Member heirarchy

[BillyWho]

A large bulk do not pay monthly, but some do, so the $75 a month would be true in some cases. As an advertiser ( and me personally) on this site, we couldn't be happier with this place, we do small adds on other sites and pay monthly, but our efferts and focus is here because this place rules over all others :thumb:.

 

[Patman]

Let assume each sponsor pays $75/mo. Now let's also assume that Okie's monthly server costs are $1500/mo., also let's not include the cost of software to run the site. Doing the math it's still not a black ink proposition. Many people think Okie can host DRN on a $500 system from the corner of his bedroom office, when in FACT this couldn't be further from the truth. DRN requires both a significant investment in equipment, software and hosting charges just to be here. Now let's take out the big fat check he takes home....... oh wait there is nothing left to take FROM. Silly me I guess he should just pull it from the vast number of subscribers each month :silly: Let's see we'll say there are 450 new members each month? Out of that say 1% subscribe if things go well. That works out to........$54.00 :scream: Good gosh that's obscene! That works out to like $0.38 per hour if Okie were to spend only 40 hours per week on the site.

As you can see the math is not real friendly to making the DRN corporate jet a reality.

 

And YES, I to am tired of hearing the I don't have a dime patrol run their chant. If your that tight sell your bike and take up hop-scotch or fly roping.

 

[Danman]

contribute to the escalating costs and use of bandwidth, I don't see as many posts as I used to and topics don't seemed to get buried onto the next page as quickly as I remember.

You now have to register to even see a post.  So maybe many of the memebers just register to see the information and don't post any input or questions.  They just use the bandwidth, thus the increase in costs for that.  Bandwitdh is not cheap. 

I know about what it costs for a T1 per month (mucho bandwidth) + the cost of the router and assocaited CSU/DSU and servers aren't easy on the pocket book, assuming that you own your own server.  If you lease space one someone elses you pay a monthly fee and more than likely an access for the bandwidth you use.  If that person has to up his pipe to the internet your price goes up.

I see that Okie is tired of sporting the bill and is transitioning the site to be self supporting, and if by some chance it makes enough to pay for itself and helps support the bike habbit its all the better (he deserves it and he works hard at it).  The good thing about the sit is that is not resorted to annoying pop up adds to help pay for the cost like many others. 

Personaly, I don't think that weather or not you subscribe has an negative effect on wheather or not I reply to your post or not.

 

[JuliusPleaser]

Some people really just don't get it. :silly:

I jumped on the LSTM option the moment it was made available. I still think it was some of the best money I ever spent. Hell, I spent more than that on dinner last night.

rockrider, does your ass squeak when you walk? :think:

 

[CR Swade]

I personally don't think membership dues have a thing to do with a heirarchy, as much as an increasing pack-dog mentality taking over with some "members".

It think the dues are needed (hell, I would require em'), but I also see the attitude of "post like we like, or SUFFER OUR WRATH <evil laugh inserted here>". Or the ever present "get the hell out" seems to come up quite a bit.
Rockrider is unwittingly showing this nasty little trait in a few people. There are also some gracious posts in this thread as well as polite-it should stay that way, but unfortunately doesn't. I've had pm's wanting to know why I post so little anymore-it's not worth trying to reason with unreasonable people behind a terminal

Now this doesn't come from most, just a few. I had the privelege of meeting Okie and Thump this year at Dirtweek as well as people from all over. I would call them folks I'd like to ride with again. I don't think ever I broke into a tirade causing much angst by telling all of the riders whose gear/bike/opinion didn't match my taste to get the hell out. Everybody used manners and courtesy-it should be the same way here.

 

[Thump]

Originally posted by Ford-PSD
Thanks Thump,

I just heard from some members that they paid like $75.00 a month for advertisement, but I guess that is not correct.

That is the rate for banner advertising. I believe the logos on the side are a little more but I could be wrong. However as I said, some have their logos and banners due to DW contributions. Asterisk began as an advertiser here by supporting DW and have since decided that it is worth their investment on an on going monthly basis, and they still come through for DW HUGE every year.

 

[marcusgunby]

All i can say is a dont look at members status when i post answers-i will answer anyones questions, if they take the time to word it so i can understand.

 

[Boodac]

$12 bucks is one of the best investments I ever made. You cant even go to a movie now a days on that amount. No matter how you slice it, great site and well worth the subscription. :thumb:

 

[MrLuckey]

Wade I kinda hear what you are saying but look at it like this:
What if Okie had given free gas to everyone at the first two DirtWeeks but said he just couldn't do it this year. Would Rockrider have showed up at DW and then threw a winy hissy fit because he had to buy his own gas? As to another part of his post - if he wants to assume that non-subscribers won't get questions answered that is his mistake - have you seen this? I sure haven't.

Even if there wasn't 1 bit of FREE info here DRN would still be worth way more than I pay just because of the fact that I have been able to meet and ride with many new friends just like yourself. I can go 6 months in real life without making a true friend or a great riding buddy. Here I meet great new friends almost everytime I ride. Ignoring everything else that one can get from this place, the MEMBERS here are worth it to me.

