Membership

[Thunderbird]

I have been thinking and mulling over what I was reading on the thread about charging money to sell items to raise funds for Basschat and as nobody can really agree on what would be a good solution I was wondering if the answer could be making the site a members only site where you paid a very small amount say a fiver a year to access the site I don't know if this is a viable option due to legal stuff such as the site might then have to be a registered business or whatever? I don't really know about all that kind of stuff all I know is I would not mind paying five quid a year to access the site and with all the people that would use Basschat I think it would raise more than the money raised by charging fees in the for sale section which could then become a free resource as membership fees pay the costs. I know I am new to the forum but I do enjoy it and find it a great resource. So anyway what do you guys all think about membership is it a good idea or am I just waffling on? lol

Edited June 25, 2013 by Thunderbird

[AndyBob09]

I'm not sure about a membership. I'd have no problem paying a one off fiver myself, but I think it'd put off new members big time. I think the reason we have such a large, great community is that it's FREE. It would put off FAR too many people and the community would reduce enormously I think. It would be a shame. Definitely no membership fee.

[timmo]

A subscription a year would maybe work if you had a months free trial. I would certainly pay it

[Dad3353]

There have been various discussions on this subject over the years, and the final accord seems to be be in favour of a 'free access' site. I would suggest, however, that those folks (myself included, as it happens...) who would be prepared to pay a membership fee, pay anyway, thus providing the (individually modest, but finally quite a decent...) amount that a membership fee would provide. Win win, perhaps..? New members can stroll in, old hands can, on a voluntary basis, aliment the coffers with donations as and when they wish, paying what they esteem BC to be worth to them. Any reasoning against, anyone..?
Just as a starter, I'm putting £5 in this evening, just to get the 'tin' rattling...

Edited June 25, 2013 by Dad3353

[AndyBob09]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1372198784' post='2122906']
There have been various discussions on this subject over the years, and the final accord seems to be be in favour of a 'free access' site. I would suggest, however, that those folks (myself included, as it happens...) who would be prepared to pay a membership fee, pay anyway, thus providing the (individually modest, but finally quite a decent...) amount that a membership fee would provide. Win win, perhaps..? New members can stroll in, old hands can, on a voluntary basis, aliment the coffers with donations as and when they wish, paying what they esteem BC to be worth to them. Any reasoning against, anyone..?
[/quote]

This is the most amount of sense I've read on the subject. There has been far too much bickering on the subject of late. Well said that man. Now, a mod should lock this topic before it has 19 pages of bickering kids within 3 days!

[danthevan]

To charge a member fee, you need to have certain parts of the site members only, or get some sort of discount scheme going with suppliers. Obviously arranging discounts with suppliers bring a f**k load more work for the powers that be and can turn into a semi full time job.
If it's about generating revenue for BC, then suppliers sponsoring sub forums can work well.

To make the whole site fee paid member only would kill it virtually overnight.

all comes down to whether the owners want to run it as a hobby or as a business really, but with the other thread going that mentions guitarchat.co.uk / drumchat.co.uk I think that answers that one!

[Skol303]

Would I pay for membership of Basschat? Yes.

But would paid membership have put me off coming here in the first place? Also yes.

Hence although I'm all for supporting this community financially, I think paid membership would prevent a lot of new people from joining and cut off the 'lifeblood' that brings in new talent and ideas.

[lojo]

I'd pay a membership , but doubt I'd have paid for first access , you need to know how good things are first , perhaps "first month free" to get you involved , with restrictions or something

This maybe a meaningless debate, if the owners are sticking to the £20 sales section fee only then I support that , it's difficult when there are so many options , opinions and no truly correct answer

[Thunderbird]

[size=4]I support whatever the owners of the site decide myself [/size]

[BobVbass]

a few other forums I'm on are largely free but have an optional members area with a separate for sale section and offers etc - not a lot extra but enough to make you want to do it (and you get a free badge sent to you as well so you can appear sad to the general public as well)

[Themrperson]

I could see all honest intentions but if I had to pay I don't think that I would bother. If there is a membership fee I wouldn't mind if they got bonuses or perks, or even me getting some things taken off me. As long as I can use the main site for free as it would continue to bring in more members which is good.

