Forum fees

[Mark Winlund]

I noticed that engraving etc. went to a fee basis. While I find the forums useful, the concept of paying that kind of money to participate in a forum is hard to swallow. Perhaps I am too tight fisted! Would anyone else care to comment? :confused:

Mark

[Mark Engel]

No one has ever asked me to send in a dime for any forum on this site.

Sounds a little fishy to me.

[Mark Winlund]

No one has ever asked me to send in a dime for any forum on this site.

Sounds a little fishy to me.


Not this site, the "engraving etc." site...





Mark

[Roy Harding]

Although I have contributed to these forums - such donation was definitely NOT ever solicited. I did so purely because I felt the site was worth supporting.

There's something wrong here - possible scam?

[Mark Engel]

Not this site, the "engraving etc." site...


Mark
My mistake. I thought someone here was trying to get some of your cash.

I generally don't use forums that require you to pay to participate. Especially $36.00.

It still sounds a little shady to me. Maybe you can check with some of the other members over there, or other moderators.

[Nancy Laird]

No, it isn't a scam. They are trying (like SMC) to get away from having banner ads on their site. There is a LOT of good information available on EE, as well as World of Engraving (which is $20.00 a year), and to me, the cost is minimal for the benefit I get from belonging there. They are not doing any solicitation--they are giving their members (and the visitors) the opportunity to continue to give and receive information in a timely manner by signing up to become a member. The archives are still there for reading by anyone interested; however, you can't post or read current posts without being a member. $3.00 a month for EE, or $1.67 a month for WOE is a very small price to pay for the knowledge and experience represented on those boards. Just like $.50 a month is a pittance for the knowledge and experience represented here at SMC.

Quit looking under rocks for gremlins or hidden agendas--their intentions are good and those boards are definitely worth the money.

Nancy

[Mike Mackenzie]

Roy,

This is not a Scam David Lavenari who started the Engraving Etc. forum has been talking about going pay for a couple of years now. Well it is finally done and it is legit.

[Mark Engel]

OK.

I stand (sit actually) corrected.

I will shut up now!

[Ruben Salcedo]

No there is no scams, I'm a member of that forum and yes I did pay.

I don't think 36.00 is a lot a money for what I get now and for what's coming, there are tutorials and other stuff ( Videos and more good stuff coming) that you not get any where else and if you do the Math is only .10 cents, yes .10 cents a day I think any one can afford .10 cents a day. I can understand that to provide extra things like they are doing takes money and lots of time

Note, I'm not affiliated in any way with that forum other than been a happy forum member

Ruben

[Mike Null]

Nancy is 100% right. The EEO forum is well worth the price, which is less than a magazine subscription and worth a lot more.

EEO is a little more focused in that it serves those who make their living at engraving. It has helped me, as has this forum, and both have enough value for me to contribute.

David Lavaneri and Keith Outten are two very similar, very unselfish guys who find satisfaction in helping people.

Keith has done a very good job of explaining the costs and time involved in operating a forum.

The world could use a lot more Keiths and Davids.

[Mike Mackenzie]

I personally prefer the donation method like SMC over the subscription method that EE is feeding us.

My main purpose on these forums is to help our system owners with answers to there questions, tips and tricks to operating there equipment and service advise when necessary thats pretty much it.

I am not an engraver, woodworker,or sign maker but I am a member of each forum.

I don't like the idea of being forced to pay a yearly fee when I am not getting any real benefit from it.

If anything the forums benefit from people like Roy Brewer, Peck, Rodney Gold, myself, and i am sure others. We are sales and tech people who just want our customers to have an avenue to get the answers they are seeking. (I put Rodney in this category just because he knows about everything).

It seems that everything has gone to a subscription base. (Virus protection, Sat TV, Ad ware, Radio, ETC.) now we have forums that are here to help people wanting to charge an annual fee.

For me to donate to something I feel is good and helpful is better than signing on the dotted line and then finding out that it really isn't worth my time or effort.

Thats my 2 cents!

[Ruben Salcedo]

Mike,

you are a good guy and I respect you, but I think the only person that do not benefit from participating in this forums is Rodney (I'm not sure about Peck I do not recall him) but Roy, You and any body that run a business related to this forums benefit from them even if is not your purpose, why? because some how you are exposing your business to Us forum members (there is nothing wrong with that), and I know that because that is how I end up buying a laser from you, by finding out how good support/help you where offering to the members of EngravinEtc even do most was not your customers (yet :) ).