Hopefully I'll get to see some of my DRN buddies @ White Rock next month!

:yeehaw:

 

[IrishEKU]

Originally posted by Julius Pleaser


rockrider, does your ass squeak when you walk? :think:

:eek:

 

[Chili]

There are a few things in this thread I would like to address the first being that Rockrider can't afford a subscription.&nbsp; This is not the case nor has he stated it was the case.

Originally posted by rockrider Since I am too cheap to subscribe will my posts be responded to anymore?

Originally posted by Thump I am sure that you are not the only one that wants it for free.... I am sure Okie does too, but he aint bitchin, he just pays the bill and works 60-90 hours a week on this site so you can have it for free

I'm betting even those figures underestimate the labor equity Okie has invested in this site.

Originally posted by RoosteR13 suggest that all whiner posts about this topic get NUKED or DELETED as soon as they are submitted.

Consider this motion seconded.&nbsp; My feeling is we as a site are gaining nothing with this continued snivelling other than eating up more bandwidth.

96whyzee125 I would have to quote your entire reply which would take up too much space let me sum up by saying Excellent analogy.

Patman, also a great post.&nbsp; When you break it down to math it becomes pretty straightforward doesn't it!

Originally posted by CR Swade I also see the attitude of "post like we like, or SUFFER OUR WRATH <EVIL here inserted laugh>". Or the ever present "get the hell out" seems to come up quite a bit.
Rockrider is unwittingly showing this nasty little trait in a few people. There are also some gracious posts in this thread as well as polite-it should stay that way, but unfortunately doesn't. I've had pm's wanting to know why I post so little anymore-it's not worth trying to reason with unreasonable people behind a terminal

I agree&nbsp;that the responses should be kept civil but I think the frustration is starting to boil over with these threads repeatedly popping up&nbsp;and thus even more reason why I think they should be nuked.&nbsp;

The bottom line is you have no grounds to complain about any product or service&nbsp;for which you pay no if it dissatisfies you find a better product if you feel you can.&nbsp; If you are a paying customer and aren't happy with the product or service feel free to let the manufacturer or producer of that product or service aware of your dissatisfaction.

 

[slo' mo]

I would also cast my vote for NUKING all such posts. Many DRN'ers are very passionate about what we have here and it's always construed as "PILING ON" Immediate deletion of posts would solve both issues.
As far as the club goes, I'm proud to be a part. A couple of years ago I could barely ride a bike. OK, that's not a good example :think: A couple of years ago I have never worked on a two stroke. The money I have saved from the first thread would have paid for a yearly subscription many times over.
Everyone's entitled to have an opinion, that's part of what makes this a great country. But nobody is entitled to a free ride.
Trust me, if everyone on this site gave back to it what Okie put into it he would be running this web site from his mansion in Vegas.
For the life of me I cannot understand why somebody would begrudge Okie for hoping to recover costs of this site, forget about making a living from it!

 

[mx547]

Originally posted by Julius Pleaser
Hell, I spent more than that on dinner last night.

wow, can i come over for dinner? :confused:

 

[Crispy]

I usually stay out of this stuff.... but....


1. No one said you MUST pay to play here. If you enjoy the site and can afford to help out, please do... if you cant... no one is going to flame you for it. No one should think any less of you for it either. Some people are very passionate about this site and there have been quite a few topics just like this, so people are loosing their cool.

2. I will probably get nuked for this but...... 50-60 hrs a week? HA! Try again... its more like 80-100 hrs. I would know... I am Okies sister. Add that to the number of hours he needs to work on the business that helps to pay the bills... There are only 280 hours in a week, so you figure it out. Then add in time for him to spend with his family and ride and he doesnt get to sleep. Why? Because he loves the sport and this site. Is he complaining... not at all.

3. Where does the money go when people sign up? Someone already summed it up pretty well in an earlier post... to cover costs for this site. I never knew until recently what the costs are for running a site like this... then I realized it is more than my mortgage and my grocery bill for the month. This site was started because my brother has a passion for dirtbikes, the site grew, he paid the costs... the site grew even more... he still paid... hes been paying for almost four years. So, when should he stop? Should he sell his house and his truck to keep this site going so everyone else can benefit? Is he trying to get rich off of this? It would take a lot more than 1% of LSTM/STM and subsribers for him to break even every month. Maybe he should do what other websites do.... when they cant pay the bills anymore and refuse to ask the members for support... just shut this site down. And if the day ever does come where the number of subscribers, LSTM, and STM is more than costs... it will go into Dirtweek. End of story

I am a contributing member of this site and I dont even ride!!! I do it because I enjoy it and the people I have met. I understand not having the money to spend, but to complain about something that had to change when someone else was footing the bill, that I dont understand.

One more thing... dont forget about the time and effort the moderators put into this site also. There are a lot of people here that support this site in ways that don't include money and that is just as important.
:aj:

Ok, I done. Carry on!!! :p

 

[Tony Eeds]

Originally posted by slo' mo
For the life of me I cannot understand why somebody would begrudge Okie for hoping to recover costs of this site, forget about making a living from it!

