a good idea for the club....... come on everyone join in

[extreme-4x4]

hi i have started a new topic as i really dont want to spoil the other one i have running " how did you first find the club " , to be honest im really happy with the response you have all made there and im sure mav is too

later on when everyone has had a say ... the club can use that to promote the club for new people considering joining ... but put off by paying first

so with this in mind and its clear we all want the club to stay, in fairness its pretty good the way it is , i know some want more... ie funny pics and colorful language and i did / do too , ive had the warnings over the use of the word duck etc .... but on the whole its a good clean club site with friendly people and very good information

so i propose ... the club is working on a 10.00 annual subscription now

i think the club would need to survive 10.00 for 6 months subscription or 18.00 for the year

also i think we are loosing potentially 50% of new members by the pay first scheme.
this should be 1 week free access upon application through mav .

lets face it once in everyone will stay. if we keep it clean and safe

so this is a vote yes or no to what is in effect a price increase

your welcome to have your say if you like

also im in no way interested in buying the club , i have spoken to mav yes... but not about buying it
i do however believe, whoever buys it if anyone does they will have a price increase
i like the club and its good as it is and want it to stay

extreme.

[Deleted Member]

Where's the pole then extreme??
I would say yes as i know that other clubs are alot more!!
:wink:

[extreme-4x4]

dont know how to make it into a poll

anyway we can all spell yes or on ....... plus you can add your views too

[floyd500b]

I'm in :smile: "YES"

Nice one Extreme

Graham

[Paul]

Sounds good to me..

[NEDDY]

YES :smile:

[tezzer]

sounds ok to me-- -groovy-

[makeitfit]

I'm in for a YES :wink:
A lot of sites do a fill in the form jobie first and then charge you after a period if you DONT CANCEL.
That way you tend to get more (forgetful types) and Mav shouldn't have to check them all.
Nice one extreme :wink:

[extreme-4x4]

come on its your chance to have your say....

[willow]

Ok
If this has Mavs blessing then I think this is a good idea.
I found this site through Difflock Sweety and Hummingbird gave me advice there and told me to look at this site. I looked and had to spend £10 which at the time was a lot for me. I paid the joining fee and have not looked back since. A free post and look would have made me join quicker but to be honest there is not another site out there like this.
I love it the way it is good honest fun and sound information.
Keep it clean keep out the bad guys Mavs doing a great job we are all here because of him.
Thumbs up from me

[iandouglas]

HI MY ANSWER IS YES.
Only thing that worries me about a weeks grace before payment .
is you open yourself up to the troublemakers
.if you let them into the full site .would it also be harder to stop spam etc.
would a cash boost be of use.
say £10 free gratis just to help the club along.
rgds.iandouglas

[extreme-4x4]

HI MY ANSWER IS YES.
Only thing that worries me about a weeks grace before payment .
is you open yourself up to the troublemakers
.if you let them into the full site .would it also be harder to stop spam etc.
would a cash boost be of use.
say £10 free gratis just to help the club along.
rgds.iandouglas


i think if its all locked up but when you fill in the form to join , mav sends you a code or something (i cant remember to be honest) that way you are basicly invited in for a week then you pay ... this way you prevent hackers and other computers spamming etc. and mav still has control if they mess about . but we encourage new members to join. if we get enough we can look at the subs again next year
( it could go down again )... maybe if we get too many the club could put on a rally or a custom / rat show with prizes


its my belief we are loosing out on new members that get to the joining bit then move on

in the long term the club needs new faces and new funds... as any club does

[makeitfit]

Something like I was saying, new peops fill in the form as usual but their card is debiteed a week later!
Job done 8)

[Deleted Member D]

I dont get it Im affraid :?
What the hell do you want to put the price up for ? :?: :x :?
Why are you so interested in putting the price up ?
What difference will it make to the club ?
AM I MISSING THE POINT HERE ? :?[b]
Why are you suggesting such a thing and why aint anyone else questioning this idea ?
:roll: :? :x
Yuv lost me cocka. :?
Im saying NO leave it/us alone please.

