should this site be a membership / van club ?

JariV wrote:I don't mean disrespect in ANY possible or imaginable way but I have never paid anything ever to be a part of a discussion forum or a club. I like this site very much because of the adult atmosphere. Sad to say it but if it costs money in the future to discuss vans here then I will not be joining in anymore.

I don't mean to offend, just saying the way I see it and be honest about it.

JariV, I respect your opinion and don't mean to offend you, but very few things in life are free anymore. Someone has to foot the bill for this site to even exist and if everyone had the same opinion that you have it probably wouldn't be here. There are no financial requirements to be a member here but if that's the way you feel just jump on for the ride. The supporting members here have pretty strong backs!!!

My point was that if a payment is required then I will bail out. If it is voluntary then that is another situation and up to me to decide.

God bless America and VV! We spread the load here. Even the people that can pay and don't aren't excluded. God bless America and keep it up as long as you can!!

you hit the nail on the head!!!!

I think the idea to make a donation gets lost sometimes. I know I am guilty. Bought some shirts last year, donated few days ago. It maybe a good idea to have sort of a fundraising month. Just pick a month and maybe throw up a few posts about it being "the" fundraising month. Please don't slam me here this is just an idea for old guys like me that forget stuff everyday.

A good reminder is to just watch the General Discussion part of the forum and the topic is Thanks for 20?? Donations. That's where Chebby thanks everyone for their donations. She usually starts with the first donations at the beginning of the year.

[quote="chebby"]I'd just like to say...  we truely appreciate those who help support this WHOLE site (main site, gallery, forum) with their donations and purchases of t-shirts, etc...     nothing is FREE, even a "free forum" like this one, as we pay to keep the ads off (I think G-Man pointed that out)...

We will NEVER ask you for money, we understand not everyone is able to...  We leave it to the individual to decide for themselves if the can or can't, want to or don't want to...

That being said, we also appreciate your participation!  Even the lurkers here ;)every once in a while, someone who has just been "watching" for a time will take the plunge and join in the conversation  That always puts a smile on my face[/quote

Found the tee shirts but I would swim in a large. I would love to get one if you ever get any mediums.

Pop up ads and spam are something that I never really had thought about...duh! I do visit a few other forums and man are those irritating!.. Thats just one more thing I love about this sight and I had never really consiously realized that they weren't there.. Long Live ad free Vintage Vans!

I belong to many sites and am a moderator at OldEconolines. I have to say this site is definitely one of my favorites. The Yahoo OldEconolines site has the adds now and it's irritating and the format has changed a few times. I do like the ease of just emailing pics with a post as opposed to how it's done on this site. The big benefit here is this site only gets better with age. No pop ups, no confusing format changes, lots of very hard working moderators here that are very fair in how things are handled and have always welcomed input from ALL members. The pics on this site are priceless and a great resource to have. All in all, this site is the way it is BECAUSE MONEY WAS SPENT to make it the way it is. It wasn't free and never will be. I try and contribute at the beginning of every year if my memory doesn't fail me. Contribute or not, the choice is yours. 10 cents a week in a jar is a $5.00 donation in a year, kinda like a Christmas fund. Lots of free sites ,yes, but you get what you pay for IMO. Not asking for anyone to contribute what they can't, just a reminder to contribute if you can, when you can.

Bruce67Econoline wrote:

Found the tee shirts but I would swim in a large. I would love to get one if you ever get any mediums.

I can order up any size and color

Nice! I spilled diesel on my old shirt so I'm ordering up a couple mediums this weekend.