Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
I found this site a couple of months ago, and fell in love. I use this site almost daily. I have downloaded tips, templates, ideas, and participated in swaps and challenges. I subscribed within the first month. I would rather pay to subscribe to this site than a monthly rubber stamping magazine which I read a couple of times and then file on a shelf. This site is a daily resource which I think is a great value at $20 a year. People who don't care to join will still find this site a great place to visit with it's resource and forum pages. Thanks and keep up the good work.
What do I think? What do I think? Well... I'll tell yah what I think.....
It's about FREAKING time baby!!! That's what I think!!!
I'm ready for the gallery to zoom, zoom, zoom!!!!
I'll tell yah.... seriously. I have always appreciated/respected the amount of work that Jenn, Beate, Julie, Britta, Catie, Kim etc. have put into the site and I've always helped out as much as I could, but until I recently started helping out officially as a moderator (and I only help minimal), I totally have a NEW respect for all that they do. I mean... I swear Jenn NEVER sleeps. The DDD keeps getting better and better each month (blows me away!). The tutorials are THE best on the net. And man.... I swear Britta ALWAYS has the right words for ANY occasion!! And yes, I've paid for gift subscriptions, bought t-shirts, clicked on ads to help, but I tell yah, there is NOTHING that I can give to the Noltas to show the gratitude I feel for the friendships I've made on this site!! NOTHING compares and that is truly PRICELESS!!
Oh, not to mention that guy Big Daddy!! Sorry Big D....I forgot to mention you!! Oh, and the wonderful Tracy who puts up with him always being on the computer!!!
Okay... off the box. I just think it's the best way to go and very fair. It is frustrating to the people who have paid to have the gallery so slow and I think it's amazing that the rest of the site will remain completely free..... not to mention our own member galleries!!!
Thanks for all that EVERYONE contributes to make this site THE best!! I mean sheesh... where else can you go and post a question to have it answered by so many AWESOME women all in the matter of a few minutes?
Yep... we are all DA bombs baby!!! (That Da part is just for you Consuelo, cuz you know I really wanted to say THE!!) ;)
I think I'm gonna go and buy another freaking t-shirt.
okay...I stopped laughing with Kimberly long enough to post my opinion.
WHO CARES if Daven and Tracy make money??!??! Frankly I hope they make money because that way we have some fraction of guarantee that they won't get tired of putting up with us and take their "ball" and go home. People only doing something free of charge for only a short amount of time. Sooner or later they are going to want to be compensated for their time and energy.
Wish I could throw money at the Noltas but frankly I wish someone would throw money my way.(I just got some dr. bills...YIKES)
Something that I have done to make sure I have money for SCS is to stop magazine subscriptions. I had LOTS of magazine subscriptions and found that I wasn't looking at them because SCS provides me with new and WOW ideas DAILY rather than monthly. So if you look at it that way... I AM SAVING MONEY. BARGAIN. Us crafters love a bargain don't we?!?!
It's a temporary situation but I would be fine if it was a permanent option, if it meant the gallery would be faster and that the Noltas weren't going to take away SCS from us.
There are no guarantees as to how many people will pay for a membership. So are you saying that Daven should say:
If xxx people pay, it will cover ____purchase.
If xxxx more people pay, it will cover____additional purchased.
If xxxxx more people pay, it will cover some of my hours of work on this board.
If xxxxxx more people pay, it will cover all of my hours of work on this board.
If xxxxxxx more people pay, it will cover all my hours PLUS pay a nominal fee to all the moderators and DD designers.
If xxxxxxxx more people pay, it will cover all my hours PLUS pay a nominal fee to all the moderators and DD designers PLUS put xxx amount into a savings for future upkeep of this board in case less people pay their yearly dues in the future.
If xxxxxxxxx more people pay, it will cover all my hours PLUS pay a nominal fee to all the moderators and DD designers PLUS put xxx amount into a savings for future upkeep of this board in case less people pay their yearly dues in the future PLUS pay back some of the expenses my family incurred in creating and maintaining this website for free for so long.
If xxxxxxxxxx more people pay, it will cover all my hours PLUS pay a nominal fee to all the moderators and DD designers PLUS put xxx amount into a savings for future upkeep of this board in case less people pay their yearly dues in the future PLUS pay back some of the expenses my family incurred in creating and maintaining this website for free for so long PLUS pay me retroactively for some of the many hours I put in for free over the months and years of maintaining this website.
