In response to several discussions over the years about some kind of revenue-generating options for ETS, one idea that has recently been activated is the idea of a paid classifieds section.

I've done some research into this, in terms of what UBB threads can do, it seems that it's possible. The forum software CAN manage paid subscriptions, but the ONLY payment options are Paypal and a clunky manual data entry model, which would avoid Paypal entirely, but require more administration of the site (which is really no big deal).

In terms of benefits of premium membership, there are a few things that could be offered:

1. Ability to list "for sale" items. I'd probably make this unlimited, I don't want to go through the hassle of managing each offer post.

2. A "Shout Box" - a live chat area that would be displayed alongside the forum topics and would only be accessible to premium members.

3. Earlier access to Doug's reviews (e.g. Shot Show report)

4. Invitation to "members-only" ETS meetups in various locations around the USA.

(Any more ideas?)

I think that premium membership should only be open to those with more than 200 posts (really) AND more than 3 months membership. I don't mean to be elitist, but I'd suggest that in the almost 7 years I've been working this forum, I've learned the patterns that show a level of quality in content, thought and community.

Another thing that I think would have to go along with Premium Membership is - sit down now - no "handles". As you can all see, my name is Martin Focazio, and Doug Ritter is really THE Doug Ritter, and I think that this would be a requirement of premium members - they would have to shed the anonymous moniker that provides a small degree of privacy and they would have to post "openly". I think this is a requirement that would have to be enforced to have a successful marketplace, and I take my lead from Facebook when I ask myself if this would dissuade people from participating as a premium member (350 Million people on Facebook using their real name, not a "handle" says that we're all mature enough to abandon pseudo-anonymous interaction)

Lastly, pricing.
It seems that there are hundreds of companies trying to pull $10 to $20 a month out of you. While ETS would love to see 1,000 subscribers as $15 a month, I think it's utterly unrealistic. Digital media, unlike magazines and books, seems to have a dramatically lower price floor, even when the content is better than physical media. I'd suggest that $1.00 a month is a more realistic price target, paid only once a year.
If we could get 300 premium members at $12 a year, that $3,600 would support a few ETS activities and help relive a little of the financial pressure involved in making ETS work.

So, again, this is NOT a statement that premium membership is happening, it's a request for a discussion. In the year 2010, many of the web sites you know and love are going to be moving to at least a partially paid subscription model, this is inevitable, so if ETS is exploring this path, I'd like to have the input of the people most affected - the thousands of members of this forum.