Membership Fee?

[davidj7]

I dont mind paying the membership fee but the $100 is too much . I wandered into this forum searching for some info or manual i am not sure but i ve been regularly checking the forum ever since . I Would have absolutely turned away then if I had to pay a membership fee. Now i know its worth it .

Maybe there should be a weeks/months trial offer etc before a payment has to be made.

[JustManuals]

I haven't posted much lately, but I wouldn't pay a membership fee to visit the site. Wasn't there another tech site that went down the tubes when thet started charging even to view any posts?
as far as keeping out spammers and the like, a guitar site I frequent requires that your first 5 posts be approved by a moderator before they even appear on the forum. It has virtually eliminated all but the most clever spam.
would require more moderators, though...

Yes, that was the Copier Network. They went to a pay site and then they went down the tubes. They are still up and running, but with far few posts.

[KenB]

The only way I would pay any fee at all is if my dealership would reimburse me for it, and I know that they wouldn't.

I suppose that if I were self employed in this business I would have a different outlook, though.

[charm5496]

Yes, that was the Copier Network. They went to a pay site and then they went down the tubes. They are still up and running, but with far few posts.

I almost forgot about the old copier network. I do like the idea of having several of your first post be approved by a moderator before they are posted.

[RRodgers]

Yeah I'd pay for membership, BUT I NEVER EVER wann hear I can't file share on here. And yes we should be able to file share with one another, hell at $100 a year I better be able to upload the manual right to the post.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Yeah I'd pay for membership, BUT I NEVER EVER wann hear I can't file share on here. And yes we should be able to file share with one another, hell at $100 a year I better be able to upload the manual right to the post.

We can't share files on here? Odd.

[NeoMatrix]

First of all, I'm a penny pincher and don't like to pay 5 cents. The thought of this forum going professional has its ups and downs. It would mean the site would need a regular police force to keep users to a strict standard. That in it'self would stifle creativity and the true sense of honest comradary.

I filter the positive and improbable forum posts, which means I don't really care about what people do in the long term.
I welcome freedom of expression up to certain moral extent. It doesn't hurt to vent steam if that is what is required at that time.

Obviously a fee would work on the forum as it would keep some of the riff-raff out of this forum. But it would only work for as long as the list members decided to keep paying. That payment then depends on how bored people become with the mundane.

A user pays fee could also segregate the forum into two forums the payers and the non-payers, which could stifle users creativity.

[At the risk of adding insult to fees being charged...]
Here in Australia you can claim back on your income Tax all expenses uncured for Technical Manuals , Subscriptions and software learning tools that require you to undertake your daily Job. So, in a sense, you could possible claim the $100 forum fee back on your income Tax for Technical subscription to this forum, as an employer required tool to do your daily Job. Does this Tax rule apply to other countries? I don't know...

[Consultation an Administration Fees. ]
If the forum system administration wishes to make money I would suggest setting up the forum where the customer can get technical information for a fee on a credit card per pay basis. This involves the sys-admin or moderator, and Technician receiving a payment from external parties for that information. The moderator would then post the customers questions or request on the forum for all Tech's who want to answer the question. The forum sys-op should allow private consultation with the then customer in case that customer is in the Techs local area. This system is already done on web sites with I.T. and computer programming. The forum sys-admin would receive a percentage of the consultation fee if the customer goes ahead with continued consultation transactions. It also makes for more Taxation requirements and further headaches.



HTH
GDM

[Stirton.M]

Though I think that spammers are a problem, they are a minimal problem here. Can be annoying, as theowl pointed out, having an email informing him of a post by some jackass who figured out how to use cut and paste is pretty annoying.

But again, in the span of a week or even a month, how often does that happen? Or for that matter, spam? I tag it if I see it, and let 10871087 or Aneurism deal with it as they always have.

It sure can get somewhat elitist with any forum, I have to admit there are days I look at some guy's post asking questions and all I can think of is, what the hell are you doing here? That rash of CE password forgetting or rewriting it or some damn shit....dunno whats with that. I washed my hands of it, they want a fix, they can go to KM directly on those issues. Who changes CE passwords for crying out loud?

But we must all remember, that though many of us are techs in the industry, we are providing others with less experience, and yes, even end users, with help. I don't mind spending a few minutes helping them out....the benefit from doing so is that I gain a better understanding of some of the hardware I deal with because I am trying to help resolve a problem that I may not have seen or experienced. An invaluable study tool if you will. Theory on how any machine operates is extremely valuable. I cannot put a price tag on that.

