Important: Free, Fee, or Gone --- Feedback!

[Elvis]

As many of you know, there have been and currently are issues dealing with the financial support of this site/forum. I am no longer able to give as much of my free time to the site, nor am I willing to spend anymore out of pocket money on it. While I have no wish to shut it down, I have attempted to find sources of money for the site by both taking donations and having affiliate links - both of these have proven unsuccessful for the long term. Over the last 6 years, I've spent enough money on the site to equal a VERY nice/large downpayment on a house here, in Southern California. Let's face it, the forum is growing, and personally I don't want the constant stress of worrying about how it will be paid for on a month to month basis, without it being paid for by myself. There is no such thing as a free ride, someone has to pay for all the bandwidth and servers.

I see three options:

1) Shutdown the forum (ultimately, the last resort)

2) Charge a mandatory $1.50-2.00 (suggested) per month/per member

3) Have both free and 'Premium' memberships (detailed below):

These are suggested 'Premium Member' fees (they are not final yet):
$1.50 for one month
$6 for six months
$10 for a year

-------------------
'Premium Member' benefits (things MAY be added to this list)
(FREE members will not have these features)
-------------------

User Status: Premium Member
*(will link to information page about Premium Memberships, stating the 'this member' supports the site)

Can view members info: Yes

Can download attachments: Yes

Can Search: Yes

Can use 'email to friend' feature: Yes

Can post attachments: Yes

Can post polls: Yes

Can use Private Messaging: Yes

Can use Message Tracking: Yes

Can View Who's Online: Yes

Of course, the success of opiton 2 or 3 depends on the amount of people that participate. I am aware that some users may turn their heads at any or all of the above, but something has to give.

I really don't want to charge fellow U2 fans for this place, but unless someone kicks in some stable funding for the community, I see no other way. Some people have asked 'wont the band pay for it?' or 'wont the record label pay for it?', well honestly, I see this as a futile path, I've let the contacts I have know my position in recent months, and I have not heard a peep from anyone on the topic - not even a comment like "Sorry, we can't help".

Please vote in the poll, and let your comments be heard.

Joel

 

[bonosloveslave]

C'mon guys....

I don't think $10/ year is unreasonable, even if someone didn't have that much all at once surely they could dig up $1.50 out of their couch cushions and car seats........

Joel, you shoudn't have to shoulder the whole cost of running this site, thanks for all you've done for us already

 

[YellowKite]

Where's the love?

People - where's the love [aka moolah]?

I would hate to lose my U2 connection. I have donated as much as I could spare and I encourage everyone else to do the same.

$10 isn't a lot - maybe a movie or cheap meal - but it adds up quick. I've done it a couple of times and am willing to do it again.

I understand some people have limits - schooling, kids etc, but you all have a computer and a service provider and lots of U2 stuff. Just consider this as entertainment expense - I certainly got a lot of amusement out of this place.

And in the end - especially during tours - isn't this place a priceless resource?

Wish I could afford to swing the balance - maybe if I hit the lottery.

Mone

 

[Sparkysgrrrl]

If it's that much of a burden for you, then just shut it down.
Some other fan may be able to come up with the $200 bux to start another vBulletin board who has more free time on their hands.

Don't let a msg. board put you in financial hell

 

[Elvis]

If it's that much of a burden for you, then just shut it down.
Some other fan may be able to come up with the $200 bux to start another vBulletin board who has more free time on their hands.

Don't let a msg. board put you in financial hell

The $200 is a drop in the bucket.

The costs for servers and bandwidth are the issue.

 

[Kristie]

I'd pay
but I can't see how people would rather have the forum be gone altogether so no one can enjoy it than have pay for it...
unless those of you who voted "shut it down" mean you personally wouldn't come here if you had to pay
$2 a month is nothing, I have that much change scattered on my floor

one teeny suggestion though. If the Premium Membership thing goes down... would you get like two statuses? Cos I'd be real sad if I never make it to rock and roll doggie

but I this place and I'm a donating more tomorrow.

