Hi,
I dont understand, is this forum going to be a PAID, read cost to readers of the forum??? Hasnt this always been on a volunteer donation basis? How I support this forum is to buy the books Doug recommends, Doug's PSP, etc. If this is changing, I sure want to know about it, and honestly probably go elsewhere for information. What gives? <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Relax. Nothing will change unless you choose to pay to advertise goods you have for sale in the Marketplace section. Reading is free.

(Edited for clarification. Under the explanation of the newly formed LTP forum, I missed the part about LTP described as eventually becoming part of some sort of "paid" package. My apology if I mislead. I agree that if true, this is disappointing.)

I know newbee <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />but i have been a long time lurker.
The whole ets enviroment is supposed to be a none profit organisation?
My understanding of the read paid statement on the forum intro is that simplified plans of how to make it through a LTS situation are to be sold on the open market. (People after the quick fix) e.t.c.
I hope to be corrected on this.
I know the ETS org is not free to run i just hope the new interest in funding via the new, sell to a select ordiance section, will not influence the impartial reveiws on gear and training i have grown to deeply respect.
I hope my views are not of an objectionable nature, i just wish that the gem that is ets, retain the nature of a reliable resource to all that work towards being equipped to survive the curve ball life always throws.

Live long and prosper (I have wanted to say that for a long time)

James

First the easy stuff. Next the Internet! You all knew it was coming so what are you complaining about. They have us all hooked and we (I) absolutely cannot do without the internet.

Are there any clinics available to bring us down easy?


ONE DAY CLOSER

The internet is not free for the people who run and have to pay for sites with heavy traffic.

In any case, I’d be my guess that for anyone who has donated to the ETS foundation recently, they might cut some slack on a subscription.

That is pure speculation on my part though, and as I have no affiliation with ETS I wouldn’t bank on it.

Let’s wait and see what happens before anyone gets all nutty.

Well...

Here's the thinking, at this moment.

There's some thought - and it's just thought - being given to the idea of charging a nominal fee (for something) to offset some of the costs it takes to run this site.

For example, the forum software, ubb.threads, has a cost - see for yourself:
http://www.ubbcentral.com/order.php?product=UBB.threads

In addition, the ETS organization itself operates on a shoestring, and it would be nice if there was some money to buy products for review on the open market, rather than just the manufacturers samples.

There's been no decision about the forums themselves, however, there are plenty of other options for paid content online, and given that the ETS organization is looking to develop better sources of funding, it only makes sense to look at all possibilities.

The Marketplace is the only "paid" area, and as you can see by the number of post (0) in there, it's not exactly a door-buster.

The point of this experiement is to test the waters and see what might work. There's no reason to panic or get worried, even, as this test continues. There won't be an abrupt shift to paid-only content.

On the other hand, with over 1,500 registered users, the donation rates are pretty abysmal. Is this site worth a buck a month to you? $12 a year? That's about the cost of a cup of coffee and a bagel in some places. So, yeah, we're looking for ways to make content that's worth paying for, some how, some way. The donation route isn't doing it well enough. So, yeah, some kind of paid forum is on the list of ideas, and LTR is one idea that's been kicked around.

What would YOU consider as worthwile content - enough to get your $1.00 a month?

I think user dedication to the ETS Forum, as place to learn from knowledgeable sources, could work. Some will want to gather their information elsewhere rather than pay $12 per year for a pay-for forum. So, in order to ask for money, those fellow forum followers (FFF?) will also need to recognize the benefits, and all say yea or nay.

Personally, I know of no other site that has a determination to stay focused on the subject of readiness and survival. Therefore, I would gladly pay $12 a year for this site.

I agree that would be nice to see reviews of gear that Doug has selected from the open market and been able to purchase.

Other forums have put in an icon of some sort to recognize a "donating member" status. Maybe a little psychology at play there -- everyone wants to have the neat little sign or icon next to their user name.

