Site Privliges

[RonT]

I thought this site had parts of the forum limited to registered members only, I was just advised otherwise by a very non American Skier mechanic that it's open to anyone to read. I logged off & checked & they were right, they could read all our comments although they could not post. It appears that we are becoming a popular site for free How-To information, much of which is contributed by myself or my brother. My request is this: can we limit viewing these areas of the forum to registered members only? (Tech, eng. repair, boat maint., gen A/S Discussion) Maybe even register A/S boat owners only,  I don't mind sharing info with A/S owners, but I do mind advising other brand mechanics using our info to profit from. The caller that brought this to my attention is a mechanic at a ski boat dealership who called me on the phone looking for some parts. He informed me that he was able to save time on a job, billed the customer for the full time he had estimated, bragged about how he pocketed an extra $200 all because of something some guy named RonT had written on the A/S forum. 

[Joel]

I like that the forums are open to all... but Ron has a valid concern.  I hate to recommend this, but when people are using this site for profit (and negatively affecting our members & friends) then we should act accordingly.  Unethical people ALWAYS ruin it for the guy just trying to get some info on how to maintain thier stuff.

If your a member you should have unlimited access.  If your not, then a number of info areas should be "limited" to members only.  We've got to support the guys who help to make this site what it is and Ron & Dan are two of the best!  My 2 cents...

Joel

[phil]

The forums did in-fact use to be viewable by registered members only. Registering an account does not in itself make any of these postings private. There is nothing to stop anyone from registering their own account and then viewing the data. The reason I made all the forum postings viewable by guests was to increase membership and traffic to the site. People are more likely to register with our site if they have a chance to explore its contents first.

When I first created this site it was with the intentions of giving a place for all American Skier owners and fans to hang out at. A place where we can help each other and boast about our boats. There is no question that you have contributed greatly to this site and I'm sure everyone very much appreciates that. However, if you want to make some of your postings private, I think we need to consider a paid subscriber section of the site.

For the record, to this day, I have received $35.00 in donations and $30.00 was just donated very recently by a single member so the time cost for me is high. Young children, busy job, etc...

[Joel]

Phil,  I have no idea how you keep this site up WITHOUT a paid subcriber influx of at least a minimal amount of cash...  I'm sure the site sucks up an EXTRAORDINARY amount of your time and I have no qualms with this idea.

To be clear, I like it that the site is open to all - its a great thing.  Unfortunately, most good sites eventually have to put up some kind of strict rules of behavior and / or institute a "pay to play" section so the people contributing to the site arent taken advantage of by the few who could care less about our members.

I'm cool with whatever you come up with... this site and our members are THAT important to me!!

Joel

[Midskier]

We're all responsible and at the same time at risk for the information we share.  This site has been a convenient avenue for owners and enthusiasts to find some helpful tips, share about our passions, or gain a greater appreciation for this brand.  Being a "Registered Member" to gain access to certain parts of the forum certainly wouldn't deter visitors from registering  so they too can gain access to the information available.  It is what it is, the part that rubs us ( Ron and I) the wrong way is the arrogance of a jobber sticking it to his customer, hopefully the customer will read this and think twice about where he gets his boat serviced in the future. 


"able to save time on a job, billed the customer for the full time he had estimated, bragged about how he pocketed an extra $200"

Dan T

[Mike Harry]

I am for a paid memership personally. Phil spends alot of time on the site. I dont know how much, Im lucky I know how to log on I know so little about computers, but I do know it must be alot. We ask alot of him!

There are most likely hundreds of names on this site that have visited once or twice and never came back, or those that this thread is talking about.

Phil would be best to dish out a $$$ number, but I hate to put that pressure on him alone. Possibly this should be put up for discussion or vote.

Just my .02 for what they are worth.

I personally am dedicated to this site, pay or not.

[backfoot100]

I completely understand the concerns from Ron and Dan. It just goes to show you how advantageous it is to be able to do your own wrenching and to have a forum available with the knowledge base to do that is such an awesome thing.

Personally, I would have no problem having to pay a membership fee or to pay for access to a particular portion of the forum to gain that valuable information.

My only concern would be doing that would severly limit the growth potential of the site. Virtually evey forum that I have used for my own personal information and/or repairs (several different Volvo sites and the numerous times mentioned CorrectCraftFan) don't charge any such fees. They have huge followings and continue to grow. I'm afraid that any such mandatory fee would spell certain death of the site except for those who are active in it now.

Spreading the word and getting some traction from tournament ski boat buffs about these fantastic boats won't happen with a membership fee. We'll look like stuck up asses that think our boat is the only one on the planet worth consideration (which it is). But keeping an open mind and welcoming the followers of those other brands (we all know who they are) will do much more good for us, our boats and this site than any membership fees.

Just my .02

[phil]

I completely understand the concerns from Ron and Dan. It just goes to show you how advantageous it is to be able to do your own wrenching and to have a forum available with the knowledge base to do that is such an awesome thing.

Personally, I would have no problem having to pay a membership fee or to pay for access to a particular portion of the forum to gain that valuable information.

My only concern would be doing that would severly limit the growth potential of the site. Virtually evey forum that I have used for my own personal information and/or repairs (several different Volvo sites and the numerous times mentioned CorrectCraftFan) don't charge any such fees. They have huge followings and continue to grow. I'm afraid that any such mandatory fee would spell certain death of the site except for those who are active in it now.

Spreading the word and getting some traction from tournament ski boat buffs about these fantastic boats won't happen with a membership fee. We'll look like stuck up asses that think our boat is the only one on the planet worth consideration (which it is). But keeping an open mind and welcoming the followers of those other brands (we all know who they are) will do much more good for us, our boats and this site than any membership fees.

Just my .02

Exactly why I don't want to go this route. Also, the data shows that when I unlocked the site membership and traffic grew at a faster rate. So I know for a fact that locking people out results in less membership/visitors.

[Tbare]

This is my first year owning my '88 AS advance and I have been able to repair everything on it and get parts for it due to everyone (especially Ron and Dan) on this site. It sucks that the scum bags of the world take advantage of everything.

Hopefully a solution can be found to deter the prying eyes.