Quote:
Originally Posted by Patchjacket
It comes to mind that Bill and Kerry established the forum to complement the Camelot site. It's comparable to adding a cafe to a filling station. The filling station is doing well. The cafe isn't pulling it's weight and is costing a lot in time and energy.
In such cases a business owner would either re-tool the cafe business to run according to the business plan or shut it down. Perhaps the forum was too big a step. Perhaps their interests are now elsewhere. Or, perhaps they need deep pocket sponsors.
It's not the customer's problem!
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Where the filing station and cafe analogy breaks down is that you typically have to at least buy a cuppa coffee (if not the breakfast special) to sit at the cafe. Speaking of coffee, the mentioned $30 per year subscription translates to a paltry $2.50 per month. That's less than than what you'd have to shell out for just a single cafe latte. That's cheap!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baggywrinkle
Some suggestions for the administrations discussion
-If technically viable, Avalon remains available for all comers on a read only basis. This way no one is denied critical information.
- paid subscribers are held to a higher standard leaving the food fight of the open forum and entering a classroom/library environment. Serious participants only.
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Baggywrinkle's suggestion of allowing non-subscribers to read threads on the forum but not to post is akin in
Patchjacket's filing station analogy to being able to look at people through the cafe window enjoying a meal and even being able to overhear the conversation at the table, but not being able to order anything or being a part of any conversation. Maybe if they are hungry enough, thirsty enough or if the conversation in there sounds interesting enough, they might just be motivated to walk in and pay for a cup of coffee.