Swade - That is what I am tired of.&nbsp; This apparent belief that this site should be free because some people feel they have been around long enough to deserve it.&nbsp; As I stated in an earlier post,&nbsp;nothing in this world is free.

The rules have changed, accept them or move on.&nbsp; If this seems harsh, it is.

A&nbsp;persons registration level has no bearing on my response, with the possible exception of the fact that the belly aching is clearly coming from people that were once "members" and are now "registered".&nbsp; I believed Okie created this level in an honest attempt to address the fact that people wanted functionality but were seemingly unwilling to become a "Support Team Member".&nbsp; He backed down on the search issue against many members better judgement.

There will be many people come and some stay and even a smaller number support the site.&nbsp; That is life, but those of that do support the site, by virtue of our input and/or money, don't need and shouldn't have to defend this site against folks too cheap to spend $0.038 per day for subscriber level access. Yes - less than 4 cents a day.

Do we need a fourth on the motion to nuke?

 

[XRpredator]

Don't nuke it. I enjoy reading about how all this should be free to the unwashed masses. All the "spirit of the internet" stuff and so on.

I think some of the more, er, "militant" supporters have the best points, and would "encourage" everyone to be a subscriber, but nobody's forcing anyone to do it.

I think it'd be cool if everyone ponied up the dough, but that's unrealistic. 25% would be neat.

 

[whyzee]

How’s this, If ya want to piss and moan about how what you get here for free is not good enough, or you are having serious feelings of inadequacy due to member status or what ever, start a new thread.
Call it “Good buy”. Post your name, forwarding address, what ever you want. Take your “I’ve been here longer...” or “I’m a Registered and not getting the attention my mommy gave me”, ... and walk through the door. Once a year maybe someone will ring a bell in your honor, or take out the trash...
I’m not going to, and I don’t encourage anyone else to continue to ask the ungrateful to contribute. And if you can find some sap to pay your dues then ... kudos. It won’t come from me.
I’m really not trying to be harsh about this but ... just quit winning.

 

[WR 250]

I didn't post to try and sway anybody's veiwpoint. I posted because I was frustrated. I'm not going to argue, there is nothing to argue about. You guys have made your point, some with more maturity than others.

My post helped me gain a better sense of this site than what I had before. I don't care to feel indebted to Okie for "footing the bill" for me the past year or so since I didn't subscribe. The other BBS boards I frequent don't require it.

This place is a different site than when I first started posting 2.5 years ago. My feeling is that contributing what knowledge I have of bikes or Alaska is payment enough. Appearently that makes me a tightass, so be it. It's your club and that gives you the right to run it the any way you wish. No problem, I just don't share the same view.

 

[KWJams]

Not Fair!

Closing a dag-gum thread before I could post my comments. :whiner:
<DIV>This subject hits close to home. :(</DIV>
<DIV>Nowhere on the same scale as what Okie has dealt with. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>A few years ago I&nbsp;saw that there was a real need to take the sport of motorcycle hillclimbing out of the fringe sport category to what would hopefully a be accepted as a world class sport again.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>I stepped up when nobody else would to help reorganize the NAHA.</DIV>
<DIV>I bought some books and spent an extraordinary amount of time and energy to reorganize and build a website (for this "non-Profit organization.") </DIV>
<DIV>I regret now that this was time that could have been better spent with my family&nbsp;out riding.</DIV>
<DIV>I have paid for the hosting out of my own pocket since day one. Traveled to all the events to sign riders up and took pictures for the website and everything else that was needed.</DIV>
<DIV>At the awards ceremony at Billings, Mt 2001 I was presented with a check for $1,000.00 in recognition for all my efforts and to repay some of my out of pocket expenses. </DIV>
<DIV>I was grateful since we are not well off financially and it was a sacrifice at times.</DIV>
<DIV>But, to be completely honest, I was offended that what I was doing for the "love of the sport" was being degenerated into prostituting myself to make everyone feel better by paying me!</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>What have I gotten out of this noble effort?</DIV>
<DIV>A file full of hate mail from members who I would not bend the rules or make special accommodations for.</DIV>
<DIV>A list that is longer of people who now consider me some kind of jerk, than a list of new friends made.</DIV>
<DIV>I have received one invitation in the last year to go riding.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Back when I was a Moderator here at DRN and it was&nbsp;being discussed&nbsp;that a way to support this site was needed, the idea to start the STM's and LTSM's was made as a way to help defray the expenses Okie had been absorbing out his good will and his own pocket.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>My concern back then, was that when people pay for something they think that they "own you" and they then have some expected claim of rights!</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Ask yourself this, do you derive more value from something "Free" or something that you felt strong enough to invest in?</DIV>Ok, now close this one please. :thumb:

 

[biglou]

Ken-You are officially invited to go riding with me anytime you feel like it! :)

There, now it's twice! :yeehaw: