Supporting member
 

After being over on another off topic forum, they offer a option to donate $25.00 a year to become a supporting member. Money goes toward upkeep, and whatever it takes to run a forum/website.
It's completely voluntary, no one is forced to pay anything. If you choose to become a supporting member, you get a https://s24.postimg.org/lnn3zjinp/mem1.jpg that indicates you are in support. The "plaque would be near your user name?
I know I donated $25 once to OCC, BECAUSE I THOUGHT it was money well spent to help keep up the place I frequent every day.
I think it's a good bang for the buck, and after all, it's only $25. For me, that's equivalent to the cost of 3 cans of chew.:biggrin2:
Just a thought, depends what Roland thinks, but hey, who don't get $25 worth of information, fun and comradery from OCC?:bigthink:
Support those who support us.:beerchug:
FWI, if anyone hates the idea, don't go scratching and clawing, whining and complaining at anyone but me, this was my idea, no one else's, so if you want to bitch about, aim them my way.

Todd,

I think it's a fine idea.. I would be in... I've often wondered how the forum ran with no money... I certainly get way more than $25 a year worth of fun and info out of this place!:beerchug:

I'm in. It would also help insure that we never have to deal with ads, seems like every other forum I go on has turned into an ad machine. Another incentive on top of the supporter badge could be a supporter only section with a more relaxed set of rules, this is pretty common on other forum's. One of the other forum's I go on is $20 a year, $35 for two years, $50 for 3 years and $80 for 5 years. Just some food for thought.

Interesting. I'll look into that.

Great idea Todd. I would also be a supporting member. I would also like to see some hats, shirts and decals available for purchase too.

Shirts and hats would be great, there are websites dedicated to making shirts and hats for forum's which would eliminate Roland having to hold boxes of shirts and hats at his house and paying for them all up front. They make and ship everything and then the foruum gets a cut of the profits.

I like the supporting member idea. I am in.

Sounds good to me.

Count me in. Good idea.

:biggrin2:

OCC swag? Me likey! I would also support a "Supporting Member" status for those who give.

We already have this, it's called the donate button. It's at the top of every page. Click it!

Very true but what we are discussing gives people some incentive to donate and won't cost the forum anything.

I have no idea what it costs to keep this thing running. I would also like to be ad free.

As long as I am at the helm....there will be NO advertising.

:IH Trusted Hand:

I'd be all over this idea! When there are shows or cub events, it would be nice to be able to identify with other OCC members if they had the OCC logo stuff on!! :bigthink::beerchug:

That philosophy/attitude is why this site is number one.:beerchug:

I have donated in the past but have no idea what is an appropriate amount. This supporting member would help that. I'm not savvy in the website world. I'm willing to pay just tell me how much.

Great idea Todd. I noticed the "Donate Button" back when I first found the site. After a few visits, it is way too simple to slip past the "Top of the Page" and get to the meat portion of the site. I found that that is what I have a tendency to do.

Count me in. The "ADS FREE" factor is a definite bonus. In the year since I have been here, I have learned way more than whatever a yearly fee might be.

Count me into. Great idea.

If the Supporting Member thing pans out, then after the first year, every year after you pay your Supporting Member monies, you get a "token" of sorts added.
See, I'm just throwing this out there, cause I have no idea how or if it's difficult for whomever to add these things to each person's details that becomes a supported. WAY over my head.:bigthink:

I'm game.:beerchug:

I'm also for donating to this site however I don't feel the need for the members to receive a special status or perks requested from doing so unless it can somehow get done automatically. I think Roland has enough on his plate and if you're going to donate to something then do so and not expect anything in return. As stated above I think we've all benefitted from the site in one way or another.

Tims idea of the merchandise is a good one if it can be completely handled by another party as that's a lot of extra work too.

Exactly.

Don't need no banner or pictures of pennies next to my name.

A VW forum I am on in Australia has a "Supporting membership" , cost $50.00 AUD as a one off payment
It has allowed the forum to prosper and like this forum has membership on nearly every continent apart from Nth America due to a Chicken tax I think it is called
Good idea , voluntary however there will always be someone opposed
Will you take Aussie dollars ?????
Oz

Don't get me wrong Ozcubowner, I am a supporter of this site and encourage others to do the same. I keep hearing a lot of " I would donate if..." or " I donated once" and don't understand why anyone needs more than what we have right now to contribute to its success. Consider it like a magazine subscription. Remember paying $36.00 per year to get a magazine once a month? They were riddled with ads and were not interactive. Figure it out yourselves what it's worth to you and click the button at the top of the page.

:beerchug:

OK, did it. There ya go Roland, I know it's not much but I hope it helps with the upgrade.:ThumbsUp:

Who's next?

