Are non paying forum members just lowlife?

[TWINSET]

Yep, this is a repost, it's kinda got my goat a bit;

Was just over at another board, merrily putting in my first post, when I realised I had a pic of what I was on about, so went to edit the post.

Here's the good bit;

You can't edit a post unless you contribute financially to the site.

If you make 50+ posts you can edit posts for 10 minutes after the posting.

Apparently, this is to stop any flaming wars, as paying members are less likely to flame!!!

The really classic thing is, anyone who pays is then referred to as a 'Contributing Member', but obviously anyone that may have 1000+ helpful posts is just scum until they pay??

Am I being over sensitive today?

[Shodog]

Sounds like you were over at the new RCMT board.  You have to realize that these boards are no free. 

[TWINSET]

I realise that chap, and have no problem 'joining' a board if I use the facilities, but I can't see how my editing a post would be any more costly than adding a second post

Indeed, one post would ultimately use less resources than two, because of all the stuff in the left margin getting displayed twice?

 

 

[Shodog]

WillG was just trying to drum up some kind of incentive that would entice people to pony up some cash to keep the board running.  Really it's no different here.  If you want a showroom you have to pay up. 

[Tamiya1/10]

There are 2 school of thoughts...One school sees it as a club where members get to use the facilities and therefore should pay a membership fees like any other club.

On the other hand, some contributing members, including yours truly, believe that contributing to the club has a value which should not be required to pay again. Is like a movie producer (pic. for the show room) or a writer (writing in the forum ) has to pay the public to see his movie or read his novel. Get where I am coming from? 

But TC is private club in one sense but public in another.  On a pure private club, the paying members alone may not be able to keep the club going with out sponsors, but on the other hand without opening the club to the public there will not be enought visitors to attract sponsors to this site.  Who knows if there are enough visitors, Tamiya Inc. itself may become a sponsor.

I think why this site is so popular is because of the photos and movies contribution and by limiting only paying members to contibute is like keeping the key success factor subpress.  As a suggestion, to even increase the interest and keep the cost for memory down, non paying members can submit photos or movies but the submissions will not be kept in their show room and will get erase after a few weeks or days or when ever.  

 

[OCD]

I think Google is a great example of why offering services for free is almost always better for everyone involved.  Google has built an empire based on this idea. People love free stuff.  (If you're in the 'States, think of Craigslist!)

This forum is a great example of that idea in action: When people look to this forum for an expert answer/opinion, they are very likely to buy something from the sponsors or stick around and set up a showroom.

I think another interesting posibility for a thread topic here would be 'how/why did you decide to join the club?'

To risk sounding like a broken record, I must say I joined because of the quality of the content in both the the showrooms and the forum.  Truly top-notch IMO.

-Steve

[Jcbiker]

I Havn't joined,f or the pure fact i have no reason to at the moment.

I may join when i get my first car and have a reason for a showroom, till then, i'll stick with the freebees.

[Gruntfuggly]

Before this topic goes astray, can I just point out that TWINSET was talking about a forum on another site...

[TWINSET]

Before this topic goes astray, can I just point out that TWINSET was talking about a forum on another site...

Cheers GF - sorry if anyone got wound up [:$]

I wasn't having a pop at at anyone here, or on any other forum, whether they pay to use it or not - I'm a member of many forums and pay nothing to use a lot of them, but also choose to financially support some too.

Also, I am all for forums accepting/requiring subscriptions to offer enhancements like photo-hosting and the like, but I just don't think something like correcting an error should warrant a charge.

 

All I was thinking was whether anyone here that doesn't pay feel they get a raw deal, whether they feel they are treated differently/badly because they don't/can't pay or whether there's actually any disadvantages.

As I said, I'm all for paying for a forum, but not just to edit a post because paid members are less likely to argue!

There'll be age limits next!

 

 

[OCD]

'There'll be age limits next!'

Wah?  If it's over thirty, that'll nearly wipe this forum out![]

Maybe we should start governing based on shoesize?[][]

Personally I don't care whether you (the typical TC forum user) have a showroom or not.

Again - content of your post is what speaks most loudly in here; Those who deserved to be flamed usually get it, and the good stuff almost always gets picked up for discussion.

Many times I actually forget that some of us are not members!  (We are all considered 'contributers' in this forum!)

-Steve

[mr_pushrod]

'There'll be age limits next!'

Maybe we should start governing based on shoesize?[][]

That'd be me screwed, I'm 22 yet a size 5! Still, at least I save money by buying kids shoes.....

As for the whole paying to edit thing, that strikes me as plain stupid. As has been said, fair enough if you pay to get picture hosting, ability to upload your own avatar and stuff like that but editing is vital and should be free. All he is doing is clogging his own forum as people reply to correct themselves/add pictures rather than edit.

[stulec52]

I joined RCMT way back when it was still an EZ Board, and to be honest I have had no luck on there.

