# The SDMB is switching to paid subscriptions **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 18, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724 "2004-03-18T18:26:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![Padmaraga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Padmaraga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padmaraga)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/562 "2004-03-25T20:28:13Z")
I signed up as soon as I got the e-mail today. I was encouraged by the idea that paid membership might improve the site speed (and I love having “charter member” status!). So, not having been active around here for a while, I hope to now become more active - I want to get the most for my money and all. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/563 "2004-03-25T21:40:21Z")
> [@Flash-57](#): > > I find that the most interesting and unusual questions come from the one-time posters. These are the people who aren’t embarrassed to ask questions about sperm, or farts, or death, or combinations of them. They don’t have a reputation or a Charter Membership to worry about. > > Now, the best answers do seem to come from the long-time membership. > > However, without good questions, the board will slowly decline. I don’t know. Regulars ask those freaky-deaky questions all the time. There have been many interesting threads started by new folks, so I can’t really argue that. But I would argue that it’s not JUST new people who broach the taboo. Trust me, Charter Memberships won’t stop folks from starting up latter-day “Pan-fried semen” threads. … BTW, quite a few of members with low post counts are, in fact, subscribing. See **Padmaraga’s** post above. There is even a _one-post_ member who is subscribing. So, at least in the short term, there will be some non-regulars around to shake things up. ---
**Author:** ![\_len](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/c0e974/32.png) [@\_len](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_len)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/564 "2004-03-26T00:48:15Z")
Given that the current (read: free) situation can’t continue forever, five bucks isn’t much to pay for one year’s subscription. Heck, if I paid Uncle Cecil a nickle for every time I used one of his lines, he’d have that condo in the Virgin Islands paid off. Len ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/565 "2004-03-26T01:17:53Z")
Do sperm die when they fart? ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/566 "2004-03-26T01:41:53Z")
> [@The Great Zamboni](#): > > I don’t want to read through all twelve pages of this thread, so answer me this: After subscription, how long does it take to be a Charter Member? I just subscribed about an hour ago and the posts I have made so far still say Guest. You’re not on the list yet. Did you pay via PayPal eCheck, which takes a while to clear? ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/567 "2004-03-26T09:27:30Z")
Best $5 I’ve ever spent, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/568 "2004-03-26T11:28:33Z")
I know this makes me sound like a cheapskate, but I won’t be subscribing. I perferctly understand your need to make money, and I wish you luck. My use of the board has dropped a lot in the past year (can’t post at work), so it doesn’t make sense to subscribe on the off chance I’ll need to post. It’s been fun. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/569 "2004-03-26T11:40:48Z")
Inspired by the administration’s willingness to provide subscriber numbers, etc., I have just now subscribed. I hope the “Charter Member” thingie appears… Good luck SMDB! ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/570 "2004-03-26T13:58:27Z")
I was dead wrong about only getting 1/10 of the users to sign up (based on 7000 active members). You have a very big and loyal fanbase for your product. I think I was right, however, about leaving money on the table with not doing angel/lifetime memberships. Give it some more thought. You could still implement that in the next few months. $145 for charter members, 175 for non-charter. Etc. etc. Could bring in some serious dough. The beauty part is that you don’t really lose anything should not very many people sign up for that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CKO1967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@CKO1967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CKO1967)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/571 "2004-03-26T14:23:50Z")
Just got the word about the changeover…I’m afraid I’m going to have to cancel my account here,because I don’t have any credit cards(major or otherwise) and I’m not likely to get them anytime soon. I can’t say I won’t be sorry to go,but my present circumstances render any other decision impossible.So,a fond farewell to everyone here at SDMB ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/572 "2004-03-26T14:42:06Z")
I read all of page one, don’t want to read the other eleven. I’m sorry to make you do the work I don’t want to, but … minor consideration: I’m only a “member” becuase I used paypal instead of a credit card? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/573 "2004-03-26T14:42:55Z")