Sorry twoton my comment about those who oppose such things was not directed at you or any other forum member I just point out a fact that no matter what idea pops up there is for and against , me I like the idea and i respect the opinion of others
Someone famous once said something like I do not like his opinion but I will defend his right to say it
We had a situation here in Australia where a famous tennis player voiced her opinion and she almost got trolled out of the country by the Rainbow army
I am a supporter of this idea I just do not carry US dollars , someone will figure out how I can donate
Oz

Alvy, I can agree with you. However, what's wrong with a contributing membership status notation? I'm ok with letting other's know that I care enough to make a monetary contribution toward the forum as a supporting member. "Donating" and or "supporting" achieve the same results toward the forum at the end of the day. No need to be politically correct on every thread of hair on the net. If a supporting notation is not what you want, then that should be a choice.

So that being said, if this takes flight, then count me in as well!

It's not donating to the forum, it's becoming a Supporting Member. Completely two different things...
It would have just been another way to help "support" the cost of the forum. And completely voluntary. But as I said above, "would have", cause I can see it won't happen. There'll be too much of the normal, somebody don't like this or that...

You are correct Todd. Voluntary is key word.
Maybe doesn't have to be a badge, could be like what is already in place.
Check out what it says under Yosemite Sams name. His is different than all of ours.

That's usually all it is on a v bulletin forum, instead of saying grand member it will say supporter.

Would members that take time to chase part numbers, supply measurement,
answer PM's, make drawings of electrical systems, linkages, photos etc.
Be recognized?
Oh wait,
they get 72 Virginian Mermaids in the next world :bigthink:
Send in yer $$ and like the guy in the shaving mirror each morning.
Don't need no stinking attaboys.
If it don't come from the heart, then it is lipstick on a pig.

:biggrin2:

I think it's a great idea. We could have different classes of members.

1) Site supporters.
2) Contributing members.
3) Free loaders.
4) J-Mech fodder.

But not necessarily in any specific order.

:beerchug:

Then maybe the Mods could start cashing the checks they've been getting all these years! :biggrin2:

I'd be in for a donation of some kind but what would turn me off is if you HAD to pay to gain access to certain areas. I'm not saying that would happen here but I've seen it on other sites and I usually left those sites. Either way we have a great group here and I'd be happy to drop a few bucks to support it :beerchug:

Believe it or not I am completely neutral on this subject, but some real thought should be given. I think you could loose a lot of members. Sure all the regulars would pay and stay but the ones that can't pay or for what ever reason don't pay may leave because they will be recognized as the non payers by lack of the supporter icon or whatever is used. I can see it now when a disagreement comes up some one being told or made to feel like a lesser member or less important cause the are not a supporter. I personally would not be offended but you might see a lot of people go away over time which I think could hurt the forum. You could end up with a small group just talking to each other all the time. I know that the payment is not mandatory but people may feel kinda that way as everyone will know they did not give by the lack of the gold star next to their name.

No one would be left out, if they feel that way, that's there problem. Can't be that you would lose members, cause over on this other forum I visit, has 43,774 members. I do not know how many are supports though.
I was a member for almost a year before becoming a Supporting member, no one treated me any different from one to another.
As for the logo attached to your name, you are just being recognized for supporting, that's it.
Some have said, just donate, same thing, then all will be as is, paraphrasing here. But then, how many members ever did donate?
I intentionally suggested this to help generate money for the forum. Nothing more, just wanted to help out our group, but some immediately make it into more than it needs to be.
Roland, please dump the thread, and forget about it. Cause all it's going to be is the usual BS when a change and possible betterment is suggested. Thanks to those who thought it might work, but should have known better, don't want no one's feeling hurt. :HeadScratch:

I kind of like the idea of giving them a incentive (a small decal to throw on their truck or a key chain something simple and cheap) I don't kow what all would be needed to make it happen. It may not even be worth it. I have not donated anything yet altho I feel I should. I've gained way more than 25 bucks worth of knowledge from this site and have met a few really cool people because of it. But I also agree that the paying members shouldnt be treated any differently than a new member. No special privileges in my own opinion.

Don't give up yet. I think if you take this behind the scenes, talk to your moderators and core members, you can work it out. The other places I am a member on, just charge a small amount, and it lets you post umlimited pics and a few other percs. I have seen no one treated differently there.

This site has some great info, and a huge library of manuals. If something happens in the future, it would allow this site to continue without you. (God Forbid!)


The donate button is not working this morning, not sure if its on your end or mine.





Randy

Todd,

If nothing else comes out of this it did remind me that I needed to donate to the forum.. I have been around here 4 or 5 years and have meant to do it.. but never seemed to get around to it.. So now it's done... I'll try to remember to do it again at sometime in the future. I'd like to see this place continue to run for a long time!
I've gotten some really good info out of this place and even better met some really cool people and made some good friends! Thats good enough for me!!:beerchug::beerchug: