? What’s the point?[/ul]I understand that the Reader needs an incentive to keep the board going, but this decision may kill the SDMB. Have they looked at selling advertising?[/li]
Until I found the Straight Dope Webpage, I’d never heard of Cecil Adams. (The shame of it all.) Now I have three of his books on my shelf. I’ve written to Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe & Mail, and asked them to carry the column. I’m a fan.
When it comes right down to it, if the transition to pay-service doesn’t leave the board a shadow of it’s former glory, and if the fee isn’t ridiculous, ($30.[sup]00[/sup] US?! To hell with that.), and when I have a reasonable income again, I might pony up the cash. Or not.
What the hell’s your problem, Demo? Suddenly, you’re an expert on everyone else’s financial situation? Fraid not, buddy. I think racinchikki’s probably the best judge of her finances. You wanna pay? Fine. Pay. Why do you feel like you have to say what everybody else should do?
I posted in dj’s thread, but I wanted to pop in here as well.
My vote is for paying, personally. I understand why some of you wouldn’t or won’t or can’t, but I will for two reasons. As much as I hate to say it, I think we’re looking down the barrel at the future, gang. More and more websites are doing this. Hell, at least the SDMB is doing it because they pretty much HAVE to, A lot of the others are doing it to turn a buck. The second reason is if there’s a choice between paying for SDMB and having absolutely no SDMB, I’m forking up the cash. Say what you will about internet communities, I love this place too much to see it go down without doing my little part to fight it.
No stones thrown to anyone that chooses not to. Just my vote.
With all due respect to DEMO, it seems to me that no one can say whether anyone else can or cannot afford anything.
I’ll pay, but I think $50 is too high. $20 I do think is reasonable for everyone. Truly, if you can’t scare up an extra 20-spot once a year, then you’re right – you really cannot afford it. Which is a shame, of course, but not the fault of the SDMB.
I agree, Demo. This ain’t the pit. When you’re on a budget, you have to prioritize. And some people rank “entertainment” below “medical expenses” and “rent.” So back off.
Well, I suppose I would pay the suggested amount to post… I’m not a huge fan of doing so, though. If my financial situation changes in the future and I was unable to justify $20/year to myself for this board, I’d have no trouble giving it up.
I kinda look at this as a gamble. Sure, life’s a gamble, but this truly is one. I’m paying $50 in the hopes of coming to a board where we’ll still have a large poster population and a large influx of new members.
To me, money isn’t the most important thing right now. A student is saying this? A future lawyer is saying this?!? yes and yes.
I go to the casinos frequently and I’ll plop down $50 a hand at poker without batting an eye. But the difference between a gamble at poker and a gamble on these boards is that in cards, I know the odds of winning and I accept the chances.
Here, I’m throwing money in in the dark. I like that the admins are doing a survey to gather information. But it scares me to think that I could be throwing $50 away on a 1000 to 1 shot. I’m not sure just yet if the pot is worth the call.
I prolly would not pay, and I have been with the SDMB for ages. I mostly just lurk anyway.
True. But the pit thread that sprung from this was immediately closed.
And this one will be too if it heads off in that direction. Keep it civil.
But… but… I don’t want it.
::d&r::
Well, I’ll probably pay, but I hope the board doesn’t lose to much of it’s diversity. However, I also post from work, and choose not to have a credit card, so I hope there will be an opportunity to mail my subscription in. If not…it’s been fun.
I think the board is finished if it requires a credit card just to post. The diversity just won’t be there to support the creative atmosphere we have going here.
I do have alternate suggestions for supporting the board:
I think that regular posts should remain free, along with lurking. Starting new threads, however, would not be free.
Each new thread started would cost $0.25 to $0.50, at most $1.00. Optionally, threads could only be started by registered users.
Either way, allowing free posting to existing threads should allow the majority of users to participate in the discussions, which, let’s face it, is why we’re all here.
Another possibility is allowing free posting until you reach 500 posts. That way only the true habituites are affected. Lurkers have incentive to jump in, and can be lured into staying if they enjoy.
It’s critical that we retain a free flow of opinions if we really wish to fight ignorance.
So what happens when someone ponys up $50 for year on the boards, and gets banned the next day? Is there a way to pro-rate? My goodness, the implications of monthly versus annual are staggering. I don’t know if I can do the math.
Fortunately, I have thie superfly calculator now, and can like, make plots and circles and stuff on it. I’m going to take it to the bars with me tonight, and see if it makes the girls swarm to me like it should.