Looking for feedback on this idea to pay for ICMAG to stay here....

[JJScorpio]

Lets just make this easy. Membership to icmag costs one dollar per month or 12 dollars per year. New members get a 30 day free trial and if they like it after that they pay their membership for the year. Very easy, very fast and cheap and nothing else involved. If your membership expires you have 30 days to reup the 12 bucks for the next year or you can take your pics and your gallery is wiped. It's half the cost of a pizza per year. Does that sound ok to everyone?

Let me get an account started and Ill post the account that everyone sends their money orders to. Its done now.


edit. If you believe this you need to send me 100 bucks a year, lol....

 

[JJScorpio]

I don't think ppl would pay to use the forums when there are plenty of free weed forums to go around. Not to mention, these days, i woulnd't pay because i think, over the years and with more and more ppl joining the forum, the crowd is too big and the quality of posting has gone way down.

And if you wanna save bandwith, start deleting totally useless threads like "perpetual word association" where you have some 415 pages of ppl posting words that kinda match the previous. HELLO!? How useless can you get?
Sure a nice way to spam those 50 posts needed to use the PM system, but beyond that.. So useless. If this was some kindergarten learning english forum, then it would be off the hook, but on a weed forum.. Useless like tits on a bull.

How about making and selling more of those nice ICmag and Bastard Brew t-shirts? I bought 2 or 3 back in the day. T-shirts are always usefull. As a gift or if you just wanna rep something.

All the more reason to pay 12 bucks a year. The stupid posters and trolls arent going to pay it and the quality of posts will greatly improve. A buck a month to store all your photos and have a safe server. How do you go wrong?

 

[Dr Dog]

I would pay what was needed

My hobby is growing weed, ICmag has become an integral part of that hobby, either for info, feedback, or just to chuckle at some of the jokers out there. I spend a good 2 to 3 hours logged in here a day, everyday.

As for cutting some of the members in half by having a membership, so be it, the true pros will stick around, and hopefully get rid of some of the undesirables that like to hang around and cause shit.

At a former forum I belonged to, they had a donation style membership plan.
30 dollars a year would buy you a bronze membership, in which you could get certain priveleges
60 bucks a year would get you a gold membership, which would obviously give you more, I am not sure what kind of incentives could be offered to distinguish between the plans, but the one thing that sticks out at me, is bandwidth, I need more than 150K of space for pics. Possibly adding up top a Gb of space for gold members.

Other ideas, could be swag, such as branded hats, shirts, etc. I would love an icmag golf towel, for my golf bag.

Seed giveaways with memberships works for me as well. I could and would gladly donate some beans here and then when I need to, I know my close friends would here as well.

Do not be afraid of changing stuff, I consider this the Premier site for all things weed, if changes are necessary to keep it that way, so be it. Keep a free section for the masses, but the people who want more will pay for it

 

[confused]

I'm completely down to pay money or donate seeds when the time comes.

If you want any suggestions with a forum similar to this, Shroomery(dotcom) has what they call a "supporter account" that is 5 a month or 50 a year. It gives you access to forums that normal ppl can't get in, and you get a nice little <s> (supporter) tag by your name.

 

[RudolfTheRed]

I don't know I just thought about this... and paying to talk about weed? Eh... I've got trusted family & friends for that.

If I need info then I would lurk or just use another free forum as my source. I'm sure a lot of people would do the same. I'll admit it too.. I'm a cheap bastard and don't play for anything. I also think people want to make you pay to use everything these days and I hate that. Nothing against you guys but you're asking for feedback and thats how I feel. Even if I am a newb around here.

 

[SomeGuy]

I'm sticking with Red145 on this one. And I think the commercial breeders ought to get behind it and offer free or greatly reduced prices to the raffle so that we get some high quality genes for a raffle.

When you look at it, thats what everybody wants, quality genetics and tips on how to get the best out of it. Breeders want people talking about their quality and buying their genetics.

A single pack of something special has the potential to generate hundreds of dollars rather than a single sale of $75 to $100. I mean, if I want a pack, I'll just buy it when I need it, but on the other hand I'd be more apt to chuck in $5 to $10 for a chance at a pack of $100+ beans which I personally, am unlikely to just buy.

The upside is that those that can afford it will participate and nobody gets excluded from the info. If theres no participation, then you can always try another avenue.

