B.O.I. participants play favorites?

[Wilomn]

Exactly my point Rich. KS seems to do quite well using the standard route most commercial sites of the type use. Proffit is made from revenues generated by charging for advertising. This route was suggested to you when you started approaching the subject of making more money. Seems to me that if you have 19,000 members here that you could have gone that route. Instead you chose to make your proffit by inventing a membership higherarchy and charging as associated graduated fee.

A good number of people have a problem with this as they feel it has corrupted the integrity of the site.

Hiya Opie, Aphid, Atlas, whatever the heck your name is.

I don't think you're seeing the picture clearly. The ten bucks a head is NOT to make a profit. Sure, eventually it'll add up to a good chunk of change but there have NOT been 19,000 new memberships all paying that since the fee was implemented.

It's just the cover charge to post on the boi. It's like showing your ID at a bar. No ID, no service. If you like the place enough to have a beer there, enough to PAY to drink at that establishment, you have to play by their rules and prove that you are old enough to be there.

HERE there is a need to know not only that a person is old enough to be here but that they ARE who they say they are.

There needs to be some sort of filtration system and this one is easy on the wallet and effective.

 

[DAND]

David you gots to signify NOW that you saw the bet, but we are all gonna get together and PARTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in two years. I'm bringin' the Bluebell Ice Cream, what are you bringin?

I hereby signify I witnessed the bet between Rich and Dan. (Darn Lawyer )

I'll bring my spoon

 

[WebSlave]

Charging people to post classifieds here will be the death knell for that section of this site. I know it and so do some other people, even some that are suggesting it. Maybe MUCH later it would work, but not now and not in the near future from what I can see.

Now if I were getting opinions from millionaires, then perhaps I would perk my ears up a little bit more, but I just don't see those sources coming here and offering me financial advice. So under the circumstances, I am trusting my own instincts and doing what I THINK is best. I may be wrong, but if that is the case, then that is my own cross to bear, no one elses.

That applies to those multitude of alternate suggestions as well. I believe that most of them were addressed in the several threads that were running simultaneously. If someone had offered me an alternative that I would have felt was workable, then certainly I would have ran with it. But as I said, when push comes to shove, I trust my own instincts over everything else thrown at me, especially when my instincts are saying something 180 degrees from what someone else is suggesting.

 

[Ophis]

I see the picture clearly Wes. My point is that be it for profit (I'm sure Rich pocketing a nice chunk of change on this deal, God bless him)or just to cover expenses, the method chosen by Rich to generate revenue, A hierarchical membership structure with associated graduating fees (its not simply only a flat $10.oo fee to post with the same privleges for all) compromizes the integrity of the site, especially this site.

 

[Wilomn]

I disagree. If you want the priviledges, pony-up the dough.

There is NO discrimination, anyone can be at any level they pay for.

 

[Ophis]

My question then Rich is how does it work for Kingsnake then? Is it just that they have a much larger audience and can charge more for advertizing than you could have for advertising here? If so, then how did they get to that point without having to do what you did in the interem while grownig that strong? You must have a pretty good idea on this. I'm not trying to stir up the pot on this but I am curious.

 

[Lucille]

I see the picture clearly Wes. My point is that be it for profit (I'm sure Rich pocketing a nice chunk of change on this deal, God bless him)or just to cover expenses, the method chosen by Rich to generate revenue, A hierarchical membership structure with associated graduating fees (its not simply only a flat $10.oo fee to post with the same privleges for all) compromizes the integrity of the site, especially this site.

Aphid: Just my two cents, but there were numerous threads where everyone had their say about this matter (and as I remember, you dramatically gave Fauna up for Lent, I spose Easter came along and here you are).

Why are you dredging up all this stuff? You have had more than adequate time to discuss it....Your continued contentions are "like some ghoul in a late-night horror movie that repeadly sits up in its grave and shuffles abroad, after beong repeadtly killed and buried.: Lamb's Chapel v. Ctr. Moriches Union Free School Dist., 508 U.S. 384, 398 (1993).

 

[Ophis]

yea.....right....I'm the only one.....Its all me........Please. Get a grip!

 

[WebSlave]

My question then Rich is how does it work for Kingsnake then? Is it just that they have a much larger audience and can charge more for advertizing than you could have for advertising here? If so, then how did they get to that point without having to do what you did in the interem while grownig that strong? You must have a pretty good idea on this. I'm not trying to stir up the pot on this but I am curious.

Sorry Ophis, but it's not my job to teach you history and marketing theory. You are on your own with those topics. You'll just have to do your own digging for the answers you seek. That is if you REALLY don't know them as you are inferring.

 

[WebSlave]

You can easily cover the spread with 10 bucks a head...care for something perhaps more costly???
greg

I left the figure open so Dan could decide how much he was willing to donate two years from now.

 

[Ophis]

Sorry Ophis, but it's not my job to teach you history and marketing theory. You are on your own with those topics. You'll just have to do your own digging for the answers you seek. That is if you REALLY don't know them as you are inferring.

_"Suprise, Suprise, Suprise!"- Gomer Pile

 

[mycurlylocks]

People only have to pay if they want to contribute input, either for feedback for their own purposes, or to give other people some information that could be of value to them in their decision making. Without paying, they can still TAKE the information that other people have paid to be able to provide. They are just choosing to not give back anything in return, it seems.

I have no problems with the $10 fee. I feel like it was a good move to check on people and see that they are legitimate. I don’t view the $10 as a requirement. I consider it a donation. A donation to keep a great site going and to say thanks to Rich for making it happen. Why should I expect Rich to keep covering all the expenses? I use bittorrent for downloading anime and I donate to the sites that provide the subtitled anime. Why should they do all the work and provide the server for nothing?