 Even when I post things for sale I get e-mails telling me off for doing something wrong, like my post counter got re-set when it changed servers and all of a sudden I just was not allowed to post items for sale. It just got to be a waste of my time, so I don't even browse through it anymore.

 I'm sure there are lots of great people there though, but I can find all the answers I need right here all in one place, so why bother looking elsewhere?

[DJTheo]

I am also RCMT member since many years but few months ago decided not to visit it anymore as it was used mainly as a showroom for some people to present their stuff full of (useless) hyped bling "hopups"

and as people know I don't believe the hypes [] Didn't miss it for a day since then.

Cheers

[DCM71]

There is a well known UK RC Car forum, it is an ace place to get info etc, and was a realy thriving pot of chat and all things good, then the owner decided to 'offer' a membership, which allowed you in to a private section and have extra PM storage etc etc, which was good.  The site then decided, that if you wanted to post stuff for sale etc etc you 'HAD' to be a member, so from going from having nice little 'extras' on the forum for a small donation, you then HAD to pay to do even posting in the For Sale section and get ANY PM's, this has killed I reckon a good deal of traffic to the site.

Forums are great, and yes they do cost money to run, and yes it is 'nice' to be able to contribute and maybe get a reward, but when you have to 'pay' to access basic facilities of the forum, it tends to leave a little sour taste.

Remember, a forum is only as good as it's members, I would rather be on a free forum where there are good people answering questions and chatting than be on a pay as you go forum.

As for this one, no, I haven't paid, and unless I intend to use a showroom, I won't, but I do come on here and try to 'advise' as best as I can when it comes to 'racing'.

[billg4]

If you do not like the way RCMT is setup then by all means please don't visit.

Even changing the site around cannot please everyone, and moving from ezboard (where you couldn't edit in many forums anyway) costs money. I've owned the site for 1 month, and haven't "finished" rebuilding it. I hope it continues to improve.

As of now the site offers more things to it's members, has had a Hilux 4x4 for raffle, and prizes. That is more than the previous owner ever did.

Most people are happy with what has been done so far, and there is more to come. Not being Bill Gates I don't have the resources to pay you to post.

Some people think everything on the internet should be free, well it'll never happen somebody needs to foot the bill for a server, and bandwidth. This site (I respect and like) isn't  a free for all either.

That is all I have to say, if you need to critisize me, or my site do it via e-mail please.

[Wrc action]

I feel that as a paying member i should get my 2 peneth in now lol.

I started out using this club as a freebi - i got an address and whilst i didn't use the forums then i still found the club very useful in starting my car collection. Since then i have paid the £15 and set up my showroom and started on the forums. I think that the money system is very gd - u can use the club and ask questions on the forum like jcbiker has about possible first cars and i hope that our advice is helpful and will improve his enjoyment of his purchase. But when u want to be more active and have a forum then i think its right that you should pay - afterall your posting pics and vids which needs space. Also gettin discounts and helping towards maintenance for the site which isn't cheap. £15 is very gd value in my own opinion, i have definately saved more than £15 in trades and items from members alone - and surely will save more when i decide to buy more parts using the discount. The system allows you to use the club on different levels which suit a larger base of people - hence the popularity of tamiyaclub. should u charge for initial use then people will be detired as either they don't need all the features and just want to check an idea or they wont know enough about how great this club is therefore wondering what they get for there £15 and not joining.

regards Ryck

 

 

[terry.sc]

There is a well known UK RC Car forum, it is an ace

place to get info etc, and was a realy thriving pot of chat and all

things good, then the owner decided to 'offer' a membership, which

allowed you in to a private section and have extra PM storage etc etc,

which was good.  The site then decided, that if you wanted to post

stuff for sale etc etc you 'HAD' to be a member, so from going from

having nice little 'extras' on the forum for a small donation, you then

HAD to pay to do even posting in the For Sale section and get ANY PM's,

this has killed I reckon a good deal of traffic to the site.

Forums

are great, and yes they do cost money to run, and yes it is 'nice' to

be able to contribute and maybe get a reward, but when you have to

'pay' to access basic facilities of the forum, it tends to leave a

little sour taste.

Remember, a forum is only as good as it's

members, I would rather be on a free forum where there are good people

answering questions and chatting than be on a pay as you go forum.

I know which race forum you are talking about. I'm not into serious

racing anymore so don't find much information of interest there these

days but it is a good source if you are into the UK racing scene.

Amazing number of restrictions unless you pay, and even paying members

can't link to shops that aren't "site supporters"or even hint to buying

outside the UK. You have to pay for full membership just to add links

to other websites (as long as they aren't online shops that aren't

forum sponsors or alternative forums - doesn't leave much else to link

to). Very rarely use it these days as it is so restrictive. For the

same amount it costs to become a full member you can join TamiyaClub

and get so much more, including all your money back and more if you buy

your R/C stuff from Modelsport and Time Tunnel.