 

[Mrs.Clayton]

I'd pay for it...but I like the idea of paying for the whole year at once, instead of monthly.

 

[adamswildhoney]

I'll pay! but I lost the snail mail address and I cant do it with the credit card bc I dont have one but I will pay if I can get the snail mail address! $10 a yr is reasonable!

 

[BAW]

If it comes down to losing this place, I will will pay, no question about it. I've already sent a donation and plan on sending another one soon.

 

[Sparkysgrrrl]

The $200 is a drop in the bucket.

The costs for servers and bandwidth are the issue.

Yes, I know that, but if it were to start over, like scrapping the board clean, it may cut down on all that because some of the ppl who don't come regularly or aren't involved much just may not bother to come to a new one, which could thus cut down on any "dead weight" for lack of a better term.

There's over 11,000 signed up for the boards, but how many of them actually post? It's usually just a core group of a few hundred who keep big msg. baords going, and starting over may just be easier than dealing with any stresses or headaches it may cause you.

Or get rid of all the back logging.
Only save up to 6 months of the boards posts at a time, if that.
Discountinue pics in sigs, lower the file size for avatar usage.
Get rid of the attach file oprtion, insuring that ppl will take up bandwidth else where with pictures.

If I had any money at all I'd be glad to help out, but since I barely eat right now, anything that involves money is out of the question for me.

 

[hippy]

Premium memberships

 

[U2Kitten]

....cut down on any "dead weight" for lack of a better term.

There's over 11,000 signed up for the boards, but how many of them actually post? It's usually just a core group of a few hundred who keep big msg. baords going

Or get rid of all the back logging.
Only save up to 6 months of the boards posts at a time, if that.

Get rid of the attach file oprtion,

If I had any money at all I'd be glad to help out, but since I barely eat right now, anything that involves money is out of the question for me.

I was going to say that too. There are 11,500-something 'members' but we all know only a few hundred are active and some are aliases of the same members. If thousands of 'lurkers' are hurting the board financially, send them an email to either pay up or they lose their membership. Jettison the unecessary weight from the sinking ship so to speak.

I was also going to bring up the backlogging- how much bandwidth is being used up by the old PLEBA threads alone, many of which are eventually repeats of the same pics (also constantly drawing from the bandwidth of the sites they remain linked to, such as takemehigher, u2images, u2now, etc.) By deleting all the threads on the higher traffic forums over 60-90 days old, a lot of bandwidth for Interference.com and many other websites could be saved!

I know we'd hate to lose our old threads but most of them are never looked at anyway, and if it were something special we could put it in the archives or something.

Might as well get rid of the attachement feature since they don't show up anymore anyway and are a pain in the butt to download. Clean out all the old attachments from months ago that nobody ever looks at anymore. They're just taking up space.

I would also like to suggest that we have a holiday fund drive- have every active actual person donate $5 or more as a Christmas, Hannukah or other holiday present to the site. IF by midnight on New Year's Eve 2002 the goal for the year is not met, sound the gong, and give us the ultimatum of either coughing it up or shutting it down. No more chances.

Like Sparkysgrrl I am very poor right now (hope that will change) but I would pay if I had to and I think paying would cut down on people who really don't want to be here that bad and leave only the most serious and devoted posters. If it came to that, I'd suggest an 'adopt a poster' fund where those with more money could donate one extra membership fee to keep a less fortunate U2 fan on here. (No I am not setting myself up to be a charity case, I do mean the poor, but also the kids who have no money and parents won't pay, whatever.) This could be done anonymously unless someone chooses a special buddy to help.

I don't think it's a good idea to ask the band to pay. They can't pay for every site and if word got out they sponsored this one, everyone would have their hands out. Also if they were in financial control, their people would want to control the board and what was posted, who was a mod, who was banned, etc. and rightfully so. I know I would too if it were me and I paid. There are things that go on here that u2.com would have no part of. If it remains funded by the people here it can be the forum of the particular fans who are here. I think there are enough people here to come up with a solution.