[Paul]

i think if its all locked up but when you fill in the form to join , mav sends you a code or something (i cant remember to be honest) that way you are basicly invited in for a week then you pay ... this way you prevent hackers and other computers spamming etc.

its my belief we are loosing out on new members that get to the joining bit then move on

in the long term the club needs new faces and new funds... as any club does

Can't see this working with the week thing, it only takes less then a minute to upload a virus / trojan, then Mav's & us are back to squire one, costing loads to remove it, as for spamming to keep an eye on this would need the mod's to be on here 24/7 to keep control of it.

I totaly agree we need more faces /funds coming into here, which ever way you look at it, if & when who ever takes over needs to get their money back as soon as, so the sub,s I think will be the first thing to rise.

Paul.

[extreme-4x4]

thats why you need to apply the same way (email mav) , and your invited in and given a code as normal this lasts for a week then you need to pay... imagine you could pay by cheque in this first week

so you cant just click and get in it could take 24 hours to get access but you do get to play for free so no risk to the new people.

and programs cant get access that way cos they'd have to email mav


thats how we are loosing people... they get to apply, then it costs so they move on cos you could pay and get nothing

oh and not everyone has paypal

lots of members were recommended this club so they didn't have the worry of risk ... i found it by Google and nearly moved on

[Paul]

Would you give them full access for the week or just to part of the forum?
ie so that they couldn't use things like the downloads, gallery.

[wildbri]

any discount for pensioners? :lol: ............ a motorhome forum on which I lurk allows 5 post before you pay this is probably to draw into the site......bri

[NNMan]

You think increasing the membership will encourage new members 8O

[elty001]

my opion is if people want to join the club they will.1 weeks free access would just encourage people to take advantage,get the answers they need and dissapear.i wasnt worried about paying a tenner to join.no matter what you do you cannot force new membership.i probably would still have joined if it was £20 but thats just me.

[extreme-4x4]

pensioners discount would be good... full or part access it up to the owner.

like i said im not in the race to buy the club... im just throwing ideas around getting opinions. call it market reasearch trying to help the club

someone must have figures on who's visited the sign up page and who actually signs up

i had hoped people would have added to this with there own ideas to make the subject grow and hopefully help in the clubs future

thanks to everyone who has posted here possitive and negitive

but please lets not get nasty ay... this is not a playground its a club for nissan 4x4 and mavs

[barny]

Extreme,You need posts like yours(this) to keep the club vibrant and not stagnant......
Think well before raising the £10 membership(yeh it's worth it)but any more might frighten people off and some just cant afford it.
Perhaps you can pay a litle more for 'extras' seperately?
I'd say NO to allowing FREE access to ALL the site as,to be honest i stumbled on the site while frantically searching for HELP with my terrano 'starting problem' and if i could have taken all the knowledge from years of experience from members on this site for free that one time,i probably wouldn't have paid later on !!!!but acces to some of the site before signing up ya money is worth a try.
Dont be to hung up on chatting JUST 4x4,then again be carefull it dont turn into a general chittychat forum open to all. :smile:

[jims-terrano]

We used to have a Non Memebers section where they could post. Trouble is once they got the info they didn't come back.

I also think that more than £10 would put people off joining, exisitng members realise how valuable the info is and indeed get enjoyment from using it. So it is worth a little more to us that understand the club. Even at £10 we must get new members that find out the info they want and still don't come back but that's their problem and at least we have got £10 towards running costs.

My worry about the club is that a new owner of the club will want it to run like a business and may be spoil the atmosphere. It is difficult I guess because unless you are a good samaritan any new owner will want it to more than likley not just pay it's way but make a little income.

At the moment I'm more than happy to keep supporting the club, it's one of the first things I do when I get in from work and especially winter time I check in several times a night.

