Tentative list of membership options.

This is still in the "wet concrete" stage, so please bear with me. Did this late last night and got a bit bleary eyed trying to balance all of the options.

Please look it over and critique what you see.

1. Free - status = "guest" or "visitor
   1. - NO access to BOI to search and view - no posting
   2. - VIEW only access to all other reptile and animal discussion forums
   3. - VIEW ONLY access to classified
   4. - NO access to Lonely Hearts Club, Web Watch, Consumer Reports, or Police Blotter and HELL forums.
   5. - NO posting in any forums except TESTING AREA and HELP forums
   6. - No email nor private messaging capability.
   7. - cannot upload attachments
   <hr>
2. Free - status = "registered member"
   1. - Limited access to BOI to search and view - no posting
   2. + FULL access to all participate in reptile and animal, and all other general discussion forums, except as listed in (d).
   3. - access to view classified and post replies to ads, but not able to post new ads.
   4. - Viewing ONLY access to Lonely Hearts Club, Web Watch, Consumer Reports, Police Blotter, and HELL Forums.
   5. - No avatar or profile picture allowed.
   6. - No signature area use allowed.
   7. + Email enabled
   8. + Private messages limited to 20 messages, and can only send to one recipient at a time
   9. - Cannot view member info
   10. + Cannot edit profile <- removed!
   11. - Upload attachments (photos) limited to 1 meg
   12. - Ability to give ONLY positive reputation points.
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3. $10.00yr OR 500+ posts - status = "Participant"
   1. all "+" bonus options included in level 2
   2. + Ability to view and post on the BOI
   3. + Ability to post classified ads
   4. + access to user "CP" (avatar and profile included)
   5. + Private messaging enabled
   6. + ability to participate in Fauna Fund auctions
   7. + Ability to give both positive and negative "reputation points"
   8. + Posting and Viewing Access to Lonely Hearts Club, Web Watch, Consumer Reports, Police Blotter, and HELL Forums.
   9. + Avatar limited to 50x50 pixels and 20K.
   10. + Profile picture limited to 100x100 pixels and 20K
   11. + Signature area use allowed
   12. + Private messages increased to 50 and can send to 3 recipients at a time.
   13. + Upload attachments (photos) limited to 5 meg
   14. + Can post, edit, and delete, calendar events.
   <hr>
   
4. $25.00yr - status = "Contributor"
   1. all "+" bonus options included in levels 2 thru 3
   2. + Avatar maxed to 160x160 pixels and 40K
   3. + Private messages increased to 75 and can send to 10 recipients at a time.
   4. + access to view and post in the Steering Committee Meeting Room Forum
   5. + requests to change registered user name will be honored
   6. + Can view member info
   7. + Can use custom title
   8. + Can edit and delete posts in the general discussion forums.
   9. + Upload attachments (photos) increased to 10 meg
   10. + profile picture maxed to 160x160 pixels and 40K
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5. $100.00yr - "Benefactor"
   1. all "+" bonus options included in levels 2 thru 4
   2. + Photo gallery storage increased to 50 meg
   3. + Private messages increased to 125 and can send to 15 recipients at a time.
   4. + upload attachments (photos) increased to 50 meg
   <hr>
   
6. $250.00yr - "Endowment"
   1. all "+" bonus options included in levels 2 thru 5
   2. + Ability to view IP addresses on posts
   3. + Private messages increased to 250 and can send to 30 recipients at a time.
   4. + Can move and open/close their own threads in discussion forums
   5. + Upload attachments (photos) unlimited
   6. + Photo gallery storage increased to 100 meg

Please note a couple of things. I will EDIT this list as needed, and not rewrite a new one with any changes that are made after getting feedback and reflecting on the feedback comments. So check this as needed throughout the life of this thead.

One thing that I thought of to help with the opinions that current long time members of this site be allowed the various perks for free was the option to make the $10 level *free* IF they have posted more then a set number of posts on this site within the time they have been here. I have tentatively set that number at 500, but may adjust that up or down as I think harder on this subject. This also means that those paying members that eventually get that minimum level of posts on this site will no longer be paying this yearly fee. I think, anyway, this is new territory and I am not at all certain about how the program will work with some of the things I am throwing at it.

One thing that I am having real problems is with the dividing lines between the lower memberships and the higher ones. The problem is that I really don't want to take away too much capability from the lower level members in order to just have those perks available to the upper levels. And there are only just so many options to go around, I am afraid. So I guess I am just going to have to think of the "Benefactor" and "Endowment" levels as being really what they mean: People contributing out of a sincere desire to help out more then what is asked for to get the basic levels of usefullness out of this site.

Anyway, let me know what you think. I have much of the ground work laid for this right now, and hope to have it fully implemented by the weekend.

Thanks.

hmm..hopefully i'll be under the 500 posts thing..

Originally Posted by Tokay_Dude

hmm..hopefully i'll be under the 500 posts thing..

Hmm, interesting point. I never expected that someone WOULDN'T want to have the higher memberships if they had OVER the minimum post count.....

Rich,

Options one through four seem to be more than plenty. "Benefactor" and "Endowment" levels will only strengthen the "pecking order" already in existence between some of the contributing and non-contributing members. In my opinion it will create an "elite" group Vs. "the rest", which is not good for discussion purposes. Contributing at the highest money level does not necessarily show you care about this site or his members. It just shows you are better of monetarily. Just an opinion.

Regards.

Just a thought… One change I’d make is to eliminate the "Benefactor" and "Endowment" categories and make them just one category. Between the two there is not too much of a difference as far as perks. I wouldn’t have more than 5 levels so it makes it a little easier to evenly distribute the bells and whistles. Other than that it looks good.

Originally Posted by alvaro

Rich,

Options one through four seem to be more than plenty. "Benefactor" and "Endowment" levels will only strengthen the "pecking order" already in existence between some of the contributing and non-contributing members. In my opinion it will create an "elite" group Vs. "the rest", which is not good for discussion purposes. Contributing at the highest money level does not necessarily show you care about this site or his members. It just shows you are better of monetarily. Just an opinion.

Regards.

I doubt this will happen. And even if it did, someone acting elite would not make them so.

I have been asked to give an option for more photo hosting storage space, so I figure this is an excellent way to do that.

Personally, I doubt I will see anyone actually bite at the Endowment level. But I felt like giving people a high hurtle to strive for if they are inclined to do so.

Personally, I doubt I will see anyone actually bite at the Endowment level.

Do you want to bet $250 on it?

Originally Posted by alvaro

Do you want to bet $250 on it?

Hey! I only LOOK stupid....... :eek3:

I am probably just blind, but where does the ability to post classifeids kick in, I probably just missed it or is that going to be another charge above and beyond everything else?

Originally Posted by Tokay_Dude

hmm..hopefully i'll be under the 500 posts thing..

Now you are down to 499....OOOPS, so am I ! Dang !

Seriously, the second of the free options seems the best...the only bit I found odd was that only if you are a "paying" member, can you donate to Fauna...uh...what???
I will certainly sign up for either the ten or twenty five 'ship...but jeez, I can only read the Lonely Hearts????