by VCVCSmiley Mon Feb 24, 2014 6:13 am
I believe I am qualified to answer this question.
Should V-V become a "van club" is one question. Should V-V become a "pay site" is another question entirely.
I'll address the latter first. Changing V-V or any other a "pay site" creates that bubble to make it easier to weed out spammers and trouble-makers, but there are other ways to go about it, as we've done over at that "other" site. Making this site a pay site shifts the perception away from what you've set out to do, to a perception that it is a money first endeavor. So, to that end, I don't think it's a good idea. Obviously, this didn't start out as a money-making endeavor, so why muddy the waters now?
Over at that other site, we have to check every new registration to make sure it's not a spammer, and we've caught thousands. In fact, without a method in place to weed them out, you can bet there's a percentage of past registrations that are spam. Many times they never post at all, but log in occasionally to see what email addresses and info they can glean from active members. It's a never-ending fight, and making members pay to access the site will eliminate this, along with many who will become disillusioned with your purpose, and act as a deterrent to future seekers of brotherhood and information.
Should V-V become more of a "van club"? Well, that's a whole different can of worms. It certainly won't help you with spammers or troublemakers on your site. If there are people here who would regularly go to annual van events, regional club meetings, assist in club duties, elect officers, establish a charter and by-laws, form an LLC, and work to keep the club moving; then perhaps it should be considered.
It has worked well for us. With over 200 active "dues-paying" members, we are currently the largest active van club in the country, if not the world. Not everyone on our site is a dues-paying member and they are not required to pay to participate in any club activities or be part of the group, wherever the club meets. We just hosted one of the most successful Council of Council meetings in the 37 years of its existence. It's a lot of work, but it's what we set out to do from day one. Our website is merely one facet of the club. It serves as that communal hub. You don't have to be a club member to use it.
On a personal note, I was going through a devastating divorce that began about 9 years ago. It started with Hurricane Katrina and just continued to get worse. Quite a few who had contacted the club during that time went unanswered. Some were even quite rude about it. I understand. I've saved every single letter that's ever come to the club and I've since written personal responses and apologies to everyone who sent in membership requests that went unanswered. I only heard back from about half and of those, and all but two have stayed on as members. I publicly apologize to those who felt slighted. In my defense, all I can say is, don't get caught in a big hurricane and chase it with an ugly divorce.
Having run our site for 16 years, I would strongly advise against the notion of requiring a "mandatory donation" in order to access the site. There aren't that many of us out there to begin with, so excluding people who want to be here based on cash would be a mistake, in my opinion.
Mikeysly, let's talk.
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..I am ordering my VV T shirt and sending my donation Today...
