OM REGULARS: Would You Pay Extra for a Members Only Forum?

[BroncoBuff]

Welcome! ... to all the newcomers here on OrangeMane.com, the #1 Fan Forum site in the NFL. "The OM" is setting new records - almost 50 new members a day, 200 a week, and on Thursday August 3, Twelve-Hundred Users visited the site. :bandwagon

But for OM veterans, there is something of a downside to all this: the site is slower, the threads are more scattered, and finding your buds in them is not as easy as before. Things will prolly get much more fragmented when they actually start playing football! So ..... I'd like to re-start an old thread topic:"WOULD YOU PAY EXTRA FOR A MEMBER'S ONLY FORUM and/or SECTION?"I'm not sure how it would work or what Taco John would need in subscriber fees ($25 a season? $50?), but I'd like to get something in place before the season starts. Maybe limit premium members based on fees only, or maybe on length of time as an OM member, or minimum # of posts, or a combination of these. Maybe certain veterans, say 3yr/5000 post, could get the first year free to ensure a quality user base.

IMO, it would be just a separate Forum page (like "Off Topics" or "College Football" now), so paying members could go back and forth.

Thoughts .... ?

[Atlas]

Welcome! ... to all the newcomers here on OrangeMane.com, the #1 Fan Forum site in the NFL. "The OM" is setting new records - almost 50 new members a day, 200 a week, and on Thursday August 3, Twelve-Hundred Users visited the site. :bandwagon

But for OM veterans, there is something of a downside to all this: the site is slower, the threads are more scattered, and finding your buds in them is not as easy as before. Things will prolly get much more fragmented when they actually start playing football! So ..... I'd like to re-start an old thread topic:
"WOULD YOU PAY EXTRA FOR A MEMBER'S ONLY FORUM and/or SECTION?"

I'm not sure how it would work or what Taco John would need in subscriber fees ($25 a season? $50?), but I'd like to get something in place before the season starts. Maybe limit premium members based on fees only, or maybe on length of time as an OM member, or minimum # of posts, or a combination of these. Maybe certain veterans, say 3yr/5000 post, could get the first year free to ensure a quality user base.

IMO, it would be just a separate Forum page (like "Off Topics" or "College Football" now), so paying members could go back and forth.

Thoughts .... ?

only if it was a Bronco fan only forum. If I'm going to pay that money then I don't want to wade through endless troll takes.

Actually I would spend the money for the forum but then I probably wouldn't donatethe $20 a year that I do now so I guess TJ wouldn't be makingany money of me.

[GreatBronco16]

only if it was a Bronco fan only forum. If I'm going to pay that money then I don't want to wade through endless troll takes.


I second that. And I wouldn't want our own trolls in their either. Mock, comes to mind first.

[Borks147]

I'd go for seniority but not number of posts, some people just like to read and it would be a disservice for them to not be able to get on the premium forum even though they've been here longer than guys who have 100 fluff posts a day

[Connecticut Bronco Fan]

I am by no stretch of the imagination a regular poster, but I visit the site religously. Orangemane is one of the best websites on the internet if you ask me, but the thing that makes the sight so awesome is it being free for anyone to use and access.

Now I know you proposed a forum that will only be accessable by paying members. But all that would do is give you another "slow" running forum, but you'd have to pay for it. and by making it a pay site, the paying members would only post in the special forum, making the free forums dull and void. This will end up killing the awesomeness of the site overall.

If you really want to donate some cash to the site, or to Taco John, perhaps he could open up a donation account on paypal, or something like that.

Thank you for your time
CTBF

[CBF1]

""Maybe certain veterans, say 3yr/5000 post, could get the first year free to ensure a quality user base""

This is funny.... So you think guys like Mock would ensure a quality user base? I am all for supporting the site if TJ needs some help, but would not support something like this...... Like I would qualify anyways :)

[BroncoBuff]

If you really want to donate some cash to the site, or to Taco John, perhaps he could open up a donation account on paypal, or something like that.

Good idea! I PM'd Taco John, and he immediately opened a PayPal donation site:Click to Donate (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=editor%40orangemane%2ecom&item_name=OrangeMane%2ecom&no_shipping=2&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8)




I advise $20 to $25 a year like Atlas, Florida Bronco, myself and many others. And, PLEASE DONATE BEFORE THE SEASON STARTS! TJ's not getting rich you know ...

(kidding, BTW .... the PayPal donation site was already there!)

[BroncoBuff]

""Maybe certain veterans, say 3yr/5000 post, could get the first year free to ensure a quality user base""

This is funny.... So you think guys like Mock would ensure a quality user base? I am all for supporting the site if TJ needs some help, but would not support something like this...... Like I would qualify anyways :)
I wasn't thinking of mock when I suggested that ... I suppose we could bar him - but TJ's the shotcaller here, I just want to get the ball rolling before they start playing games.

And I agree that "minimum # of posts" is a bad qualifier ... like aborquez said.

[watermock]

First you just thumped your own chest BroncoBuff there was a donation link on the old site, it just hasn't been put on the front page yet. I'm not going to disclose what I have donated to the USO.

I'm not opposed to a donation drive but not to divide the site up whatsoever. If you think I'm a troll your entitled to your opinion. Did Taco ask you to make a thread? This has allready been discussed by people. You don't think I could afford a "members only" club or maybe you just don't like my opinions and want to make it an exclusionary "club". Let me explain something. T.J. has the right and sometimes obligation to discipline and or ban anyone he wants to with impunity, regardless if you send nothing or 2k.

I said over a year ago that the board would soon be overun and another server would be needed, at least the third in the boards history. I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't appreciate the constant insults, and I certainly get tired of the insults. I don't even want speculate what I would do to make the board move faster but that has allready been done. The stone cold fact is Taco has a healthy child on the way in a couple weeks, maybe less, so his financial obligations will increase, and no doubt, allready have. Enough of that. Alot of my posts came in the war and politics room before it completely fell apart. I don't care to go into the details, but it wasn't me. Thousands of posts are in that forum. That doesn't mean I haven't posted here, but to assert that you make an exclusionary area to deny me on your or anyone else's opionion is ludicrous.

I have nothing against sarcastic commentary from the COMEDY CHANNEL, but don't you find it rather ironic to shoot down any opinion of mine. This is baiting.

[watermock]

I wasn't thinking of mock when I suggested that ... I suppose we could bar him - but TJ's the shotcaller here, I just want to get the ball rolling before they start playing games.

I didn't know you were a moderator BroncoBuff. Let me check.

[watermock]

I'm more than happy to donate because a half million rain came thru two days ago but your making some absurd comments about exclusion. Your just baiting anyway.

[BroncoBuff]

mock you idiot - I wasn't the one who suggested barring you - it was TWO OTHERS who suggested it!