I DONATED money to Rich to say thanks and to let him know I appreciated the site.

Yes, I can post on Kingsnake for free, but I prefer this site. Would you like to know why?

Because this site feels like family, not just a business that throws you away. We not only discuss the business deals, the animals in our lives, but our ups and downs, our feelings and the events in our lives. We can write about current events, computers, jokes and so much more. Can I do this on Kingsnake? Not that I have seen.

Faunaclassifieds not only provides us information, but it allows us to make friends. I have made friends that I count on here. There are certain individuals that I look for their posts in particular. Why? Because I know I can count on them. I know they provide me the knowledge I need and I can trust them. I used to watch for Daniel’s posts on the uromastyx forums. I knew I could trust Daniel. We seemed to be a very small “clique” that enjoyed them. I miss that Daniel.

Fauna gives us the freedom to disagree, to laugh together and to cry together. Rich is one of the few webmasters that lets this happen. Geez, go to some of the yahoo groups (Free), see how many of your posts get deleted!

This forum gives me much more enjoyment than I can ever begin to pay for. Just wish I could give more back to it. Where else can a $10 donation buy you that?

Maybe if I were in a business, I would view it differently. To me, it's not just to post on the BOI, it's to give us all support.

My thanks to all that have given me joy, knowledge, and help. My thanks to Rich for making it possible.
Candy

 

[WebSlave]

_"Suprise, Suprise, Suprise!"- Gomer Pile

Exactly........ You are not looking for answers, you are looking for conflict. Window glass, Ophis, you are window glass.......

 

[jsrocket]

This is a worldwide forum of members. You will find all different types of people here. Some are well meaning individuals, some are plain jerks, some are educated, some aren't, some have an axe to grind, some want to express positive feelings about a recent sale/purchase, some want to do the opposite, some know what they are talking about, some have their heads where the sun don't shine and some are all of the above.

Yes, I do think that there is some "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours" going on here.

But, I also think that this forum is a very valuable resource (personally), because you can decide for yourself what the truth is. After all, the individuals involved (usually) have an equal chance to state their cases. Just because a bunch of people are of the same opinion, does not NECESSARILY make it gospel.

If you need to be told what your opinion should be, there is no shortage of people here who are willing to do that. If you want to get as much information as possible, then separate the pepper from the fly **** yourself, this is the the place to gather that info.

 

[Ophis]

Exactly........ You are not looking for answers, you are looking for conflict. Window glass, Ophis, you are window glass.......

Your wrong Rich. I was looking for an answer. You don't want to discuss it thats fine, but don't hide behind that "looking for conflict" crap. Besides conflict is the life blood of this site. You should welcome conflict Rich.

 

[Lucille]

I was looking for an answer.

"My question then Rich is how does it work for Kingsnake then?"

Duh, Aphid? Why don't you go ask THEM???...

 

[Ophis]

"My question then Rich is how does it work for Kingsnake then?"

Duh, Aphid? Why don't you go ask THEM???...

Nice!......(Actually sad really)

I'm asking Rich why the route Kingsnake takes to gain revenue wouldn't work for him. I Your Skull maybe fairly thick Lucille, but I'm sure even you can figure out that Rich would be the best person to address that question too.

 

[Lucille]

Nice!......(Actually sad really)

I'm asking Rich why the route Kingsnake takes to gain revenue wouldn't work for him. I Your Skull maybe fairly thick Lucille, but I'm sure even you can figure out that Rich would be the best person to address that question too.

I can figure out that it is true that you are looking for conflict, dramatic conflict, just like the last time you swished out of here at Lent.

Fly away, Aphid......

 

[Ophis]

You are wrong on that point as well, although I can understand that a person such as yourself would jump to that conclusion. You are the one who is creating conflict by responding to my posts in the fashion that you are choosing to respond. You go girl!!!

 

[ms_terese]

Besides conflict is the life blood of this site.

Not in the context that you're referring to. The biggest draw of this site is the BOI, which isn't really about conflict based on personal opinions; it represents conflicts which result from bad business transactions. Not exactly the same thing as what you're hounding on here.

This brings up the obvious answer to the question you repeatedly keep requesting the answer to. KS is best known for ads; that is why they charge for classifieds. The downside of that is that their forums are not strong, and are certainly influenced heavily by those that pay the most in advertising fees. If you aren't certain of that, try making an inflammatory (but accurate) comment about someone who pays some big bucks for advertising and see how long your posts remains for others to read. Not an ideal system, but that too is a privately owned site and people can choose whether or not they wish to be part of it.

Why would Fauna attempt to compete with KS on the advertising front? In my opinion that would have been a ridiculous choice.

Yes, there are levels of membership here, but $10 members can (and do) post more on the BOI than many $250 members. How is the level of membership swaying the opinion of the forums?

There are other options for sites that don't charge for anything. Most of them have limited membership, and their own "cliques" or quirks. That limits the amount of good information in the forums, the amount of response (and therefore sales) to classified ads, and opinions. Those things qualify as flaws to most people, but everyone has a right to choose their involvement.

In another thread, I brought up a reference to other organizations having a paid membership base as an example. You have to pay money to join the Better Business Bureau. You have to pay money to join a Chamber of Commerce. Businesses have to pay money for memberships in organizations that represent a good standing within their industry. Does that mean their credibility is in the toilet? Nope. It means their credibility is valued, and therefore people are willing to join those organizations, abide by their standards, and have that sort of reputation associated with their business.

I work for a dietary supplement company. We pay some big bucks to be members of an association that assists the FDA in drafting regulations for our industry. That doesn't alleviate our responsibility to maintain the standards set by the industry; if anything, we are judged more harshly than others because the association does NOT want us to tarnish their reputation.

Does that answer your question, Ophis?