What's up with Deals and Discounts?

[Matt Meiser]

Rob, I'm pretty sure if you order 1 year, more than once you get years added on. I believe this because my expiration date is more than a year out and I contributed a couple times last year. You can also set up a monthly recurring subscription.

I know Keith didn't do this at first because it was all manual so they just did everyone on a calendar-year basis. Then the vBulletin software added subscription support and they went to using that (which co-incidentally tells you that by far this isn't the only forum that has a subscription model.)

[Nathan Yeager]

Please take no offense, but I am just curious. Is this a for-profit site?

[Ted Calver]

Rob,
Consider becoming a stealth Friend of the Creek. I set up a recurring paypal donation of $5 per month a couple of years? ago when Jackie made it possible. It just keeps on ticking until I turn it off. Works for me, but I don't know how many others.

[Montgomery Scott]

You spelled "measly" and "cheap" incorrectly. HTH.

[Keith Outten]

Keith,

I agree with you on setting the site up for success. I ask a question some time ago and never got a response. Hopefully, someone can chime in now.

A few years back when found this site I became a contributor and instead of the $6 donation, I put in $50 to help for those that did not contribute. The following year at renewal time, I PM to ask a question,but I was a week beyond the 1 year time, so I hit the wall of "no responses to non-contributors". It kind of tweaked my feathers considering had I just ponyed up the standard $6 that year and last year and this year, I would only be $18 into the creek, instead of $50 and considered an "outsider-member". The $50 spent at $6 per year would have carried me through 8 years of "in good standing" with the community. But I got over it and moved on.

I hate renew yearly on anything. When I subscribe to magizines I always go for 3-5 year so I don't have to worry about it and when you subscribe to 8-10 magazines it become less to worry about.

So my question before and still is: Why can't we subscribe for multiple years or a one time " lifetime" member and have a designation as such. Personnally, I would rather (knowing that this is a great place and is here for the long run) pluck down a one time fee ( $6/per x 50 years = $300) and shoot you off a one time check, become a "lifetime" member and not ever have to think about it again.

Just curious. Thanks.

Rob

Rob,

Matt is correct in that vBulletin has only recently added a subscription system that we felt would work for this Community. The old manual system was done on a year by year basis so we didn't offer multiple year subscriptions which we do provide now. The max the system will allow is through the year 2033 the last time I checked.

Sorry about not responding to your email. Jackie and I try to respond to everyone but it is a full time job and more. On any given day we may have plenty of time allocated to answer mail and Private Messages then the next day we can't get to the mail at all, it depends on what is going on behind the scenes.

If you can provide the transaction number I would be glad to post the additional time to your account. On our end its not how much anyone donates that is important, it is that they donate. We really appreciate those who take their time to make a donation here, the six dollar donations add up over the year but the percentage of people who support The Creek is what is most important to us. We do provide free account upgrades to those who need a helping hand periodically. Whenever a situation is brought to our attention we upgrade accounts on the spot without hesitation. Many people here have been generous, as you have, and made larger donations to cover those who are in need of help. We always have enough funds to cover these situations and even if we didn't Jackie and I would be glad to help anyone who belongs to this Community.

Many here will tell you that I have been more than willing to take their phone calls if they need help. In some cases I have been on the phone for up to two hours, and I don't mind. I have helped a number of people here ascertain support from vendors who had refused to help them with a defective product. I will bring the entire weight of this Community down on any vendor or manufacturer if the situation warrants and our Member is in need of help. I have done this many times.

We have just completed our 176th FreeStuff Drawing plus the Stinger CNC prize that Jackie and I provided 50% of the funding required to make it happen. These drawings are time consuming and they don't produce any funds for The Creek. Its a proven fact that very few people become Contributors here just to be eligible for the drawings. We host FreeStuff Drawings because everyone loves to win a prize and people are generally happy to see one of their friends win.

There is much more going on here than most know, but there those who can tell another side to the story about what it means to be a part of this Community. If I don't answer your email this evening I might be helping someone get a replacement table saw or negotiating to have a $15,000.00 laser engraver that doesn't work replaced.

Hey Keith can you help me out!!!

You Bet!!!
.

[Ryan Bess]

A wealth of information here for only $6/year. If anything, I sometimes feel guilty for the low price of admission!

[Glenn Clabo]

SawmillCreek.org is wholly owned and operated by Northwind Associates, Incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

[Gary Muto]

I happily give $6 to this site. I did so even before there were limits to any access. I also support the decision to limit access to visitors with the motive to advertise for free under the guise of an objective tip on a legitimate deal.