Yes, I agree that (like I said) TJ's the shot-caller.

I did give a poll-choice (number 1) for a pay site that anybody could join.

This isn't my idea, drunky, somebody else started an identical thread to this about 6 or 8 months ago ... and ....

I DID SAY that the donate link was already there.




S o o o o o....... I guess that takes care of all your drunken rants so far ...

[watermock]

mock you idiot - I wasn't the one who suggested barring you - it was TWO OTHERS who suggested it! And yes, I agree that (like I said) TJ's the shot-caller.

But I did give a poll-choice (number 1) for a pay site that anybody could join. And BTW, somebody else started an identical thread to this about 6 or 8 months ago ...

S O O O . . . . I think that pretty much takes care of all your drunken rants (so far)....

No it doesn't you dimwit. It has nothing about my "rants", it has everything about a descion to divide the forum. WTF are you on?

On the UNITY PARADE" I see. I don't care if you didn't suggest it. You didn't call it out, I had to, and it's your thread.

I allready said that unless your a moderator and even if you are, you don't talk in a public forum twice. You didn't exactly defend me either, you just stepped away. You also postured and preened. There was a donation thread all the way before the server was changed less than a month ago, so don't kiss your shoulder too much.

I allready it's been suggested, over a year ago.

[BroncoBuff]

I'm more than happy to donate because a half million rain came thru two days ago but your making some absurd comments about exclusion. Your just baiting anyway.
Half a million, eh? Then why did you vote "I have no money"?

But if you are so flush, you should kick in 500 dollars based upon your prodigious use of the site. PM me when your donation goes through, friend.

[watermock]

So. I will clarify my point.

Taco put a button on the discussion page.

The old home page HAD a donation button. On a home page he hasn't nor will likely be able to establish soon?

[watermock]

Half a million, eh? Then why did you vote "I have no money"?

But if you are so flush, you should kick in 500 dollars based upon your prodigious use of the site. PM me when your donation goes through, friend.

Your such a dick. It was a crop failure. It's not some check. I'm so glad your so happy it rained.

I never said I was flush once, ever. You keep moving it more personal. I said I might be able to make a significant donation.

[BroncoBuff]

MODS! Can we bar mock - from this page at least ? ?

[24champ]

I like this board, but this a bad idea. I know it will turn into a country club board. I vote no.

[Taco John]

Mock, why does every thread you get involved in devolve into a flame war?

It's rediculous!

Yeah, you got insulted in this thread. Have you noticed that you dish out a lot of insults? You can't go a page without calling someone a name. Obviously any premium option is going to be available equally to fans... But obviously nobody wants to read your endless flame wars and latest reports about how much money you're donating to the USO.

How about turning the other cheek sometime and sparing us the flame war now and again?

[Taco John]

I like this board, but this a bad idea. I know it will turn into a country club board. I vote no.



I don't really know what that even means.

[24champ]

I don't really know what that even means.
There will be elitism because somebody has access to the premium forum while some other members will not have access to that forum.

[watermock]

I was immediatly attacked.

All my comment was that he wasn't a moderator and you hadn't gotten the donation peg up.

It's not importtant. I'm juist happy it rained or I might just be totally in the mix.

The idea that you won't accept donations, I know that you didn't have your front page reconstructed yed

I don't know why he thinks the forum should be divided, you suggested it we suggested it, and it's still up to you.

Ijust think it's totally arbitary.

[baja]

can it be Pay = loading priority in order to give the folks that pay less wait time while all else stays the same?

[baja]

I was immediatly attacked.

All my comment was that he wasn't a moderator and you hadn't gotten the donation peg up.

It's not importtant. I'm juist happy it rained or I might just be totally in the mix.

The idea that you won't accept donations, I know that you didn't have your front page reconstructed yed

I don't know why he thinks the forum should be divided, you suggested it we suggested it, and it's still up to you.

Ijust think it's totally arbitary.

You can donate I did yesterday and you are sluring your typing again. ;D

[watermock]

Why?

It's 4 O'clock.

I['m not suppost to hear that I should donate 500 dollars because of a "windfall'? I don't believe I used that term. I think I said "crop failure". That means people get cheap food while OPEC is robbing them blind.

[fdf]

Welcome! ... to all the newcomers here on OrangeMane.com, the #1 Fan Forum site in the NFL. "The OM" is setting new records - almost 50 new members a day, 200 a week, and on Thursday August 3, Twelve-Hundred Users visited the site. :bandwagon

But for OM veterans, there is something of a downside to all this: the site is slower, the threads are more scattered, and finding your buds in them is not as easy as before. Things will prolly get much more fragmented when they actually start playing football! So ..... I'd like to re-start an old thread topic:"WOULD YOU PAY EXTRA FOR A MEMBER'S ONLY FORUM and/or SECTION?"I'm not sure how it would work or what Taco John would need in subscriber fees ($25 a season? $50?), but I'd like to get something in place before the season starts. Maybe limit premium members based on fees only, or maybe on length of time as an OM member, or minimum # of posts, or a combination of these. Maybe certain veterans, say 3yr/5000 post, could get the first year free to ensure a quality user base.

IMO, it would be just a separate Forum page (like "Off Topics" or "College Football" now), so paying members could go back and forth.

Thoughts .... ?


I would if political threads were banned and anyone starting one were banned. Football only.

[baja]

Why what?

[Odysseus]

I am not paying to talk to Mock, Bob, Zach or any of the other KC Trolls. I'm not paying to ignore people.

I am not paying to talk to people who want to perpetuate only one point of view. I think diversity is over-rated because in that pile are some serious idjiots but I'm not paying for a bunch of guy who agree on everything.

How much to ban Bob for a year? I would do it just for that.

I can get more from creating a private chat room and talking about what I want with who I want. I offered to pay for Taco's chat client, license fees, updates, tech support, and he won't take me up on that offer so...No Thanks.

[GreatBronco16]

You know, I rather carry on a discussion with bob than have to keep hearing Mock rambling on about stuff that doesn't make any sense. He'll start off talking about one thing, then in the very same sentence, he'll go on about something totally irrelivent. Personally, I think he is sniffing too much of the tractor fumes.

[UKBronco]

I'm a looooooooong time lurker and occasional poster, so maybe this thread doesn't really apply to me - but charging for membership would be a bad idea. Sure it would make things easier to manage for TJ, but you'd be taking away a part of the Broncos franchise, to have this place restricted would limit the community and would certainly be a huge step backwards for the orangemane.

Don't do it!

[watermock]

You know, I rather carry on a discussion with bob than have to keep hearing Mock rambling on about stuff that doesn't make any sense. He'll start off talking about one thing, then in the very same sentence, he'll go on about something totally irrelivent. Personally, I think he is sniffing too much of the tractor fumes.

