Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
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If you think Daven and Tracy are trying to make money off of this site, you are best going somewhere else.
Forget it. I love this site and will pay my $20-or whatever it costs. I'm just stating a fact is all. This site is in fact invaluable to me, but that doesn't mean that I can't point out the unrealistic estimated cost to keep it running. Which is what this would supposedly be.
Darn, darn, darn! What a bummer... Just started stamping this spring and LUCKILY found SCS right away. The gallery by stamp set is what got me all fired up about stamping...it was so easy to find wonderful inspiration for a new stamper that specifically used my tiny collection of stamp sets, and with my high speed internet, I had little to no problems with gallery speed.
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...
I have given up all my magazine subscriptions because I get all my inspiration from the gallery. I will pay $20 - $25 a year to have that access. I don't upload, but I do look!
__________________
Powerful Women's Motto:
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says.. 'Oh sh*t....she's awake'
This made me mad. So what if every member paid 20.00 a piece? Daven and Tracy have put together something that is priceless to many of us. Not only are the ideas wonderful, but the camaraderie among members means a lot. We can come here where others understand and share our obsession. Davin and Tracy do not and should not justify what they do. Many of us with full-time jobs consider 40 hours our work week. Ask Daven and/or Tracy how many hours they put into SCS and then divide that number down - not much per hour I'm guessing. If they become millionaires from this site - more power to them. I don't begrudge Bill Gates his good fortune either. They provide me with something I cannot provide for myself!
deb
Amen to that, and not to mention the Moderaters who are currntly voluntary with lives and jobs and families of thier own also. It takes a lot to run this site, time from more than 1 or 2 people, several people. Without all the peices in place this wouldn't be the #1 site that it is. All of the folks who volunteer, and make sacrifices of their personal time to keep this up and running deserve better from those of us who sit here day after day benefitting from their hard work. Can you imagine sitting around all day everyday approving photo uploads? Reading all the posts on this site and putting out fires left and right? Many of these beautiful people have jobs and Husbands/wives and children and a Stampin' business also. I mean stop and think of what 'really' goes into Splitcoaststampers.com before getting your shorts in a wad.
I am grateful that this site even exists!! Please Daven and Tracy do what you gotta do I think you have a lot of support backing you up on this.
I'm surprised you have made it this long without having to make a change. I donated to your site even before you started the Fan Club because I so appreciated and enjoyed this site. I realized just what an expense it must be to maintain it and wanted to thank you for all that you have done. You spend anywhere from 5.00 to 20.00 for a stamping magazine and may only come away with 1 or 2 ideas that you like ... SCS has over a million samples - you have been so generous to us and I know whatever decision you make will be okay with me. Even with the it being a little slower, SCS is the first place I always go for ideas, advise, help from other members. I can only imagine the amount of hours you put in (not to even mention the cost to maintain this site, constantly upgrading to keep on top of things).
Thank you to everyone who has shared their talents on this wonderful site!!
I recently became a fan club member, and should have months ago, when I first discovered the site. This site is my muse. I look to it everyday for inspiration. The fact that it is free of charge is extraordinary, and I love to recommend it to my customers. I completely understand why you would want to charge for this service. I would love to see limited access to those non-payers, only because I would feel more comfortable recommending the site to my customers if they don't have to pay for it. Having said that, I must say that the amount I paid is excellent value for my dollar.
I must agree with rrmeuller with regard to the uploading from fan club members only. If at all possible, I would love to see everyone being able to upload cards. There are so very many talented people out there. Granted, most of them will probably be members anyway.
I must commend you on the fabulous service you provide. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of work that goes into keeping this site running.
What ever your final decision, I trust it will be the well thought out, and I support it totally.
I love looking at the cards & techniques. I am about to pay the fee. A birthday present to myself. Turning the big 50.
I think it is well worth the money. I do like the idea of different levels. Some budgets are really tight.
Thanks again for all the work that you do on this board.
Although I can understand some of the frustration that some of the people are having, I rushed to the home page to sign up to become a member. I should have done it a long time ago with all of the wonderful ideas that I've received! I couldn't even imagine not being able to upload my cards and receive all of the postive feedback! Although I've never had a problem with the speed, I think that the $25 was well spent!