Jim T

[extreme-4x4]

We used to have a Non Memebers section where they could post. Trouble is once they got the info they didn't come back.

I also think that more than £10 would put people off joining, exisitng members realise how valuable the info is and indeed get enjoyment from using it. So it is worth a little more to us that understand the club. Even at £10 we must get new members that find out the info they want and still don't come back but that's their problem and at least we have got £10 towards running costs.

My worry about the club is that a new owner of the club will want it to run like a business and may be spoil the atmosphere. It is difficult I guess because unless you are a good samaritan any new owner will want it to more than likley not just pay it's way but make a little income.

At the moment I'm more than happy to keep supporting the club, it's one of the first things I do when I get in from work and especially winter time I check in several times a night.

Jim T


well unless the interested party stands up and says its me... we wont know till it happens. but a price increase is inevitable i believe and maybe changes too

so now is the time to ask the questions and raise your thoughts, because it is changing hands that is inevitable

[Bat21]

Just my 2p's worth here.

As well as my Patrol, my other passion is motorcycles. I run a hugely successful motorcycle site that is well known around the globe, it has become more than just a web site. Over the last 6 years it has evolved into a 9,000 member community that has cemented many friendships. We have regional monthly meets in all areas of the UK as well as 6 National events every year and raise £10's of £1,000s for worthy charities.

It is free to join and post there but there is also a voluntary subscription (currently £12). Those that subscribe do gain access to a few areas, the for sale/wanted section to name but one. Subscribing members are also allowed to send PM's (private messages).

Approximately 30% of the membership does choose to become subscribing members within a few weeks of joining.

I feel that this club needs to maybe relax a little and possibly adopt a similar stance to that mentioned above, allowing people to suck it and see before parting with their hard earned cash.

I have almost 0 spam posts due to a very good Bot filter that stops automated registrations.

As far as increasing the membership fee goes well, what we have to remember is places like this don't run themselves. People all too often log on and take for granted the site being here. What they don't appreciate sometimes is there is someone behind the scenes spending many hours a day answering emails, answering phone calls, making sure the backup process completes successfully each day, lying awake at night thinking "was I unfair to say that" etc etc.... the list quite unimaginable to those who have never run a successful community. I would say £20 a year is too much, £15 maybe, £12 a year would be a more realistic membership fee. Don't forget that PayPal fees are taken off what ever is paid + 22% tax and £8% national insurance.

.... again, these are just my thoughts.

[elty001]

as with all business takeovers i'm sure we will be told what the deal is and any changes that will come into force when the time is right.
i come on here to have a chat and help people out if i can.its a nissan 4x4 owners club so lets talk about them for a change :wink:

[Bat21]

.....its a nissan 4x4 owners club so lets talk about them for a change :wink:
It's the Nissan/Ford 4x4 that is the common interest between us all.... but talking about them is only a small % of what makes for a successful club/community :wink:

[NNMan]

To people who dont know £10 is a lot, I/we know its worth it because we are in.

I find it intresting that someone who has only been a member for a couple of months is trying to whip the time served members in to shape.

[elty001]

It's the Nissan/Ford 4x4 that is the common interest between us all.... but talking about them is only a small % of what makes for a successful club/community


i understand that there is a social side to the club as well as the motors.not trying to offend anyone but we all log onto the club for different reasons.some the tech stuff and others just to have a chat.
when funds let me i do enjoy modding my motors so i do search through old posts to get ideas.i enjoy greenlaning and have made some good friends through the club meets.i just must be in an argumentitive mood tonight. :|

[Deleted Member S]

Sorry to say this extreme but you seem fixed on that the membership fee has to increase WHY :?: TBH that will be down to the new owner :roll: I know £10 is not alot but when you have a very small income (i'm out of work due to health probs) £10 is alot as I could easily spend that on my kids :roll: My T2 has got where it is via birthday & xmas pressies from my family & things i've took out of my old motors & have fitted to the T2 :roll:

[rag1873]

Sorry to say this extreme but you seem fixed on that the membership fee has to increase WHY :?: TBH that will be down to the new owner :roll: I know £10 is not alot but when you have a very small income (i'm out of work due to health probs) £10 is alot as I could easily spend that on my kids :roll: My T2 has got where it is via birthday & xmas pressies from my family & things i've took out of my old motors & have fitted to the T2 :roll:


I agree Sweety, Extreme seems intent of pushing up the membership!

