GDay all,
I'm guessing this thread is probably going to be one of Steve's biggest and will probably surpass some of the mighty ETEC and 2 foot chop threads and such
For what it's worth I worked in the Internet industry for about 5 years and the model that Steve is putting forward is actually extremely cost lenient on members. Most avid Internet users would have noticed a lot of sites, forums etc going down a similar path as they reach "that" point in their cyber existence. When there were 200 members and run off a home server Steve could do it as a hobby. Now there 25,000 it's really spawned a life of its own and a $cost of it's own which he is still having to pay for. It's ironic that the more popular it gets - it puts more pressure on it's existense.
A lot of sites folded because costs got too high - others went full subscription or some went - donation members. Two other sites I'm a member of DiveOZ and AusHunt have got similar versions of the same thing. DiveOZ has got the donation/supporter model where you don't get much other than the warm and fuzzy feeling from knowing your helping out one of your favourite pastimes, while Aushunt went the other way where subscribers or VIPs actually get more info then a general member when they part with the cash. But both of those sites - like Ausfish will continue to do - still off the same free content through the forum boards as if nothing has changed.
Steve's model is similar to the first - he's basically asking for assistence in running the site - think of it as a co-op, but he's also throwing in the benefit of subscribers being free of adds (the way pay tv should be ).
For those getting ancy - I'm sure you'll realise over the next few months that nothing will change here for you as a users and it will be the same site as it always has been.
Brett