Would you pay to use this forum?

Please keep the responses coming. I am partially responsible for this topic to arise because I believe that we should have a forum subscription program. I can't think of a single forum that does not have one. It gives forum users an outlet to put their money where their interests reside. In essence, IMHO a voluntary fund-raising feature. In this topic there are no wrong answers. Some will say yes, many will say no, others will say why don't we already have that.

Seriously? I visit tons of forums that are not pay mandatory. Shall I list them?

Bryan,you misunderstand. I am not suggesting that we charge for access to the forum. Although that also has been discussed. What I support is a membership level feature like other forums where you can voluntary donate as a subscription for perks. Some forums the perk is just an enhanced avatar or forum sponsor badge. With that in mind how many forums do you visit without that?

You are a very active member here. Are you as active elsewhere? On any sites are you a donor? Most forum users in most forums do not donate, however many do. Some forums rely on advertising. Another forum that I visit, where I am the President and CEO of the non-profit that owns it survives on advertising and a few donors. How many can you name that don't do either? This forum is owned by an organization that is looking at ways to keep our books balanced in these times of quickly raising prices for nearly everything.

 

Okay, I understand now, me thinks!

By all means, this is a membership club with a forum open to the public...as it should be. However, I certainly have no issues with private sections for members only.

I frequent several forums daily and am as active as I can be, probably more than most would like for me to be. I basically stay out of nearly everything I can that is not related to certain issues. More importantly, I am "teachable" and is why I frequent such forums. I do so to learn what I can about the subject at hand as well as exercise my brain on what I do know so I don't forget.

I do not donate to any forum, but I do join certain clubs. I know custom websites and forums cost money, my website, Chasing The 44-40, was inspired to me by the late Mr. John Kort's love of the 44-40, it is a free host and I have no intention to make people pay money to learn or find information they seek. It is an absolute labor of love and I have learned a lot from it in so many ways than just the subject of it. I have been tempted many times to create a forum for it, linked to it. I also have two other websites about airplanes. The Fairchild 24 Saga and the Curtiss P-6E Hawk Army Bi-Plane Fighters.

I had a small forum many years ago when I was building an 82% scale Curtiss P-6E Hawk 1930's bi-plane fighter powered by a 383 stroker chevy engine. It was a free host forum thus it was free to the users and other builders of the airplane. Unfortunately life matters blocked the ability to finish the project and it was sold and my interests went elsewhere. There were only 26 builders in the world and to this day only about three airplanes were finished. Funny, I think I still have my files for the website and forum somewhere. I was heavy into the antique/classic and a member of the EAA and rebuilt a few airplanes way back before the advent of the internet. The last airplane I completely rebuilt was a 1937 Fairchild 24G powered with the Warner 145 radial engine.

Anyhow, as I said, if this club wants a private forum, it is their absolute choice but I doubt they will get an accurate count from here on those that will pay vs those that will not. 

Any time folks take something that was once free and make it a paying membership, they chance loosing what was so hard to build to begin with.

The Fairchild 24 Saga website

Maule Airplanes website

Curtiss P-6E Hawk website