And on, and on, and on........
How on earth do you propose that he even begin to explain where the money will go if he has no idea how much will be coming in? There is no deception here, and you are not doing anyone any favors by insinuating that there is.
You have to know how your posts are coming across.
I'm sorry you misunderstood me. I actaully said that they don't owe me any explanation of where the money goes, only to not tell me that it only covers upgrades, as that is untrue. I realize how my posts are coming across and am surprised that I'm attacked for having an opinion on this topic-one that is shared by many if my pm box is any testament.
And-I also appreciate all the people that work hard on this site. I trully hope that with this new venture, they may be compensated for their hard work and time.
I cant speak for the others who say they "cant afford" to be a paid member. But I am saying that I "CANT AFFORD". I am NOT choosing not to pay, I CANT AFFORD IT! PERIOD! And to quote the other person saying stuff about having DSL or dial up, if you didnt have that you wouldnt be here. Plus, I didnt say it was unreasonable for them to make it a paid site. They have to do what they have to do, and I have to do what I have to do. I have to put my hobbies to the side for a while, until we can catch up, so that includes me not paying the $25 that I cant afford right now.
Please don't think that most of us don't understand that you can't afford it! The vast majority of us definitely understand! Do remember though, this is only temporary! In about a month or so, you'll be able to view the gallery just like you are now, but only faster. Just for the record, I'm on dial-up and I am still here. I can't afford cable, cell phone, or DSL cable, so I totally understand why you can't afford the $25! I hope your DD is doing better, and that her medical bills don't get too burdensome! I'll be praying for you and you daughter.
I think to charge for this site is absolute necessary. We all enjoy it and you are kind enough to provide it and maintain it, so I don't see how anyone could be unhappy with the nominal yearly fee you charge for the Fan Club.
Sounds like a fair number of people here have some pretty strong ideas that this site is for SU people only, and should feature only SU stamps and SU products. Earlier, a demo here suggested that the gallery be restricted to containing only projects that feature stamps of current SU sets. I disagree with this approach and hope our wonderful hosts don't have to give it much consideration. It has been really wonderful to be able to come to this *stamping* website, not this SU website. If demos want only resources that will help them as demos, they can go to the official SU website, no? I think restricting the images so strictly would initially increase the effort to maintain the galleries, not decrease it, because the Stamp Police would have to screen every project in the gallery and uploaded to the gallery to make sure it conforms to the guidelines.
Thank you, Daven & Tracy for your continued generosity! Even knowing you need to make some difficult changes to keep SCS running, you still find a way to offer gallery access to those who can't afford to join! You rock! And you have my full support for charging a fee for unlimited access. I'll continue to renew my membership as long as I stamp.
My one request is that you DON"T limit the size of the uploads because then we couldn't see the details of the projects and sometimes it's the details that make the project a stand-out.
Here's a small glimpse of what the other side of a website looks like. We're so used to just clicking and up pops a picture or technique tutorial. Take a peek at what the SCS staff deals with:Right click anywhere on this page and then click on the 'view source' button and scroll on down. Sure, the software has a basic template, but there are still sections that need to be input manually. Can you imagine plowing through pages of this late at night every night? (When a webmaster has a job and family, sleep time is probably the only time available for working on the site.) And can you imagine having to go through all this code to find the glitch when things aren't working right? And this is just one little aspect of running a site. As for expense, GoDaddy was mentioned but can you imagine how HUGE this site must be? We're talking waaay more than the $19.95 listed. And hosting fees are just part of the fees entailed. I created a website a few years ago but had to let it die when the size and increased traffic raised the price too much for me. Some of the users contacted me and offered to help pay but I chose to let it go because the late nights (and sometimes all nighters) were taking too great a toll on my family life and my health. From some of the comments I've read, I just have to assume a lot of people have no idea how much Daven and the others who keep this site going give to SCS. Heck, this place is so huge, I don't even have a clue! Generous? Gross understatement! Is this site worth $24.95? No - it's worth way more!
Big thanks to ALL the SCS staff for their continued generosity, too! And thanks again, Daven for coming up with the great solution of fee based unlimited gallery access to keep the website going. We'd hate to see you have to let SCS die.