Ruben

[Dave Jones]

EngravingEtc is a bit different from here in that the majority of the members there are involved in engraving professionally. There are very few hobbyists there. There might have a few hobyists who got useful info there, and won't want to pay the membership. But most of the people there make a living using engraving, and for them the $3/month is not going to be a big deal.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Ruben,

Thank you I really did not think about it that way my purpose for being on the forums was not for advertising, However if I were not on the forums i would still give our customers the same service and support they deserve.

The real difference with the forums is that it is world wide and my feeling is if they need help I want to try and help them where ever they are.

[Rodne Gold]

Well , Im not at all happy to pay the subs there.
In fact you get absolutely nothing for your money that wasnt free before.
To have to pay for vapourware is disgusting.....if the extra content was added it's a different story , but it hasnt been added at all.
The same info and help etc is available elsewhere , like here and World of engraving , for free!!!

I got a ton of info free on the internet and am willing to give back in the spirit of sharing that has characterised the internet. It's not about the amount of money involved , it's the priniciple.

Anyway , their terms and conditions are draconian , and I believe illegal
They now own and can do whatever they like with your posts. My and other folks posts given freely are now being used as an inducement (archived stuff) to ask for money which is not soley to defray expenses and can possibly be used in their materials which they will derive personal revenue from.

[David Lavaneri]

This has been an interesting exercise in the game of "Telephone"; the game where one person whispers a phrase to another and that person whispers the phrase to another and so on and so on, until at the end of the line, the last person repeats what he "understood" as the original phrase, which bears no resemblance to the original phrase.

I refuse to go round and round with people here, as happened over two years ago on Engraving Etc., when I mentioned my intention to transition the forum to a subscription-based entity.

I do, however, wish to interject facts, where misinformation has been so generously dispensed.

A bug in our subscription management software led to a couple of days of widespread login problems. It was a nightmare! No two ways about it.

During that time Mark Winlund had tried to join the site, but an email issue prevented the transaction from going through.

I assured Mark our email issues had been corrected and he could try to register again, or if he preferred not to go through the Paypal system, I'd be happy to create his account manually. Going that route, would require him to send a check to my mailing address.

Asking for $36? <shrug>

I never received a response and that's where the matter died.

Our login issues appear to be behind us, although there remain a couple of people who have yet to be squared away.

I'm happy to say the initial response to the new "real name" format (as Keith has here) has been very encouraging. People are joining because they want to be there.

Obviously, the people who don't want to be, aren't.

Ya gotta love freedom of choice! :)

Draconian terms of service? Once again, no obligation to agree to them. I might suggest reading the terms of service here and on other sites.

Nearing the 1 week mark, in the new format, we're still dealing with a few forum bugs, but nothing mission critical. While I've spent more time dealing with those, writing new tutorials has been hampered, though I have a backlog of photos to be used in the creation of new content.

My business decision has been embraced by some and despised by others.

Human nature marches on. :)

All the best,

David Lavaneri
Engraving Etc. Founder

[Dave Jones]

Rodney, the posts you made over there are still right where they were, available free to anybody that wants to see them. Your posts are not copied or repeated inside the pay portion of the site. They are sitting out there in the original forum, just where you posted them, and can be found by Google and by anybody that wants to read them without paying anything to see them. That forum is closed to new discussions, but all the old discussions are there for anybody to read. David was very clear in wanting the paid site to start with completely fresh messages so that posts that were made before going to a pay site are not inside the part of the site available only to people who pay.

So, none of your posts that you made over there are in any way being charged for.

[Larry Bratton]

Come on folks, anybody that can or will pay the prices we pay for our equipment and complaining about 3 bucks a month. I gladly paid my $36.00, and I did send a contribution to this site(more than that I might add). This forum as well as the one in question is a huge resource to me..best deal I have found. Nuff said.:mad:

[Nancy Laird]

Come on folks, anybody that can or will pay the prices we pay for our equipment and complaining about 3 bucks a month. I gladly paid my $36.00, and I did send a contribution to this site(more than that I might add). This forum as well as the one in question is a huge resource to me..best deal I have found. Nuff said.:mad:


DITTO! Larry, don't forget about World of Engraving too - they are also a great resource. ;)

Nancy

[Mark Winlund]

Admin Edit
The content of private email messages cannot be posted publicly here at SMC.
Keith Outten

[Keith Outten]

The topic of forum Fees is all well and good but it would be more productive to resolve individual concerns directly with the site Admin. This would apply to any issues here at SMC and other forums as well.

.