this entire post is a fail...which is surprising coming from a paid advertiser.

Why is it a fail? :confused:

Very well put BIG Daddy :drink::drink::drink::drink:

No, Mark would be worth dog-sh!t. If everyone HAD to pay to use FB, the vast majority would simply choose to not pay and find another alternative in time. Just like this place... if they suddenly made it a pay only membership structure, the vast majority of people in time would migrate to another forum. SOS, fastboats, or some other forum that doesn't even exist YET. At some point the majority of people that left here would end up at one other location. Believe me there are plenty of other folks out there that would love to have the traffic (and provide a 'free' home for them, just like FB!) Eventually, the people and advertisers that were paying here would stop paying because the traffic and activity would no longer be worth their while... it would be someplace else (that didn't charge the members).

I'm not sure why so many on here fail to see how this works, it's very basic economics! It's simply a shift in the supply/demand curve. I'm also very much amazed and amused so many paying members here think so much more of themselves and others that choose to add extra pocket lining to the owners pockets. Internet forums do not need to charge the content providers for them to be a quality and successful forum... it's been proven over and over. In fact, pay only structures have for the most part failed for the reasons mentioned above. If some people feel like giving the forum owners money, knock yourself out, but please dont think you're carrying the folks that dont!

When Steve owned it, I was a paying member. I felt that paying made the site better because it was supporting him and in turn he was personally supporting the site and the community.

Also... I know I didn't pay 75 bucks to get the T-shirt. sounds silly, but if I could pay say 30 bucks to get a paying membership with a shirt I'd be much more willing to spend the dough. I know the shirts shouldn't cost more than 7 bucks each so there is plenty of profit to be had. When Steve was here, I don't know if he ran a special or what, but I ended up with a membership, T shirt, and coozie for a very reasonable price.

I was a paying member on Serious before the 'incident'

I am, and continue to be, a paying member of donzi.net.

I'm also very much amazed and amused so many paying members here think so much more of themselves and others that choose to add extra pocket lining to the owners pockets.

I read back a bit and didnt see where anyone thought more of themselves because they were paying members.

What I read when I go back and look is that those that are paying are doing so as a thank you for havin a place to hang and arent concerning themselves with the math re IBs profitability nor the " who is who" in value with regards to internet forums.

x2

all you are doing is creating a rift between paying and non paying members which is counteractive to your whole "this forum has a wealth of knowledge" and "this forum is so productive" argument...i suggest you stop being a hypocrite.

what you missed (that others didn't) was the lighthearted, comedic nature of the post. doesn't suprise me. your such an angry individual that's hard for you to discern.

wasn't righteous on anybody. simply stating fact, some opinion, as well as asking the tough question about contibution of helpful hard information.
So again, I ask where's your last project or upgrade pictorial?
Or detailed in-depth assistance to someone?
Looked, pretty hard to find???
Of course, because as some of us know your all MOUTH and little else.


coming from you that is hilarious. 99% of your posts on this forum have been describing the delicious taste of RF's c*ck in your mouth, belittling others and/or thier choices, or just being inflamatory, like following me here, quoting me looking to start chit and appear BMOC, which you never were, and never will be.

besides, your above comment is pretty self-righteous in itself don't you think? Hypocrite.


Really? Don't forget I know history Mr. Integrity...
closet queen?
don't be a hater...you've never seen me with anything but cuties

speaking of integrity...
nobody wants you to hate on them like you do me
you might vandalize their boat or belongings...
though you might be too drunk or stupid to realize you were seen, like the last time.
bangin' an ho's on the side lately?
using presumed access to anyones' financial info to run your mouth in the boathouse? no wonder that association ended.

you don't win chit. your a fake. pack it up and go home.
or stay, and continue blowing yourself and others to the contrary.

home. but again, what fu kk ing business of yours would that be?
keep reaching for something. we know you don't have much.

