DSF

Scotty@BMS;31383 wrote:, albeit with scant regard for grammar and the Queen's English!

not all of us have as much free time as you have scotty i think i need a chat with martin he's obviously not working you hard enough lol

purpledragon;31386 wrote:not all of us have as much free time as you have scotty i think i need a chat with martin he's obviously not working you hard enough lol

Jog on, unpopular swine!

OK, I'll try and post a more detailed response later but for now I only have chance to post quickly.

Firstly, thank you for the positive messages of support, much appreciated.

Secondly, please remember that the forum will remain free for any existing or new member, you have this choice. The £10 will basically buy you a virtual voucher book with some great offers, if you don't want it, that's absolutely fine.

I have no intention of making any section of the forum paid members only, this may be an option but at this stage not something I want to look at.

Justin;31391 wrote:he £10 will basically buy you a virtual voucher book with some great offers, if you don't want it, that's absolutely fine

this is some kind of donation we made last time when there was mug press to won
you make £10 donation and this way you getting access to all freebies/offers/sample etc... this how I see it any way. I may be wrong.

Secondly, please remember that the forum will remain free for any existing or new member,

I have no intention of making any section of the forum paid members only

Then its not a "paid for" membership at all - its back to being a donation, which, as you have already found out, doesn't work

It's a membership scheme entitling paid members to discounts and many other things. I'm simply offering something in return and not just begging for donations or insisting on paid membership.

Give Justin a chance to get the details out first. Can't pass judgement until you know what's on offer for the Membership fee.

It's funny this should come up today - I've been an on off reader but big fan of SDL and checking in there; found this post http://www.danoah.com/2011/09/i-need-your-help.html
The man was both praised and villified for his post - people could not believe that a blog that has over a million views a month was not raking in cash, that he must be money hungry and in trying to make a living that this somehow negated the posts he made or the words he said. Yet he offers so many people inspiration, aspiration, advice, just sheer entertainment and a place to share on a daily basis - that in itself is worth something surely? And similarly, the same applies here.
Right now I am more than broke - I am taking a chance in trying to find a way in this business, it's not for fun or extra income but the way out of the damn social welfare trap I find myself in - this weekend I am doing a craft event and hoping to off load some old paper and craft materials and if I do, then SDL and Dye Sub forum are welcome to my contribution.

Hi guys , as a newish member i thought maybe i could put a different angle in on this.... Ive never been a hardcore forum user, i'm signed up to a couple forums on different subjects but never been a senior member or a '1000' poster.

but to get to the point, there will always be guests and people just reading up on a subject they have put into google and the forum has the answer too. Other people (this is where i'm at atm) get a little bit involved , keen to learn and to also put as much back into the forum as they have the knowledge to give. And then you get the big posters, the people that have been on the forum from the start or are clearly known around the forum.

And in my opinion, the people that will pay for the discounts/extras will only be the big posters..... And i assume this forum is growing as it is a great source of information and a friendly bunch of people, so more big posters will slowly arise. However i do think this will be very limited in revenue.

I might not have much experience in sublimation, but i am experienced in web design, website promotion and marketing. All in all the costs of this website if already running a commercial website to sell Sub gear/products are next to nothing. For example if i paid for a hosting plan at hostgator i can get unlimited domains, unlimited bandwidth and a SSL certificate all for around 6.5 - 8 dollars a month so thats 4 - 5 pound a month! so that will be put on the company costs anyway as its a neccessity for an online e-commerce business. so then theres the domain..... maybe 10 pound a year max! The Forum software is free opensource software (BBcode , Vbulletin etc) Once the software is set up its ready to go.

The only costly thing about this forum is time, time is the most valuable thing spent here, and with a good bunch of moderators this time can be spread out between the team so as far as i can see , the only cost is time, which you guys do spare alot of for this forum. Hopefully the adverts will cover the costs of the few quid hosting though.....

Oh and i hope this post isnt too negative, i think the £10 a year thing is a good idea and could bring in some good revenue for the forum as it definately deserves it, i would be happy to pay the £10 if the discounts benefit me enough. i just felt some 'costs' may have been exaggerated in certain posts.....

cant beat an old internet debate eh

gtd91;31403 wrote: Oh and i hope this post isnt too negative, i think the £10 a year thing is a good idea and could bring in some good revenue for the forum as it definately deserves it, i would be happy to pay the £10 if the discounts benefit me enough. i just felt some 'costs' may have been exaggerated in certain posts.....

cant beat an old internet debate eh

Not for one moment am I comparing SDL's server charge as being comparitive (but no hostgator unlimited account would handle that bandwith)
- I just meant it to compare that when you do ask for money, people's reaction can be quite negative, however they justify it - it comes down to a pint of lager in a Dublin city centre pub costs over €5 - less than 2 1/2 pints a year for the advice I have already gained. Happy out scan.