I want to thank Daven & Tracy and all the moderators, DD team for all the hard work in making SCS such a wonderful site to visit. Can't imagine life without SCS.
I am on my second year of paid membership. I know that I cannot visit the Dirty Dozen site because of all the traffic. I always think that I will look at it in a week or two when things have calmed down. Then sometimes I forget and don't look at it at all. I would really like to have access to the gallery during the day.
I think $25/year is a bargain for all the inspiration I get from this site.
I am in support of your decision. This site is definitely worth more than $24.95 a year when you consider the tutorials, the award-winning artwork, the forums, etc.... And it has been frustrating waiting and waiting for pages to load. I think it's great that as a fan club member my waiting time will be less, but I will definitely miss all the fantastic artwork from all the nonpaying members (whomever they may be).
__________________ Yvette You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. -- Maya Angelou Yvette's Paper Garden
I didn't read all the responses, so forgive me if this has already been suggested. I mention what a great resource is to all my customers, and I'm glad they can check it out for free. If they didn't have access to all the user friendly features, I don't know if they'd stick around long enough to want to join. How about making membership necessary to access the galleries, but giving trial memberships for 15 days without cost. After 15 days of using it, they'll be addicted and gratefully pay the fee. Might be too much work on the administrative end, but it's worth a thought.
$25 is NOTHING -- it's a pizza. That the cost of one pizza will provide access to so many marvelous and creative ideas for a whole year is a wonderful thing. I'm already a Fan Club member and will continue to be so.
I love this website. It has some very talented people that upload wonderful projects. I would hate to loose access to this site. I would be willing to pay for upkeep of the site.
Forget it. I love this site and will pay my $20-or whatever it costs. I'm just stating a fact is all. This site is in fact invaluable to me, but that doesn't mean that I can't point out the unrealistic estimated cost to keep it running. Which is what this would supposedly be.
my comment was not directed at you. I am glad that you appreciate this site enough to support it by joining the Fan Club!
I also think that basing the $$ off of all the SCS members is unrealistic, as they are not all members of the Fan Club.
Honestly, I am a member, and I find myself hardly EVER going to the gallery (even though I LOVE to) because it is so freakin slow! I've paid for something I rarely use.
I haven't been going to the gallery for a while, and I'm a paid member also. I just don't have the time to wait...and forget about leaving a comment! Takes WAY too much time - which is unfortunate. I love to compliment all the beautiful work.
I'm in total agreement with your decision. Count me in.
Sandy
I don't have time to read all the pages of comments, but this is exactly what I've been thinking.
Thank you for taking such good care of the site, Daven! Do whatever you need to do to keep it the top-notch site it is.
Rebecca
__________________ With 2 little kids, I've got enough stress So my style is quite simple - 10 minutes or less. My gallery's not fancy, but for me it's just right. And I learn more everyday from this WONDERFUL site!
Dude, do you all love SCS??? Do you subscribe to any stamping magazine subscriptions??? Almost all of them are just as much as a fan club subscription...and INSHO....it is WAY WAY WAY better!
Think of it like that....you are subscribing to a stamping magazine that puts out hundreds of new ideas and samples EVERY DAY, not just every month. I admit I got my notice to renew last week and haven't done it because I have been busy, but I never once thought about letting it lapse. I love it here! I have learned almost all I know about stamping just from cruising the gallery. No magazine could have taught me what I learned here because when you see a fab sample here, you can go to the person and ask questions until you understand how to do it for yourself.
BRAVO to Daven and Tracy for taking the plunge. Now the gallery will be hopping because they will actually have the means to make the upgrades we so desperately want and beg for! Don't you want more speed???? THen this is what it entails.
Also, don't you all want someone to answer your questions all the time? Then this site needs to generate an income for Daven to be able to support his family and also be here for us. I am all for it and I hope you all jump in or you will be MISSING OUT!!
I am a SU! demo and was sent to this site by a fellow demo. I love it here! I don't chat much on the forums but browse the gallery frequently. Actually, I just started posting my own creations and some templates that I have created based off of others creative folds and boxes. I became a fan club memeber the beginning of September and couldn't be happier. I have created many websites in my time and understand the amount of time and energy it goes into a site like this. The server capacity alone needs to be outstanding! I appreciate everything I get from this site and am more than happy to support it with my Fan Club Fee.