Okay, one last thing then I'll get off my soapbox. For those of you who can't afford the fee, I understand how painful it is to repeatedly read the comments of those who say anyone can afford it. Although SCS membership is a fantastic bargain, sometimes even 50 cents can be too much. If a person hasn't experienced poverty, they just can't relate, so please don't take it personally. If you haven't experienced poverty or a very tightly stretched budget, please realize that sometimes every penny counts. Really. Been there done that. During that time, would it have been nice to have been able to get a magazine for free? You bet! Was I upset that the store couldn't give me one for free? No way! But still, it hurt that I couldn't afford the 75 cents to buy one. (Okay, we're talking late 70s. ) And to hear comments like, "Gee, it's only 75 cents!" made it hurt even worse. Anyway, for those of you who truly can't afford membership, please remember you'll still be able to access the membership galleries (which has all the downloads anyway, just not sorted nicely). But if there isn't enough funds to support SCS, it'll have to close and there won't be any galleries at all.
April
Last edited by stampintoo; 09-23-2005 at 08:44 AM..
I actaully said that they don't owe me any explanation of where the money goes, only to not tell me that it only covers upgrades, as that is untrue.
Again, I am asking you.......how can you say it's untrue, when no one (unless you have a crystal ball) knows HOW MUCH money will be generated by these donations? You are assuming a lot by saying what you are saying.
That's my point!!!!!
__________________ Alicia
Those cuties in my avatar are my 3 youngest kids: Taylor, Allison and Nick
Since I started coming here my business has flourished due to all the great business ideas and samples! I am no longer a magazine junkie - how much have I saved right there!!!
I send all my customers here for ideas and they in turn call me to buy the supplies to case the cards. In my welcome packages to my recruits I always include the site name and encourage them to register so as to be able to get the business ideas.
My membership has just been renewed and will be in the future as I find it a very small price to pay for what I get in return.
To Daven, Tracy and all the hard working people "at" SCS I say Thank you and go for it!!
I know I donated money when I first found this site, and it is worth every penny I can give to keep it up and running. It can be very costly to host a web site, my husband has one and he is always putting more money into it to keep it working. Too many people feel that they are entitled to this site, I feel it is a privilege and I am willing to pay for that privilege.
By the way I can't find the place to check how long I have been a member?
Thank you for such a wonderful stamping site, I appreciate all your hard work.
I'm a fan club member, and I totally support the need to charge. I would *REALLY* like at least MY member gallery available to the general public. If it's not feasible to keep all member galleries open to everyone, then would it be at all possible to give *paying* Fan Club members like myself an option (even if for a slightly higher fee) to have their own personal member galleries open to the public? I share this site with my downline and my customers and I don't want to expect them to pay to look at *my* stuff. (They should, of course, pay to look at other people's stuff...and I strongly encourage them to join the Fan Club.) SCS is way better for me than an SU! website b/c there's not a limitation on the gallery. That's why I signed up for a Fan Club subscription...felt I owed you something for the service, and would be happy to pay for it! (The hubby offered to build/host a gallery for my website, but why should he, since SCS is such a wonderful resource and I can just link to it. I'd rather send my customers here rather than reinvent the wheel!) I'm with you guys whatever you decide!
Shannon
__________________ Shannon Lawrence is back! my blog
Why are so many people being so nasty on this thread. The people behind the scenes of SCS asked for our opinions. Everyone is entitled to how they feel. They are also entitled to know whether they can afford the $25.00 member fee. What one person feels is a small fee, maybe too much for someone else, for whatever reason. Also when comparing it to monthly cable or going out to dinner, it is not being considered that these things are for entire families, while SCS is just for one person. Please let's not fight about this, let people have their opinions. And let's not chase our friends away from this great site!
My husband is a software developer, so I can understand how much time it takes to create and maintain a website of this caliper! Daven, you are really great! Love the site!
I wouldn't mind contributing extra to a fund for those who feel they can not afford this site, but look to it as a resource for their SU business. I am a SAHM and an SU demonstrator. Fortunately I can afford a membership and have had one for some time. Don't know about logistics of a "scholarship" fund, but throwing it out as an idea.
Just my 2 cents.
SCS ROCKS!
Donna
__________________ Donna
Happy stamping to all you Splitcoasters who inspire me each day!