No rift from me. I got my answers and understand both points of view completely.

paying to become a member does not ensure that correct information is being advised...the forum owner would have to moderate this facet, which is not the case

because people paid they are now experts? haha

your ROI and business success is not my perogotive nor any other members...if answering questions and participating in forum discussions helps your business then so be it, but we dont force you to offer advise. Again as a non-paying member I dont owe this site anything. this holds true for any person(s) browsing the forums.

then why complain above?

I could honestly care less who pays and who doesnt. But I cant understand why the non-supporting members are getting so defensive over this subject. One year of OSO is cheaper than one month of directv, and I spend way more time on here. With all those commercials and advertisements, shouldnt my directv be free too?

its funny...i posted a thread on this topic knocking OSO for making this a paysite forum (to become a "full fledged" member) and it gets moved to a section that no one reads...but

when someone posts a thread on this topic agreeing with OSO, it stays in the section with most visibility...hmmmm

link for those who dont beleive me...

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/h...-question.html

No but can you imagine the cost of television if advertisers werent involved...

Lose your conspiracy theory.

My original question had nothing to do with IB. So none of this is agreeing or disagreeing with them.

Their pay structure or reasons for charging isnt part of the conversation.
Its simply asking why some decide to pay and others dont.

And for the most part, there are 8 or 9 replies for each .

Thanks

I became a Platinum member this morning. It's way cheaper than buying drinks for you guys, but probably not as much fun.

I got to ask .........
what would have been the position regarding membership on SOS if you guys had bought the site ?
ed

Similar to here.
Base usage free.

If someone wants to spend more $$ for something nominally better....their choice. ( Better being more PM space etc.)
BTW , thats only my opinion. There were 3 other people involved who could have made a different decision.

Probably would have been a decision of the volunteer board which would have been left in place.

Your question was to OSO/IB, hence moved to the section for OSO/IB questions. His question is to the membership.

Oh Yeah....that too. Didnt think of that , thank you.


But , mostly it was because you didnt agree with IB:evilb::evilb:

I paid for a few years. It just seemed like it was worth it to see an oso boat etc. Then I went to SOS and paid there. Enuff said. I just don't see the value.

Paying for memberships is like buying bottle service at the club its not worth it but people still do it.


I will say this could be taken as market research

Thank you guys. If your ever in the St. Louis area during boating season, get ahold of me if you wanna hit up some local lakes :drink:

I'm not saying that anyone thinks like that but it kinda seems like it sometimes on here. Its the one thing that irks me about OSO every once in awhile.

Another thing:
People on some of the boards think that because of what boat you run, it shows what your "status" is in life. I had a guy on one board that felt like he was more of a boat guy than me cause he had a 38' offshore V-bottom. I told him there's a reason I specifically looked for a perfect 20 Outlaw for 6 months and invited him to come out to my closest local lake ( Lake Lou Yaeger ) with his boat cause everyone would laugh at him. Edit: 8 mile long lake but the north 3 miles are silted in and less than 4ft deep