Thank you for all of your hard work! This is one SU! Demo who is very greatful. I have learned so much from this site and my customers love it! I am able to teach them so much that I have learned from here. I feel as though I am a much better stamper since I have found this site.
The first thing I do when I log on after work is check out SCS! Come to think of it it's the last thing I do too!
I think it's a great idea. I am already a paying member but wasn't always. I was getting so many great ideas that I felt like I had to pay - simply because it was the right thing to do in my opinion. People say that they can't afford it, but I know even when I was a poor college student, I'd pay to get a chemical & sugar laden soda out of a machine several times a week instead of drinking free water from a fountain. That easily added up to several dollars over a very short period of time. How many of us buy something at the grocery store and don't eat every bit of it. That's the same as throwing money in the trash.
I've quit buying stamping magazines even with my coupons simply because I get so many ideas from here - and new ones are available every day! I don't even begin to understand what all is involved in maintaining a site like this and never will. All I know is I more than get my money's worth in inspiration. I know I barely have time to get things accomplished in my day-to-day life with kids and activities and I'm a SAHM. The fact that so many people are volunteering their time to keep this going amazes me. I whole-heartedly support whatever decision you choose to make. I will continue to watch my "extra" purchases and buying groceries responsibly just so I can continue to be a paying member.
If I had a nickel for every time I said "I wish SCS was a paid subscriptions site!", well, I would have my membership paid for - several times over. Wait - I am already paid up - As one of the first 1200 members who joined this site - I think it is WAY past due!
I was probably one of the first people who paid for the subscription to view the DD gallery - I have even gifted subscriptions....just to support the site!
Thank you Daven for this decision - I am behind this 100%
I hope that it helps keep the site the best stampin' site on the web!
And to anyone who has a problem with Daven and Tracy making money off this site.....WHO GIVES A FLIP????
Aren't the geniuses that came up with this ROCKIN idea?? THen why shouldn't they make a profit? Not that I think they will, but they SHOULD! All kinds of people profit for their good ideas and this is the best one I've seen (of course, I am biased because I love stamping...)
Anyway, that's my 2 cents on that ridiculous idea.
I think that you have to do what is best for the future of SCS. The membership fee is so minimal. If I were to compare the cost of the membership fee to the hours I spend on SCS each day. I know it would be less than a penny an hour. I will glady pay the increase in the fee as well. I hope that everyone can see the need for the increase and changes. Good Luck! I will be looking forward to the changes.
__________________
ahahahahahDaynaahahahaha
Anyone can be an artist.....you just have to have the desire not to get up early in the morning.
It sounds reasonable to me, thanks for all the work that everyone has done to make this such a wonderful site.
Yup, what she said!
__________________ ~Sharon~ I'm a Proud wife of my OIF III & OEF veteran! Mommy of two beautiful girls! Ages 17 years & 2 years! We *heart* adoption! My Crafting BlogOur Family/Adoption Blog
This site is so unbelievable. It's like my "Stamping Bible." I come here before I do anything. I had been thinking about joining the Fan Club....I guess this just makes it a must. With all the rewards I get by being a demonstrator (monetary and otherwise), I feel like I wouldn't have so many opportunities if it wasn't for SCS. How do I sign up?
__________________ Tami aka Stampin' Goddess
The most ridiculous thing I ever said..."I'll bet I can save a lot of money if I make my own cards!"
I can't believe Starbucks Latte's make your hips bigger! I always tease everyone and say " life is really all about me" but let me tell you, I would never give as much of my free time that Daven, Tracy, Jenn, Beate, the Moderators, the DDD girls and all the behind the scene people we don't even know their names do! When I think of how we tax this site once a month for VSN and what does the SCS team get from it? They let us so we are happy and fulfilled, that is a totally unselfish act! So for me $25 is nothing to help them keep their dream of this website going or whatever they need it for to compensate them for all they give us. I hope I get a reminder before my Fan Club membership expires because 1 day without SCS makes me a very unhappy person. This site is like getting a new SU catalog every day in the mail and all your friends are sitting next to you looking at it!