Again, I am asking you.......how can you say it's untrue, when no one (unless you have a crystal ball) knows HOW MUCH money will be generated by these donations? You are assuming a lot by saying what you are saying.
That's my point!!!!!
Well I get your point. And I guess I'm basing it on how great the site is and the fact that there are now hundreds of posts to the consent that the fee is more than reasonable. Obviously if I had to guess now I'd say the ayes have it hands down. So clearly, the number of people that pay should be pretty high. I'm one of them myself. I don't think a crystal ball is neccesary to see that this site is a great help to those that visit it. Nor does it take a crystal ball to see that people will most likely be willing to pay such amount, and there are so very many of us. No assumption neccessary-55,000plus members (1,000,000 posts!)is proof, babe.
There are sooo many pages of comments that I haven't gotten through them all, so I'm sorry to repeat.
I think the price per month is very affordable. Honestly, there are those of us who waste $2.08 a month on things like impulse purchases (candy, clothes, cd's, movie rentals, ugly lawn ornaments, and those purchased and unused stamping supplies that we "just had to have"...hehe...).
With that said...why not have a limited amount of space for uploads for everyone, then you can upgrade to a larger account (Fan Club Members)? Like so-called free email...if you want more space, you pay for it. That way everyone can still view what they have been able to view, upload (with limitations) and if you want unlimited space be a Fan Club Member. Free members may have to shuffle around their uploads every once in awhile, but there are some people who upload a lot and some who upload only a few items.
Okay, I just paid. I'm not a SU demo and I rarely visit the galleries, but I do visit the site a lot. Daven and Tracey (and all moderators and administrators)... keep up the good work.
Now if I can only figure out how to post my "non-SU" cards... the themes don't fit what I do....
BananaJane
__________________ :cool: A clean stamp is a happy stamp, but one that's used often is ecstatic. ;-)
I forgot something. I do think that this is a good idea! I also agree with those who have stated that it's not a bad thing if the SCS team were doing this to make more money (even though I don't think they are). With all the hours and hard work they put into making this the wonderful site it is, they deserve to be compensated! I personally love this site and truly appreciate all of your hard work!
Why are so many people being so nasty on this thread. The people behind the scenes of SCS asked for our opinions. Everyone is entitled to how they feel. They are also entitled to know whether they can afford the $25.00 member fee. What one person feels is a small fee, maybe too much for someone else, for whatever reason. Also when comparing it to monthly cable or going out to dinner, it is not being considered that these things are for entire families, while SCS is just for one person. Please let's not fight about this, let people have their opinions. And let's not chase our friends away from this great site!
Why don't you ask for a donations. With everyone who looks at this site, I think it would only be fair to donate a few dollars.... this is such a great site, and this is a way to keep it 'Free'. I would donate.
They did, and very few people donated. That's how it tends to work in the world in general, and it's one of the main reasons for the current problems with gallery speed. Even with a high-speed connection, things are painfully slow all over the site -- not just in the gallery. As I said before, only an estimated 5% of listeners donate to keep my local listener-supported Christian radio station on the air. Statistically, only 20% of church members give, yet somehow the bills have to be paid or all 100% of them will have services in the dark with no heat or air conditioning. I don't know how it is where you live, but Savannah Electric doesn't accept faith as payment. Another website I recently started frequenting had to be taken down because of bandwidth issues, and couldn't come back up again till a certain amount of money was paid by the owner to her site hosting service. I like the site and felt guilty that I hadn't contributed before (she also asks for donations to help keep things running), so I found a few extra dollars and made a contribution. The site is now up and running again. Do those of you who truly can pay and simply don't want to REALLY want to see the site taken down completely until it can be upgraded to handle the traffic load? I doubt it.
Once the "Fan Club" was started, with special access to view the Dirty Dozen gallery as a thank-you to its members, THEN people started paying to see all the wonderful creations. If thousands more sign up to be able to keep uploading during the temporary restrictions next month, then there will be more money to make more upgrades to keep up with the demand, and this will counteract any potential slowdowns from increased traffic.
I totally agree that only registered users (this does not mean you have paid, only that you have a valid username and password) should be able to view the site. I don't know how many people regularly come here without being logged in, but that should definitely be halted if possible. It would also eliminate confusion when registered users come here and can't view things because they forgot to log in. Cleaning out the clutter from our own personal galleries isn't a bad idea, either. If the only difference between your card and one you CASEd is the color scheme, then what's the point of uploading it? One of the reasons my gallery is so small is that I try to only upload cards that I've either changed significantly from the original or designed myself.
