Originally Posted By: sprkplug


If the forum exists in part, maybe even a substantial part, in order to try and drive up subscription rates, then maybe a quick look at the "who's online" box on the left side of the page might provide some insight. As of this moment, 12 registered users and 251 guests. 20 onlookers, most of which are probably non-subscribers, to every registered user. Most of which probably ARE subscribers.

We're all familiar with "why buy the cow when you get the milk for free", I'm guessing? Has the PB forum become PB magazine's biggest detractor?


I used to be on an astronomy and telescope forum where you could also buy and sell, kind of like Tractorbynet. It was a great site to buy and sell equipment, and have discussions on how to use it. Every user was verified and used their real name. After a few years, donations started flagging, so the forum owner started charging $12 a year for membership. He was way ahead of the times, too far. There are only a handful of members now, mainly those who buy and sell a substantial amount of equipment, which no longer applies to me. The mandatory donation killed the forum. But, I think the future is paid forums. It keeps out spam and supports the good info obtained.

I think we either should subscribe to the magazine or support the forum by at least donating a little. All voluntary. Server costs are not insignificant, and the info received is quite valuable. Just my 2 cents, fwiw.