For example?

You made one post.

[GreatBronco16]

For example?

You made one post.

My point exactly.



And to some of you posting, I feel like some of you think that we are asking for the entire message board to be a pay site. That is not the case. We are only asking for just one forum out of the entire message board to be for paying members.


Hell with as many members that we have here, TJ could probably charge a dollar a month and still make a good bit.

But anyway, lets get back to Mock not making any sense.

[watermock]

I just said IMO he shouldn't split the board. That is all.

[GreatBronco16]

I just said IMO he shouldn't split the board. That is all.


Then go back and Edit all your other posts to say just that. We don't need your life story just to get that opinion from you. Now go Edit, and STFU. I have forgotten more about the cost of splitting the board than you will ever know.

[watermock]

My point exactly.



And to some of you posting, I feel like some of you think that we are asking for the entire message board to be a pay site. That is not the case. We are only asking for just one forum out of the entire message board to be for paying members.


Hell with as many members that we have here, TJ could probably charge a dollar a month and still make a good bit.

But anyway, lets get back to Mock not making any sense.

That isn't what he said whatsoever. Honestly, that's up to him, which I pointed out. I never said that at all. All I ever said is that's for Taco had the decision and it had been discussed over a year ago. If a premium area is made, so be it. That's totally his descision and none of mine. I don't have to disclose an opinion that is in confidence that can be taken or thrown away as trash. I allready stated this was discussed last year. This is a new year. My objection if that should be Taco's call altho I didn't object whatsoever about a donation button/thread. It was there before the server change.

[watermock]

Then go back and Edit all your other posts to say just that. We don't need your life story just to get that opinion from you. Now go Edit, and STFU. I have forgotten more about the cost of splitting the board than you will ever know.

I objected to the assertion I should donate 500 dollars.

[GreatBronco16]

I objected to the assertion I should donate 500 dollars.


Well, one day when you come up with 499.99, maybe you can donate the 500 bucks.

Ok I'm done, you may carry on by quoting a post and your response having nothing to do with said quote.

[cutthemdown]

i dont think i would pay just to post on the mane. I love the site and think its great but shouldn't any money come from getting some sponsers? I don't how this stuff works but if you get alot of hits cant you market that? I would think if so many people are making it crowded there would be a way to capitalize on that without trying to charge people. Maybe you could sell Orangemane Tshirts or something, at least get something for being a paid member. Like you become a premium member if you pay 20 bucks a yr, but then give the person a 10 dollar cap that says orangemane or something etc etc etc. Tshirt anything just as long as its not 20 bucks for just getting to post.

[watermock]

Well, one day when you come up with 499.99, maybe you can donate the 500 bucks.

Ok I'm done, you may carry on by quoting a post and your response having nothing to do with said quote.

"THE 499.99?? That was your comment, not mine. What I said was we had a half million dollar rain. It's too bad you don't have to beg for a loaf of bread.

I'm not going to be shamed into anything. We were on the brink of bankrupcy but it's fine.

Why don't we do this and play a game. We have Taco post who has donated the most. Okay?

This site isn't even tax deductible in that amount.

You just tell me how you spent 20 and I should spend 499,88 to savy your assertons.

[broncocalijohn]

I objected to the assertion I should donate 500 dollars.
Well, maybe just $250 so the other half can go to your favorite football team, the Minnesota Vikings fan site.

[Florida_Bronco]

Mock, why does every thread you get involved in devolve into a flame war?

It's rediculous!

Yeah, you got insulted in this thread. Have you noticed that you dish out a lot of insults? You can't go a page without calling someone a name. Obviously any premium option is going to be available equally to fans... But obviously nobody wants to read your endless flame wars and latest reports about how much money you're donating to the USO.

How about turning the other cheek sometime and sparing us the flame war now and again?

Damn you TJ, I wanted to be the one to kick his teeth in! :cuss:

Seriously, you hit the nail on the head TJ. Mock has no room to be complaining about being insulted, as I doubt there is a member here he hasn't insulted at some point.

Back on topic - I agree that having a "paying members only" forum might not be the best idea. Our mods are very good about sending the garbage to the horses butt. I'll be more than happy to donate money to keep the site going though.

TJ I have a suggestion. I don't know how much bandwidth and such it would save you, but why not think about deleting users that have not logged onto the forums in more than 3 months? You could send out a mass email to them telling them that their account will be deleted if they don't respond within a week or so.

[scorpio]

Just my 2 cents, I visit another forum that has decided to add a "Members-only" premium forum and even cool little tags under your avatar just to let everyone else know how much extra you've donated and how "cool" you are. IMO it just splits the community.

I think there are a lot of good posters here who would reject the idea of paying for access to a VIP section, and also a lot of posters who would jump at the chance to show everyone else how "cool" they are by being part of the VIP section.

Now, I'm NOT saying I think paying for the forums is wrong, but personally I would rather it be an all-or-nothing deal. No elitist clique sub-forum, please.

Also, Taco, if pay-to-post is something you are really considering, you can accept recurring micro-payments through Paypal. Charging $3-$5 per month might be more palatable than $50 up front, for example.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

[Orange_Beard]

No.

[watermock]

Well, maybe just $250 so the other half can go to your favorite football team, the Minnesota Vikings fan site.

Really.

[watermock]

Then go back and Edit all your other posts to say just that. We don't need your life story just to get that opinion from you. Now go Edit, and STFU. I have forgotten more about the cost of splitting the board than you will ever know.

I never said I didn't make one than one more than one post. I said you hadn't. You have made two now.

[-Slap-]

TJ I have a suggestion. I don't know how much bandwidth and such it would save you, but why not think about deleting users that have not logged onto the forums in more than 3 months? You could send out a mass email to them telling them that their account will be deleted if they don't respond within a week or so.
I'm not in opposition to a members only forum, but I would not frequent such a place, for reasons detailed here (http://www.orangemane.com/BB/showpost.php?p=889282&postcount=25).

I think the idea of deleting dead accounts has a lot of merit. There are some people who have great user names locked up who have never even posted on the board one time.

[Orange_Beard]

I am not
How much to ban Bob for a year? I would do it just for that.


Here is an idea I can get behind.

[watermock]

Let me ask you this. How much have you contributed to Charitable donatations that might be outside the sight of our goverment

http://www.orangemane.com/BB/image.php?u=2951&dateline=1145263070

Your taking the high ground of indignance. I bet you can't even tell me where that is.

Not one person said thanks for donating to the USO in theis entire thread. Donating to the thread goes without saying if it needs it. Asking me to donate 500.000's because I coulld if I chose isn't the point so don't goad me.

I ask you a direct question. You found the starving child and didn't have a problem postigg it. I caught hell for donating to the USO and you make a starving child as an Avatatar and don't bother to make a thread to donate.

