Supporting members only forum

[ALephart]

Hello,

I just thought I would vent over my disgust in having a supporting members only forum that is closed to the public at large. IMO this website is not big enough to justify this incurred cost. I believe in supporting forums. Thats why I pay more for items that are in banner ad's on forum websites. Even though I can find them for less on Summit Racing's website. Same goes for home audio and computer gear. Why should the average person who frequents the website be held back information because he has'nt paid $15.00? My advice would be to banish it altogether. And if that isn't acceptable make it a read only forum for non site supporters.

All the best,
Aaron Lephart

[ARichte23]

It doesn't bother me all that much, don't see the harm in having a members only forum.

[jwight]

Aaron,

I had the same thoughts. I'm on several other auto forums and while some have a supporting member option, they don't have a separate private section (except for the moderators.) I don't even mind paying the $15, but I don't like the automatic renewal feature so have held off. Maybe a read only option is a good compromise.

[Carnut]

Hey guys, it's ONLY $15.00!!!! Make believe you burn an extra five gallons of gas per YEAR.

[ifishcat]

Originally Posted by ALephart

make it a read only forum for non site supporters.

though i am unaware of the (longterm) intention of the private area and can not invision a dialog that would require the exclusiveness that seems to be currently configured, i'd vote for read only, given a vote.

(ie i like the suggestion ALephart, for what its worth)

[Twojjs]

This Smart Car forum has a large amount of information, is helpful and also entertaining. If it has value $15.00 is not outrageous. What does the Supporting member’s area offer?

[ALephart]

Originally Posted by Carnut

Hey guys, it's ONLY $15.00!!!! Make believe you burn an extra five gallons of gas per YEAR.

It's the point, not the money. Money I have.

It's the idea of the whole thing. Why are we separating these "supporters"? When there is talk of community the furthest thing from my mind is separating people, we should be bringing them together. Do I think owners of 450's don’t have a voice? Should we penalize them for being an early adopter? What makes 1 mans word better then the next man; oh I get it because he paid money!

Aaron Lephart

[prash]

I have no problem with paying members getting something for their money, but a private forum seems counter-intuitive. I am not sure why that would be a benefit or something I would pay for. The purpose of a forum is to get maximum exposure to answer questions or get feedback, so limiting that seems to limit rather than enhance the experience.

I would pay for email alerts, a google like function where I can put in a subject and get an email with a link to the post, notifications of updates to my posts, or other alerts. Also, I would pay to have a favorite list so I can save threads that I want to keep up on, for easy viewing. Any feature like that would be great to have, and would be a real benefit worth paying for.

Sorry. Marketing guy here. Can't help myself

[shack01]

I'm afraid I have to agree on all of the above. I don't see the benefit of the exclusive forum unless the two-star members are over there talking about the rest of us. I would say I'm disappointed more than disgusted. Just seems like an ill-advised money grab. Oh well.

tm

[spdickey]

The site owner has been trying to monetize this site for a long time.