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
Please don't take this the wrong way. People, it is not $20. Please read the WHOLE first post! It is $25.
It is a must and it should be permanent. In my opinion.
Debra
THANK YOU! I am a stickler for the facts being stating as well. I wanted to put out a banner myself but opted to make sure that when I posted I stated $25, not $20 or $24.95.
Honestly, it should be more...Hugs everyone lets just be happy we have such an awesome place to go to....
I just signed up!!! I think it is one of the best deals around! I have been thinking about becoming a member for quite a while now. As an SU demo, this is definitely the best resource I have available to me by far! I don't know what I would do without it! Thanks SCS and keep up the great work. We appreciate all you do!
Well I get your point. And I guess I'm basing it on how great the site is and the fact that there are now hundreds of posts to the consent that the fee is more than reasonable. Obviously if I had to guess now I'd say the ayes have it hands down. So clearly, the number of people that pay should be pretty high. I'm one of them myself. I don't think a crystal ball is neccesary to see that this site is a great help to those that visit it. Nor does it take a crystal ball to see that people will most likely be willing to pay such amount, and there are so very many of us. No assumption neccessary-55,000plus members (1,000,000 posts!)is proof, babe.
Again.....assumptions. I remember this same discussion over a year ago when the DD fan club was initiated. There were some posts about where all the money would *really* go, and assumptions about numbers of people who would join based on the same type of figuring you are doing. Assumption on my part, I will admit, but I would guess that the amount of people who actually signed up and pay for the DD fan club is much smaller than the original projections from the naysayers. So I wouldn't worry too much about an over abundance of $$ coming in this time, either.
__________________ Alicia
Those cuties in my avatar are my 3 youngest kids: Taylor, Allison and Nick
I'm sorry you misunderstood me. I actaully said that they don't owe me any explanation of where the money goes, only to not tell me that it only covers upgrades, as that is untrue. I realize how my posts are coming across and am surprised that I'm attacked for having an opinion on this topic-one that is shared by many if my pm box is any testament.
And-I also appreciate all the people that work hard on this site. I trully hope that with this new venture, they may be compensated for their hard work and time.
You're right, it won't only cover the upgrades. There are also monthly bills involved with keeping this site online -- and with the amount of bandwidth it uses, they've GOT to be high! ;)
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
What one person feels is a small fee, maybe too much for someone else, for whatever reason.
Dina
I agree with Dina's quote. Everyone is in a different financial place right now. I plan on becoming a member soon, just right now the pennies are tight. $25 is totally reasonable, but I have to budget for this and it just may take a little while. I budget for my families cable tv, it is for the whole family, however my membership into the Fan Club has to come later because only I go on the website. Does that make sense??! (moms always put themselves last..huh!). I just think that budgeting is the key even if it takes a few months!!
Love this website, and hope every one can be a Fan Club member soon!
I have to send in a check, because with paypal you can only use Visa or MC. No Discover! boo hoo!
I'm not a Demo, but I find this site very valuable to my future purchases with Stampin Up and also other stamping products. I've found many, many techniques and also templates, and inspiration in the galleries. I'm not a Fan Club member, but throw me a link and you have my money!!
If they are making a profit, GO FOR IT, afterall if it were us, we would ;-)
I pay for other techniques letters and also magazines, I find myself not spending as much time at the magazine racks anymore!
And well worth the extremely low fee. I have gotten so much encouragement, afirmation and inspiration from this site and feel very blessed to have found it. I love all the galleries, challenges, VSN, and the wonderful people who make it all possible. I am very impressed with the willingness of people out there sharing themselves and their talent with us on a daily basis, and encouraging us to learn and grow with this wonderful craft.
My vote is to keep the fee permantly to help with the huge cost of running this site.