Again, I ask, how much have you donateded to save that starving child? I donate to the Christian Childrens Fund. I haven't made every payment every month. It's none of your business how much I donate. I don't have a foundation to run off of.

I tell them NOT to send me a picture so that it just goes to whoever they need it to go to. I couldn't handle what you find amusing.

Do you?

[BroncoBen]

I really like this board, but I think it’s a bad idea to make it ‘members’ only.

This board will have its cycles of heavy use, right now it’s because people want to get information about and from training camp.

Just like last season when the play-offs came around people wanted to talk about the Broncos and their quest for a SuperBowl.

But on the slow cycles, there is nothing to talk about and politics tend to crop up pretty frequently, some discussions are good others not so good.

I like the variety of topics that pop-up, you have some good Posters here and I would hate to see them go to a members only board just because the cycle is heavy and people want to increase their download speed by a few seconds on the posts.

[JCMElway]

$25 a season sounds reasonable. Also, It'd be nice if fans from rival teams were kept out of the premium site. I could do without Boob and the other KC iditos for a while.

(But having Patswin in there would be OK!)

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Again, I ask, how much have you donateded to save that starving child? I donate to the Christian Childrens Fund.
Do you?
'

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[Florida_Bronco]

I donate to the Christian Childrens Fund. I haven't made every payment every month. It's none of your business how much I donate.

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~p2mcdona/3_files/drunk-guy.gif

"I'm important dimwit, so STFU!"

[gunns]

I have to agree with Slap's reasoning. I guess though if it were just one part of the forum people could decide for themselves. My problems stems from one of the questions in the poll:

YES. But I don't have any money (caution: your vote will be made public)

Like not having money to donate categorizes someone as "less". I'm fortunate that I could donate because my children are grown, my job is good. But a lot of posters, very good posters are just starting out and don't have the money, even small amounts. I think this alienates them and you lose some of your good poster base. I would prefer to have those that can donate do it to get the best server for TJ to continue to make this the best site with a melting pot of posters with diverse ideas.

[scorpio]

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~p2mcdona/3_files/drunk-guy.gif

"I'm important dimwit, so STFU!"


Your obsession with Mock is becoming unhealthy.

[ROYC75]

Hell no....... that would be some worthless information! :poke:


FTR, I don't use any pay sites for inside info.

[Ray Finkle]

I agree with Slap.....just take the $ you would normally throw for a members only area and give it to TJ....

[Florida_Bronco]

Your obsession with Mock is becoming unhealthy.

He's such an easy target though.

[dbfan4life]

I thought the days of segregation and exclusion were over....Is Mocks money not green enough for the rest of you. Not defending Mock just saying who are we to decide who or who can't be included.

[watermock]

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~p2mcdona/3_files/drunk-guy.gif

"I'm important dimwit, so STFU!"


What do you donate BTW...I said to them I didn't want to see the pictures of kids adopted but dropped. I don't need a picture. I don't want a picture. OKK?

I don;t want it if I can't carry a kid the whole way. I will pick up some delenquent things. I don't need to see their faces.

[-Slap-]

Mock, the only charitable donations you ever make are to the Take a Penny/Leave a Penny tray on the checkout counter at the local Liquor Barn.

[smalltowngrll]

I would be willing to pay for a membership to a "members only" board of sorts.

I don't see all the fuss about this person or that person not being permitted because you don't want to read their garbage. There is a feature called the "ignore button" and quite frankly, it works marvelous for me!! I'm sure that feature would work just as well in a paid "members only" forum.

I don't know how you could define who should be allowed to be a paid member or not...either by number of posts or join date. But, I'm sure that whatever is come up with would be quite fair! I am almost of the pursuasion that number of posts should NOT be a factor as there are some here that don't post often, or through offseason, but have GREAT gems of input from time to time!!

[Odysseus]

I'm not in opposition to a members only forum, but I would not frequent such a place, for reasons detailed here (http://www.orangemane.com/BB/showpost.php?p=889282&postcount=25).

I think the idea of deleting dead accounts has a lot of merit. There are some people who have great user names locked up who have never even posted on the board one time.

I don't mind slugging it out with anybody about anything but some posters it's like hacking up a zombie. If you don't squish them they eat your brains.

I am not using the ignore feature. That is what a brain is for...unless said brain gets eaten and then we are back to square one.

What IS a premium site? Nobody seems to have defined that at this point. What do you get? What don't you get? What am I buying? The question is pretty generic. Tie it down with some details.

[jsco70]

New poster to the forum but have been lurking for awhile. I would hate to see seniority or number of posts keep me from the great content the OM veterans provide. I would gladly pay to have intelligent, troll-free Broncos discussion.

[GonzoLays]

Oh for God's sakes, just do it. We have this thread every year. Some people like the option of having a premium member's section, and other's do not. That is not going to change.

It is time to Cowboy Up. Either you are going to do it, or not. Its that simple. You can't please everyone.

[Florida_Bronco]

Mock, the only charitable donations you ever make are to the Take a Penny/Leave a Penny tray on the checkout counter at the local Liquor Barn.

:rofl:

[Dagmar]

Yes, yes I would, as long as a clique didn't develop...

[Nuggets4]

Didn't we have this exact debate (without the mock bashing) last year? And wasn't it shot down pretty hard last year?

[Odysseus]

Yes, yes I would, as long as a clique didn't develop...]

I agree 100%. I too want a heaven where everybody gets in. :giggle:

[Master___Pain]

As was mentioned above, what the point of a premium, members only section if the only benefit is no trolls? If there is to be a premium site, then I would think that this site would need media credentials so that there is something "premium" about it.

Personally I think it's a lousy idea. The paypal button is a much better alternative.

[DenverBrit]

]

I agree 100%. I too want a heaven where everybody gets in. :giggle:


http://orangemane.com/BB/attachment.php?attachmentid=16799&stc=1&d=1154704964

Me too. ;D

[Master___Pain]

This seems to be just like the rep problem that TJ perceived, and to a certain amount was real, in that it formed a "good old boys club" and alienated newer posters.

As soon as someone defines what "premium" will encompass, I will be willing to change my stance.

[Meck77]

If anyone has any ideas of how we can maintain the tailgates on this end yet absorb all the members so it doesn't become a "good ole boy" thing on our end I'm all ears also. Im dead set against exluding anyone and I think it can be avoided but it's going to take some effort from the membership base here.

Since OrangeForceOne has been doing the tailgates we've always welcomed in all Omaners but omane has gotten bigger and bigger yet there isn't any real structure of how Omane/Of1 work with one another. Just wanted to throw this out there.

