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).
If your concern is trolls, you are adding to the problem because now a troll can buy his way into FR. He will be harder to get rid of. Not impossible but harder.
If your concern is the "cash flow", I'll wait till I hear from the management.
We have to have restraint. Believe me, if this was my forum, I'd be talking to myself.
lmao
Agreed, I'm on some other forums, and the posts just pile up with no reference to who and what they're about.
Excellent point. I started donating about a year after I found this place. You either want a free lunch or not.
So, what happened? What was delay's reaction?
I say we slap a $5 fee on vanity posts. That'll ease server load.
On the other hand, I can see some possible merit to the idea of donors having some privileges non-donors do not have access to and/or having that based on level of donation, or length of posting history, and maybe exceptions for those posters whose contribution to the board are such that the owner, moderator(s) or members can recommend them for privileges they wouldn't necessarily have otherwise.
Having said that, I love this place just the way it is. Any board is going to have the occasional troll and for the most part, I either ignore them, or laugh at them. I don't much worry about them.
I promise I will not do it again.
I promise I will not do it again.
I don't think it's "antiquated" at all. It's laid-out well, clean, easy to use, and most importantly, FAST. No super-complicated browser-breaking styles or frames. Just nice, simple, and functional. I love it.
Plus I can leave it up at work and people don't know what it is. *shifts eyes*
Leave it open for everybody. If Jim wants to make it pay-to-play, that's his prerogative, but I hope he doesn't. I think it's a HUGE plus for us that all sorts of people can come here, post, debate, argue, whatever. Social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, open-borders, closed-borders, paleos, neos, Yankees, Rebels, libertarians, you name it. Pretty much anybody but a troll or a straight-up liberal (usually synonymous) is welcome here. Just bring a thick skin and a willingness to debate.
Free Republic is proof that conservatives TRULY have the "big tent." On any semi-equivalent site that the liberals run, if you step one millimeter out of line, you're zotted. Not so here.
Thanks, Jim, for giving us the greatest site on the web.
}:-)4
Well, for one thing they are so, so..........uh......well......foreign!.......
beer
No, I don't think it should be a subscription site. People should contribute, and many do. That said, I will admit that I cancelled my monthly payment because of too many raving nutter hate-filled anti-immigration trolls, who were allowed to infest any thread, regardless of the topic.
However, the mods seem to have gotten a grip on them and they are now only on the immigration threads (most of them were probably DUmmies trying to make us look like a hate site, anyway, so they're probably all back at DU), and I'm going to resume my donation.
I think keeping FR open and free is the best thing. People come and go - some post for a long time, some are just here for a few months, and there are, of course, trolls. But the Viking Kitties are after them...
FR is whatever Jim Rob says it is. Until JR says a change is needed it should remain "as is."
Then TheOtherHarry would never been able to consider buying his pony. ;)
As one whom some might cosider undesirable, I must protest your desire for Peoples' Free Republic commissars.
After all, which side of the Wall does one really want to live on?
LOL. Perfect.
Brown noser!
"So yes, there are people who do need to go as their ideas and opinions are detrimental to the Conservative cause.."
Kinda reminds me of the James Bond movie where Jaws and the midget blond were on the spaceship with all the 100 percent perfect models of humanity.
Jaws and the blond realized that they were gonna get booted out the door at 10,000 miles up. Changed their outlook a little.
I guess I'm one of the "detrimental" types that would have to go, right?
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