First of all, I fail to see why you are so upset. Why are you surprised at my comments. I fail to see what is so surprising about them. It's my opinion. Nothing more, nothing less. Being an advertiser has absolutely NOTHING to do with my opinion.
I NEVER said that paying makes a member an expert. What I said is that there are many experts here. Isn't their knowledge worth something? I seriouisly doubt you will find this level of boating expertise anywhere else. Is that not worth something? If bad advice happened to be posted, it would be corrected in very short order. Would that be the case elsewhere? Maybe, maybe not. It has nothing to do with paying. This site simply has a wealth of knowledge. This isn't the only one, but I would bet it has the highest concentration of knowlegable people in this field. It has nothing to do with paying. It is what it is. Is that worth anything to you? Maybe, maybe not. If you don't think it is, then don't become a member. Boatfreaks is an awesome site that I also advertise on. It is completely free.
You're right.....my ROI does not concern you. I'm sure no one really cares what my ROI is.The point I was trying to make was that just advertising and having a little add on the side of the page does not just bring people beating the door down. The return comes from spending hours online helping guys, whether they have an 80' Nortech or a rowboat. They appreciate the help and some show their appreciation by becoming a customer. Again, that is not why I do it. I do it because I want to and enjoy doing it. I had a bunch of help growing up when I couldn't afford to pay someone. I know what it's like. Which brings us to the last point you attempted to make. AT NO POINT IN TIME IN MY POST DID I COMPLAIN. You pulled my comment completely out of context and changed it's meaning. You also mysteriously neglected to include the sentence following that one. You know, the one where I said that I do it all for my love and passion of the sport. I don't do this for the money. I could probably make more money doing something else, but I don't want to. I happen to love what I do and am able to make a living at it and could not be happier. I also happen to think I'm pretty good at it. There may even be a few people that would agree with me.
This is the reason that I never get involved in opinionated threads. There are always people that will disagree and twist another's words to suit their needs.
If my advertising $ helps keep this place here, then I will continue to do it. I have no problem with IB making $. That's why they bought the site. I also happen to be in business to make money. I would also bet that every business owner here is in business to make money.
Bottom line. If you don't think this place has any value, then don't become a member. If you want to become a member, then great. It doesn't effect me either way. I don't mind paying to get something in return, whether it is as an advertiser or just a member. I have been both.
We obviously have a difference of opinion and that's fine. I never asked for anyone to agree with me. Some may, some may not. It's great that we have the ability to form our own opinions.
Sorry for the rant. I'm done.
Eddie

That's what I figured but wanted to ask since that would have been something to consider.
ed

So then assuming you are willing to pay for the benefits that the vast internet offers, where does the few dollars that some pay for the few extra benefits here become such a thorn in your butt? You're here for free, that's fine, it's their rules. But I just don't understand why myself, or any others here are azholes because we chose to pay for a different level of access.

I asked members to fill me in...Not OSO or IB

Interesting thread..... and winter is here for sure. I can't believe that I just wasted my time reading all of this chit. It's real easy the way that I see it. Pay for a membership and enjoy paid parts of the website....or don't. That's it!

In the grand scheme of things, why would anyone give a rats azz if they don't pay and someone else does or vice versa. Good grief

For the record, I just upgraded to a higher level....it cost me about 20 minutes of fuel costs.....or an hour or two of bar tab. No one forced me to do it.....but I just didn't want to be perceived as a cheap azz Martha Fokker. :D

Cheers everyone and Merry Christmas. Craig

I paid as soon as I found this place. Out of respect to the other paid members, many of which have obviously been around the block a few times when it comes to performance boating.

As soon as I got here and started asking stupid rookie questions, in my experience I saw it was the established and paying members who were answering my questions, respectfully, honestly, and sincerely.

Not saying non paying members wouldn't or dont do that. But the response ratio was obvious to me - especially in PM's and not in public threads.

So I felt it would be disrespectful for me to not be a paying member, and help support the forum these dedicated individuals obviously spend a lot of time at and enjoy. In my opinion, those paying members deserved that from me.

I was coming into their world, knowing pretty much nothing about what I was getting into. The help and advice I've recieved has been invaluable.

In business, you get what you pay for. Apparently, in life thats not always what people think.
I refuse to believe I should be entitled to the expert opinions I recieve from these members without supporting their 'place'.

So to all the long time paying members, I thank you. Whether this place would be here or not without your membership dues, who knows. But adding revenue to a place we enjoy visiting, and in my case recieving knowledge from, is how free enterprise works.

Who really knows what the GP or NET profit of this forum really is with or without membership dues? I bet not many of us.
If they're making money, thats the American dream and the country we live in. Good for them.
If they're barely making it, maybe my 40 bucks helps keep this place going.

And really... $40 to $70 per year? If I even notice that money gone, I'm in the wrong hobby.

You get what you pay for. Or at least what somebody pays for.