Is Free Republic a Fraud? Is it time for Free Republic to go away?

Free Republic | 11/28/01 | Jim Robinson

[Brilliant]

It would be unpatriotic to shut this site down. Someone has got to speak up for freedom.

[GummyIII]

It sure has gotten big, hasn't it? So different from the start. This is a heads-up post.

[Cogadh na Sith]

Those who want to keep it going speak up.

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! nO! NO! Don't kill it!!!!!

This is the best news site on the web with expert (and not so expert) commentary to boot!

Who will there be to separate the wheat from the chaff of information daily????

(note to self: remember to send money to FR)

[Joe 6-pack]

"We've grown from a tiny web site with a few hundred posters and readers from the time of inception in 1996, to one with tens of thousands of participants today."

"...but it is now costing over $20,000 per month to cover all expenses."

Gee, JR, charge a $2.00 a month user fee...Ought to also keep some of the rif-raff out. Anyone not willing to pay $24.00 a year to participate here doesn't belong here anyway!

[eloy]

Put your do$$ars here.

[breakem]

Please stop posting these insipid vanities. Do I have to hit the abuse button?

If you charged a monthly fee for posting, I'd subscribe. I'm addicted.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Well, this thread will go several thousand!

Free Republic a fraud?

That's the equivalent of claiming Bill Clinton tells the truth! Or that Hillary Clinton is the epitome of virtue!

What a lie for anyone to make that claim!

I hereby testify that I have contributed to Free Republic voluntarily over the past 3 years, with no one compelling me and no one promising me anything.

I further declare that it is now time to make another voluntary donation to keep Free Republic alive and well.

(Getting the checkbook - check in the mail, Badjoe!)

Thanks for the reminder, JR! I am sorry you are letting your enemies back on this site.....but you, like our President, have more grace and character than the whole lot of these detractors put together with Hill and Bill sitting on top!

It's up to everyone who cares to keep Free Republic alive.

[baseballfanjm]

Keep it going! Don't let the lefty demonrats get their way! They've always wanted FreeRepublic shut down.

[summer]

Is there any way to continuously increase the revenue you need to operate by selling more advertising space on this site? Or, raising the prices for such ads? Just trying to help in some way. Surely this is an audience certain advertisers want to reach.

[VA Advogado]

I think so. There might be a link to something like that on the home page.

[BOBWADE]

Might weed out the disruptors too.

[semper_libertas]

$5/month (to begin with) for posting priveleges would be well worth it.

Then credit members with free months for every new member signed up.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Please keep it alive, Jim. You're needed out "there" and here at home, on FR. And I agree, you ARE the Rush Limbaugh of the internet. PHOOEY to the dorks who keep criticizing. I'd like to see THEM do a better job.

[blackbart.223]

This is the best site on The Internet. I've contributed money in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

Keep up the good work.

Bart.

[eloy]

Try this one instead.

Put your do$$ars here.

[Hacksaw]

You would be better off banning the "porn caucus" and Christian bashers, and letting the tin foilers stay. If people want to preach porn, they can go to the dem sites.

[GeronL]

It might now be the time for FR to charge a membership fee, and I admit this as one of the poorer FReepers. I have recently decided to give $5 a month and I kept to it so far (like I said- I'm poor). I have the next payment in my pocket BTW.

It might be time to charge, say, $12 per year for membership and still ask for donations to cover the rest.

Maybe have a basic 'free' service (although besides Freepmail, I'm not sure what could be segregated that way). Its probably come to the point that FR has to make a decision about its finances, as sad as that might be. You can run ads (expect that would be hard), charge membership, curtail postings sizes and such (sorry JohnHuang2).

Something does need to be done.

[JennysCool]

The most intelligent, contentious, thought-provoking, downright hilarious, comforting, galling, addictive place on the entire World Wide Web "go away"?

Good lord! FR is more than a site, it is a true community -- friends and relations sharing their lives within the big life of the world. The place is genius, is what it is, and it is too perfectly good to do anything but grow.

Thanks so much, Jim.

[Unicorn]

I'm In

[Incorrigible]

Put me in a padded cell. I'll be going into convulsions.