My Idea really is the most sensible,lets face it,mandatory subscriptions would cut the members in half!!Keep it all free,all you cats can still send in yer beans,.....and right up top by the banner display a small thermometer with whats needed.Once a month there is a drawing from the list of donators and they win a prize.......no special forum,maybe a new line in a sig like ICMag power supporter or sumthin like that.

keep it simple....donate if ya can,but stay even if ya cant,the ones who can get in the drawing and the site goes on.its a doable scenario that would generate some money,enuf is hard tellin,but its a start!!

every time ya donate yer name goes in the hat!!more ya donate better yer chances of winnin..

Ie:say this months prize is a pak a Shroomy Deez......why how many of us would send in a ten or twenty for a shot at that raffle???I would and so will you!!

set up a pay-pal account to accept the donations,keep it seperate from everything else and make it easy to donate.

if ya need anything else let me know,I am usually here in the morning,afternoon and evenings!!LOL

Rite up there above welcome,,,,,a little thermometer,can ya see it?I can

 

[Endo]

I don't know I just thought about this... and paying to talk about weed? Eh... I've got trusted family & friends for that.

If I need info then I would lurk or just use another free forum as my source. I'm sure a lot of people would do the same. I'll admit it too.. I'm a cheap bastard and don't play for anything. I also think people want to make you pay to use everything these days and I hate that. Nothing against you guys but you're asking for feedback and thats how I feel. Even if I am a newb around here.

how do you feel about giving something back to a community that can/will give you so much.. how about all those people that expect everything for free? everything costs money in this world, its unfortunate but thats the way it is. remember generosity always comes back 10x. i think a few bucks in good karma is never a bad thing. the more you give the more you can get back. maybe im biased here cause everytime i have ever asked a ? or needed help with anything, someone was always there to give a helping hand and guide me in the right direction. ive never been part of a more helpful community than i have here. sure there are some trolls but for the most part this site is the cats ass. i for one would like to keep it that way and if it means tossing a few bucks in, i have no problem with that. i think of it as going to a party and tossing the host a few bucks for beer, is that not a good thing to do? you might be a noob here but as long as you conduct yourself in a respectable manner, you will see what a great community this is and what it really can offer that other sites cannot.

endo

 

[Sleepy]

Red seems to be the voice of reason...i agree with dr. dog, too...

Red seems to be the voice of reason...i agree with dr. dog, too...

why not also sell some ICMAG branded stuff??

lighters, papers, books, grobots...t-shirts, hats...clear eyes...

an online shop of sorts.

i would send seeds or $$ or both.

 

[Sammet]

I would pay what was needed

My hobby is growing weed, ICmag has become an integral part of that hobby, either for info, feedback, or just to chuckle at some of the jokers out there. I spend a good 2 to 3 hours logged in here a day, everyday.

As for cutting some of the members in half by having a membership, so be it, the true pros will stick around, and hopefully get rid of some of the undesirables that like to hang around and cause shit.

At a former forum I belonged to, they had a donation style membership plan.
30 dollars a year would buy you a bronze membership, in which you could get certain priveleges
60 bucks a year would get you a gold membership, which would obviously give you more, I am not sure what kind of incentives could be offered to distinguish between the plans, but the one thing that sticks out at me, is bandwidth, I need more than 150K of space for pics. Possibly adding up top a Gb of space for gold members.

Other ideas, could be swag, such as branded hats, shirts, etc. I would love an icmag golf towel, for my golf bag.

Seed giveaways with memberships works for me as well. I could and would gladly donate some beans here and then when I need to, I know my close friends would here as well.

Do not be afraid of changing stuff, I consider this the Premier site for all things weed, if changes are necessary to keep it that way, so be it. Keep a free section for the masses, but the people who want more will pay for it

Pretty much everything I'd have to say on the matter rolled up into one.

 

[PeavillePride]

I don't know I just thought about this... and paying to talk about weed? Eh... I've got trusted family & friends for that.

If I need info then I would lurk or just use another free forum as my source. I'm sure a lot of people would do the same. I'll admit it too.. I'm a cheap bastard and don't play for anything. I also think people want to make you pay to use everything these days and I hate that. Nothing against you guys but you're asking for feedback and thats how I feel. Even if I am a newb around here.

I hate how everyone wants everything for free without any thought of what others have to pay as long as they get something for nothing.This is one of many reasons i see this as a good thing.Too many people that dont want to help,dont share,dont smoke or grow etc etc etc.A post with good info is gone 5 minutes later(5 pages back ) for all the BS non MJ related posts,its an MJ site and im all for only the ones that want to grow ,share and learn being here,other wise whats the sense?Its just feedback and not a deffinate yet,but i would rather chip a little in than lose IC or have to go to one of those other unsafe and teenybopper sites with limited knowledge and endless children and bs,i wouldnt,that would be the end of my surfin days.I say pay dont pay,but in the end,the quality of living here would go way up.A troll wouldnt want to lose his $$$ by being banned,and those who pay will be here for all the right reasons,imo..

