supporting members?

[DeuceSV]

I'd rather see that new run of AO Jersey's foist!

[tbaggin]

id be in.

[CatoRockwell]

I second the updating of Banner pictures!

Why wouldn't they want this? it'll help cover their costs and make it a better enviroment for everyone.

[Rudz]

Were trying to help, why wouldn't they like it?

Keep voting guys, numbers won't lie

[Frizzle Fry]

Why wouldn't they want this? it'll help cover their costs and make it a better enviroment for everyone.

AO is very well moderated, especially considering how tiny the moderation staff is and how few are active. This would add quite a bit of work for the staff, and would mean setting up a payment system obviously as well as re-vamping some elements of AO. I've got plenty of faith in the site, but this would be a LOT to handle. It would probably pay off, but it'd be a big change.

A supporting member section also has the potential to breed a clique-y-ness and closed off attitude that can make the site inaccessible, offensive and unappealing to new members (cough cough, AOG...). It's important to remember that what goes on here represents AGD as a company; this is a resource for owners, players and potential buyers. On a small site, resentful attitudes towards people who come to the site looking for information can develop, especially when there's a place to whine that they can't see. When innocent ignorance is met with hostility, it tends to piss people off, and that would make AGD look bad in the long run. I'm not by any means saying that such a section would be doomed to become that way, but it would take monitoring to be sure that it doesn't.

I think it's a great idea, but I also know that it's a lot to put in place and manage, so I can understand why it hasn't been done and why it might never be.

[CatoRockwell]

$25 a year is too much. MCB offers more than that for $10 a year. There also looks like there is probably an issue with the server it is on. Im not sure, but I think they have their own box... which makes no sense with hosting plans being so cheap. I know for a fact that Dave could give them a killer deal, probably even better if they moved all of their sites to him too.

The first thing that has to happen, is the database needs to be backed up. Then IMO, all of the BST threads that are over 6 months old need to go bye-bye. Once that is done, another back up after they make sure that AO still works .

The version of VBulletin needs to be updated desperately. Not only does it handle the database much better than the older ones, it also makes the mods life easier by being able to set limits on things such as image and sig sizes. It also has a built-in subscription management system which makes doing things like paid-membership easy.

There are also gaggle loads of free add-ons availible that are pretty simple to install.

Also, for the love of all that is holy, I don't understand why there are no links to the AGD webstore. Now too, they would probably want to include one to wherever TK is going to end up selling the Shoebox.

Another good idea, is a Supporting Dealer system like they have on Custom Cockers.com. For a fee, a dealer could get their own subforum to sell products and offer support. "cough-tunaman-cough"

Really, the possibilities are endless.

BigEvil wrote this elsewhere, he makes some really good points.

[going_home]

I'm In !

I'm in for $10.00. Oh, and of course its gotta be pie.

[pillage]

Yes for supporting membership. No for buying credit ala TechPB/PBN though.

[Ando]

BigEvil wrote this elsewhere, he makes some really good points.

[Mayvik]

Depending on what you're getting for the money, I'd say $10-15 is probably appropriate.

I'm interested to hear why the dislike for a "members only" BST? Is it due to level of moderation here, or to avoid having a "good" BST and a "chaos" BST? Maybe to keep people who would otherwise not..fit in..as members from coughing up the fee just so they can have access to the members only BST?

[going_home]

I havent participated in "that other" forum in a while but when I did the paying members BST didnt get much traffic at all compared to the non paying BST.

Just saying.

[gimp]

I'd probably end up paying if it was around 10 bucks, but I don't want to, so I voted no. And I like pie.

[luke]

Pay so people can have avatars, umm, no thanks.
100 pms for me are plenty, I just delete anything over a month old and it keeps plenty of available space for new ones.

Oh-yea, nothing wrong with using an outside host for avatars and such.

[BigEvil]

Pay so people can have avatars, umm, no thanks.

I think you missed the point, pay to support the site and get something in return.

[Frizzle Fry]

Oh-yea, nothing wrong with using an outside host for avatars and such.

On-site hosting is a gimmick, unless you're making a gallery, in which case it's still better to insert the picture to the thread using [img] code.

Nothings worse than the little link at the bottom that you can't access because you're not a member or the server is down