So many issues to discuss and cover....
There are a few camps of thought on recognizing donors vs. not recognizing donors. Pond Boss has elected to recognize those who donate.
Is there a difference between one who donates and one who does not donate? Well, yes, from at least one perspective. One chose to pay and one did not.
Is there any difference to access to the forum? No.
Going further on TJ's comments, Pond Boss has struggled with how to maintain and grow the forum, and the desire to keep it free, and to keep everyone happy.
As the forum has grown, Pond Boss has seen that it cannot keep everyone happy, and is evolving to the standpoint of no longer trying to keep everyone happy. This can be seen in the lack of tolerance for those who come to the forum and cause trouble. In the past, Pond Boss would try to coddle those folks and make nice for everyone. Now, it's one, maybe two warnings and then, Adios.
As the forum has grown, the costs of maintaining it have grown to the point of the forum needing to justify more of it's own existence than in the past.
Look at the 2012 and 2013 HOF threads. See the low number of folks that have chosen to give a few bucks.
If you love coming to Pond Boss and interfacing with other members, then you may not be surprised at how cranky you could get when the forum is down for technical reasons!
Th idea of posting a running total has been discussed and may be implemented, but this is not really a charity. This is an individual decision to attribute a value to something that is enjoyed by that same individual. It's not a decision to donate in order to be philanthropic.