 

[Brownpants]

I like the seed donation idea best.

Paid Memberships would close off and divide the community, not a fan of that, gives me a negative feeling.

"Sign says you gotta have a membership card to get inside......"

I think Gypsy is on the right path, keeping it positive!

 

[wantaknow]

i like old pinks idea

 

[Pops]

Someone suggested that with 34,000 members paying .10 each, we could pay the bill. Unfortunately, 20,000 of those handles belong to Sproutco and I doubt that he will cough up enough cash to run the place.

I like the idea that we should donate seeds and auction them off with a minimum bid of $10. It would be nice if people could show pics of their plants and let everyone know the genetics involved. If a voluntary effort like that falls short, then other measures can be examined. I am willing to donate 250 seeds each of 12 crosses with Princess Diesel and some PD F2s that Rez gave me permission to donate as freebies. I had plans to donate some seeds as freebies anyway, and if it will help pay the bills, it would make me even happier. Just say the word,Gypsy,and tell me an addy and I will have 3250 seeds on the way. There are a couple grow threads going on now on my seeds,so that folks can see what they are getting. Who else is willing to volunteer seeds now?

 

[RED145]

"I will have 3250 seeds "
You sure you aint got 3253 seeds?Better count em again,LOL

 

[Echoes]

A good idea

A good idea

The $1/month idea sounds pretty good. I wouldn't mind paying a subscription fee as long as I got something more than a standard user or free-trial user.

With at least 500 people donating $12/year that would be about $500 a month to go towards server/bandwidth expenses. I don't know what you're paying now but that sounds like enough to put a dent in it or possibly cover it.

 

[Pops]

Red, I had close to 15,000 seeds(I think) but I sent out a bunch of testers. I would send more ,but then I would have to count them. Good thing I threw away about 12-15,00 that were immature. I didn't bother counting them.

 

[RudolfTheRed]

I hate how everyone wants everything for free without any thought of what others have to pay as long as they get something for nothing.

Look I am just letting you know how I feel. If you want to start charging for memberships then by all means start collecting money. I am a firm believer in keeping things free though and I would like the website to stay that way. I like the idea of people donating seeds & selling them to raise money but I don't think you should have to pay for a membership.

 

[MoeBudz^420]

Well, If the price was fair, and/or there was a chance to win some bred genetics or other prizes I just might buy in. But I learned pretty much all I needed in 4 yrs on OG, and my time bouncing around after it's demise, & then winding up here - the best site left by far...

And thus I just might go quietly into the night as well. I read way more than I post anyhow, & have no need to ask many questions. We'll have to see what happens I guess, and I'll make up my mind then...



Peace

edit: Free is good, especially when it comes to cannabis. Money drives + causes all the "problems" that keep it illegal...

 

[JJScorpio]

Do you guys remember how slow OG was near the end. New equipment costs a lot of money, believe it or not. I have no knowledge what it costs to run this site per month, but I know it isn't free.

Gypsys going to sell seeds regardless of whether this place exists or not. I think I'd get sick of footing up the bill/equipment when it breaks down knowing I could be banking that money.

There may be 35000 members but probably around 10000 that use it often. Asking for donations ain't going to cut it and people get pissed when ordered to pay as a subscription. Do you guys want to get rid of the photo galleries? That takes up a lot of room. Personally, I like having a place to store my photos and not having to keep them at my house. Do you know what it's worth if you get busted and you don't have those pictures laying around as evidence against you?

I really don't like the thought of passing unknown genetics around. It can weaken the gene pool. All that leaves is a subscription with a special forum for paid members. But how many people are going to actually get involved in that? Would a thousand people do it at 25 dollars a clip? Would 2000 or more people do it at 10 dollars a clip.

I don't know. I don't blame Gypsy for wanting to make the site self sufficient. Its an awful lot of hassle to pay for it. He might better take the money and flood advertising on other sites. No headaches, just as much business.

I'm just curious, how many people would actually pay 25 dollars a year for a special forum, a special insignia by their names and some special contests. I would.

 

[Smurf]

I send some beans in earlier this week, which leads me to my next inquiry,, would the cats at SB make the final decision to use them as freebies or for fund raising (what ever that may be)? ,,, not that it really concerns me how they're utilized ,, would we specifically mark them as "bandwidth beans" or post to a diff addy?


edit: I have no probs with paying a subscription fee - $25 ,, whats that? - just over $2/mth or 50 cents/wk,, pretty damn cheap when you look at what you get in return.

smurf