[Richard McComas]

The new policy means us members won't be posting the deals or discounts we hear about.

It also means members can't read what deals and discounts contributors post.

I guess the members don't need to know about them. Looks like a two way street.

[Josh Reet]

I'm not sure how many people here have the experience of doing what Keith et al are doing with SWC (though I do know there are a few). But as someone who runs a forum/community site significantly larger than this one, let me just say this:

There are no easy decisions. Nothing can ever be done in such a way that everyone will be happy and the business will pay the bills. You do the best you can for the largest number of people while still making sure you aren't running the place into the ground.

The days of "everything is free" on the internet are long gone. Virtually all websites of any real size have to pull their own weight now. That means there will be ads or subscriptions, or some combination of the two. There is just no way around it. Nobody is standing in the shadows paying for new server hardware or fiber optic lines or programmer time. Just like keeping the lights on in your local WW store, these are all expenses that have to be paid.

SWC is a great site with a ton of information and resources that are virtually all provided free. Having a few areas of the site off-limits to those who don't feel the need to pony up a few bucks is a logical choice for the people running SWC to make. Don't forget, there are other much worse choices they could have made (netflix pop ups anyone?) But in my opinion, this was the way to go in terms of maximizing revenue and minimizing disruption and user annoyance.

[Lee Schierer]

SawmillCreek.org is wholly owned and operated by Northwind Associates, Incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

What Glenn didn't say is that Keith & Company are trying to make it pay for the resources it consumes so it is self supporting, not a cost our of his pocket.....

[Rob Damon]

Rob,

"The max the system will allow is through the year 2033 the last time I checked."

.

Thanks, Keith.

Depending on how tomorrow goes, I may swing by and put a check in your mail box.

I have to run my JD riding lawn mower up to Chimney lawnmowers for some warranty repair work tomorrow which is right on RT. 17 up at White Marsh, just up the road from you.

Would still like to get a tour of your CNC when you have a free moment some day.

Rob

[Keith Outten]

Rob,

Your welcome to visit any time. I may be here tomorrow, I have the day off.

In two to three more weeks I should have a CAMaster Stinger with the lathe attached in my shop as well as my ShopBot PRT Alpha.
.

[David Prince]

I have been unable to search deals and discounts for several weeks now. I have given this some thought and just wanted to post my thoughts and get it off my chest.

I think SMC has the right to run this forum as they wish. I am not against that.

I don't have any financial problems that would limit me from contributing. I just haven't as of yet.

The deals and discounts was a motivating factor for me to visit SMC on a regular basis. Now, I barely come by.

My question would be to ponder the following. Has the Deals and Discounts area improved? I would have thought that it took both members and contributors to make it great. We needed lots of eyes and ears out there to sniff out the bargains. I think the deals and discounts probably has been impacted. Now, if I were to become a contributor, is Deals and Discounts still a source of bargains or is it a ghost-town?

SMC may have had good intentions, but it would seem that this will hurt the deals and discounts in the long run more that help the banner ads.

There is always several solutions to most problems. It would seem that there must have been another solution that wasn't tried.

[Van Huskey]

I have been unable to search deals and discounts for several weeks now. I have given this some thought and just wanted to post my thoughts and get it off my chest.

I think SMC has the right to run this forum as they wish. I am not against that.

I don't have any financial problems that would limit me from contributing. I just haven't as of yet.

The deals and discounts was a motivating factor for me to visit SMC on a regular basis. Now, I barely come by.

My question would be to ponder the following. Has the Deals and Discounts area improved? I would have thought that it took both members and contributors to make it great. We needed lots of eyes and ears out there to sniff out the bargains. I think the deals and discounts probably has been impacted. Now, if I were to become a contributor, is Deals and Discounts still a source of bargains or is it a ghost-town?

SMC may have had good intentions, but it would seem that this will hurt the deals and discounts in the long run more that help the banner ads.

There is always several solutions to most problems. It would seem that there must have been another solution that wasn't tried.

IMO D&D has not dried up, the number of postings may be down a little but frankly the quality overall seems to be better. Again, IMO if you don't save over $6.00 a year using the D&D forum you don't buy much if anything in the way of new tools. I saved several hundred dollars the first couple of weeks I was here from the D&D forum so I figure I am covered for years even if I never get another great deal.