This will most likely be my last post here, but I’ll keep reading. $5 dollars isn’t all that much money to me, the exchange is favourable and I’ve got a good salary, but I’m against using small amounts of money just because they are small. 😃 I don’t know how much I’ve posted, since that feature is already gone, but I know it’s not very much. And I won’t miss it much. Except of course when you Charter Members write something completely wrong. I’ll just have to tell myself that that is your loss. 🙂 And I’m not willing to pay for a possible improvement in service. Just yesterday it was inaccessible after I’d read this thread and planned to post. I haven’t read the whole 12 pages, or looked all over the place, but if it’s still part of the plan to disable searching for non-members… where are your brains? You’re going to fight ignorance by preventing people from looking for wisdom? 😑 ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/574 "2004-03-26T14:45:14Z")
Well, now that was quick. I thank you. _squeaks off into the night, ignoring the fact that it’s not yet 10_ ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/575 "2004-03-26T14:48:34Z")
> [@naita](#): > > I don’t know how much I’ve posted, since that feature is already gone Sixty-one posts. I clicked on your name link, chose “show all posts by this user”, and found the count in the results. > [@naita](#): > > where are your brains? You’re going to fight ignorance by preventing people from looking for wisdom? 😑 I think they left them in a taxi. Maybe they can just hobble the search a tad? 10 results, etc? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/576 "2004-03-26T15:43:18Z")
> [@Ed Zotti](#): > > You’re not on the list yet. Did you pay via PayPal eCheck, which takes a while to clear? Yes. You answered that in another thread that I posted in. I asked in both threads to get an answer faster. I think it worked. Now I’ll be anxious for the next few days. ---
**Author:** ![ceptimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@ceptimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ceptimus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/577 "2004-03-26T19:37:21Z")
Seems strange that we can lurk and post the odd question for free, but if we wish to hang around and answer questions on a regular basis we have to pay. The main reason I’ve not posted more here is the dismal speed the board runs at. It feels as though it’s hosted on an old 8086 or similar! I might subscribe if and when the performance picks up to a reasonable level - I’ll wait and see, even if that means paying $10 extra. The board only costing $8 or $10 a year, or whatever it turns out to be for members who keep up their subscriptions, seems like a bargain. But consider that many of us who are members here are also members on 10 or so other boards; if they all follow The Straight Dope’s lead, and we wish to continue using them, that means we may each end up paying $100 / year or so for something that used to be free. I would have preferred to see a call for donations, paid adverts and maybe an optional subscription service that turned off adverts. I suppose the Admins have considered these alternatives and found them wanting. Does this mean that high quality free message boards will soon be a thing of the past? I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![caray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@caray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caray)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/578 "2004-03-26T21:03:03Z")
And I’m one of those people who has only really posted here a few times in the past. But even I could see that $5 for a year was embarassingly reasonable. And I have a feeling I’ll be coming around here more often now, too… I’d be curious to find out just how many have actually subscribed now, and again when the deadline gets closer… I do think that allowing some sort of limited search feature for guests would cut down on the duplicate questions posted. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/579 "2004-03-26T21:20:15Z")
> [@caray](#): > > I’d be curious to find out just how many have actually subscribed now, and again when the deadline gets closer… Ed Zotti has posted a couple of data points regard the progress of subsciptions in this thread: [First day revenue?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=246537) > [@Ed Zotti](#): > > As of 11:25 a.m. CST Wed., 3/24/04 we had 1,500 subscribers (exactly), which isn’t bad for the first 48 hours. I hope he continues to update that thread with the progress of the subscription campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/580 "2004-03-27T00:42:53Z")
Er… Ahem… From the mouths of the gurus themselves: STRAIGHTDOPE-LIST Digest for Friday, July 26, 2002. 1. The Straight Dope 07/26/2002 * * * Subject: The Straight Dope 07/26/2002 From: [EdZotti@aol.com](mailto:EdZotti@aol.com) Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 06:00:18 -0400 X-Message-Number: 1 * * * The Straight Dope – By Cecil Adams [http://www.straightdope.com](http://www.straightdope.com) You are subscribed as: To unsubscribe CLICK on the URL below this line: [mailto:leave-straightdope-list-2371020O@lyris.jokeaday.com](mailto:leave-straightdope-list-2371020O@lyris.jokeaday.com) If you can’t “click” above, then send a blank email to: [leave-straightdope-list-2371020O@lyris.jokeaday.com](mailto:leave-straightdope-list-2371020O@lyris.jokeaday.com) * * * THE STRAIGHT DOPE 07/26/2002 Our apologies for last week’s mailing, which failed to go out due to technical problems on the part of our mail service provider. Your free lifetime subscription is hereby extended for one week. Guess mine was a shorter life than I thought it would be… :rolleyes: sigh… ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724/581 "2004-03-27T02:11:32Z")
> [@Plynck](#): > > Guess mine was a shorter life than I thought it would be… :rolleyes: The free lifetime subscription referred to is for the weekly mailing, goof. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-is-switching-to-paid-subscriptions/257724.md?page=30)