# They're gonna charge for WHAT?!? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 11, 2001, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-gonna-charge-for-what/92799 "2001-11-11T20:45:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychogumby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@psychogumby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychogumby)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-gonna-charge-for-what/92799/1 "2001-11-11T20:45:37Z")
A susbscription to post on here? Sheesh! I understand that the SDMB and the Chicago Reader aren’t charitable organisations, and it costs money yada yada yada, but can’t we at least have a choice on this matter? Choose between, say, paying a subscription and having no ads … or paying no subscription, but being bombarded by ads for casinos, credit cards and porn. I’m a cheap bastard, so even though ads on the net piss me off, i’d have to go with option 2 … ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-gonna-charge-for-what/92799/3 "2001-11-12T01:22:53Z")
You do have a choice. Enough people can buy subscriptions to post, and EVERYONE can read the message board, whether they subscribe or not. Only subscribers can post, though. OR…no subscriptions, or not enough subscriptions, and no SDMB. Those are the choices that the Reader has decided on, or so I gather from my email. However, this is not the Official Word from On High, just my impressions. ---
**Author:** ![psychogumby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@psychogumby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychogumby)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-gonna-charge-for-what/92799/4 "2001-11-12T08:17:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* > **You do have a choice. Enough people can buy subscriptions to post, and EVERYONE can read the message board, whether they subscribe or not. Only subscribers can post, though.** \ but I wanna post for free-eeeeeeeeee!!! and I wanna wade through dozens of gambling and porno-related popups to do this if I have to! \ ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-gonna-charge-for-what/92799/5 "2001-11-13T06:43:16Z")
There’s enough folks that would converge on the Reader building with torches and pitchforks that I can safely speculate you’ll not be seeing popups or porn ads on this site anytime soon. your humble TubaDiva Administrator