Paid membership, Vote here

[Flyin6]

Ladies and gentlemen

If you have been following on, you will know we are again going through our annual hosting service service charge, this year being around $750ish total I think. I just paid the $695 part which keeps us safe, sort of, and keeps us hosted on our own server.

I am going to add some more premium services that both help the site security and will give you folkses some bennies. One of the new services you may enjoy is having your own email address here, such as knucklehead@RealManTruckWorksandSurvival.com

Going that direction will, of course add costs, and although I don't necessarily mind paying for this place, others here, who I just started calling the "heavy lifters," always jump in donating hundreds of their hard earned dollars. What can I say, they are good men, and simply answer the call when they hear it.

That is not what I intended, so I think the answer is to start making money with the site to pay for all this stuff, and have money to give away when we find a worthy cause.

So here is what I am suggesting:
1. First, I think it is time to bring on some advertising that pays something to hang a banner here, and pays something for click-throughs that originated here. I want someone out there, one of you to contact me and tell me how to do that.

2. Second, I think it is time to make this a paid membership site. I don't know exactly how to do that, so I'll have to learn or maybe get some help from you. I am thinking around $20 a year. But I do not want to stifle newcomers for all the reasons most of you already know. I'll have to build something that allows surfers to maybe click through 5-10 pages before they get limited from going onward. Not sure of the mechanics of that, but like everything, I'll have to learn.

Before I do anything, though, I want to hear your voice. So for maybe a month I am going to have a poll up.
Vote no if you don't want annual fees or yes if you think it is the right thing for me to do.

[Flyin6]

Early in the voting, but we have two in favor and one against

I'd like to see a lot of input.

[stlaser]

I voted that I don’t like it. I’m afraid you’ll limit people coming here and the sites influence.

My suggestion if you all decide on a paid membership. Make it a little more than $20 annually and have a portion go towards a legit charity. I’m thinking something along the lines of a veteran cause that is run well.

Other thought is if you’re a paying member you get extra perks. Not sure what those would be but most don’t need another email account, coming from a guy who has 4 currently.

[KensAuto]

I'm not seeing a vote option on Tapatalk

[Bigdave_185]

I don’t care what we do as long as it’s open lol


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[stlaser]

Ken, are you logged in?

[oklawall]

I would be willing to pay for a membership but don't think giving us something that will add more expense to keep the site going. I would also be worried about some people not getting to know the site and have God move in their lives if we limit the people that just sit back and watch, anything in His will will be done.

[KensAuto]

Ken, are you logged in?

Yes

[Farmer Jon]

I would pay a membership now but If this were a paid site when I joined I probably would not have joined. I am on a bunch of different forums. Most have ads. I hardly notice them. 
If we do go paid membership I think there should be a free trial. 6 months or something. This is the internet I want to get my information for free. How many people will be looking for info and find this site and say thats a pay site forget that I will go elsewhere.
If we do NOT do a paid membership or get sponsors how often will we have to throw $20 in the hat to keep the lights on?



 

[TexasRedNeck]

I would pay a membership now but If this were a paid site when I joined I probably would not have joined. I am on a bunch of different forums. Most have ads. I hardly notice them. 
If we do go paid membership I think there should be a free trial. 6 months or something. This is the internet I want to get my information for free. How many people will be looking for info and find this site and say thats a pay site forget that I will go elsewhere.
If we do NOT do a paid membership or get sponsors how often will we have to throw $20 in the hat to keep the lights on?

I’d pay just to keep watching the hippy make fun of Ken’s girlfriend


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[stlaser]

Very good point Charles, we need more Ken & H jokes! I’ll see what I can do.....

[Flyin6]

I would pay a membership now but If this were a paid site when I joined I probably would not have joined. I am on a bunch of different forums. Most have ads. I hardly notice them. 
If we do go paid membership I think there should be a free trial. 6 months or something. This is the internet I want to get my information for free. How many people will be looking for info and find this site and say thats a pay site forget that I will go elsewhere.
If we do NOT do a paid membership or get sponsors how often will we have to throw $20 in the hat to keep the lights on?



