Re: No uploads - support replied
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Jack Purdum
All: I'm not a big believer in a free lunch. There are two theories of taxation: 1) Ability to Pay, and 2) Benefits Received. The first is the basis for our Federal income taxes. The second is basis for something like the gasoline taxes. In this case, membership to the group requires paying a small fee (i.e., the tax) to secure the benefits of membership. I find it hard to believe that there is anyone buying ham radio equipment who can't afford $1, so I think AtP is covered. I think it's obvious that being a member has benefits to the member otherwise they wouldn't waste their time on the site, so BR is also covered. A membership fee is more difficult to manage, but not that much so. I know the mechanism Yahoo used for a restricted membership site because I use it for my own user group (e.g., SoftwareControlledHamRadio). Stating on the introduction page that membership requires an annual $1 fee isn't going to dissuade too many members...perhaps a few tire kickers, but not many. I have no problem with Admin taking a fee for managing the site. I think every member should pay the fee. It not only solves the storage issues, it will help limit the membership to those who are actually interested in the BITX40. Jack, W8TEE From: Todd K7TFC <k7tfc@...> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 1:49 AM Subject: Re: [BITX20] No uploads - support replied On Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 07:37 am, Jerry KE7ER wrote:
An apt model for funding something like this would be PBS and NPR (American public-broadcasting organizations). The content is there for anyone who accesses it. There will be people who contribute and those who don't. Will there be "free riders"? Yes, there always are, but that is beside the point. On the Internet--YouTube in particular--services such as Patreon provide a way to pay at least some of the costs of producing web content. A percentage of the individuals who like the content contribute whatever they want, and that's enough. In our case, this year we need $120USD. If 4% of those subscribed to this group contributed $1, the problem would be solved. We wouldn't have to wring our hands in despair because we can't decide if we want files, photos, or attachments, in the mistaken belief we can't have them all. 73, Todd |