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Forum Donations - Gauging Opinions (Poll)

Would you pay a small, regular donation to UKAPS?


  • Total voters
    49
Reading through the pages of this forum it is obvious that lots of folk are on a budget, some are pensioners or students, some are handicapped or wheelchair bound or unemployed...£5 a month!!!
The more popular the forum becomes the more advertisers will be prepared to pay but if you make the subscription biased toward the better off folk you may well loose members!
I help to manage a very large forum & we also struggle to make ends meet but, so do all the popular forums & there are plenty to choose from!
We offer a yearly renewable subscription of $10, this offers the members a highlighted name, an additional thread dedicated for subscribers only, where they can benefit from special offers only available to the subscribers.
We also have a shop & sell T shirts mugs etc but the main income comes from advertising, of course the subscribers dont get the adverts flashing across their screen.
.A few years ago we had hundreds of subscribers but now out of a 30000 membership we have less than 100 paying subscribers!
 
I'm a paid member of a Car Owners forum, by being a paid member i am entitled to a owners card with a membership number which i can use to get discount (10%) in lots of shops as well as insurance and trade discount on parts dealerships
rather that making a monthly payments why not have a yearly subscription of different bands say gold, silver & bronze leafs and try offer different "Goodies Packs" for the different levels, this way the sponsors offers would only apply to the paid members and not just any one that signs up just for the offers.
 
rather that making a monthly payments why not have a yearly subscription of different bands say gold, silver & bronze leafs and try offer different "Goodies Packs" for the different levels, this way the sponsors offers would only apply to the paid members and not just any one that signs up just for the offers.
This is ok but people like paying monthly
I like the idea of an ad free version and goodies for paid up members and bombarding non payers with ads is great encoragement to donate. I hate ads on webpages especially when they flash and are irrelevant to whats on page
Dont give offers to people paying monthly as soon as they sign up, anybody serious about the hobby will wait a couple of months anyway
Dedicated areas for paying members is a must, it gives them chance vent about non paying free loaders
You could also think about rewarding people when theyve donated £50/£150/£500 in total maybe a free plant of there choosing
 
Let's not forget here folks, the £1/£3/£5 idea is for a recurring donation that you essentially setup and forget about for as long as you would wish. We aren't suggesting that this would be the only way people could donate, just a nice easy way to feel like you're contributing without it putting a big dent in your pocket.

Again, this would be completely optional and in no way would anyone be obligated to do this.

I've used the word "subscription" as that is how Paypal describe the type of payment in their own terminology. It's a subscription in as much as it is a recurring Paypal payment.

I think we've had some good views put across, and people have voiced their opinion. Please continue! :)
 
Hey guys, id be more than happy to do this, after all i pay £45 a year for PFK which is not nearly as informative as this site, ill also pay a bit extra to support LFS so i consider this no different. I totally understand if some cannot afford it or do not wish to and love the fact it is purely choice with the services remaining unchanged for anyone.
However id second the 'subscribers thread' simply based on the fact i personally would like to offer up unwanted plants and equipment to subscribed members before posting on the open market so to speak, that way the people who donate can also support others that are willing to part with a small donation.

I know you guys work really hard and donate a large amount of your time to keep the forum growing and increasing the awareness of the hobby. That is no mean feat which i became aware of at Aquatics live, setting up and pulling down all the gear including full tank set ups is a mission which is undertaken out of good will by just a few, if a few quid a month helps make that continue ill support that any day of the week.:thumbup:
 
IMO the original idea is fine, but it needs to be kept stupidly simple, as soon as strings become attached things become unnecessarily complicated and start heading in to trouble. For me it's of paramount importance that the original ethos and integrity of the forum is not compromised, since that is fundamental to it's identity and what many of us love about it.
 
I think if you are going to ask for subscriptions, then you need to produce accounts that are available to members who subscribe. This forum seems to have more sponsors than most. Certainly more than say, the British Cichlid Association. But they have a £5 annual membership fee which entitles members to a members only area on their website, and also access to electronic bi monthly magazines. At the end of the day, I think that "added value" needs to be offered if you are going to ask for subscriptions. Otherwise its just a case of forum members funding a few people to attend shows isn't it ?
 
I think that "added value" needs to be offered if you are going to ask for subscriptions

This is why 'subscriptions' is the wrong term. It is simply an idea for a voluntary donation that folks can choose to make regularly if they want to - just as is available now by clicking the Donate button below, but giving the option to have it automatically happen on a regular basis for those that deem ukaps worthy. I dont think their should be any reward or recognition for it.
 