The home tailgates have always been run by the same "Crew" members and they've paid their dues with alot of hard work. We've definetly had people step in from time to time while they visit but somehow I need to find a more consistent way of making sure we have enough people to help from week to week.

I don't want to hijack the thread but I do need some help/ideas on how to plan this years tailgates. I'm actually moving out of Denver and will be living in the mountains so I have alot less time to dedicate to tailgating this year.

[smalltowngrll]

Meck....I've got a few thoughts!

First, I know how it feels showing up a the tailgate, not knowing anyone and to have the "open arms" of the crew there to welcome the newcomer is awesome. Not to mention, that is how things grow....by making others feel welcomed!

So...with that thought in mind, what about posting a list of the "duties", needs and maybe "shifts" available on each of the tailgate planning threads. Most of us know at least a month ahead of time that we are coming out and we can sign up to "man the post" that we may have specialties at. For instance, I'd be glad to help clean up...but, don't dare put me in charge of a barbecue...unless you want everything WELL done! ROFL! Anyway....as time gets closer, you can fill in the gaps with the "regulars" and the recruiting for volunteers can pretty much be handled by anyone you see fit...as it's just the pre-planning! You could also work out little "job descriptions" for each needed area and send those out ahead of time so that people will know.

With those of us coming in to enjoy the tailgates choosing a "shift" per se, that would mean that we pull our portion of helping and yet we still have fun enjoying the party!

You will always have people who flame out...but, hopefully you will have more than enough 'volunteers' to cover the open spaces.

I'm sure this could be fine tuned a bit...but, it could work.

[Meck77]

You know STG something like that would definetly work. Tailgating is fun! But it can be work if the same people get stuck doing all the work.

There are easily 7-10 different duties that if I know we have one person handling each of them then Disco/Myself don't feel we have to handle all of them at once.

I'll start a tailgating brainstorming idea thread in the tailgate forum on Monday. I'm heading out of dodge for a few days but I really do want to tighten things up this year so the crew members don't get burned out.

STG you are definetly becoming the online tailgate coordinator assistant. Even if you help me organize something like this online that would be really cool. I've been trying to run the tailgate forum/run the tailgates on my own/disco for years now but we have to branch out this season.

Go Broncos!

[Drunk Monkey]

No to the members only area. You have a good thing going, please don't screw it up.

[Florida_Bronco]

You know STG something like that would definetly work. Tailgating is fun! But it can be work if the same people get stuck doing all the work.

There are easily 7-10 different duties that if I know we have one person handling each of them then Disco/Myself don't feel we have to handle all of them at once.

I'll start a tailgating brainstorming idea thread in the tailgate forum on Monday. I'm heading out of dodge for a few days but I really do want to tighten things up this year so the crew members don't get burned out.

STG you are definetly becoming the online tailgate coordinator assistant. Even if you help me organize something like this online that would be really cool. I've been trying to run the tailgate forum/run the tailgates on my own/disco for years now but we have to branch out this season.

Go Broncos!

If you guys ever bring OF1 to the Florida games, I will come and help out in any way I can.

[Steve Sewell]

I think there are enough people on this site who truly appreciate it and would step up if needed to keep the site up to snuff. Premium boards tend to fragment the community and create division amongst the masses.

I think an anonymous poll should be made available on the football discussion forum by TJ (that only he can see) with various dollar amounts per year ($25, $50, $100, $200, etc.) and find out how much you can raise. If that number falls short of what you need, then you might have to threaten(in a nice way) everyone with the potential for massive server failures or a premium board.

[Steve Sewell]

i dont think i would pay just to post on the mane. I love the site and think its great but shouldn't any money come from getting some sponsers? I don't how this stuff works but if you get alot of hits cant you market that? I would think if so many people are making it crowded there would be a way to capitalize on that without trying to charge people. Maybe you could sell Orangemane Tshirts or something, at least get something for being a paid member. Like you become a premium member if you pay 20 bucks a yr, but then give the person a 10 dollar cap that says orangemane or something etc etc etc. Tshirt anything just as long as its not 20 bucks for just getting to post.

I'm in the fundraising business for non-profits, and this would be the equivalent of a bake sale, no offense.

What needs to be done is TJ needs to ask people who he can count on to step up and help with the administrative cost of the site.

I don't know if you go to church, but if you do, you'll notice those folks that only show up for Mass for baptisms, Easter, and Christmas. The majority of the registered membership here at the Mane would fall under that category, believe it or not. There are probably about 200 die hard posters here that would give $10 a month or whatever, and that is equivalent to $24,000 a year to help run the site. I don't even think those 200 would even require a premium board for it...they just love TJ and what he's done and want to support a good thing.

What TJ needs to do is just ask those people that he can count on and get a committment from them. It's the 80/20 rule, you are going to get 80% of your financial support from 20% of your constituents. This is a fundamental that has stayed true to form in every capital campaign that I've ever been involved in.

The reason that I think TJ needs to do an anonymous poll is to get an basic idea of "how much" he needs to ask people to give to reach his goal. I'd be more than happy to provide any type of advice needed to get this done...

[Steve Sewell]

Let me ask you this. How much have you contributed to Charitable donatations that might be outside the sight of our goverment

http://www.orangemane.com/BB/image.php?u=2951&dateline=1145263070

Your taking the high ground of indignance. I bet you can't even tell me where that is.

Not one person said thanks for donating to the USO in theis entire thread. Donating to the thread goes without saying if it needs it. Asking me to donate 500.000's because I coulld if I chose isn't the point so don't goad me.

I ask you a direct question. You found the starving child and didn't have a problem postigg it. I caught hell for donating to the USO and you make a starving child as an Avatatar and don't bother to make a thread to donate.

Again, I ask, how much have you donateded to save that starving child? I donate to the Christian Childrens Fund. I haven't made every payment every month. It's none of your business how much I donate. I don't have a foundation to run off of.

I tell them NOT to send me a picture so that it just goes to whoever they need it to go to. I couldn't handle what you find amusing.

Do you?

How do you contribute to a donation?

[Steve Sewell]

Mock, the only charitable donations you ever make are to the Take a Penny/Leave a Penny tray on the checkout counter at the local Liquor Barn.

Hilarious! Hilarious! Hilarious! Hilarious! Hilarious!

[Florida_Bronco]

I'm in the fundraising business for non-profits, and this would be the equivalent of a bake sale, no offense.

What needs to be done is TJ needs to ask people who he can count on to step up and help with the administrative cost of the site.

I don't know if you go to church, but if you do, you'll notice those folks that only show up for Mass for baptisms, Easter, and Christmas. The majority of the registered membership here at the Mane would fall under that category, believe it or not. There are probably about 200 die hard posters here that would give $10 a month or whatever, and that is equivalent to $24,000 a year to help run the site. I don't even think those 200 would even require a premium board for it...they just love TJ and what he's done and want to support a good thing.

