Though I'm glad to see a purported "1000 members", but since the ContaxInfo forum has now turned into a fee based forum when it reached a certain point, is the same thing going to happen to this forum? If it was to reach 5000 members, would it be turned into a fee based forum?
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Will HasselbladInfo turn into a fee based forum
- Thread starter afranklin
- Start date
old_admin_CI
Well-Known Member
Hi Austin,
there is currently no need to introduce something similar as at Contaxinfo on this forum. The costs running this forum are well below the Contax Forum. It is just a lot smaller and less labour intensive.
We can not predict the future about the growth rate and cost structures in 2-5 years. Neither for this forum, nor for any other forum on the internet. I personnally think (I agree on that point with Dirk), that in a few years, the "free" internet will not look like it looks today. Except all producers are planning to throw big money via ads to all sites available on the internet
But apart of that, there is nothing wrong with reducing costs with the help of the users. You can see this movement more and more in Germany. As long as it is not more than around 2 USD/ month, I do not see any problem here. This is on all our forums already now possible via the "donate" option, which is standard on all our sites since their inception.
But let us not debate on a Hasselblad Forum a Contax subject. As far as I know the decision is made by now over there and there is no reason to discus this backwards in a different forum.
Enjoy your Hasselblad gear
there is currently no need to introduce something similar as at Contaxinfo on this forum. The costs running this forum are well below the Contax Forum. It is just a lot smaller and less labour intensive.
We can not predict the future about the growth rate and cost structures in 2-5 years. Neither for this forum, nor for any other forum on the internet. I personnally think (I agree on that point with Dirk), that in a few years, the "free" internet will not look like it looks today. Except all producers are planning to throw big money via ads to all sites available on the internet
But apart of that, there is nothing wrong with reducing costs with the help of the users. You can see this movement more and more in Germany. As long as it is not more than around 2 USD/ month, I do not see any problem here. This is on all our forums already now possible via the "donate" option, which is standard on all our sites since their inception.
But let us not debate on a Hasselblad Forum a Contax subject. As far as I know the decision is made by now over there and there is no reason to discus this backwards in a different forum.
Enjoy your Hasselblad gear
ruben_blaedel
Well-Known Member
I think one of the concerns have been if it will be possible to withdraw ones posts if the forum turns into a " commercial" site, as this could be seen as some else making a profit on the knowlede put into asnwer by people the forum. I would prefer the donate style, but in the case it turns into a pay site I would leave the Nikon, Canon and Contax forum (have left contax) and stay with the hasselblad and leica forum as I only visit the others occasionally. - ruben
Indeed. As our webmaster (Admin) will know, Ruben is 100% right: this site is nothing (!!!) without the contributions/shared knowledge of the subscribers.
I would never pay money to be able to contribute to a site like this, and in doing so help the site make a buck or two. Noone in his right mind should/would.
Quite the contrary: we should expect to get payed the very minute someone else starts trying to make money with anything we, not he/she, contribute.
I would never pay money to be able to contribute to a site like this, and in doing so help the site make a buck or two. Noone in his right mind should/would.
Quite the contrary: we should expect to get payed the very minute someone else starts trying to make money with anything we, not he/she, contribute.
old_admin_CI
Well-Known Member
... as I said a few days ago, there is currently no need to talk about any kind of financing scenarios of Hasselbladinfo.com.
It is just a waste of time to talk about things which are not on any agenda yet. Nobody knows how "internet" will be in 2-5 years or which brandname will survive the digital revolution etc.
Maybe Hasselblad does not exist in 5 years, maybe we all use then a Canon 300D and join a Canon Forum, fee-based or not, maybe there will not exist any free internet forum anymore in 5 years, maybe it is all owned by Microsoft then - who knows and who cares now?
Somebody said once to me: Do not live too much in the future, enjoy the present before it is the past. IMO there is some thruth in it.
It is just a waste of time to talk about things which are not on any agenda yet. Nobody knows how "internet" will be in 2-5 years or which brandname will survive the digital revolution etc.
Maybe Hasselblad does not exist in 5 years, maybe we all use then a Canon 300D and join a Canon Forum, fee-based or not, maybe there will not exist any free internet forum anymore in 5 years, maybe it is all owned by Microsoft then - who knows and who cares now?
Somebody said once to me: Do not live too much in the future, enjoy the present before it is the past. IMO there is some thruth in it.
Hi Admin,
I believe you are missing the concern that Q.G. was expressing. I, as well, have that same concern, and it is my business to have that concern or not. I don't need to give my hard work (advice learned through many many years of personal and professional experience) away to someone else to make money from it. If there is any chance of that happening here, like on the ContaxInfo forum, then that will, unfortunately, limit my interest in contributing.