I'm middle of the road with the idea of charging for forum access. I know if there had been a fee when I joined, I would have just moved on to the next web site. Perhaps a "trial basis" for new members, a month of free access?

Another thought is additional merchandise with the ETS logo for sale, a la Candlepower Forums or something? A flashlight or Swiss Army Knife are a couple of ideas...

C'mon folks, most of us can contribute at least a few greenbacks! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

As I sit here wearing my ETS logo denim shirt <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> and looking at my nearby ETS logo ball cap <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />, I was thinking <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> that since the forum has grown considerably in membership <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />, perhaps another offering of these items could be considered. I am not sure how much, if any revenue was generated <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />, but with a small bump in the price, a small source of funds might be had <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />.

Pete

I was on a forum for a while that had a donor icon next to the poster's names just as you described. It was definately an effective psychological tool, but truthfully there was more a sense of pride attached to it than one of embarassment. People were excited about the site, and wanted folks to know they helped support it.

They also had special sections within the forums that only donor members could enter similar to what is described in the LTP section description.

I also have a subscription to another site currently that has subscriber sections with interviews, downloads, and a subscriber chat area. I'm not suggesting such a thing for this site necessarilly as they tend to add to the bandwidth and increase costs. However, since Doug is already doing the ETS Audio downloads, that could be moved to a subscriber section, or as in the case of the other site i visit regular content can be had by all who visit, but the donor section has special downloads.

Had I not made a donation to ETS recently, I'd probably be less than forthcoming about how well it worked in those other sites though, at least until a few clients pay their bills... LOL

In all seriousness, $12.00 a year isn't bad at all. I'd pay it up front, all at once, and everything too. I can eat Ramen noodles for a day or so. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

How would one make a donation now?

You can go to the Equipped to Survive Home Page, and click on the white Donate Now box with blue and purple text in it. It will bring up a pop-up that will link you to a site where you can make a donation by Credit or Debit Card.

They'll email you a reciept.

You can also go to the ETS Foundation page as well if I remember correctly.

I just had a thought... Or perhaps a question.

Would it have been better to donate the money to Alan Romania for the Janus Charity Challenge where it would have had a chance to make more money for ETS?

Dang... I wish I had thought of that earlier. I have this uncanny ability to think of these types of things after the fact...

Yow. We oughta switch to something else. vBulletin looks cheaper, and there are at least a couple of very good open source forum systems that are free. The one I'm familiar with has a UBB threads migration script, so we can keep all the current content. I'm assuming the others do as well.

I personally like this idea. Get a great product (because Doug knows quality), advertise for a great site, and donate to the cause.

> They also had special sections within the forums that only donor members could enter similar to
> what is described in the LTP section description.

How does that work out there?

If there was one here and I was a donor, I think I still might rather post in the public forums so as to maximimse chance of good replies. If some topics can only be posted to the private forum, I'd be concerned that it would get enough people reading for critical mass. To me it seems like a symbolic gesture rather than a practical basis for a forum.

I like the idea of getting a badge displayed next to my name in the public forums.

By far the greatest amount of posting went on in the non-subscription sections because, like here in the ETS forums, people were interested in helping out newer members and were interested in sharing their knowledge and experiences with those who may have been new to the subject.

What took place in the subscriber sections were more advanced exchanges of ideas where there was already something of a shared knowledge base. Topics tended to have longer lifespans in those sections (one was reaching the 5000 post mark when I finally dropped off the forums), and the tendancy was that there was less redundant posting.

Please understand that I don't mean any of this in some sort of elitist fashion... I only mean that people who realized the worth of the site and who were willing to subscribe probably had been around for a longer period of time and because of that tended to have a large base of knowledge to draw from. Obviously that was not always the case. From time to time someone new would come to the forums that had just as much if not more knowledge of the topics covered.

Anyway... I don't know if such a thing would work here... I'm just spitballing ideas... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />