Lifetime membership

[Mopar1973Man]

I've gotten a request from a member asking if it was possible to add a lifetime membership. In other words have a flat one time fee that gives a lifetime membership. I'm going to toss it out for you guys and gals to chew on and let me know what you think of it. Also what kind of price do we put on it? So lets here from the rest of the family here and see what they think.

[JAG1]

Might be a good idea as long as you don't loose longer term support. Personally I appreciate all this site has helped with my truck. It's an amazingly a good site.

[dobienut]

I agree with Jag. I know I don't give alot, but I do try to at least once a year give something. It's easier for most to come up with a smaller donation every once in a while then it is for a large even one time donation. In the end you may end up getting less money over time . But...that being said..it's a choice one can take if they'd like

[Mopar1973Man]

There is another option I was working on while back but no really cared to use it. was the point system in other words the more you posted and helped other you got points for helping the site. So you could use these point and purchase your access. Never the less like I said it did take off very well.

[flagmanruss]

I wonder if it would become a liability... all the frequent posters become life members. Over time their contributions are used up. The new / less frequent are left to carry the costs. I try to kick in a bit...

[CSM]

M73,

On arfcom, they've done the lifetime memberships as semi annual deals as they need to pay for server upgrades or gas for the company yugo.

I think its one of those things that folks understand its for the good of the site, and more or less a donation in a large chunk for something you need.

Usually they post a few of them, and have worked their prices up slowly over the years so the LTMs go quickly yet make quite a bit. Currently, they go for over $700, and are more of a donation to the site by some members.

Granted, this site traffic and demographic is different, but worth considering how it works.

I've seen it work well there, when priced right, but on that site, there is a lot that goes with being a "team" member... less ads, access to private "team member" clubhouse, etc

[JAG1]

There is another option I was working on while back but no really cared to use it. was the point system in other words the more you posted and helped other you got points for helping the site. So you could use these point and purchase your access. Never the less like I said it did take off very well.

Personally, with a point system as you say, I'd have to keep sending money....... my knowledge is not often helpful. I think TDR may have it right with yearly membership. However, they have limited some knowledgeable people and great forum participation by not letting anyone post without the membership.

[War Eagle]

Not sure how I strong feel about it yet.I am thinking back to my joining and I probably would shy away from joining if it would cost something.At first I think I would question the value of having to pay for something that I wasn't sure at the time was going be valuable (or how valuable).I think I am leaning toward the feeling that I would rather make contributions from time to time rather than pay a membership fee.

[olred92]

I think what would be better would beif instead of the lifetime membership you charge something like a usage fee. A set amount that could be paid over the course of the year that way one could pay if they had the money that month and skip the next if bills got tight. But waive this fee for new members for their first year so they see how valuable this site is. Still have the donation part to were if someone wanted to put more in or if the new members wanted to donate they still could and help the operating costs. Just my

[dobienut]

So I have to chime in with another thought. I don't mean this is a negative manner but reality is that there are tens of thousands of websites people can go to to read about vehicles, food, entertainment..etc. IMO, when a site starts making a demand of mandatory payment to access or be a member of the site, you are going to get alot of people clicking the mouse and moving along to another site and forgetting about yours. The outcome of this can mean less members, making you a less attractive site for advertisers to want to invest in. Look at Cummins Forum for example, membership is free, you can pay a donation if you choose, and they have over 200 thousand members. Just my

[Mopar1973Man]

There is a lot of valuable feedback here and more and more I see this more and more I kind want to steer away from lifetime membership and maybe get back to the point system where people can earn there access with points instead of money/funds. I don't want to turn into a a paid membership base but I would rather have the family members help out with the site by helping others family member or the staff. More donated time and effort by the family members the lighter the work load on the staff and me. If people have some fund to toss in the tin cup that's fine but if you short on the finances donate your efforts to the site.So I think the lifetime membership is coming to a close. So how could we make use of people knowledge and/or abilities to better the site? There has to be a way to make this all work for the site and the family members.So let's hear some feedback on that idea...

[ISX]

I thought we all had lifetime membership anyways. If it were me I would leave it the way it is. Money leads to corruption so keeping it the voluntary thing it is now is what I think is best.

[Mopar1973Man]

I thought we all had lifetime membership anyways. If it were me I would leave it the way it is. Money leads to corruption so keeping it the voluntary thing it is now is what I think is best.

:thankyou:ISX hit the nail on the head. The whole discussion got started because of a family member that will be retiring soon and finances will become thinner for him and he was wondering if he could just make a lump donation and be done. But it's not all about money. It's about family helping family. So like I was trying to turn back around is how could we make use someones donated time instead of donated funds? This isn't just my home... This is your home too. So how could you all help the site in donation of effort instead of financially? Come on guys I'm sure there is all kinds of ideas rattling around in your heads...

[diesel4life]

I know as long as Im a member I will be sending an annual donation in. This is hands down the most knowledgeable 2nd gen site and the most laid back which is really nice. Well worth the money and then some to help with funds to keep things going