Calling AO members...

There has been some debate on whether the paid subscription is worth its money...

Also whether the club feel is there to be had when subscribing....

Without the negative...been dragged up again....

What do we want for/from our club - what will keep us interested and what will keep us renewing?

Answers here.............


Chris



PS - Automatic spell checker has to a must for me...

Thanks Roswell

Perhaps a greater feeling online that we've actually PAID something.
Not quite sure what to suggest, but frankly anyone can register, anyone can search, anyone can post, anyone can sell or buy something from AO and we could ALL do this even if we didn't pay.

Ok, I accept that there are other forums that paid members can post, but is that enough

Now, I'm not suggesting for one moment that I've not had my money's worth from AO - in fact the help and assistance from other members has been priceless (you included Chris) - but can we not find a better way to differentiate from paid members and non-paying members

Am I making sense

Am I making sense


Very much....its a start


Thankyou




Chris

The discounts are a good incentive, particularly the Red-dot and Adrian Flux discounts (shame i have just replaced all my brakes and renewed my insurance

Ref the Adrian Flux - yes I insured last year and had the discount, but this year they were MORE for some reason, even after the 'discount' - ended up with another insurer.

I agree the discounts with approved suppliers are a good idea though

Perhaps online 'group buys' can be organised better, with the involvement of the admins

I've already said my piece elsewhere on this but:

It is the paying members who finance (or largely so) the site. Visitors enjoy the vast majority of those facilities absolutely free.

my own opinion is that visitors should have limited free time to experience AO beyond which they should either sign up or leave (much like software trials of photoshop etc).

I'm happy to pay, I don't expect something for nothing - the cost is miniscule spread over a year and those who complain about the cost will probabaly spend 10 times as much on beer over a week-end.

There you go, something to get tore into.....

This should not be about starting an argument - but feedback for what the paying club should entail...

However I like your limited idea...however we also have to remember there are those that have been here for a while ...like our old friend Zulu Ferret...

That simply require their money to be spent on more essential things....I would not like to see people like ZF be excluded on the above basis...


Chris

I have to disagree about the limited access thing - surely the fact that AO is a (largely) free forum is the reason for its success. If people wanted to pay to have access to the forum then surely they'd all go and join the elite secret paying-members-only AROC-UK forums. If a similar approach was adopted here I have no doubt it would only lead to bad things. Plenty of people who wouldn't want to pay up would simply go and use another forum.

Yes - I think Will's idea is a valid one and should be a viable way of differentiating between paid and non-paying members

Also might stop the lurkers and trollers who have plagued this site over recent times....

I'm going to renew in the next few days. All this Club stuff gets up my nose, but I am happy to chip in to help with the running costs of the Forum.

Improvements I would like are;

1. A big button that lets me eject people that tick me off.

2. More people with a sense of humour.

3. More access to peoples personal information from a noseyness point of view.

4. Fewer chat threads. (see 2 above)

5. Harder site access so I can't sit and write this when I should be working.

Hope this is the sort of thing that you are thinking of.

The simple fact is that AO wouldn't exist if Ian and others hadn't ploughed THEIR OWN money into the site in the early days.

One of the key reasons I was happy to PAY was that it was the least I could do for the amount of time spent on here and the enjoyment I get from being here.

Remember, there are NO adverts here, no spamming and it's a worldwide forum.

Very few (if any) other online forums, with the same history, breadth of knowledge (read SAVING you hundreds of £'s with whatever info and tips) and large technical membership list, so I don't see there being an immediate competition problem against AO.

My immediate issue comes with making certain sections a level paying field and being moderated to the same levels throughout the whole site.

I can see the sense in Will's post, but it sounds more like a case for a subscription-based forum, rather than a club. I guess there's only a subtle difference between the two.

Many of the people who have joined up and who will renew seem to say "I'm happy to pay for this service" as opposed to "I'm happy to pay to be a member of this club".

I'm very happy to pay for my membership, I think its a valid contribution to keep the site going, after all it is run as a 'Limited Company' and as an ex company director I know the financial aspect of company house reports and the cost of them.

If someone decides not to contribute then thats there choice, the major point for me why someone should be a paid-up member is that if they are going to have a go about something or have a rant and keep the moderators busy then they should contribute or face the boot from the site. As Hunter says and I agree it might stop the lurkers that do come into the site and cause issues.

My view is one that is shared by many that have contributed to this already.

Members need to feel that they are part of something, and that they feel they are getting something for the money they have spent, and that is irrespective of the amount of money they have spent.

I have said something in another thread about what you get for your money, i know how much hosting cost, as well as the upkeep of the forum, however something as small as a sticker that costs a fraction of the membership fee makes people feel that they are part of something real, not just something that the see on a screen or intreact with in the cyber world.

I have helped run 2 single make car clubs in the past, one of whom is still going strong today despite the car being last produced in 1988, identity counts for a lot.

Originally Posted by Hunter

One of the key reasons I was happy to PAY was that it was the least I could do for the amount of time spent on here and the enjoyment I get from being here.

What he said.

The question ought to be what would make More or New members sign up.

There must be people on here with marketing knowledge who would have some good idea's.

Originally Posted by PC7671

What he said.

The question ought to be what would make More or New members sign up.

There must be people on here with marketing knowledge who would have some good idea's.

Nope that is a different thing - and perhaps for another time...

But more to the point the question asked


What do we want from the club....is there nothing you want??


Chris