I am not trying to start a fight, simply expressing a concern, whose answer is important to my (and apparently some others as well) ability to participate here.
Regards,
Austin
I believe you are missing the concern that Q.G. was expressing. I, as well, have that same concern, and it is my business to have that concern or not. I don't need to give my hard work (advice learned through many many years of personal and professional experience) away to someone else to make money from it. If there is any chance of that happening here, like on the ContaxInfo forum, then that will, unfortunately, limit my interest in contributing.
I am not trying to start a fight, simply expressing a concern, whose answer is important to my (and apparently some others as well) ability to participate here.
Regards,
Austin
ruben_blaedel
Well-Known Member
Hi Admin
All you actually have to do is make the following statement:
"if the hasselblafforum is turned into a pay-forum all the present contributers will get the oppertunity to withdraw all their posts from the forum at no charge to the contributer"
Then everyone can relax and keep posting good advice to this good forum (and perhaps try to figure out how many misspelling I managed to get into a rather short message)
So in short - just promise us that we can withdraw if the site turns into a pay site
Regards - and thanks for an otherwise good site
Ruben
All you actually have to do is make the following statement:
"if the hasselblafforum is turned into a pay-forum all the present contributers will get the oppertunity to withdraw all their posts from the forum at no charge to the contributer"
Then everyone can relax and keep posting good advice to this good forum (and perhaps try to figure out how many misspelling I managed to get into a rather short message)
So in short - just promise us that we can withdraw if the site turns into a pay site
Regards - and thanks for an otherwise good site
Ruben
I sincerely hope Dirk makes a few bucks (or a lot of bucks) from this endeavor, and continues to expand its capabilities like he is presently doing on the Contax forum for those of us who stayed and ponied up the annual fee.
I suppose if Austin is correct in the assessment that contributions based on years of experience have a monetary value attached to them, then a lot of people on this forum owe him many dollars, because it is they that benefited from the advice. And what is good for the goose is good for the Gander... so we all must send each other a lot of money.
I suppose if Austin is correct in the assessment that contributions based on years of experience have a monetary value attached to them, then a lot of people on this forum owe him many dollars, because it is they that benefited from the advice. And what is good for the goose is good for the Gander... so we all must send each other a lot of money.
Marc,
There is only one reason any sane person would pay money to read what's posted on a forum like this. And that would indeed be that what he/she can find in such a forum would be worth the money.
Now the contributions are provided not by the person then collecting the money.
In fact, the people who do contribute those money-making bits are asked to pay to do so too.
You don't notice anything not quite right in there somewhere?
I certainly do.
Now, this being a free forum, noone earning an undeserved crust, there is no need to ask to render unto Ceasar...
So no, we must not (!) send anybody any money.
Webmaster (Admin),
While it certainly is true that we mustn't waste our time fearing things that will never come, it is your repeated use of the word "currently" that is suggestive of things more imminent than "never"... ;-)
Anyway, we will enjoy this forum as it is now. But Ruben's suggestion is a good one. A very good one.
There is only one reason any sane person would pay money to read what's posted on a forum like this. And that would indeed be that what he/she can find in such a forum would be worth the money.
Now the contributions are provided not by the person then collecting the money.
In fact, the people who do contribute those money-making bits are asked to pay to do so too.
You don't notice anything not quite right in there somewhere?
I certainly do.
Now, this being a free forum, noone earning an undeserved crust, there is no need to ask to render unto Ceasar...
So no, we must not (!) send anybody any money.
Webmaster (Admin),
While it certainly is true that we mustn't waste our time fearing things that will never come, it is your repeated use of the word "currently" that is suggestive of things more imminent than "never"... ;-)
Anyway, we will enjoy this forum as it is now. But Ruben's suggestion is a good one. A very good one.
While I do understand the logic you are forwarding, the part I don't understand is the concept that this is free. Did someone donate all the equipment used to run the site? Is Dirk a philanthropic millionaire with nothing to do but look over all these forums?
Recently Photo.net added all kinds of commercial pop-ups and banners with eye popping motion that are as distracting as hell,
in an effort to supplement their voluntary $25 annual membership contribution. That site has gotten slower and slower, and has been down quite frequently recently.
Frankly, the addition of advertising is the same concept. Someone is making money off of the expertise of the participants. Personally, I'd prefer paying a fee to having all that junk jumping around on my screen while discussing something with folks on the forum.
Recently Photo.net added all kinds of commercial pop-ups and banners with eye popping motion that are as distracting as hell,
in an effort to supplement their voluntary $25 annual membership contribution. That site has gotten slower and slower, and has been down quite frequently recently.
Frankly, the addition of advertising is the same concept. Someone is making money off of the expertise of the participants. Personally, I'd prefer paying a fee to having all that junk jumping around on my screen while discussing something with folks on the forum.