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Originally Posted by Mike Greathouse
Rich,
In my opinion, this was where the decline started, and as you can see from the date of the post, we were only five months into the "New" paid program.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ad.php?t=69994
I have not yet found the "Walk Away" post, but I'm sure someone will locate it. It seems like everything started to decline and you were just fed up with it all during that time.
Fixing the timeline more precisely will take some work, but I specifically remember speaking with other members in 2005 about your intentions and actions regarding the site.
Again, I don't want this to become a Rich bashing parade. I'm simply trying to justify to you my decision for not renewing at the higher level.
Hope this help to clarify things. |
Mike,
That particular post was the result of the head bashing between Chris Johnson and myself in reference to the Hayden Auction incident. At that time, some people here, supporting Chris in favor of my own claims, got me to doubting my own judgment. So yes, I decided to roll back some decisions that I felt could have been just as wrong as the popular opinion that I was wrong about Chris Johnson.... Just goes to show you have much faith one should have in popular opinions, I guess.. But not long afterwards, I got over that, and the rules were very shortly put back into place.
Somewhere in that timeline is also a period when I REALLY cracked down on the rules, but I'm not sure how that figured into your decision, Mike. When the paid memberships WERE implemented, the rule enforcement really wasn't all that much different from what it is right now. I have just turned over that authority to a larger group of members. "Delegated" as someone once suggested that I do. I just no longer have the desire to suffer that continual headache. Some seem to feel it is no big deal, so let's see how that opinion changes over a period of time now that they are grabbing the nettle.
And push come to shove, I don't remember anywhere in that thread concerning paid memberships offering any level of service relating to rule enforcement here for that sort of payment received. There is a table of membership perks that lists things offered for the various levels of contributions, so anything outside of that listing was nothing I specifically offered. Or did I miss something there? Sure, I can see someone making a valid argument that the site then is quite different from now, but that is quite likely going to be the case as long as this site exists. It is going to CHANGE. Some will appreciate the changes, and others won't. Par for the course, if history is any guide here.
Whatever, you make your own decisions about what is important to you, just as I will make those decisions as to what is important to me. Beating my head against the wall DAILY and getting threats and abuse for enforcing strict rules here in order to try to make this the place I THINK it can be just is not worth the salary that memberships was pulling in. Especially if the higher level memberships are hinged on that sort of production out of me. The workload FAR exceeded the compensation I was receiving for such labor. If that is what it takes for you, then sorry you were not getting what you paid for.
I don't require anyone to have any paid membership level at all to be here. It's all optional based on what value you find in this site. The paid memberships do offer a few tangible perks, but all in all, they are donations that people are volunteering (in my opinion) in order to help insure the survival of this site. I believe I am on record as stating that as long as this site is in the black from all income able to be gleaned it, then it will remain. However, if it goes into the red where I have to again dig into my pockets from my SerpenCo funds to keep it running, then no, I am no longer willing to do that. I am no longer willing to make THAT kind of sacrifice for YOU (collectively).
So that's about the size of it. Sorry if this site, because of MY needs, has had to change into something other than what you want it to be.