Charging $100 is a bit steep too. Pay is certainly an issue, but so is the ability to pay online. I do not have any credit cards so I am limited in that respect. Paypal is ok I suppose, though I worry about using that site, considering some stories I have heard about using it. Some people have issues with using a credit card online for the same issues. There are limits to what people are willing or can do. A nominal fee up front...$10 say, would almost certainly eliminate the spammers out there, but it will likely drive away those end users who are foolish enough to try and fix their machine on their own to other areas of the net where decent information will be....well...lacking. I'd prefer they at least be steered in the right direction on any repair, and reduce the headache induced on the tech who invariably will have to "fix" what the user did, or did not do.

This place is low traffic as it is, relative to many other forums I frequent. The number of posts here in one month, other forums see that in one day. This place is a virtual ghost site, relatively speaking.

Perhaps tying this site to facebook "might" be the answer. I doubt it. Won't change much for me, but I am sure others here value their personal privacy. Tying to facebook, in my opinion, would be a means to dealing with accountability issues seen on many anonymous forums, people can be assholes, big assholes, in such arenas. Here, that is not so big a problem.

I wonder if perhaps that if someone posts stupid crap and we, the community who spend time here, tag them in the rep, that a certain threshold be reached in the negative (say -100), that they cannot post in the primary forums, that they have to come to this forum to ask to be taken off the shit list. Not any one person would have that control, it would have to be several members. That idea has a few holes of course, but it might solve the issue of dealing with some pinheads who either ask for crap and give little back, spam, or are trolls.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Some good thoughts Stirton. On the rating thing though, there should be limits to how much a single user can lower another user's rating. It hasn't happened to me, but I suspect some people have unjustly gotten their rating lowered b/c they disagreed with someone or got ganged up on, or attacked by an individual relentlessly.

[prntrfxr]

• General forum where newbies can ask questions - free

• $50 for elite group membership that includes manual sharing, step by step technical tips, and etc...

• Members with a certain number of posts or who have been with copytechnet for a number of years shouldn't have to pay the $50 to have elite membership. This should apply mainly to those who wish to be included in that group, but have not met the requirements. This will also reduce spammers or problem people as if they create a new setup, they would be required to pay to be part of the elite group.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Sounds good to me. The members area should have a resource library. Break things down by brand and model and have the manuals, tech bulletins, training videos if people want to upload, etc. tutorials, and more.

• General forum where newbies can ask questions - free

• $50 for elite group membership that includes manual sharing, step by step technical tips, and etc...

• Members with a certain number of posts or who have been with copytechnet for a number of years shouldn't have to pay the $50 to have elite membership. This should apply mainly to those who wish to be included in that group, but have not met the requirements. This will also reduce spammers or problem people as if they create a new setup, they would be required to pay to be part of the elite group.

[blackcat4866]

• General forum where newbies can ask questions - free

• $50 for elite group membership that includes manual sharing, step by step technical tips, and etc...

• Members with a certain number of posts or who have been with copytechnet for a number of years shouldn't have to pay the $50 to have elite membership. This should apply mainly to those who wish to be included in that group, but have not met the requirements. This will also reduce spammers or problem people as if they create a new setup, they would be required to pay to be part of the elite group.

This is the best that I've heard yet. I shoulda known it would come from you prntrfxr. =^..^=

[SID.KADEN]

Alright this is something to keep idle hands busy for the weekend,.

[NeoMatrix]

Some good thoughts Stirton. On the rating thing though, there should be limits to how much a single user can lower another user's rating. It hasn't happened to me, but I suspect some people have unjustly gotten their rating lowered b/c they disagreed with someone or got ganged up on, or attacked by an individual relentlessly.

[Lower rep points]
Hahaha I did that... I happend to "hiss-off" the forum sys-op on my very first post. I believe that earned me -10 rep points or there abouts ? Hey I was just doing the sys-op a favour. He didn't really see the positive aspects of negative customer feedback being able to improve the overall forum experience. Basically if the customer is unhappy they go somewhere else. Only negative feedback can give you those results. Which should "never be viewed as a negative" but as a positive step towards better business improvements.

I really didn't mind the negative rep points though, hahaha...

Oooh aah oooh ahh whip me, beat me ooh aahh....

[NeoMatrix]

• General forum where newbies can ask questions - free

• $50 for elite group membership that includes manual sharing, step by step technical tips, and etc...

• Members with a certain number of posts or who have been with copytechnet for a number of years shouldn't have to pay the $50 to have elite membership. This should apply mainly to those who wish to be included in that group, but have not met the requirements. This will also reduce spammers or problem people as if they create a new setup, they would be required to pay to be part of the elite group.

I believe in the reverse situation.
The Newer members might have to enroll for $50 and the veterans give their advise to the newbies for a fee.
The veterans get on the forum free as they are passing their knowledge onto the uninitiated for a $50 yearly fee.

Or the forum could be run like the military with ranks. As you progress up the rep-ranks you get more privileges ?

Anyway I'm not sure the above would allow for the best forum practices in any case............

Just my 2cents (OZ rounded 5cents) worth....