 

[U2SavesTheWorld]

I already voted in ETYKIW but I want to say that I like the idea of a time limit here.
It seems like there has always been requests for money but no time frame.

Maybe if you had a date by which to send money like U2Kitten said it would get people moving.

Possibly the end of the year....if the money isn't there then you automatically make it a fee-based website.

 

[verte76]

If (at least) some of us have to pay to have this forum open, so be it. I'd hate for it to shut down. It could be like a magazine subscription, except we are paying for stuff on a computer rather than stuff on paper that comes in the mail. There are a gazillion U2 sites/lists. Some of them use advertisements, of course, something Elvis doesn't want to do. OK. If he's to have a cash flow to run the boards, he's got to do something. Let's have "premier membership" or some such thing. It's unfortunate that it's come to this, but this is Interference, not Utopia. C'est la vie.

 

[hippy]

this is Interference, not Utopia.

I always thought this place was Utopia

 

[AM]

I?m all for Premium memberships

 

[browneyedgirl]

I think the idea of a fund drive or whatever for the end of the year is great .....give people a goal and a limited time to reach it and you might see a larger response.

That being said tho....I would be more than willing to pay a $10.00 yearly fee.....even tho I don't post alot ,I can't bear the thoughts of not coming here everyday for my U2 fix....

 

[EPandAmerica]

I voted for the premium memberships. I think also that non-premium members should only be able to read U2News and EYKIW.

 

[FallingStar]

Erhm, so. As much as I hate to admit it, but I haven't donated anything yet, because my parents won't let me use their credit card over the internet and furthermore I'm not from the USA i.d. I don't pay with dollars. Can I nevertheless donate money?

Yes, I'm stoopid I know.

 

[SpanishEyes21]

Im for the Premium Memebership.

 

[Jenni_Anne]

I'm in the same boat as gyrating-bono-gif-woman (Fallingstar) on this one. I'm 15, live with my net-unfriendly mum in the UK.
10$ a year is nothing, (that's like ?8 or so, right?) and i wouldn't mind paying it at all, i'd definately go for premium membership, but would there be a way for those of us in other countries and without credit cards to pay?

love n' lemons
Jen

 

[Elvis]

I'm in the same boat as gyrating-bono-gif-woman (Fallingstar) on this one. I'm 15, live with my net-unfriendly mum in the UK.
10$ a year is nothing, (that's like ?8 or so, right?) and i wouldn't mind paying it at all, i'd definately go for premium membership, but would there be a way for those of us in other countries and without credit cards to pay?

love n' lemons
Jen

Donations/fees would be accepted by snail (postal) mail as well.

Joel

 

[FallingStar]

I'm in the same boat as gyrating-bono-gif-woman (Fallingstar) on this one.

Okay, if it's okay to pay with postal mail - no problem then I think.

 

[Quiggs]

I'm for the premium membership thing.
Lets face it, most of us live on these message boards! I don't think that paying a small fee like $10 is such a big deal. And this is coming from a poor college student! Lol!

 

[adamswildhoney]

I just wanted to add one more thing that I think it is worth paying and i'll pay when i can bc I have gained a lot of friends by being apart of this community!

Thanks to Elvis and everyone who is involved with keeping this site up!!

 

[verte76]

I definitely think Interference is worth $10 a year or whatever. It's like a magazine subscription, and trust me, I'm paying more than any blasted $10/year for some magazines. If we are asked to pay I'll be glad to.

 

[u2sangel]

Sign me up for the ten dollar premium deal!

 

[Tech]

I'm in, I don't mind paying for something that has given so much to me (ie new U2 fans as friends). I'm ready to pay my dues!!!

 

[Elvis]

Sign me up for the ten dollar premium deal!

Click the SUBSCRIBE button at the top right of any forum page....

Yearly and monthly subscriptions are now available.

Joel

 

[Sicy]

Elvis will be posting a FAQ's soon which will answer all of your questions you have about the membership. Until then feel free to pm me or email me with any urgent questions you may have.

He appreciates everyone's imput and the people that are supporting of himself and this site.