I understand the pay to play part of this. However, my concern is with restriction to access to the BOI comes restriction of content being brought to the BOI.
Yes, this
could likely influence the continued existence of the BOI. And this was actually expressed back in 2005 when I originally felt that something like this was needed in order to keep the BOI alive. But honestly, I don't think it will change the direction it is headed in any. As you will see later in this post.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63362
Coincidentally enough, that thread was initiated also on February 02.
That turned out to become a failure and in order to save the BOI, I rescinded it. Yes, the Board of Inquiry forum just dried up from lack of use, and at that time I really did want it to survive, regardless of the lack of support I was seeing. Honestly, I just chose to ignore the truth then that the membership really didn't want to support the BOI THAT much back then. So obviously I have kept the blinders on for all this time afterwards.
Then in 2009 another crisis time, at least in my opinion. And that too came to nothing if we look at things today. No, I don't want to have one of these warning flag waving announcements every few years proclaiming what I would hope should be obvious to people that the BOI cannot survive without substantial support. I have mentioned before about my needing to feel that I have the majority of people in this hobby/industry/community at my back when I have to face down one threat of a lawsuit after another over what someone else has posted on this site. But what sort of idiot would actually launch a lawsuit against this site seeing that there were visible signs (paid memberships, sponsorships, advertisers) of overwhelming support, both financial and public opinion, to defend it? That is the strength that the BOI needs to exist. THAT is the strength that is now lacking.
So the obvious lacking of overwhelming support is now going to be the end of the BOI. Period. Obviously 17 years hasn't proven to the majority of people in this field that the BOI is worth supporting. In my opinion, no longer amount of time nor a greater number of new members are going to accomplish that goal at this late date. 139,000 members should be quite enough for anyone to tell the story that I have known in my bones for quite a while now.
So it comes to this, finally.
On 02-02-2019 the BOI will be closed to all but financially contributing members. On 02-02-2020 the BOI will be closed to everyone. I really seriously do not expect this "pay to play" period to accomplish anything. But I feel I at least owe it to the current contributing members to give them this extra year. Their intent may have been to actively and directly support the BOI. So I owe them this. But please do not expect that your contributions made after 02-02-2019 are going to extend the final
deadline any further. I am certainly not going to commit to that at all.
You all can't say I haven't warned you about this coming. I've known in my bones that this was coming, but kept hoping I was wrong. That things will start turning around any day now. That first warning was 14 years ago. Then again 9 years ago. Sorry, but I am done with the warnings. They didn't work anyway then, so one now won't work neither.
Now, before anyone asks, no, I am not stupid. If I things turn around substantially, and I do mean
SUBSTANTIALLY, and I feel that the support that has dwindled away to almost nothing has come back in spades, then yes, I will reconsider. But honestly, I do not think that will happen. Too many people have left this site completely over the past few years, for one reason or another, with the BOI intact and running, so I don't foresee the permanent end of it being any influence whatsoever to bringing them back.
Honestly it both depresses me and relieves me that this day has finally made it onto the calendar. Running the BOI has been damned HARD. And Lord only knows how stressful I have made life for Connie just because something here got under my skin and leaked out into her life through no fault of her own.