I have never found a site as comprehensive as this one. I love it and am a fan club member. For only $2/month - it's a steal in my opinion. Most stamping magazines cost more per year and they're not nearly as useful or interactive. With all the tutorials and galleries - I think people would be crazy to NOT come just because there's a fee.
I totally agree. I love this site and have no problem paying. I get inspired every day just looking at the beautiful cards and I really enjoy reading the posts in the Forums. Keep up the good work guys! $25.00 a year is a bargain.
I have got more than $20.00 worth from all the infor and technique from this site. I just want to make sure I am a Fan Club memeber so I can keep getting all the stuff. Would you please e mail me. Thank you for all the great info on this site. Mary Beth Thrasher
I have been using the posts at Splitcoast as inspiration on and off for a couple of years. The slowness of the site was main reason I stopped even trying to check out new gallery posts.
I have just recently started spending online time here again and have even become a user and posted some of my cards. I also recently checked out the fan club link and even though I wanted to support the site, the $25 was more than I wanted to spend.
Do I still want to be able to access the techniques, samples and ideas Splitcoast provides (better than any other site I've found)? Yes! I guess the question I'd ask is this: "Could there be a monthly fee instead of an annual one?" Paying on a monthly basis would bring in the needed revenue but also allow people to check out the site and either continue their membership or quit if for some reason they didn't like it.
Just my thoughts. I ABSOLUTELY think this is the best site around and hope a solution can be reached that meets everyone's needs.
__________________ Life is too short to drink cheap wine!
I'm wondering how to maximize income and minimize losing members. Perhaps if dues were required by all, then the price could come down for all. I mean, how many people are paying $25 now? If there are only 5,000 (just pulled it out of the air), then that's an "income" of $125,000. If all 40,000 were required to pay $5, then that would be $200,000. I understand that there are some people who wouldn't want to contribute, but then perhaps they should not be able to have access. After all, this is a great resource. Even $10 is not a bad price and wouldn't make people think twice (or shouldn't anyways).
Well put! I was thinking this same thing when I first started reading this thread. I would become a paying member, but 25 dollars is a little too much for me for various reasons. But if everyone one was signing up, I would HOPE that the price could come down. Could this be an option for the website??
I have only just started reading these pages so perhaps there are more great ideas.
Gotta weigh in here... I am all for implementing a fee. This is a fantastic service - ever for us non-demos. I can't believe how much I've improved. I also subscribed - somewhat motivated by the DD gallery access. But mostly just because I appreciate the service. Now for some "random" thoughts...
I think Daven & Tracy SHOULD make money off this site. Isn't that the essence of capitalism - provide a product or service that people value. They'll pay for it and you make money. If they overcharge or the quality degrades the market (us stampers) will tell them so...
While I like the idea of a 15 day trial, what's to prevent folks from re-joining every 15 days to get a new trial period?
I don't think the idea of tiered memberships based on upload capacity works. This would work if it were primarily a place for people to deposit and view their own cards. BUT, the primary driver for the majority of us is to view other galleries for inspiration. Folks who never upload but view frequently would have no incentive to "step up" their membership.
I know we'll lose some valuable contributors, but I think the change is necessary.
I am all for this- the ideas here are way more exciting than in most stamping magazines!!
I think that maybe a free trial like for a month or so when you join might be a solution. I never would have joined if not for all the great art in the gallery. People won't know what they are missing if they can't see all the great art!
__________________ Whitney
"Would you not like to be sitting on top of the world with
your legs hanging free" -Dave Matthews Band
-- New stamp set $25
-- new watercolor crayons $50
-- Membership to the SCS Fan Club "PRICELESS"
I totally agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Dirty Dozen Gallery alone is FAR better than any magazine I subscribe to...and it's easier to access (no digging and thumbing through a bunch of old ones).
I am a member and I LOVE IT.....It's affordable and the support is great...everyone on here is SO helpful (and creative). I would not be the stamper I am without some of the cards on here.