What TJ needs to do is just ask those people that he can count on and get a committment from them. It's the 80/20 rule, you are going to get 80% of your financial support from 20% of your constituents. This is a fundamental that has stayed true to form in every capital campaign that I've ever been involved in.

The reason that I think TJ needs to do an anonymous poll is to get an basic idea of "how much" he needs to ask people to give to reach his goal. I'd be more than happy to provide any type of advice needed to get this done...

That's a good idea. Add me to the list of people that would pay $10 a month.

[youcandoit1687]

I have to agree with Slap's reasoning. I guess though if it were just one part of the forum people could decide for themselves. My problems stems from one of the questions in the poll:

YES. But I don't have any money (caution: your vote will be made public)

Like not having money to donate categorizes someone as "less". I'm fortunate that I could donate because my children are grown, my job is good. But a lot of posters, very good posters are just starting out and don't have the money, even small amounts. I think this alienates them and you lose some of your good poster base. I would prefer to have those that can donate do it to get the best server for TJ to continue to make this the best site with a melting pot of posters with diverse ideas.

i agree with this. my personal situation is that i dont have the capabilities to donate, i dont have a credit card, my dad is scared of privacy hacks and i strongly doubt he would understand paying for this site. i plan on donating in person whenever i can make it to a game(hopefully xmas break 08). i saw another guy say that he had had problems with paypal. a lot of ppl arent comfortable donating over the internet and would prefer to do it in person or through the mail(although ive had bad experiences with this too). like gunns sed, some people dont have the money to donate to the mane but donate to it with insightful opinions, inside information, extensive research, etc.

my vote is to delete some of the people who havent been here in forever. look at this page and tell me, do any of you know who these posters are?
http://www.orangemane.com/BB/memberlist.php?do=getall&page=157&pp=30&order=desc&sort=lastvisit they havent posted for 3 or 4 years. by my calculation, there are about 2500 posters who havent logged in since the playoffs. if the site and broncos mean so much to them, they would have logged in since then.

i would be ok with those who pay being able to access pages faster. that is a perfectly understandable measure to take IMO and i wouldnt have a problem with it. i dont pay, give those who do a privilege. i post on an LSU site that is very "segregated" for lack of a better word and the environment is far from the same. non contributors cant see pictures, have avatars, go to certain forums, post in certain forums, etc. etc.

for now all i can offer is a big thank you to TJ and the mods and i will help in w/e ways i can online

[Steve Sewell]

That's a good idea. Add me to the list of people that would pay $10 a month.

The first thing that needs to be done is to find out how much TJ needs.

Then, we can set up an anonymous poll on the Discussion Board (because it's the busiest) viewable only by several people (confidentiality would have to be strictly enforced, obviously) to find out if they would give AND how much they would give on a monthly basis over a year's time. This would be the "feasibility study" portion of the campaign. In other words, we are trying to find out, given the amount needed, if can raise enough money or if we need to look at another option like a premium site.

The next step would be a silent "campaign" where TJ sends a PM to everyone who stated during the study that they would give with a link to the PayPal site, asking them to pledge the amount that they stated during the "study".

I say "pledge" because people's situations may change. A poster might lose a job and not be able to pay anymore, or a poster might win the lottery and be able to cover the cost of the site by themselves.

For people who can't give their yearly "pledge" all in one chunk, TJ could easily set up a system to track how they'd like to make their payments (I don't know if PayPal can do a monthly or quarterly deduction) and send friendly reminder PM's on a monthly or quarterly (however the poster prefers to divvy it up) basis to remind posters to pay their pledge.

TJ, anyone, thoughts on this? I do this for a living, I can help you formulate the poll, spreadsheets for tracking, anything you might need.

IMO, although this sounds complicated, it's the LEAST invasive way of accomplishing your goal, which is to be able to provide a top notch Broncos site for any Bronco fan, rich or poor.

[DenverBrit]

I'm in the fundraising business for non-profits, and this would be the equivalent of a bake sale, no offense.

What needs to be done is TJ needs to ask people who he can count on to step up and help with the administrative cost of the site.

I don't know if you go to church, but if you do, you'll notice those folks that only show up for Mass for baptisms, Easter, and Christmas. The majority of the registered membership here at the Mane would fall under that category, believe it or not. There are probably about 200 die hard posters here that would give $10 a month or whatever, and that is equivalent to $24,000 a year to help run the site. I don't even think those 200 would even require a premium board for it...they just love TJ and what he's done and want to support a good thing.

What TJ needs to do is just ask those people that he can count on and get a committment from them. It's the 80/20 rule, you are going to get 80% of your financial support from 20% of your constituents. This is a fundamental that has stayed true to form in every capital campaign that I've ever been involved in.

The reason that I think TJ needs to do an anonymous poll is to get an basic idea of "how much" he needs to ask people to give to reach his goal. I'd be more than happy to provide any type of advice needed to get this done...


Good idea, I could go for that.
The important thing is have enough money donated to cover expenses and keep up the bandwidth speed. An additional fundraiser, for instance' could be auctions of Broncos gear, etc, which could probably be traded, in exchange for an ad on the site.

Lots of ways to raise cash for such a worthy cause.

Oh, and a 'Troll eject' button would be handy. ;)

[smalltowngrll]

Reality is, this is TJ's baby...and we are all really blessed to have this site! If we truly feel that this is so well worth a membership fee, why not just donate?!

The situation isn't, to my knowledge, with how many are registered users that don't sign in any longer, it's with the bandwidth it takes when there are many page requests by those that ARE logged on.

[Taco John]

Didn't we have this exact debate (without the mock bashing) last year? And wasn't it shot down pretty hard last year?



We had this discussion earlier this year, and it wasn't shot down hard at all... In fact, it was supported by about 2/3 of the vote, with 1/3 coming in against it.

[Taco John]

This seems to be just like the rep problem that TJ perceived, and to a certain amount was real, in that it formed a "good old boys club" and alienated newer posters.

As soon as someone defines what "premium" will encompass, I will be willing to change my stance.



That's the part that I'm working on... and have some good ideas for it...

Nothing I can reveal yet... But it would be more than just a simple forum.

That's not to say the decision has been made. But it is to say that I'm working on ideas.

[Ray Finkle]

I still flip flop on both sides but prefer the no "member's only" area. I still like my idea of a yearly OM auction to raise cash.

[BroncoBuff]

I'm not in opposition to a members only forum, but I would not frequent such a place, for reasons detailed here (http://www.orangemane.com/BB/showpost.php?p=889282&postcount=25).

