I posted this again as a new thread so it doesn't get lost in what turned out to be a VERY lengthy thread. Hi Ray,
>>If I came here on a regular basis and if the message boards were more
lively I would certainly consider it.<<
It's too bad that your criteria are as such. I look at it a different
way. Not only do I volunteer my time here, but I pay membership dues as
well. I do this because I have yet to find one other FS related site as
comfortable as our beloved FSFORUM on Compuserve. Sure, the message
traffic may not be that great (YET) but neither was the FSFORUM's the
last 2 years of it's existence. Even with other options, we still ponied
up the $$ to Compuserve, right up to the end. Why? Because it was our
home.
The idea behind the VPC was not to exist in competition with other FS
related sites, it was created to fill the void left by the closing of
FSFORUM. We aren't about huge file libraries either...let others
shoulder that bandwidth burden. We exist because it provides a pleasant,
and comfortable place to share ideas, help others, get help, or just
simply chit-chat. I'm proud to say that as a sysop here, I have yet to
remove one single message from the public board in the last year and a
half! There's no whining, bickering, flaming, etc. That's a testament to
the caliber caliber of members here.
Unfortunately however, we cannot continue to grow if we do not exist.
Ben chose the donation/membership model simply because he did not want
the members deluged with ADs when accessing the board. I was with him
100% with this decision, and still am. Forget about the fact that unless
you advertise porn or gambling sites, AD revenue is a pittance of what
it used to be. He did it for the members, and no other reason. That
decision forced him to pay the expenses of running the VPC out his own
pocket. Other sites ask for donations as well, but what do you get if
you donate?
At least, we try to make donating more valuable by providing something
tangible. For less than (US) 10 cents/day you get a FlightAdventures
pop3 email account, a subscription to Flying Magazine, access to other
areas on the site (if you're so inclined), a cd with a registered
version of our OLR and other goodies, as well as public recognition on
the board by way of your "Crew" icon on each of your posts. Speaking of
the OLR, did I mention that we are the only FS related site that I know
of that has one? 
This was done purely with ex-compuserve/OzWin users
in mind. That was no small undertaking, I can assure you.
Ray, please don't read this as if I'm picking on you. I'm taking this
opportunity to get the word out again to everyone. If you don't have the
desire to donate, that's your prerogative. This board does not require
that. However, the board *is* supported by crew memberships, and without
them it will cease to exist. It's a simple matter of economics, and it's
not fair to expect that "others" (particularly Ben) will pick up the
tab. If you (or anyone) find any value in this forum at all, I urge you
to donate so we can grow. 30US$ per *YEAR* is not alot of money for most
of us. Think of how much many of us spend on FS addons and it may put
things into perspective.
To close here, once again I want to extend a special thanks to Ben for
at least giving this a shot for us old timers, and new FSers alike!
Best Always,
--Greenie
**6 miles SSE KSJC**
-= VPC OffLine Reader 2.1 =-
Registered to: Mike Greenwood
--Greenie
**6 miles SSE KSJC**
-= VPC OffLine Reader 2.1 =-
Registered to: Mike Greenwood
-OLR.PL v1.80-
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