Yes, I think it's a good idea. I paid for the fan club because I wanted to support this web site. I love it! But lately, I haven't used the gallery much because it takes so long. So I am all for it. I think it is reasonable and fair. I don't work for free and I don't expect anyone else to, either.
And I'll continue to pay for a new subscription each year!
Yeah Daven and Tracy!!!!! It's about time - and this is coming from someone who is rarely vocal in any way because I despise the cat fights that occur. It is beyond my comprehension that anyone feels that they should have access to such a tremendous site for free. Running a site of this magnitude can NOT be a hobby! It is in one word - expensive!!! It totally amazes me that in looking at some of the ney-sayers postings and galleries that they have a problem with contributing such a reasonable fee to support this fabulous site. We're talking the equivalent of perhaps one stamp set to help access become reasonable once again.
I'm with those that believe that this should always be a paid site, not a just for now paid site. I do not believe that the feeling of community that we have will change in a negative way - in fact my hope and belief is that it will become an even better place because those who will be here will go out of their way to be here.
Thank you to all those who have given their time and talents for free for the past number of years to run this site!!! I will continue to support this fabulous place and tell others about it. Those who are truly interested will join in and tell others, and they'll tell others, and so on...
I agree... SCS is PRICELESS!! I'd gladly pay. The owners/moderators deserve every penny! Thanks for all your hard work and inspiration!! Now what happens if EVERYONE joins? Won't you be back to square one???
I paid when I first found this site not so much because I wanted the additional access, but because I wanted to say thank you for such an AWESOME site. It has helped me grow my SU! business!! And for only $20.00 per year!!! I was truly amazed that this site has been free for so long. No other site would have this much info and remain free.
I am a fan club member and I agree with your decision.
What good will it do any of us to have the gallery if it's so slow we can not use it.
I love this site as a lot of people do. We have to support the site to keep it available for us. This site is a lot of work and all of you have my thanks.
I agree that limiting access to members makes sense, especially since everyone has the opportunity to be a member. At the new renewal rate of $24.95/year it's a great value.
I appreciate the time and effort those involved in the back-end of this site contribute to make it awesome!!!!
__________________ Donna Love my puppies! Thor 5 years; Maddee 5 years
I�m all for it and understand completely. I rarely join in on the discussion boards � but I feel compelled to join in this time.
Here�s another perspective for everyone to consider:
Ok � so you find this cool site called SplitcoastStampers. Wow � you discover it�s free. Wow again � you discover you can upload your cards and projects into your own personal photo gallery * AND * your own personal gallery has UNLIMITED space � for FREE! Isn�t this cool? Hmmm�I can �archive� anything and everything I�ve ever made. I can direct my friends, family and customers (for some of us) to this site to �show-off� my humble work. Hmmm�It�s for FREE! How can it possibly be FREE? There has to be costs somewhere that someone is paying for (that�s the accountant in me talking � the stamper in me says �Oh well � let�s load more cards!)
Now that I�ve loaded my cards, I�ve noticed others are doing it to. Wow - I can look at other people�s creativity, get inspired, case profusely, learn new techniques, get patterns, tips, make new friends and just plain have fun! All for FREE! Hmmm�it doesn�t cost me a dime � HOW CAN THAT BE? (I ask myself again.)
Well, nothing is for free. I�m thrilled that I found a place like SCS that I can have an unlimited gallery and unlimited access to ideas, etc. When the Fan Club started � I was one of the first to join. No problem � I�m happy to support such an awesome site. It was my �guilt donation� for taking advantage of a site that I visited constantly. Has the site been slow lately? You bet! Have I complained � not in a million years. It�s FREE. Yes, it�s disappointing. Yes, I don�t come here as often as I would like to. Yes, I don�t leave nearly the amount of comments on people�s wonderful work as I would like to and should, because it�s takes way too long. That is the sad part � I really would love to partake in the fellowship of the site like it used to be when I first signed on. So, if I have to pay an annual membership fee to get faster uploads, gallery viewing and quicker comment making � I will gladly pay it on a permanent basis.
Thanks for �listening� to my story!
And thanks to everyone at SCS for starting, updating (there�s been a lot of changes since the beginning) and continuing this site. It�s an incredible resource and inspiration.
