Poll: Advertisements.

[chris-TMO]

All,
I have been discussing with a few of you concerning membership vs open forum. I run a representative board, and so I open it up to you.

 

[thompsons 369rl]

I vote membership. I would rather pay than deal with the adds. BTW. How will I know when it's time to re-subscribe?

 

[pwrplay]

I vote Membership. Its such a small amount to keep the boards ad free.

 

[Boomer]

My vote is for membership! I visit a number of forums and have found that ads and pop ups are very distracting and disruptive to threads. I enjoy reading, responding, and helping other GD owners. Just as GD has a new model for the industry, we should keep this board as a model for communication. Besides all of that, it keeps the conversations positive and focussed on our units.

 

[TucsonJim]

I'd suggest the second option. Sponsors have no ads, and non-sponsors have full access but have to deal with advertising. I have a feeling that we'd get more contributions if there was a "free" option. I've noticed that there are quite a few folks on the FaceBook page that are not members here.

 

[Steve and Cill]

I vote membership. I would rather pay than deal with the adds. BTW. How will I know when it's time to re-subscribe?

Andy, the renewal is automatic thru PayPal. If you decide not to renew, you have to go onto your PayPal account and stop it.

Steve

 

[ACDW-Ottawa]

I don't want any interruption from ads. I wouldn't use the form much if there were ads because they slow everything down and are disruptive. I am happy to pay for your services. You do a great job!

 

[thompsons 369rl]

Andy, the renewal is automatic thru PayPal. If you decide not to renew, you have to go onto your PayPal account and stop it.

Steve

Perfect! Thanks, Steve.

 

[Kamper]

Great Job Chris. No changes required. Thanks for all you do.

 

[LostinCanada]

For a buck a month (2 bucks for me as I pay for Jahna too) is so cheap to not see the ad's. Keep up the good work and leave forum as is.

Just my 2 cents.

Derek

 

[TNFLineage]

How do you become a Sponsor, so it would be ad free?

 

[Steve and Cill]

TNFSolitude, you are a sponsor!

Steve

 

[Knshook]

Happy campers just as it is. You do a great job,Chris,and we recognize it's a lot of work!

 

[Renee]

Great the way it is, Chris! Thanks for all you do

 

[WhittleBurner]

It's a double edged sword, pay to play keeps the board ad free and also helps keep the trolls at bay. Free access will bring in more people which means a more active community but also requires more moderation as the trolling picks up.
I like things the way they are and don't mind paying but more activity is good too
Guess my rambling did not really lead any place in particular...
Maybe both ad/ad free with a fee would be the best compromise. My question is will that slow the board down? I like how smoothly it moves along the way it is now.

Marcy

 

[wrp75_CO]

WhittleBurner +1. The point about keeping trolls out is what tipped me immediately. I'm all for keeping the current model.

I will point out- having a poll with this group isn't exactly what statisticians call an unbiased pool. Then again, you've probably all heard the joke about liars, #)@(#ed liars, and statisticians.

 

[2hams]

I agree with everyone who wants to stay with the current model.

I also think that the 30 (or 60) day trial is important access for those who are researching prior to purchase.

 

[Canyonlight]

Chris--I thought I had posted feedback but I must be having a user problem. I did vote to keep the current model since I (along with you and most other paying GD site users) appreciate not having to navigate around annoying adds, popups, links directing elsewhere, and generally other time wasting items. This said, there comes a point where the cost of a subscription may tip the scale the other direction. Where that dollar limit falls is dictated by many things, of course. Your desire aside from providing a fantastic forum to share and learn and ultimately better the RV industry product, may be to profit from the site (but we hope it is just to cover your costs which we hope are minimal and decreasing due to your outstanding IT operations prowess !)

You referenced having some discussions with some on the pay vs advertising/maybe other models……what can you share with others of us on what prompted the discussions and what if any proposed changes may be or are being considered ?

I too like the new graphics. Thank you, for your commitment to (and to improving) the RV industry.

Dan

 

[chris-TMO]

Good questions Dan. The discussions are primarily based around higher participation based on a non subscription model. That other sites have full free access, and use the pay model to eliminate ads and to provide more features. I've done this for a long time, and my model may be dated. That a larger majority of people are willing to put up with ads and the issues that even the Facebook group have had concerning personal attacks, etc. So I am reaching out to our users to get their feedback.

I will tell you that if money was my main concern, then I would run sites more like the motor forums - cumminsforum, tundraforum, ect. Those guys make a good living by selling sponsorships, advertisements, merchandise and such.

That's why I asked. The thing to remember is that as a sponsor, your experience wouldn't change. Moving to ads would only impact guests and non sponsors.
Ct..

 

[TucsonJim]

The thing to remember is that as a sponsor, your experience wouldn't change. Moving to ads would only impact guests and non sponsors.
Ct..

Several years ago, I became a paid member of WeatherUnderground.com. Visitors and non-members got the ads, but members like myself did not. It worked perfectly.