245 replies to this topic

[MENACE]

This was once a happy place.

[FrequentFlyer]

This was once a happy place.

 

 

yes it did, then a lot of key members disappeared and the trolls moved in.  and now with this membership BS apparently being implemented we will lose a lot more members

[Kit]

so you want to segregate the members, and create a little club? and what perks are you talking?> information about rivers and creeks that is readily available by other means? did your kitchener/waterloo club idea fail so this was your backup idea?

why separate the COMMUNITY? why create this dividing line? and don't say there won't be a line, cause there most certainly will be

Nope my club did not fail. On hold till the spring since the season is coming to a close. And ANYTHiNG they want can be discussed in that area. Does not matter. And sure there could be a diving line to get away from the riffraff of the forum.

[BASS BUSTER !]

$

[guest]

wow man you truly are horrified by this membership idea...man ..theres gonna be a one man march down mains street over this--I don't know if its even got a point anymore . or just fighting for the sake of fighting...if it happens don't pay...if it doesn't happen them have a beer and toast the victory...seriously man its 5 bucks a month..

[BASS BUSTER !]

$

[alwayscatching]

Honestly if this site wanted to make money it should create its own line of apparel, stickers, etc. I am all for the site and supporting it and would totally try to set up more OFF member outings. Especially with the few good connections I have I think it would be great. BUT for people to pay for the site, I think they will be deterred and want to find a different site that is public. They have a good thing going here and I do not see a need to have people pay to see the forum.

[Lure]

and it's ....... page 11

[getin]

Is this a joke? Paying for membership to get advice on say which pin is better than the other? Tons of free info out there.

And if paying is to stop trolls on getting access to more sensitive info re location and run time, etc. then I don't think elite membership can do that. In fact I could see one paying the fee to collect the info and then publish them all in an open forum. Wikileaks of fishing say. Lol BTW, what happened to the hundreds of reports that were once accessible to a certain number of "verified members"? Somebody owns the copyright on them?


Seriously if you want to protect your info dont ever put them on the internet in the first place. Internet and privacy/security dont get along that well. And if you want to share them with a limited number of people, what's wrong with how it is now, using PMs and setting up small outings, etc.
I for one will be out of this board if it ever becomes a paid one.

[Lure]

one of the reasons why I picked my fishing buddies and they're not from any forum, you can learn all this by trials and errors, internet, books, creature activities and all that, you can even tell If It will rain hard or just a shower rain passing by, all this can be learn by yourself out there, time is an important factor. Forum is just another way of learning..... if you don't have all of the above.  

[openfire]

I am unaware of any immediate plans for a paid membership program at OFF.

 

It's true, the idea has been floated by several members in the past, this thread case in point; Pwadm has been very vigilant to implement new features, add-ons, functionality etc to OFF at the behest of the community, so if the community requests a paid membership, he has been and will be more than willing to oblige if and only if that action is deemed to be in the best interest of OFF... However, as you can see, this site is still 100% free.

 

If and when a paid membership program is implemented, we will announce it. But please, until then if you guys have any constructive ideas, concerns or suggestions, by all means discuss them, but please do so in a civil manner.

 

That said, here is my opinion on the issue:

 

This community began as a forum with a private reports section that only certain members had access to. It was not paid, but members had to submit their own fishing reports in order to access the reports of others who had done the same. Many members submitted reports and obtained access to the private reports section, while others did not and opted instead to enjoy the public forum. There was no divide between members who had access to the private section and those who didn't.

 

My vision for this forum is and has always been about crowd sourcing knowledge, experiences, expertise and insights about the sport that we all love, so that we all benefit by being a part of the community. The idea is give and take. Share the knowledge. Exchange ideas. We have hit some major bumps in road along the way to be sure, but we are still trying to adapt and improve OFF.

 

I would be against:

A paid membership where members are required to pay for knowledge, learning, access to the community, etc...

 

I would not be against:

A paid membership for certain added perks for those members who appreciate OFF and wish to donate financially to this site... Some perks could include increased PM storage, increased gallery storage, special donator icon ranks, badges, t-shirts, hats, etc... I see nothing wrong with that at all.

 

I hope the above clears up a little bit of the confusion.

 

Carry on..

[CJR]

Membership Fees?

[pwadm]

so this membership thing is still going through even though a lot more people were against it then for it?

 

The forum is free and it will remain that way. We want as many people to participate, and benefit from the forum. What was discussed was an optional premium membership for members who need more storage space for attachments, a higher limit for the mailbox, and other perks that may increase hosting fees. Charging for accessing the forum was never considered.  

[getin]

I hear you openfire and agree 100% with what you propose. I think the site has to make money to at least cover the maintenance but membership fee does not get anywhere. Donations, OFF gadgets, charging for trades/buy/sell and advertising services and businesses has the potential.

[Kit]

I am unaware of any immediate plans for a paid membership program at OFF.

 

It's true, the idea has been floated by several members in the past, this thread case in point; Pwadm has been very vigilant to implement new features, add-ons, functionality etc to OFF at the behest of the community, so if the community requests a paid membership, he has been and will be more than willing to oblige if and only if that action is deemed to be in the best interest of OFF... However, as you can see, this site is still 100% free.

 

If and when a paid membership program is implemented, we will announce it. But please, until then if you guys have any constructive ideas, concerns or suggestions, by all means discuss them, but please do so in a civil manner.

 

That said, here is my opinion on the issue:

 

This community began as a forum with a private reports section that only certain members had access to. It was not paid, but members had to submit their own fishing reports in order to access the reports of others who had done the same. Many members submitted reports and obtained access to the private reports section, while others did not and opted instead to enjoy the public forum. There was no divide between members who had access to the private section and those who didn't.

 

My vision for this forum is and has always been about crowd sourcing knowledge, experiences, expertise and insights about the sport that we all love, so that we all benefit by being a part of the community. The idea is give and take. Share the knowledge. Exchange ideas. We have hit some major bumps in road along the way to be sure, but we are still trying to adapt and improve OFF.

 

I would be against:

A paid membership where members are required to pay for knowledge, learning, access to the community, etc...

 

I would not be against:

A paid membership for certain added perks for those members who appreciate OFF and wish to donate financially to this site... Some perks could include increased PM storage, increased gallery storage, special donator icon ranks, badges, t-shirts, hats, etc... I see nothing wrong with that at all.

 

I hope the above clears up a little bit of the confusion.

 

Carry on..

 

 

Finally! thank you thank you thank you for clearing that up. Okay guys do you understand now??? Holy. Thats what I have been trying to say the entire time. But still getting shot at.

[LordMykiss]

IMHO there is already only had full of people that help others on the site, most people are lurkers on this site. just make the entire forum viewable only to members and offer donation links to generate some income, even flash banners would help. also a forums that would require you to give information to receives some sounds great to me. because from life experiences i have learned people never appreciate free/not worked for information.

[FrequentFlyer]

The forum is free and it will remain that way. We want as many people to participate, and benefit from the forum. What was discussed was an optional premium membership for members who need more storage space for attachments, a higher limit for the mailbox, and other perks that may increase hosting fees. Charging for accessing the forum was never considered.  

 

 

Thanks,  i know theres some strong feelings in this thread, as this is a community we've all gotten to know and love, but a good debate with opposing views is sometimes a good thing

[FishChaser67]

X2

[klusownik]

I would pay if i can get directions to hot spots. Thank you.

[FishChaser67]

LOL   klusownik,,,,,,,now that's funny