 

Jon,
You would have to pay weekly or bi weekly. But most people just once a year...;-)

[Flyin6]

More discussion/more voting please...

[KensAuto]

Honestly, I don't think charging members is the answer. As it is, there's just a small group of us that post regularly. We may have hundreds of people interested in the site, weeding through the info here, but don't want to interact, or....? Charging people will probably make it worse.
Imo, simple solution is to put up a donation page 6 months after the Christmas one. If you receive too much, put it in the Christmas fund. Too little? Open your checkbook again. ;)

[Bob Smith]

Good idea Ken. Maybe that option should be added to the poll.

[stlaser]

I agree with Ken, think he still loves H though

[oklawall]

Ken for the win in my book

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[Flyin6]

I would like to hear some more, but, I am just not good with the same folks making it happen every single time. I will not stand in the way of your blessing, but I am just not comfortable with asking for donations.

If a man wants to give, let him do so. If he chooses not to, then so be it.

If I have been called to continue just making this happen, then fine, I'm up to the task.

You see, to me, I have always disliked seeing some TV preacher asking folks to "Please" donate to make the lord's work possible. To me that cheapens the Lord and makes him appear weak. It has always been men who were weak, not our God. I do not always trust the works of men.

God is not weak. He does not need our help. He doesn't, in fact need anything from us. And of all the things we have there is but one thing we can actually give him that he cannot command us to give. Since he created us to have the freedom to choose, he cannot make us worship him, or love him, or praise him. Those things which really distill down to simply, loving him, is all we can really give.

If this web site is to stay open, money doesn't really matter. He is God and here we worship and honor him in what we do and the way in which we do it. He could cause some computer glitch to occur and we might simply go on forever. He could make one of us rich and that person pay for the site forever. He could cause this to be the most visited web site in the world, and I could negotiate for a US Flag maker company to pay us $10,000 a month for a single add. The sky is the limit and he could, literally, in a million ways finance this platform.

And here's the cool part and the reason he probably does not do it. By not simply plugging into the God who created Gold, and silver and money, he leaves an opportunity open, a door if you will to those who visit to step through. It is no secret we are pro: All things God, and against: All things not of God, so, sewing into this forum is actually giving to him. He didn't ask for it, I am certainly NOT asking for it. But while writing this little piece I became aware that there is an opportunity here for anyone who would like to give, secretly, for his works.

I am not asking for anything. I am simply relaying a message, I think that I just got. I would expand the concept to include giving to any place and to any cause that is directly doing the work of the kingdom. If you give to it in secret, there is a blessing to come.
Matthew 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Maybe not a reward to be collected by the earthly man, but maybe a crown in heaven. I don't know, I'm just a dumb old helo pilot. But I do believe what I just said, and now that it is said, it can rest...hopefully in the hearts and souls of good men everywhere who at their core love God and are willing to do his work...in secret.

GBU

[Sammconn]

I’ve added to the pot. I voted support it but good points have been made to not make it paid.
This is almost the only site I come to other than gun stuff and weather.

So as long as the lights stay on I’m good to do what I need to do.

[Flyin6]

I’ve added to the pot. I voted support it but good points have been made to not make it paid.
This is almost the only site I come to other than gun stuff and weather.

So as long as the lights stay on I’m good to do what I need to do.

Sam may have said it the best...Whatever it takes to keep the lights on...

[Flyin6]

OK, let me put this to rest so we can move on.
I don't want to charge membership fees
I don't want to charge anyone, anything
I truly believe, that if God wishes to use this venue, then he will provide all that it needs to continue.
That's faith in practice.

Thank all of you who generously sent your hard earned money, I used it for coffee and sweet tea
or
I used it to keep the lights on

^^^ One of the above statements is true.

I have some other ideas to bring in the necessary funds to operate and expand, we'll see if they get any traction.