Acer, the thing here is, if everyone DID pay then yes, they probably wouldl make some money. But the Nolta's also know how many members there are, and how many have actually paid. You and I both know that not every 40,000+ member is going to pay. In all actuality, they could very well only have enough to perform the upgrades that they need. They probably have no idea how much money will actually come in. I don't think anyone is lying to you about how the money is going to be spent. It kind of seems to me like you think that the Nolta's are being less than honest with everyone. I have personally met them, and that couldn't be farther from the truth. They are great people and they definitely don't do this for the money. But I think they deserve it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acer
Also- they owe me absolutely no explanation as to where ANY money generated goes. It's none of my business. But it is my business if you are TELLING me where it's going and it isn't true.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Daven, Tracey, Moderators, DD girls and all!!! I love SCS!!! I support all your decisions and will continue to support the SCS site. I APPRECIATE AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!! Thank you so much.
WOW! This is like that old gossip game. Remember? One person whispers a piece of gossip in someone's ear. Then each person in turn whispers it to the next person....until the end of the line. Then the last person recites the gossip as she heard it, and everybody could see how much the original piece of gossip had changed through retelling!
YO! PEOPLE! Back to the Original Post:
"Answers to some questions
How much is a Fan Club subscription?
Fan Club subscriptions increased slightly this year, to $25 for 12 months.
Will non-paying members lose all access to the gallery? Non-paying members will still have access to Member Galleries and Technique Spotlight galleries.
Is this change permanent? The gallery will be free and open to all again, once our software and servers are able to handle the traffic load. The Fan Club galleries will always remain part of the benefit for paying members.
Are you making this change for financial reasons?
No! We hate it for financial reasons! We hate the fact that anyone might consider leaving us because they don't wish to pay a fee to access the gallery.
We're making the change for two reasons. First, it's not fair to our paying members that they pay for an inferior experience. Second, our servers and software are unable to handle our current traffic load. The only way the gallery can remain functional is to reduce the load until we can get further improvements in place."
Sounds like a lot of people are getting wound up over misunderstanding. This is not permanent. This is not punitive. This is not a complete shut out for those unable to pay.
For everybody that's contributed up to now, thank you. For those unable to, please don't go away. SCS is not slamming you, only trying to make adjustments to allow us ALL to use this site.
For those of you who can't understand that some people don't have the funds, please back off. Some of you say, "if I can waste 8 bucks on a magazine," or "I just wasted 3 gallons of gas at $3.25 a gallon," keep in mind that not everybody has done this. Some people just stop driving because there isn't any money to waste!
For those of you who question this action, thank you for expressing that. Daven ASKED SPECIFICALLY for those very opinions. He didn't ask for an across the board approval. He asked for EVERYBODY'S opinions, pro and con. So for those of you who don't agree with those opinions, please also back off. This didn't seem like it was meant to be a debate, just a "whadda ya think" thread. Period.
Daven and Tracey, thank you again for all you've done with this website. You guys are GREAT.
I have personally met them, and that couldn't be farther from the truth. They are great people and they definitely don't do this for the money. But I think they deserve it.
Well, I think they deserve it too. And I do not know them so I can't really say anything about them personally.
Now that I've had months to see how great this site is, of course I think it's worth it to pay $25 and will be signing up ASAP, but what about people who are brand new to the site? I know they can access member galleries, but how will they know which members' styles they like until they've seen the general gallery? And how will they see how easy it is to search by stamp set if that feature isn't available to them? I wonder if there could be a free trial period so people can get hooked before they join? You know most of us will pay for our "fix" now that we're hooked...
This may have already been addressed, but every time I get finished reading a page, another one has been posted! I thought I'd go ahead and post my comment about this concern before I finish (if I ever finish!) reading all the posts. It is my understanding that Non-paying members will still have access to the Search function in the Member Galleries. All they'll have to do to see projects done with a particular stamp set, is enter that stamp set's name in the Search field. Then they can take note of the stampers they like, and visit their Member Galleries. Unless they plan to get rid of the Search function, I don't see that this will pose that big of a problem to those who are new to the site.
I whole-heartedly agree with the decision to put limits on access to the gallery, if not in whole than at least in part. I think it's a great idea to allow non-members a small gallery (say 10 - 20 uploads), so that they can at least experience what it is like. I think free-trial memberships are also a great idea, although I don't know how much more work that would require. I think the tiered membership idea is also something to consider. Say for $15, you'd get a bigger gallery (like 100 uploads?) and access to all areas of the gallery except for the DDD. Then for just $10 more, you could get an unlimited size gallery and acess to all areas of the gallery as well as the DDD. Just throwing out ideas here!
