It is my understanding that these sites require a significant amount of money to keep on the servers. At the risk of allowing 'sponsors' to pay for these costs (with potential for conflicts of interests for the administrators), is it not reasonable for site members to each pay a small amount each towards the running costs thereof?
Please indicate your own opinion in an honest manner, and I hope this will allow the people who run this site to consider an alternative to the status quo.
My own suggestion would be a tiny £1 per month. My guess is that it would only take 100 people at this level to cover the cost of the server. 1000 people would probably see Martin in a new D3.
This is a serious matter, and if a Scotsman is prepared to pay up, so should you!!
19th May 2006 5:55 pm
Martin Site Admin and Owner
Member Since: 06 Nov 2004
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 18455
JMC, thanks for your thoughts
Members can currently donate if they wish to support the site, and some events also raise money for the site running costs so I personally feel that members are contributing quite a lot already
Once possibility for the future, but not yet progressed past an "idea", is a "premium" charged membership system with clearly defined benefits and discounts.
I would like to see more forum sponsors and licenced advertisers, to build DISCO3 into a Discovery 3 community of owners and suppliers
I don't expect members to support the site, I'm personally firmly against a subscription-only access to the site in general as I've always considered the internet to be a 'open' medium where everyone can take part and receive benefit
Those with a commercial opportunity (suppliers) who DISCO3 can help fulfill can help support the site and build their business by sponsoring it and reaching almost 1100 site members and 20000 visitors a month on the only site dedicated to the D3 and LR3
19th May 2006 6:07 pm
DiscoStu
Member Since: 09 Apr 2006
Location: London
Posts: 11412
Personally, I'd be more than happy to pay for membership. My only concern is for new members - I probably would not have joined in the first place had there been a charge. You would need a process where by new members would get a months free access to give them a taster.
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50934
I have asked a similar question in the past JMC and the response indicated that there was no definitive amount that members should be expected to contribute.
It was suggested that if you were to purchase an interest magazine and equated the valuable information and satisfactory content that feeds a level of interest then this might be a good pointer to a level of contibution to disco3.co.uk
I agreed with this analogy because I attribute that level of interest value to this site and although I do not want to be seen to be 'blowing one's trumpet' I contirbute roughly the equivalent amount to 3 magazines on a quarterly basis.
I do not expect, by the way, any additional benefits or rights because I have contributed - I understand that running a site like this cannot be done for free and Martin deserves our assistance by way of contribution to reflect, in my case, not only knowledge gained about my motor but also the great fun, new experiences and new buddies I've made along the way.
Thanks Martin & well done 21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
Last edited by DG on 19th May 2006 9:48 pm. Edited 1 time in total
I (too) do not wish to blow my trumpet (even though it hangs down under my kilt ). I have also contributed much more than my suggested £1 per month already, but I reckoned that this level would be so insignificant that nobody would bat an eyelid.
In retrospect, I think Martin has a point and so does DiscoStu. There is no easy answer, as nobody wants to pay for something when they don't know what they are getting. By the same token, I had no idea whether, or what, I should contribute, but I did based roughly on the annual cost of a magazine subscription. Can't remeber how much the Beano costs these days
The underlying sentiment here has come from another (locked) thread and I fear I may be becoming known as the threadlocker..... Has anybody else managed to get a thread locked twice?
Anyway, it was just a thought to provoke a discussion. Isn't that what a forum is about?
I enjoy disco3.co.uk both as a discussion forum and a reference point. I don't give it as much attention as I did to start (new toy scenario) and I have only been here for a couple of months!
Perhaps the 'privilidged member' solution is the best as it allows the fleeting visitor to enjoy the site (as we all have) without the financial tie.
Martin - can you add the privilidged member solution to the poll please?
19th May 2006 6:49 pm
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
To add my tuppence, when we discussed this a fair while ago I think it became apparent that some are in a position to pay/give morethan others and I feel it should be left to a personal choice, rather than a monthly amount. I personally am not particularly bothered about priviledges I'd rather be happy with a warm feeling inside!
I'm not bothered about sponsors either provided their product is good and the 2 sponsors seem to have fitted that brief.DS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
DS3 TDV6 HSE- Silver with Alpaca (new one) Gone
D4 HSE Lux - Montalcino Red Gone
Porsche Cayenne V8 Diesel S
Those with a commercial opportunity (suppliers) who DISCO3 can help fulfill can help support the site and build their business by sponsoring it and reaching almost 1100 site members and 20000 visitors a month on the only site dedicated to the D3 and LR3
Don't forget there's RRSport figures to add to that and no doubt fairly soon Freel2 will pick up followed by whatever is your next brainchild Boss. There is a lot of common ground between the vehicles and I'm sure potential advertisers get a discount of some sort for advertising on more than one of the sites The End
19th May 2006 7:30 pm
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50934
JMC wrote:
The underlying sentiment here has come from another (locked) thread and I fear I may be becoming known as the threadlocker.....
Martin - how can I contribute now? I'd like to 'repay' some of the incredible support, and entertainment(!) I get from being a member. Regards - MalcolmWhy have I never felt this way about a 4WD before?
20th May 2006 10:21 am
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50934
If you look at the menu line above you will see 'donate' on the far right next to 'logout'- if you have paypal you can send money that way.21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
20th May 2006 10:26 am
tony bennett
Member Since: 28 Jul 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 565
Martin wrote:
I would like to see more forum sponsors and licenced advertisers, to build DISCO3 into a Discovery 3 community of owners and suppliers
Those with a commercial opportunity (suppliers) who DISCO3 can help fulfill can help support the site and build their business by sponsoring it and reaching almost 1100 site members and 20000 visitors a month on the only site dedicated to the D3 and LR3
Martin,
Purely out of interest, what rate would you be asking please?regards
tony
05 "Battlestar Galactica"
In 7 years ownership
09/13 New Battery (I did that)
11/13 new alternator. (I did that)
2 x EGR Blanked. (I did that )
20th May 2006 10:28 am
eddtheduck
Member Since: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Norwich
Posts: 164
Finally prompted me to donate
Would I pay? You bet - I have had more model-specific information about the D3 from this site and direct feedback than any publication I could buy.
I've even given a little back but nowhere near as much as some - you know who you are
Martin - an excellent site and glad to hear it more or less ticks over on its own financially2008.5 D3 HSE, Stornoway, Ebony
2007 BMW 335iSE - lust for speed satisfied
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