Posted on 06/23/2006 12:27:30 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
I am not certain what the legal ramifications would be in changing Free Republic from donations to a subscription service. It seems to me the switch may be detrimental to legal issues such as copyrights. If that is true I'd appreciate if someone could briefly explain that to me. However if that is not the case here is my suggestion:
I have been wondering about this for some time now and have not seen any discussions about it. So I would like to ask: Is it time for Free Republic to become an online subscription service?
Currently, the site is very antiquated. People can easily abuse the "add a keyword" feature and there seems to be a growing number of liberal trolls, foreigners and even pro-homosexual agenda-driven people infecting the site. In order to cut down on the undesirables and enhance FR at the same time, would it be advisable to start charging a monthly fee of about 15-30 bucks to be able to log into the site and post? There could also be different subscription levels like Basic, Premium or Platinum. That way, the more you pay the more features you have access to. Some of these extra-services could include storing photos or FR could be a conservative search engine for the web.
I have seen online sites where people can still read the boards for free. FR could do something like that so it would still be accessible to the Conservative public even if they are not paying members with posting priviledges.
Websites that rely heavily on banner and pop-up ads need as many hits as possible so for them restricting posting rights to subscribers might not be so desirable. However, Free Republic does not work like that. There are no ads other than some book links on the home page so the number of hits is not as crucial to the bottom line which is currently being paid for by donations.
Donations seem to be working well, but I am sure the cashflow could be improved. How many of you people honestly are put off donating money to FR because it is not what it should be? Especially in regards to the undesirable element that can be found throughout many of the threads. Wouldn't this change in format go a long way in eliminating the undesirables? I think so. Plus it would be neat to experience an upgraded more modern version of Free Republic.
Note: If you are a democrat troll, foreigner or pro-homosexual/lesbian then I am really not interested in your opinion and you should not be posting it to me (just the fact that I have to add this note is proof that something is not right).
>... there are people who need to go as their ideas and opinions are detrimental to the Conservative cause.<
But Bee, rubbing the wrong way is STIMULATING and stimulation is good for the brain. God bless FR and long may it be free (of subscription, that is!).
the Kitties would be out of a job
The strong influence of Free Republic would then be diminished immensely.
Now there's a thought. You want to post a vanity, enter your credit card number.
No, it would be a case of FR saying they are electing to run the site differently than in the past. The users don't own the site, the servers or engage in bandwidth contracts with service providers. The owners of the site do. Free membership means that someone else is paying for your user access.
I seriously doubt this site is about money.
If that were the case, it would have shut down long ago.
Agreed. It ain't broke, don't fix it. There's something wonderful about the freepathons, as well.
We're up to 250,000
The one liner that I fired off was in reaction to a poster's comment that this might be a trial baloon. While the poster didn't state what specific ballon he was referring to, I thought the guy might be trying a trial ballon for possibly developing a FR type pay site for himself.
Radio talk show hosts come here to look for ideas. Maybe columnists do as well. I don't think they do that with more narrowly focused sites that simply give out marching orders. Part of the pleasure is finding things that you weren't expecting, and that's rarer on the other sites.
The keywords people add can be kind of crazy, but most of the time, we just ignore them. Charge money and you won't necessarily get a more conservative site, just a duller and less essential one.
Heil Hitler!
Oh gosh, let's see if I can remember, I think it was:
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/freerepublic
That one redirects you to the present site nowadays.
"The problem with this is that FR has a very specific "target audience" and purpose. Which is supposed to be a thinktank for Conservative Americans and not some kind of general open door chitchat forum. My idea is trying to enhance the intended audience and thus function for Free Republic. So yes, there are people who do need to go as their ideas and opinions are detrimental to the Conservative cause.
"
OK, so you eliminate all the folks who you don't like or agree with. That way you have a place where everyone can pat each other on the back and think they're doing something.
Sounds pretty boring to me. Sounds like a discussion of music by a choir. Sounds like a place I'd not visit.
Here's an idea: Start a forum like you describe and see who signs up. The internet's easy. Who knows, if your idea is a good one, people will line up to subscribe to your site.
"I'm sure there are people who would consider me an "undesirable element" just as there are people who look at you the same way. I could never be a moderator simply because I would ban people who irritate me."
I'm thinking more strategic than that. It's not a matter of it being a personal issue. My idea is that true Conservatives who are the ones that this site is supposed to be meant for and who see the value of it will still be willing to pay the subscription fee because they have been donating anyway. Whereas the undesirable element would be less inclined to do so. Sure, there may be some, but I am certain way less than there are now. And if you truely are an undesirable, wouldn't it be better for you, me, FR and all else involved if you were to be encouraged in one way or another to find a more proper forum to be posting your ideas and opinions in? I think so.
I agree.
I'm an Irishman... something must be worng with me...
You are going hear my opinion anyway - subscription is a stupid idea!!
“If you have to ask how much it costs to post in breaking news, you can’t afford it.”
NO!
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