Subscription to a website

[graymouser]

Theoretically, I would have no problem with that. I currently pay for my own website. I think it is fair and appropriate for a host to require payment for their services and labor.

Specifically in regards to RS. Probably not. As above, I already pay for my own site. I have an account with RS, but have never bothered to set up a gallery. I can't see paying twice for the same service. It would be easier/more practical just to keep my gallery as it is and drop the RS membership than move my entire gallery over to RS.

[blueshinma]

I'm not sure how valid my opinions are since I've been so inactive for soooo long. However, when I was actively collecting I had no problem throwing a few dollars to the fabulous site keeping my gallery running, I even got some great swag out of it. Plus, the thoughts of a premium service isn't such a great leap, even back then there were thoughts of making "donators" able to do fancy things. It is just like EVERY other free site out there, you can have the basic plan free of charge, but if you want a few bells and whistles pony up a buck or two. Really, I still pay 4.95 a month for my YJ account even though I haven't bid in over two years......... but I have the option Given the history of a certain hosting site, they are not looking to go public on the stock market in a year, just a slight deferment in operating costs. Hell, I'll pay it because I believe in the sentiment and am loyal to the concept.





Will go back to lurking again.....

[alyssium]

Correct me, Alyssium, but I don't think it was ever considered to make ALL Rubberslug curators pay a fee, but simply to phase in a "premium" level where some curators would opt for more features in return for a subscription fee.

Thats correct Sensei.

I was just wondering if there was an option to get additional features would you pay for it.

For the large amount of users that could just ignore this and keep on going like they always have done. Otherwise it would give "premium users" the ability to customise their galleries. Similiar to the shop function which is only given access to sponsors.

[Wendy]

You know Alyssium, I think that if you had given a link to that 'interesting topic' (i.e. my blog and Jason's responds and forum posts to that) which prompted this thread, maybe people wouldn't have misinterpreted your question as much?

Then again; some people will never read before freaking out unnecessarily and jumping to conclusions.

Personally I wouldn't mind paying a monthly contribution for extra features on Rubberslug. Like Sensei I'm already a sponsor anyway.
I pay a lot of money for my collection and displaying it in the best possible way is, in my opinion, what it deserves. That is also part of collecting in my eyes.

[zerospace]

Let me clarify, Wendy, Sensei, and Alyssium, because I think my comments made the suggestion that RS could go total subscription. I was speaking hypothetically, saying that basically with the amount of work he's done and what it costs him, that he could do this and still be reasonable. I'm not suggesting that he do so, nor am I implying that he should. Just saying that he could and there's a big difference between that and actually mis-reading his post and this thread.



I'll say it again, hopefully more clearly this time: I would not pay for RS, no matter what he does to it -- all I said was that IF for some reason it were to go 100% subscription (which I doubt it ever will), I would simply drop my account there, because I host elsewhere as well as with RS. I keep my RS gallery for fun and for the community aspect of the site, and that's it.

[Sky Rat]

I understood the original post and was just speaking hypothetically as well, for the sake of discussion…

[sensei]

Perhaps, but it did sound like Ronald Reagan saying that if Medicare were enacted (as it was in 1965), then "just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow, behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country... And ... one of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children, what it once was like in America when men were free and women were truly glamorous without the help of make-up and silicone implants."

In other words, if some Rubberslug users want to upgrade their galleries with features not available now, and are willing to pay a little extra to do so, then, just as surely as the sun will set today, every curator currently displaying will eventually be forced to do so (by the RS radical soft-on-terrorism left-wing Illuminati) as well, whether they want to do so or not. The result would be a system that discriminates against mediocrity, which is antithetical to the American way and contrary to God's teaching.

Heh. And they say cel collecting isn't political in nature.

[zerospace]

Ouch! And if that were my true mode of thinking, I'd probably call myself insane. But it is not and was not, and as it stands, I loathe politics. I realize you're joking, sensei, but I think you captured exactly the misunderstanding here. My only thought is that if Jason ever tired of the amount of money and time he's spent on RS (and I can only imagine how much it is), he would be most certainly justified in asking everyone to pay even a super-small fee to use it. I also never implied that if RS ever imposed a fee structure that it would be a negative thing in any way. If someone else did, well.... no comment. It's his site, his money, his time -- he is free to do whatever he pleases, and I'll respect any decision he makes.

The question was regarding paying for additional features on the site -- I simply expanded on that idea and went one step further in addition to answering the immediately posed question. I suppose I'm sorry for ever opening my mouth, considering ya'll now seem to be getting the wrong impression of why I mentioned it. It was essentially a compliment to Jason for the amount and quality of the work he's done. I hope this clears things up. For those of you who would pay for additional features, I hope he makes something more for you eventually. For those of us who already pay for our own hosting so that we can have the features we want, I guess we should all just keep doing what we're doing.

[Wendy]

And I think it's actually funny that the people I was referring to, are not the people who posted here after mine.

[zerospace]

And I think it's actually funny that the people I was referring to, are not the people who posted here after mine.

Oops. Oh well, then I guess I clarified my statements for those who perhaps misunderstood me and contributed to the further derailment of this thread.

[Wendy]

Derailment? ..hardly.

But people sure are sensitive these days and I'm simply saying that screaming bloody murder before fully hearing things out seems to be the consensus lately.

[zerospace]

Who screamed bloody murder in this thread? Aside from me getting slightly miffed that my own suggestions have been entirely misunderstood, and I do maintain that at least one person seems to misunderstand what I'm trying to say. If I'm wrong, then I apologize. I believe I originally hinted at RS going 100% subscription, I am to blame, therefore... I am the reason for the people you were talking about, and I don't mind being held accountable for what I say and do--good or bad.

(Also diverting the topic from paying for premium features to paying for the site period is somewhat a derailment. And I do believe I am the one who originally suggested that, so I'm taking some responsibility for what I've said).

[Wendy]

I was speaking of Beta in general, some threads (like the Beta Awards) have been quite an example.
But thanks for making my point.

And Wendy, people are sensitive to your posts because you are incredibly harsh about how you say things.

Really now.
It must be my Dutch nature.

Stupid, inconsiderate me.
After all, you guys are all doing so much better.

[zerospace]

You are correct, Wendy. Post edited. My apologies.

[sensei]

I'm fine with zerospace's explanation; there is, as I've tried to show, quite a lot that can be done within the limitations of the RS platform, though to really push out some of the walls involves paying a subscription to another Internet service and using it to bootleg extra features in. So "mediocrity" is surely not mandated by RS's limits, and I apologize in turn if the use of the term offended any current Slugger.

Sensei returns to mode