FJCruiserForums.com Supporting Member Package

[Ziggy_ks1]

Ok Ekool:
I have the lifetime membership subscription ordered. Is it setup once the payment is accepted? One question on the stickers. I have a vinyl cutter and wondering if the .eps, .ai or .bmp files will also be made available for somebody like me that wants to cut my own sticker?
Thanks in advance:
Ziggy

[FJ-Piper]

Joeg180 previously said:

Really! Hmmm, I spoke from real world experience. I ran the web hosting oerations for a large organization. I had several server farms, it wasn't cheap at all. I was just glad I wasn't paying for it out of pocket like these guys.

We had no advertising revenue...

As others have stated, sign up or don't sign up, it is up to everyone ot decide.

Joe

Your real world experience is not real world here in this case now is it? They are not a large organization and are probably not using the equipment that large organizations use.

This brings up a good point I was curious about anyway. Is there somewhere on this site where I could find information on the equipment that is running this site? Is it running in a data center on more than one power grid with two weeks reserve deisel for a generator on standby with three drops into the Internet no more than one hop away? If so, can the owners of the site actually go and physically touch the server? Is it in their own locked cage at OneWilshire or equivelant? Hmmm I'd like to know. Seriously folks, I would really like to know. I am in the computer field and I get off on this stuff....

[FJCRUSR]

Ziggy_ks1 previously said:

Ok Ekool:
I have the lifetime membership subscription ordered. Is it setup once the payment is accepted? One question on the stickers. I have a vinyl cutter and wondering if the .eps, .ai or .bmp files will also be made available for somebody like me that wants to cut my own sticker?
Thanks in advance:
Ziggy

X2 on the vinyl

[Terahex]

As for cost for the additional features, it seems very resonable. Heck I am sporting one of the original FJ Forum stickers on Vorpal with great pride. I paid over $10 for just that sticker alone. Some members have made some very valid points for the necessarily for the additional cost to cover the added features. So the additional cost is not the issue for me.

I guess my whole issue comes down to having a special label of "Supporting Member". The added features don't do anything for me. So the only reason to sign up is to boast that I am a "Supporting Member". That just seems wrong. I think everyone who had contributed in a positive way to the forum is a supporting member. It is these posts and information from the members that have saved us money. You shouldn't be ask to pay to show our loyalty to these contributing members. The label "Supporting Member" only serves to segregate our group.

It is kind of like having friends over for a dinner party. A couple of friends think of a way to save some money on their vehicles. Just because I hosted the dinner party, I would not expect to share in their savings. I would never tell them that if they share some of there savings, I would tell everyone they were a "True Friend". That just seems wrong. To me this "feels" the same since some people appear to be buying the label. It troubles me that people feel so insecure that they have to pay to show unity.

Maybe some day I will need additional PM space or use of the Photo Gallery. Until then, I am just an "Ordinary Member" who tries to share useful and fun information with his friends on the forum.


Ok... I am stepping off my soap box. I know that I have 2 choices. I am not expecting the forum to change because of anything posted here. I will attempt to refrain from chocking up this thread with any more negative posts. Hopefully people have heard my comments and concerns.

[DominicG]

I'm totally stoked about the 500 PM's!!


Now i don't have to filter and delete PM's weekly, now i can do it monthly..

[Swingshiftworker]

Terahex previously said:

I guess my whole issue comes down to having a special label of "Supporting Member". The added features don't do anything for me. So the only reason to sign up is to boast that I am a "Supporting Member". That just seems wrong. I think everyone who had contributed in a positive way to the forum is a supporting member. It is these posts and information from the members that have saved us money. You shouldn't be ask to pay to show our loyalty to these contributing members. The label "Supporting Member" only serves to segregate our group.

Every organization that I am associated with gives "special" recognition to those who support it financially. This includes my high school, all the colleges I attended, my local symphony, jazz festival and other cultural and community organizations.

I guess you could characterize this as "elitist" but it's not like these donors behave in a way that suggests that they think they are "better" than other people who belong to these organizations -- they don't. However, they are entitled to certain organizational privileges based on the amount that they contribute and I don't begrudge them those privileges. Someone has to assist in supporting these organizations financially and I am glad they do, because I benefit by the continuing health of these groups, even if I don't give them any money myself.

This forum is not a non-profit organization, such as the ones I mentioned, but the principle is the same -- we don't have to pay for the services received (other than for specific performances or events) and, if we contribute, we do so voluntarily to benefit the organization. Contrary to your asssertion, I don't think anyone has been asked to pay to become a supporting member here in order to prove their "loyalty" to the forum. From what I've seen, those who have contributed (including me) did it as an act of gratitude for services previously rendered and as a pledge of support for the continuation of the forum. I also do not believe that recognition of any member (with an icon under his or her avatar) will create a class divide on the forum. It's merely a form of recognition of the financial contribution, which carries no other weight whatsoever in any thread discussion or trail outing.

I think that you (and others who are unhappy with this development) are making much ado about nothing. As you have already noted, you have the choice to contribute or not. Even if you don't contribute, you'll still reap the benefits of participating in this forum for free and will also reap the benefits of whatever additional financial security that those who do contribution provide to the forum owners.

So, just relax and forget about it. You'll never know the difference.

[Sean K.]

Mud Draggin' previously said:

Too late dragon, the condesention here is running amuck! As long as ya'll feel good about it, that's what matters.

Jerry

Dude. Grow some thicker skin. You have no business on an internet forum if you can't take Dragon's comment....even if he meant it the way you took it (not that he did).

Sean

[Crotalus]

WOW! I missed this development because I've been working my ass off the past few days. I've absorbed what's going on and have read many posts positive and negative. Here is my take.

I think that it is valuable to separate thinking about the FJer "community" and this forum. The FJer community exists because of our enjoyment of FJs and our desire to share our enthusiasm and knowldege with like-minded folks. The forum is a commercial enterprise which has distinguished itself among many attempts by others and has emerged as the best forum venue for FJ enthusiasts.

The FJer community would exist without this forum. However, fjcruiserforums.com provides a superior service that allows enthusiasts to better come together.

Thus, my becoming a supporting member will be based upon my desire to support the FJer community - to meet new people, share good times, and have more fun with my FJ. If my support allows the forum to maintain and even increase its ability to serve us, then I'm all for it!

So, if the opportunity to support the FJer community irks you, I ask you to take a deep breath, consider that nobody has lost anything, continue to come here for FREE, keep contributing in your own way, and keep havin' fun!

[Sean K.]

Swingshiftworker previously said:

I guess you could characterize this as "elitist" but it's not like these donors behave in a way that suggests that they think they are "better" than other people who belong to these organizations -- they don't.

Again, I don't care....but comments like this *could* come across the wrong way:

Air2air previously said:

We members like it that way.

Sean

[FlyNdrive]

I just thought I'd help you out with some of the costs here. I have saved a lot lore than $24.95 by following others technical threads, so it's time to give a little back, but in all reality my inbox can be filled in no time.

-Ben