Also, just thought I'd let you know (if you didn't already) that you can renew your membership before it actually comes due. I did this a few weeks ago, when Daven was trying to upgrade, just to try and help them with their immediate finanicial needs. They'll add a year onto your membership, no matter when it started. I also gave a gift membership, because I wanted to help support the site. I encourage all of you that have the means to do so, to do the same! Maybe Daven and Tracey or some other Moderator can set up a list for those that would like a membership, but can't afford one. I'm sure there are people out there who would like to give a gift membership, but don't know someone specifically who wants it. They could send the payment to SCS, and then there could be a lottery, for those that are on the list. Just trying to think of a way to help those less fortunate stampers among us!
Keep up the great work! I'll be here to support you in any way I can!
Thank you for understanding! I hope that you dont think I was being the nasty one here. I just feel that some people just dont get it. Only the person who knows they cant afford, knows it. So I dont get how some people can go on an on about what can be afforded and what cant and what it breaks down to by day, week, month. They dont know the finances of the others. Thats what I am trying to get across. Someone said that we say we cant afford it because we dont want to pay it. Well that is just BS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dgmlmax
Why are so many people being so nasty on this thread. The people behind the scenes of SCS asked for our opinions. Everyone is entitled to how they feel. They are also entitled to know whether they can afford the $25.00 member fee. What one person feels is a small fee, maybe too much for someone else, for whatever reason. Also when comparing it to monthly cable or going out to dinner, it is not being considered that these things are for entire families, while SCS is just for one person. Please let's not fight about this, let people have their opinions. And let's not chase our friends away from this great site!
I am a SCS addict and I WILL pay $25.00 a year when it's time to renew! I upload, I ask questions, I bug Jenn (right Jenn), I am a member of the secret sister program, I participate in VSN, I download forms and tip sheets and just READ. I laugh, I cry, I get mad, I get happy, BUT I come back... everyday.
I throw away a lot more than $25.00 a month on junk that I can do without. I am a SAHM, but when I tell my husband about the change, he'll know there is no choice... LOL SCS keeps me sane. I come here for the great company.
Some may go... if they do, so be it. They probably don't have a vested interest in splitcoast. I am here to share ideas, take great ideas and form friendships. We all know that FREE is a rare thing. When it's as good as SCS, we should be willing to contribute.
I look forward to being able to view the gallery and not have to stay up until midnight to do it!
Thank you! You took the words right out of my mouth.
I would like to add that there are thousands of members who join and never post or anything. If the gallery is so important to them let them make a comment or two. ( sorry but that is my *snarky* remark)
I have to agree that nothing is for free. Anyone can join, they look, read, and ask questions that they could never get an answer for from anywhere else. What if that information was not free? Is is now, but what if it was not?
This is a temporary thing, notthe end of the world, or rather the gallery (which is part of my own little world).
If you want to leave the site over a little thing such as this, then feel free to go. I dare you to find somewhere else who offers as much as SCS, and who has as many BEAUTIFUL ideas as SCS, and for FREE. I know without a doubt you won't. So why is $24.95 so much to pay for THOUSANDS of samples of great works of art? It is well worth it, and obviously you enjoy those works of art or you would not be complaining.
So when it comes time to renew, Daven and Tracy, you will have MY money! (and my MIL will get a gift subsciption for XMAS)
also to add after editing my spelling, I know how hard it is to be on a TIGHT budget. Been there, done that. But, this site has helped me in my business, and I cannot ignore that.
I cant afford to give much but what I can afford, I do try to give back to those who have given much to me.
Annual Fee or Monthly Fee option/How long will it take?
I think that the availability of this site is well worth the $25/year. As for those that don't think they can afford this amount, maybe access on a month to month basis at $3/month (?) would be easier to swallow.
On the other hand, when I've been to other sites that cost money, I tend to skip over them and pay no attention to them. I am pretty sure that word of mouth would compensate for this though. I would think that most SU! demonstrators would pay the annual fee as a tax write-off for their business.
My guess is that people that don't upload now would not pay for it, but the people that do upload on a regular basis would continue their support, so I don't think that you will lose the many card ideas.
Once you are able to get less traffic and funds for a time, how long will it take for the service to speed up? Will we pay the money and then have to wait and wait for the improvements to take affect???? That would probably be my biggest question......
Think it's fair.
Paid members