[Jonnyboy Rotten]

[quote name='bob_pickard' timestamp='1372233468' post='2123066']
a few other forums I'm on are largely free but have an optional members area with a separate for sale section and offers etc - not a lot extra but enough to make you want to do it (and you get a free badge sent to you as well so you can appear sad to the general public as well)
[/quote]

Agreed - I would say you could keep most of the forum free of charge to access but charge a fiver a year or something to access Bass Chat "BackStage" (I am copyrighting that idea BTW! ). This is where you would find the For Sale, Musicians wanted, etc This would help the 'stickiness' of the site and bring value to the people who are willing to part with a £5 without alienating newcomers.

[icastle]

As far as the overwhelming majority of BassChat members are concerned, there is no problem.

To be perfectly blunt about it, we are [b]not[/b] going to change the way that BassChat works simply to appease a small number of people who seem to think that their minority viewpoint is more valid than that of the majority.

The majority of members have approved of the changes, the minority have had their say and now it's time to move on.

[Jonnyboy Rotten]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1372239444' post='2123148']
As far as the overwhelming majority of BassChat members are concerned, there is no problem.

To be perfectly blunt about it, we are [b]not[/b] going to change the way that BassChat works simply to appease a small number of people who seem to think that their minority viewpoint is more valid than that of the majority.

The majority of members have approved of the changes, the minority have had their say and now it's time to move on.
[/quote]

I think the thrust of this thread is just suggestions to help raise a bit of money. I certainly wasn't trying to overrule any majority view. Sorry if it came across that way.

[stingrayPete1977]

Don't change it yet, I paid two donations in just before the new fees came in then paid my twenty quid last week, not got many fivers left!

Edited June 26, 2013 by stingrayPete1977

[cloudburst]

Membership fee would work ok for me.
One further suggestion I have to help increase the revenue would be to keep the yearly marketplace fee at £20 but to change the individual item listing from £7 to ~1% of item value.
- increases number of adverts for and sales of small items
- increases revenue from sales of large items

CB

[yepmop]

Membership sounds good to me (at a fiver), with say only members have access to the sale forum? could also have a tuition area that only members have access to or even tutorials on using DAW and such like?

Just some ideas

[Thunderbird]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1372239444' post='2123148']
As far as the overwhelming majority of BassChat members are concerned, there is no problem.

To be perfectly blunt about it, we are [b]not[/b] going to change the way that BassChat works simply to appease a small number of people who seem to think that their minority viewpoint is more valid than that of the majority.

The majority of members have approved of the changes, the minority have had their say and now it's time to move on.
[/quote] Pretty much this if some people have a problem tough luck I guess cant please eveyone

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1372239444' post='2123148']
As far as the overwhelming majority of BassChat members are concerned, there is no problem.

To be perfectly blunt about it, we are [b]not[/b] going to change the way that BassChat works simply to appease a small number of people who seem to think that their minority viewpoint is more valid than that of the majority.

The majority of members have approved of the changes, the minority have had their say and now it's time to move on.
[/quote]

Listen to this man, people.

If it were my site I'd have implemented different changes, but it isn't my site and the guys who run it have decided on a course of action. Lets move on.

[fumps]

This is done to death.

But for all who want to pay the £5 subscription. just do a donation every year. it will help BC.

But going over the same old subject isn't

[BigRedX]

The important question is: Does Basschat need more money for its continued existence?

[Noisyjon]

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1372243819' post='2123213']
...But for all who want to pay the £5 subscription. just do a donation every year. it will help BC...
[/quote]

+1

[flyfisher]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1372239444' post='2123148']
As far as the overwhelming majority of BassChat members are concerned, there is no problem.

To be perfectly blunt about it, we are [b]not[/b] going to change the way that BassChat works simply to appease a small number of people who seem to think that their minority viewpoint is more valid than that of the majority.

The majority of members have approved of the changes, the minority have had their say and now it's time to move on.
[/quote]

Majority of members this, minority of members that - since when did BC become a democracy?

I thought it was a dictatorship, thankfully a benevolent one, and quite right too. He who pays the piper calls the tune!

Of course, people will have differing opinons about how to run BC and, I'd concede, may even expect to be able to express those opinons (It is a discussion forum after all), but expecting to have any influence over how things are run is a bit unreasonable, isn't it?

[icastle]

Basschat simply 'is' what it is.

The vast majority of people accept that and as for the minority who don't, they always have the option of going elsewhere.

This topic of conversation is now finished.