talkmagic.co.uk

I realise this is probably not the correct forum for this thread, but it seemed the most appropriate.

I was looking at the subscriber options over at the Aeclectic Tarot Forum; it appears that members there have to pay a subscription fee in order to receive certain benefits. Benefits that we, here at TM, probably take for granted because we get them for free. (Like custom avatars and access to the general chat forum, for example). I was wondering why they feel they have to charge for these benefits, yet TM doesn't make any charge. I don't know anything about running an internet discussion forum, so excuse my ignorance, but I'm just curious as to the reason for the difference in the way two forums are run.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/forum/su ... ails.shtml

I imagine that TM generates enough income via advertising. I think that charging for certain sections of TM would take a lot of the energy out of the forum. There would be a danger of it becoming simply like-minded folk discussing the same topics over and over again ad naseum. With TM being free we always get the odd free radical coming in and rocking our world - which is good! I think...

I'm a member of Aeclectic Tarot too, but the place is nowhere near as vibrant as TM. It's a very earnest place, and there's no room for a bit of friendly banter. Heated discussions are frowned upon, and if anyone so much as has a slightly difficult viewpoint to one of the more established members they all gather around for a group hug and tell each other how great they all are.

Having said that, I'd happily pay for access to certain sections of TM, but I don't think it's a good idea personally.

themagicwand wrote:...It's a very earnest place, and there's no room for a bit of friendly banter. Heated discussions are frowned upon, and if anyone so much as has a slightly difficult viewpoint to one of the more established members they all gather around for a group hug and tell each other how great they all are...

Not just me that thought that, then. I've also noticed that their moderators can be very strict, in certain cases almost dictating what can and cannot be posted in a thread. Far be it from me to judge a mod, but sometimes I think they can be a trifle harsh. Just my opinion, of course. Having said all that, I still think it's a great forum for the Tarot enthusiast.

I think you're right about the advertising revenue on TM. I've noticed a distinct lack of ads on Aeclectic, so that probably explains the need for a subscription fee.

I for one, would no longer post on any forum if i had to pay.

I feel that the information i share on line, would be worth a small fortune in a book.

And that this information , given freely is payment enough.

I should clarify that basic membership on AT is free; a paid subscription brings extra benefits.

When the invitation-only applied psychology majordomo list I'm on (not even a web forum) polled subscribers recently about charging simply to house the conversation archive, some of the members (led by a couple of professors) threatened to set up on their own.

Probably best to keep it free.

TN was originally set up as an adition to the old Abrakazam on-line shop which eventually became emagictricks.co.uk. In those days the shop sales subsidised the forum cost but once that was sold to the new owners TM was subsidised by other non-magic enterprises. Advertising was added a while back to cover the costs of server space and so on and seems to be on an even keel. To add fee paying would be possible but rather complex to administer - especially with the bunch of part timers we have as Mods !

When Steve Brooks originally stole the KJMagic format for creating what is now the Magic Cafe there was a very brief attempt at charging for levels of membership; after all, Steve was "in dire straights" and the Cafe was a means by which to support him in his hour of need... or so the story went; a decade of butt kissing later and he seems to be healed and greedier than ever. Nonetheless, he learned to place the income bearing elements into "safer" areas, seeing how advertisers believe in the numbers game vs. quality of patron.

I can assure you, the charges for advertising on the majority of forums don't match their "circulation" realities but rather, reflect the ego of the forum owner. This isn't true with all forums; groups like Buskers Cafe and White Hayden's Scoundrel's group extend fairly reasonable rates of $5.00 to $50.00 a month depending on ad size. But, advertisers are reaching the working pros in most cases, when it comes to said forums (not to belittle what we do here at TM, mind you).

There have been a number of "exclusive" forums on line that required a membership fee but I'm not aware of any that have survived more than a year or two.

stuart Cumberland has just started to charge for his.Ive not paid, as to be honest i wasnt on there that often, and most of the people i spoke to on there are available via other forums

If I'm brutally honest, I wouldn't pay for Forum memberships, far too easy for such enterprises to take the money and close down without any recourse !

I'd never pay for a forum membership, there're far too many other forums out there that don't charge.