Could Mav maybe give us an answer to whether this would help things.

I think that by pushing it up to £20 it would just put more folk off joining. I too am off work due to ill health and am having to sell my terrano, if i sell it and if the membership stayed at £10 i would probably renew my membership just for the chat but if it went up to £20 i doubt i would renew my membership if i no longer had the terrano.
Surely the cheaper the membership (£10) the more likely folk are to pay it especially if they dont know what they are getting for their money.

[extreme-4x4]

Sorry to say this extreme but you seem fixed on that the membership fee has to increase WHY :?: TBH that will be down to the new owner :roll: I know £10 is not alot but when you have a very small income (i'm out of work due to health probs) £10 is alot as I could easily spend that on my kids :roll: My T2 has got where it is via birthday & xmas pressies from my family & things i've took out of my old motors & have fitted to the T2 :roll:


well im no dragon, so here goes.
if the club is run on profit from subscriptions that means you need lots of members to pay its running costs. without the owner profiting from it.

now assume you was buying the club , you would want a return on your money spent. the club has 1300 members so thats 13,000 turn over less any expenses.
tax insurance hosting support and what ever else it costs to run the club.
that's without taking all the free time mav spends running it and sorting out all our problems ei pics, avatars and editing the site

now as you know mav dont seem to have won the lottery recently and he still has to go to work . so he aint making much from the site if anything

so what percentage would you expect to get back on your investment

how huch would you want for your time doing mav's job here

cos if you bought it you'd want something.

so now you need more members or more money or changes to the site like advertising... do you know many companies splashing out on advertising in this climate

so how do you attract more members ?

how do you raise more revenue ?

i dont want to pay more . im broke the same as you . i have mouths to feed.
id rather attract more members for the club to grow and make the club a better place

so that just leaves more new members ????? how you going to do it ?????

[Deleted Member S]

I understand what your saying BUT pushing up the membership fee I think it may drive away the members who hardly post & would turn away new members

[extreme-4x4]

we are averaging 1 new member a day if that. how many current members are up to date with membership ie renewing membership

if its less than 1 a day we are shrinking and so is turnover

running costs wont shrink !

members / money is the key

its all well and good saying i want a price increase ( i dont )
but the new owner will want something in return for his / her investment

id like to pay my 10 pounds and talk about trucks all year

so good ideas is what the club needs right now

[Deleted Member S]

As far as i'm aware this club was set up for like minded people to chat & help each other out with their probs & ideas & not as a money maker & TBH I think thats why the club has done so well. Over the next few years I would think the new owner would start to get their money back which the had to fork out to buy the site. Like all investments it takes time to recoop your outlays

[makeitfit]

Hi again, overall I'm afraid I agree with extreme.
Not that I want to pay more at all.
BUT as we're all in the dark as to what the h... is going on what do you expect. 8O
I've run my own web business and it's really time consuming, so I have loads of admiration for what Mav does. he must be mad for it!
Anyway up what you need is some numbers, how many renew membership, how many visit and go again without signing up etc. All easy numbers on the data reader pages. You can even see how many read the chat and how many read the tech.
I've only been on here a few months and joined cause I needed info as there was nothin of use free for the maverick.
It's the only forum I use regularly the others I go on are simple question post and answer then I'm off.
Here is diff. but I cant see what the harm is of a few opinions.
Without the sales pitch to look at it's bound to be a bunch of nissan/ford types havin a three peneth :?