I think the idea of deleting dead accounts has a lot of merit. There are some people who have great user names locked up who have never even posted on the board one time.
I read your longer post, and I agree that minimum # of posts was a BAD IDEA. I was just hoping any premium site would have a higher concentration of guys I know instead of so many newbies I don't know. The little inside jokes w/ familiar people and knowledge of their quirks, etc... makes this place much more fun, imo. That's why I want it. I wanna read Khan, SoCal, you and everybody else I know - I don't care too much what "nt2brnco" has to say.

I'm not sure how the "elitist" or "nose-turning-up" dynamic comes into play on the Jets board ... I mean, so what? You paid $25 for a year on the premium site? Whoop-dee-doo.

I think everybody's gonna be REAL SURPRISED when the season starts, and you can't get on the site, or it's WAY too slow, or you can't find your buds. What we're seeing now with slowness and crowding is just the teeny-tiny tip of the iceberg .... almost 200 new users every week for the past month.....




I HAVE AN IDEA! TJ ... can you make the "Ignore" feature work on "all users less than 6 months old"? Now THAT would work for me...

[Odysseus]

Why does this keep coming up anyways?

I see people all over this board waving money willing to give Taco whatever he wants. What is the real question?

[broncocalijohn]

Let me ask you this. How much have you contributed to Charitable donatations that might be outside the sight of our goverment

http://www.orangemane.com/BB/image.php?u=2951&dateline=1145263070

Your taking the high ground of indignance. I bet you can't even tell me where that is.

Not one person said thanks for donating to the USO in theis entire thread. Donating to the thread goes without saying if it needs it. Asking me to donate 500.000's because I coulld if I chose isn't the point so don't goad me.

I ask you a direct question. You found the starving child and didn't have a problem postigg it. I caught hell for donating to the USO and you make a starving child as an Avatatar and don't bother to make a thread to donate.

Again, I ask, how much have you donateded to save that starving child? I donate to the Christian Childrens Fund. I haven't made every payment every month. It's none of your business how much I donate. I don't have a foundation to run off of.

I tell them NOT to send me a picture so that it just goes to whoever they need it to go to. I couldn't handle what you find amusing.

Do you?
Mock, why do you bring up my avatar every few weeks? II give to the anti doping charity so skinny little kids dont look like barry bonds. It is a noble concept. I joked about you giving at least half of the $500 to your other favorite team and this gives you another chance to slam my poor child hood picture of barry bonds? Leave me and lil barry alone. Go start another thread on Carlos Mencia and the wrong info you had on him. Google him first then re hash your thread and why not add a youtube.com link to it? Hope you like another old photo from the mane! I think you need to look for fluffy around the house right about now!

[broncocalijohn]

i think we need to bring up the orangemane calendar featuring the omane girls all over againbut with massive $ needed, we need to go nude. STG, are you in for January?

[Natedogg]

just a few quick thoughts. First, this is the second time I believe this discussion has come up in my relatively short time on the mane. The first time I was against it. I still am. This might chance if the thing that is actually premium is specified. But I'm against a "country club" forum. Also I would be dissapointed if inside information (like camp reports) is "premium." That this info is free is the presice reason the mane kicks the crap out of espn.

I have not donated any money to the mane. I am broke as **** right now. When i get some influx of cash I deffintely will donate. I say this just to fully disclose that I am a member that uses the site (bandwith and all) almost everyday and has yet to pay. I also use firefox with adblock to block the ads. Again, when I get some money I will donate.

My final point -and this isnt meant to offend BronocoBuff, now you're a great poster-is that I find it a bit ironic that you, an even newer poster than me, started this topic. I remember not that long ago some of the regulars were a bit annoyed when you "sprung up out of nowhere" with all your large fonts and colors and so on. I think Alec almost got you banned for a month by some bet. My only point is that you are a relatively new member too. Thats just the nature of the internet; even moreso of a site as kickass as this (thanks tj), it will keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I hope it wont be ruined.

Id like to hear tjs take and other veterans take on what the future of the mane will be and what it will take to get there.

[Natedogg]

One other small suggestion, just for brainstorming's sake. What's the reaction to a small "i donated" logo for thouse who have. It can be really teeny, like a star where the rep bar used to be. It might help spread awareness and make money.

I know it might also single people out, but i would prefer that negative concequence to a members only forum.... unless it is totally revolutionary.

[Maximus]

Well, I promised myself that I would not jump into this discussion last season, but here it is again. I am going to re-state the obvious, but smoke this over anyway… What you have is population growth or a birth control problem. The current option under discussion has been tried and does not sit well with fans of larger sites. So, here is your chance to do something unique… My suggestion would be a combination solution.

1. Delete all dead accounts.
2. Do not allow new subscribers. Keep your current base through the season.
3. Open a new subscription period in the off-season. Free of charge.

This is population control people. Deleting dead accounts will give a true picture of how many subscribers OM really has and it will release some of the usernames that people want. Option 2 and 3 are the key. Putting a limit on the amount of new subscribers will allow Taco to predict bandwidth and plan for future server changes.

How can this be accomplished? If a person comes to OM to subscribe the process will remain the same except for the following:

1. The subscriber will be alerted at the end of the process that he or she will not have full posting privileges until the subscription period. In other words, read only privileges.
2. Allow subscribers by the date, time and availability of seats or tickets (Subscriptions available).
3. The Green Bay Packers have the longest waiting list in the history of anything worthwhile. People still want their tickets or seats.

This would solve the growth problem and allow Taco still grow the site according to his own criteria. It would also allow people outside of the group to still lurk and read content. It would also eliminate the air of arrogance that is prevalent in sites that have “Premium” subscribers. Whatever premium is supposed mean!

[Ray Finkle]

Well, I promised myself that I would not jump into this discussion last season, but here it is again. I am going to re-state the obvious, but smoke this over anyway… What you have is population growth or a birth control problem. The current option under discussion has been tried and does not sit well with fans of larger sites. So, here is your chance to do something unique… My suggestion would be a combination solution.

1. Delete all dead accounts.
2. Do not allow new subscribers. Keep your current base through the season.
3. Open a new subscription period in the off-season. Free of charge.

This is population control people. Deleting dead accounts will give a true picture of how many subscribers OM really has and it will release some of the usernames that people want. Option 2 and 3 are the key. Putting a limit on the amount of new subscribers will allow Taco to predict bandwidth and plan for future server changes.

How can this be accomplished? If a person comes to OM to subscribe the process will remain the same except for the following:

1. The subscriber will be alerted at the end of the process that he or she will not have full posting privileges until the subscription period. In other words, read only privileges.
2. Allow subscribers by the date, time and availability of seats or tickets (Subscriptions available).
3. The Green Bay Packers have the longest waiting list in the history of anything worthwhile. People still want their tickets or seats.