This is why 'subscriptions' is the wrong term. It is simply an idea for a voluntary donation that folks can choose to make regularly if they want to - just as is available now by clicking the Donate button below, but giving the option to have it automatically happen on a regular basis for those that deem ukaps worthy. I dont think their should be any reward or recognition for it.

Really ? Then surely those people would effectively be sponsors ?
 
I'd rather think of them as supporters, as they are doing it voluntarily for the good of the leading forum of the hobby they love :)

Fair enough. I just think that more people are likely to do it if there is something in return. Otherwise its like I said, it seems to be just a case of donating money so a few people can attend more shows.
 
I use a cycling forum and they have this exact system in place. It's a much busier place, mind, but a lot of people donate in that way (myself included) as they feel that the forum and the community built around it is worth it. We don't get anything special other than a small gold star next to our username to denote that we donate in this way. I think it costs me £3 every 3 months, although they have the option of donating more much the same as we're discussing.

Also, some have commented that £1 seems a bit silly. To my mind, we have something like 8,000 registered users. If only an eighth of those people donated a £1 a month you can see that this would be a lot of money.

I want to reiterate again that this idea is completely voluntary! People seem to be getting stuck on the idea of "why should I pay" when in reality we wouldn't be asking you too. If you felt that UKAPS is a useful resource and you wished to show your support then you would be welcome to donate something (as is the case now). But, you would also have the option of donating automatically/regularly. £1 a month is obviously £12 a year. That's the same as making several ad-hoc donations over the same time period for buying and selling plants.

This poll is not a trick question. There's no hidden agenda here.
 
Otherwise its like I said, it seems to be just a case of donating money so a few people can attend more shows

Try to remember that simply having the forum turned on costs money, also the fact that the shows are what gets UKAPS's name out there without which the community would not be what it is today not to mention the awareness of UKAPS that brings in the sponsorship to even allow me to type this ;)
Dont be under the impression that the shows are just a big jolly, they have a purpose that requires months of planning... which is also why UKAPS had one of the most impressive and popular stand at Aquatics live.

The shows are also open to all, the more the merrier :)
 
I know its not a trick question Steve, but do you think it might have a negative effect on donations through the sales thread? You know what people can be like, they may think it's not important to donate a % of a sale etc as subscribers are covering it. Also, there is a risk your subscribers will probably be just the people who donate at the moment and not much will be gained.

Personally I wish something could be implemented in sales / buying part seeing as most people get good bargains here.
 
I think if you are wanting to term the income as donations then there should not be any visible recognition as to who has or has not donated because this then becomes a divide between members.
Some members may contribute hugely to the forum by perhaps welcoming new members or just regularly posting but if they choose not to donate then perhaps that will make them look like a lesser member?
Offering a subscription is a tried & tested method but appealing for donations is not (well it is new to me) maybe not a trick question but a tricky way to go about things?
 
I'm not a regular visitor to ukaps and often go for weeks without even looking in.Sometimes I just don't have the time. Having said that it's a great forum. I know I can pop in any time and be amongst people who share my interest in fish and fish keeping. If I have any kind of question or concern I can come here for help and advice. Sometimes I just come and look at the great scapes people have achieved - it's an enjoyable way to spend a few minutes and sparks off ideas for what I'd like to have a go at. For these reasons I'd be happy to donate a small regular amount. I wouldn't want anything in return as ukaps already provides so much and having a hubby who is a computer nerd means I'm well aware that a site like this has running costs :)

Viv
 
Think this had been taken out of context, some great feedback, Steve raised this with the right intentions and to some extent its heading in a different direction, the forum has a built in function where you can make a contribution for an "upgrade" and that automatically places you on a different user group and then at the end of the said period of the upgrade you have a choice to renew the upgrade or let it expire and move back out of the user group, this just facilitates contributions that's all and less of a management overhead for the society.

All people have seen is "well why should I pay for some of you to attend shows" and little else and "what do I get in return", this idea was never meant to be seen as a "subscription" to something extra, just to facilitate those that want to contribute even if is just a handful of people, maybe the question should have not been asked and the feature just enabled and it was there if you wanted to use it.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
 
Some very good points here, like I've just read... Even if everyone just paid just a pound a year that's 8k + to help keep UKAPS running - I for one do not have a problem paying a subscription.... And i think its a very good idea.
Think of it this way guys, if UKAPS had to shut up shop tomorrow because of running costs, where would we all be then!?
I know for one, being new to this hobby and the help and advice I have had since being on here has saved me allot of money... £££'s in fact!
 
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