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Of course everyone would rather have it for free, but as several previous posters have put it, this forum is WORTH paying for and if that is what it comes to, I will pay to stay!
I have learned more from the professionals in this forum in the last couple of years than I have from any magazine, book or class. This thread is making me nervous that this forum will fold!
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Thank you! We've worked hard to make it a class act, to keep it focused and to help others learn. Don't be nervous. I'm not on the verge of pulling the plug.
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I don't know what the answer is. I'm not clear on whether it is money you are needing or more man hours to maintain the forum. If it is the latter would you consider asking volunteers to help? I would be willing.
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Thank you Mary! I may end up calling on your.
I know there was a lot prior to your post to read through. Part of the issue is discouraging people from applying who are not going to participate. Each new applicant takes time to process. I've had 3 in the last day. Each one is being handled one by one and there are multiple steps. Sometimes I have to also send one or more emails to the applicant. After we've put in the time and the person never gets involved, it's wasted work and disheartening. There's a ton of these people.
Part of the reason we do have the quality that we do is because we require that the artists be at a certain level of achievement in their work. It's not to be elitist. Instead, it's more like "have you done the work to be ready for college?" Those who are not ready are outside the scope of this Forum.
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I'm an internet junkie, and belong to many forums. None of them are fee based, however some, like the EZ boards are set up to take donations. The donations keep all of the pop ups off.
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I'm familiar with EZBoard. In fact, I had an EZBoard Forum before this one. There's a small annual fee to keep the popups off. This Forum software, I already bought for a one-time fee of around $150-170 - can't remember exactly and then a $35/year fee to renew the license. It's my time that's involved and the cost of the bandwidth.
I also think that people who have to pay for something tend to appreciate it more. Though it's not the total reason, the bad behavior exhibited by some members over the life of the Forum enters somewhat into the equation. Though it's not a total deterrent, I'm inclined to think that the greater appreciation one has for something one has to pay for, would help to diminish this type of thing.
The other is the hundreds and hundreds of hours I've put in and the hours I continue to put in. I'm not trying to play "poor me." But, realistically speaking, to keep up with all my clients and the Forum, I pretty much work 7 days a week and very seldom is that an 8 hour day. Typical email demands of this business (including my business + Forum), since January 21, I've answered 624 emails.
If I took the time spent on the Forum and looked to obtain other clients, it would be more financially remunerative. But, since I've never been totally motivated by finances, I'm willing to accept that whatever comes from the Forum would never match what I'd make if that time was spent elsewhere, but I'm feeling that there should be some token payment.
It is a certain amount of reward when I see that the Forum has helped artists. And, I love it when that person now has a desire to contribute back. Michele Rushworth is a prime example of this and Mike McCarty. On the other hand, when people break the rules and indulge in personal attacks that have to be handled, it makes me wonder why I bother. The perpetrators of this type of thing have no clue the damage that it does and the wasted hours of productivity that it wastes.
By the way, something that members can do to improve the quality is take a look at the membership list, pick the best artists and of those, see who has posted little or never and write and invite them to participate. Paul McCormack is one. He's a registered member, but has never posted. What's keeping him away? Maybe just a practical matter, but it would be wonderful to have him involved.
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We can see at the top of the board how much money is in the pot and the members hate the pop ups so much and love the forum even more, that that pot always seems to have enough in it to keep the forum rolling. I KNOW that forum has many many more posts a day than this one.
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I'd have to see if the membership software has the capability of tracking donations. Those other Forums probably also have many more members and thus more who are willing and able to be volunteers.
It would certainly be less work to get rid of the approval process. But, I feel that would dilute the quality. We could end up with everyone from kindergarten to college. And, if we have a ton of kindergarteners, those with real talent will stop coming.
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I hope you find your answer. This forum is amazing.
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Thank you for your support! Maybe one solution would be a fee for the first year and then donations after the first year.
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