This would solve the growth problem and allow Taco still grow the site according to his own criteria. It would also allow people outside of the group to still lurk and read content. It would also eliminate the air of arrogance that is prevalent in sites that have “Premium” subscribers. Whatever premium is supposed mean!


well written....you make some very good anti premium points....

[Bronco Billy]

Good ideas, Maximus. Giving "non-subscribers" read-only privledges still eats up bandwith if they're viewing the site.

I agree that Omane should delete dead accounts, but as STG stated earlier, this is TJ's baby. At the end of the day, he is the only one here who gets the bills to pay for this site (to my knowledge). I just hope that we resolve any financial hardships so that we have enough juice to handle the season. Being overloaded for a few days during the playoffs last year sucked.

Like Sewell, I am willing to help with spreadsheets, budget analysis, polling / surveys, etc. Just let me know.

BTW, I too am opposed to a premium website which locks others out. I don't mind donating or paying a yearly cost as long as it doesn't take away from what makes the Mane great.

[Taco John]

Why does this keep coming up anyways?

I see people all over this board waving money willing to give Taco whatever he wants. What is the real question?

What is the real question? What do you mean by that? You think that somebody here is trying to trick you?

To answer your question... It keeps coming up because we are approaching some expensive territory in terms of bandwidth. Add the increasing costs to the increasing amount of time I spend, and the increasing amount of responsibility I have now that I'm going to be a father, and I have to stop doing this thing by the seat of my pants and come up with a way to keep the ball rolling here that makes sense.

Nothing has been concluded yet, but the discussion is valuable to me. The bottom line is that this keeps coming up and will keep coming up because we grow exponentially each and every year. I don't see that slowing down any time soon. Answering the question is the key to the longterm success of this entire thing. Bandwidth isn't free.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Well, I promised myself that I would not jump into this discussion last season, but here it is again. I am going to re-state the obvious, but smoke this over anyway… What you have is population growth or a birth control problem. The current option under discussion has been tried and does not sit well with fans of larger sites. So, here is your chance to do something unique… My suggestion would be a combination solution.

1. Delete all dead accounts.
What's a "dead" account?

2. Do not allow new subscribers. Keep your current base through the season.
That sure would be a good way to stagnate.

3. Open a new subscription period in the off-season. Free of charge.
Huh? Free of charge of what?

This is population control people. Deleting dead accounts will give a true picture of how many subscribers OM really has and it will release some of the usernames that people want. Option 2 and 3 are the key. Putting a limit on the amount of new subscribers will allow Taco to predict bandwidth and plan for future server changes.
Predicting future bandwidth needs shouldn't be very tough.

How can this be accomplished? If a person comes to OM to subscribe the process will remain the same except for the following:
1. The subscriber will be alerted at the end of the process that he or she will not have full posting privileges until the subscription period. In other words, read only privileges.
Other boards that do this suck, I refuse to join them and contribute.

2. Allow subscribers by the date, time and availability of seats or tickets (Subscriptions available).
3. The Green Bay Packers have the longest waiting list in the history of anything worthwhile. People still want their tickets or seats.

This would solve the growth problem and allow Taco still grow the site according to his own criteria. It would also allow people outside of the group to still lurk and read content. It would also eliminate the air of arrogance that is prevalent in sites that have “Premium” subscribers. Whatever premium is supposed mean!
It just comes down to whether Taco is going to go "large" or not. Denying people that come to the site the ability to even read posts is a sure way to chase people off. Making them wait to join (participate) is another.

[Crushaholic]

I agree that it's difficult to determine a "dead" account, but I would imagine there could be a statute of limitations of some sort. There are accounts that are 2 or 3 years old where the person creating the account has never posted. I don't think that's unreasonable to delete it.

I know that's not the real issue when it comes to bandwidth, but it's still a good idea...

[Florida_Bronco]

I agree that it's difficult to determine a "dead" account, but I would imagine there could be a statute of limitations of some sort. There are accounts that are 2 or 3 years old where the person creating the account has never posted. I don't think that's unreasonable to delete it.

I know that's not the real issue when it comes to bandwidth, but it's still a good idea...

It's pretty simple to determine a dead account. On my car club's website, we just go into the admin control panel and bring up the list of people that have not logged on the site for 3 months. We then send out a mass email to them stating that their account is inactive and that if they want it kept, they need to email the Admin within a set timeframe (usually a week or 2). At the end of that time frame, all the dead accounts are deleted unless the user notifies us not to.

We do not delete accounts where the person logs on and views but never posts.

[Donk]

How about turning the other cheek sometime and sparing us the flame war now and again?


The last time I turned the other cheek I got bit in the Ass

[Donk]

One other small suggestion, just for brainstorming's sake. What's the reaction to a small "i donated" logo for thouse who have. It can be really teeny, like a star where the rep bar used to be. It might help spread awareness and make money.

I know it might also single people out, but i would prefer that negative concequence to a members only forum.... unless it is totally revolutionary.

I like the star Idea..... A nice little plain star for my $1.50
and a big Gold Star for Mock's $499.99:

[Hercules Rockefeller]

I wouldn't pay just for another forum, there'd have to be something else included, i.e. more rumors/insider stuff

[Odysseus]

I met with the guy who helped develop www.atlantafalcons.com. Drop be there and tell me if you like anything you see there.

The reason the Orangemane even exists is the Denver Broncos forum and website has ALWAYS sucked. There are a lot of ways that the Broncos could take better care of their fans and INCLUDE all of the fan based websites. I think Broncos should be proactive like Arthur Blank but what the means to Pat Bowlen is kind of confusing to me.

They know about the Mane but they really don't know what to do. It's a source of constant annoyance to me that the Broncos are not proactive with the local fans.

[ol number 7]

I met with the guy who helped develop www.atlantafalcons.com. Drop be there and tell me if you like anything you see there.

The reason the Orangemane even exists is the Denver Broncos forum and website has ALWAYS sucked. There are a lot of ways that the Broncos could take better care of their fans and INCLUDE all of the fan based websites. I think Broncos should be proactive like Arthur Blank but what the means to Pat Bowlen is kind of confusing to me.

They know about the Mane but they really don't know what to do. It's a source of constant annoyance to me that the Broncos are not proactive with the local fans.
I would suggest sending a letter to Sundquist letting him know what the server fees are and some info about the site. Let him know it's a promotion for the Broncos so they can write it off as advertising. Or some of the players like Jake or John Lynch that know about us might be willing to support the Mane as well. Don't hurt to ask

[Houshyamama]

Setting up an official donation program is the best solution. Give out some small privilege like a star next to the user name, nothing dramatic. I think members will come out of the woodwork to support the site.
DON'T create an elite paying members only board. This will completely destroy the whole point of this exercise, that being to keep the site running smoothly and FREELY. The strength of this site is in the lurkers/info seekers, not the 20,000+ posters (no offense).