I must admit I hate forums that you have to sign up to just to view

them, as soon as you click on it they ask you to sign in. At that point

I just go elsewhere, they don't give you any reason to join up.

The vast majority of TC members are just signed up to the free

membership (which still entitles you to shop discounts!) and anyone can

use the forums which are free, the costs of running the forums are

nowhere near as much as the main site. Being a member from the early

days when everything was free I found the site so useful that when

Chris had to start charging a membership fee I was happy to sign up to

support it. TamiyaClub is so popular that it literally costs thousands

of pounds each year to run and Chris charges a membership fee to cover

these costs. Other online forums can charge a fee to cover their costs

as well, at least it is better than loads of ads everywhere which is

the alternative. I never used Robys old forum as my slow computer and

dial up connection took so long to load each page due to all the

adverts

Although allowing you to post on a forum then not allowing you to edit your own post does seem a bit daft to me.

[mr_pushrod]

 I think that to be allowed to edit other posts titles etc is rather silly because then it would no longer be there post and when posting u would be conscious that someone  may change it - just because they disagree.

Also what extra advantge would i get? If i disagree with something then i add to the thread - this creates a thread where we can discuss and different opinions are presentee. if we alll modified one post then it woudl be rather dull and not very productive as only 1 view would be seen at once.

So in conclusion my opinion on this is that to modify otehr posts would be pointless and that tamiyaclub's funding system is i think fair and well balanced - i just hope no own modify's this message now lol for otherwise there'd be no debate.

 

Just trying to get my head round this bit, correct me if I have the wrong end of the stick. The editing is for your own posts only and is designed to enable you to correct any errors; spelling, punctuation, picture links or generally tidying things up to make the post easier to understand. Indeed, I edit my posts frequently for the above reasons. It doesn't let you change someone else's post and isn't designed to make sure you keep you argument in one reply.

[Wrc action]

Indeed mr_pushrod my skim readin let me down earlier - I assumed that as twinset was talking about editing that it must be an expansion to our powers not something that i already know about and use - hence why i shall now edit it out. lol

thanks for spottin it

regards Ryck

[DJTheo]

I must admit I hate forums that you have to sign up to just to view

them, as soon as you click on it they ask you to sign in. At that point

I just go elsewhere, they don't give you any reason to join up.

Same for me, viewing a text forum should be free to anyone imho, that's the idea of the www, isn't it? I think paying only services are dying on the internet, it seems the future is to allow basic services for free and extras for money, this way google became so big, being for a normal user for free, and trust me, they don't lose money [] I personally have no problem paying for a forum, this wasn't also the reason I left RCMT (as I anyway was could for free read the forums), its just a personal choice of content everyone is interested in, I have left several forums in the past and subscribed to new ones, as my interests change.

Cheers

[Wrc action]

I agree as well - i shall nt sign up 2 a forum jsut to access it as i dnt know what im gettin in return. I also dnt like sites like the wrc one that you now need to sign up just to view news stories. i can understand if i was to use other features or pay for video highlights but nt to see the stories.

regards Ryck

[rajicon]

I just recently signed up to an RC forum (non paying) so I could use the

search feature. At this current point it time I am only intrested in

reading and no posting. Later, I will review this situation.

When it comes to TC, as a subscribing member, I look at what it

provides for me. Whether I need to pay to access certain features or

not, does not influence my decision to contribute in a monetry way. It

all depends on what I get out of it. I havent added anything to my

showroom for around a year (infact I deleted a few items just too make

it clearer), and rarely post in the forum (around 50 posts in a couple

of years). And being from the southern hemisphere, the perks and

discounts do not apply to me, and am not fussed the least.

As for non paying members, I believe they should be welcomed as much as

anyone else. Their views and questions should not be discounted just

because they dont feel they have as much to gain out of the

subscription fee as someone else may feel. We all have our own oppions

and TC is a place that allows us to express these without any

predjudices.

At home in Melbourne, we have many community radio stations. The two

bigger ones in particular, allow people to listen to an alternative to

pop music. They play anything from dance, rap or jazz to heavy matal or

rockabilly. Its free for everyone to listen, has little sponsor

anouncements and is funded mostly by a subscriber base.

[Wrc action]

rock radio with no adverts?

ow im emigrating then lol - even kerrang has adverts [:@]

I do agree that all members should be welcomed i for one really enjoy the debating of different opionions and ideas - which enhances the hobby and often saves money [] e.g. aw grease in diff = limited slip for free.

regards Ryck

[Rabiedmushroom]

I'm another TC subscriber who gives this place a thumbs up [Y]

I've bought & sold some good deals, and benefitted from discounts worth more than the £15. Plus learnt a lot here too. Wasn't sure about the cost to start with, because I hadn't come across that sort of forum funding before, but in hindsight I don't begrudge a penny. []

[Wrc action]

indeed the best £15 ive ever spent in the hobby to date - []

regards Ryck