[maire]

Just my $0.02, so take it for what it's worth.

It might help some people put things into perspective if they knew just how much money was coming out of pocket to pay for this site and why the Ads by Google aren't covering all the expenses. I became a premium member a while back because I thought I was helping to pay for a site I've been coming to for a few years now and am totally addicted to (even have my allnurses.com t-shirt...yeah I know - "geek.") I know someone who runs a website and I know for a fact that he has shelled out many hundreds of dollars of his own personal money to help pay for bandwidth and the like.
Let people know what the money is paying for, and that it's not just to pad a pocket. It might help defuse some tempers a bit and aid folks in understanding what's going on. Just MHO.

[renerian]

Thanks Brian. I will most likely join this week.

renerian

[brian]

Originally Posted by renerian

Thanks Brian. I will most likely join this week.

renerian

I really appreciate the kind words and understanding of you all who realize that this is a large website with large bills. Our monthly expenditures for servers, backups, upgrades etc, bandwidth charges, tech support, email servers, etc... all of which are not cheap, I've been running this site for going on 8 years, never asked a member for a dime of support until we started the premium member program a few months back. I truly do appreciate all the premium members who have contributed.

Sites that survive on advertising alone are far and few between, I've been successful and keeping a fairly low overhead, but online ad spending/revenue is slowing down in general. I thought that this would be a way to help cost of the servers, and at the same time allow the members of the site an opportunity to contribute to the site that they enjoy.

Nearly 1/3 of all the bandwidth charges we pay each month come from these two Non-nursing forums. A big portion of the servers processing power is used for these forums, they are popular forums, but they are not nursing related.

When I started the non-nursing forums, I was hesitant, because I didn't want the financial resources of company to be funding non-nursing related off-topic discussions. This is what has happened. Which is why I finally made the decision to put them in the premium forums? My mindset was that, if you want to discuss non-nursing content, those members who get their enjoyment, support etc… from the forums to help ease the burden of the cost that they are bringing, some of you may think I am wrong for thinking that way, but that was my mindset. I’d rather not even consider closing the forums, as many people enjoy them, myself included.

Looking back at how I surprised everyone, with this, I realize now that it was a mistake; I should have warned the community of such change. I apologize, but I am human and I can admit when I make an error.

I am not a huge corporation, I am, me, myself and I, (and a bunch of great volunteer moderators and co-admins). I need to have a viable business strategy to maintain our growth and the well-being of the website and the company.

I hope this helps you all understand more about the situation. Please pardon any grammatical errors, as I am a little sleep deprived at the moment

[brian]

Originally Posted by webblarsk

Hey Brian, thanks for giving some extra time. Do appreciate it!

You are very welcome!

[lisamc1]

Thank you for explaining this, Brian. This seems like a fair solution to the financial problems and I will try to become a member some time after Christmas. (Thank you for checking into payment options). I love allnurses and I plan on being here for a long time.

[earle58]

i noticed that a thread in the breakroom was deleted, now knowing that we were not to publicly vent re: our discontent on the new rules/limitations.

with that said, even though intellectually i do understand the cost of keeping a forum this size running, barring people from the breakroom unless they pay the dues, i think is going to cause more harm than good.

the breakroom, as we know it, is probably the most popular forum in terms of viewership.
and although it is not directly nsg related, it is probably THE forum that most people come to in terms of socializing, support, camaraderie and that sense of belonging and being heard.
so i do not think that imposing these dues is going to benefit allnurses as it will dissuade those that need a place to just 'be'...
i think you're going to lose many of your members, that have publicly and visibly been an icon of support to so many others....now to charge these dues for something that should be unconditionally embraced, merely puts a thorn in the side of those that reject the concept of charging $ for such bonds and friendships.
if you wanted to charge dues, it should been aimed at those that have not yet joined.
this creative money mgmt. hit below the belt of many, especially where this breakroom interaction benefited allnurses more than any other forum.

leslie

[RN4NICU]

Originally Posted by karenG

as my previous offering here has been removed.. I will say this carefully. I agree with Chris... the break room may not be a 'nurse' related topic but its where we go for support and encouragement, to vent to like minded people. To take away so abrubtly just seemed unfair. Thank you for giving us time to finish things like the christmas card exchange.

at the moment I dont feel like becoming a premium member.. as a single parent, every penny is counted and right now there are no spare pennies! Also, removing my previous post has made me feel small... didnt think I was so out of line but I obviously was, for that I apologise. somehow some of the joy I have felt in coming here has gone.

Karen

Karen, I feel the same way.

[Marie_LPN]

My only arguement would have been the sudden spring-up of the changes, however that was fixed.

My plan was to become a paid member next month, anyway, since by then i would have the extra money. But i can swing it now.



And above all, this isn't my own personal site, so i don't feel that i have the right to complain about what i got for free for the past year and a half.. The owner will run it however they choose to and for whatever's the best interest, they are the one that invest the time, thought, and money to getting it started in the first place, and if i didn't like it, i didn't have to stay.

Not saying that to be mean, just the way i feel

[weetziebat]

Originally Posted by earle58

with that said, even though intellectually i do understand the cost of keeping a forum this size running, barring people from the breakroom unless they pay the dues, i think is going to cause more harm than good.

the breakroom, as we know it, is probably the most popular forum in terms of viewership.
and although it is not directly nsg related, it is probably THE forum that most people come to in terms of socializing, support, camaraderie and that sense of belonging and being heard.
so i do not think that imposing these dues is going to benefit allnurses as it will dissuade those that need a place to just 'be'...
i think you're going to lose many of your members, that have publicly and visibly been an icon of support to so many others....now to charge these dues for something that should be unconditionally embraced, merely puts a thorn in the side of those that reject the concept of charging $ for such bonds and friendships.
if you wanted to charge dues, it should been aimed at those that have not yet joined.
this creative money mgmt. hit below the belt of many, especially where this breakroom interaction benefited allnurses more than any other forum.

leslie

Yes, Leslie - as usual, I agree with you. And with Karen, especially liked the last line "somehow some of the joy I have felt in coming here is gone" - my feelings exactly.

Brian, if you had explained the situation and given people some time to prepare for it I would not have been so upset. I understand you are human, and have posponed the ban from the Break Room and Current Events unless we pay you, but it still leaves a very nasty taste in my mouth.

I've said my goodbyes in the Good Morning thread today. So, BYE y'all.

[boulergirl]

Public Disagreements with Administration/Staff or Guidelines
You agree that if you disagree with allnurses.com website policy or action of a staff member, you will not post public arguments or disagreements nor attempt to petition the owner/administration to change policy through posts, polls, email, PM or any other service found within the allnurses.com Website. If you disagree, you may respectfully post your comments in private in the feedback forum where only Admins and You can see the your conversation.

Umm, okay, if this be the case, this entire thread violates the rules.

Oy vey...I'd better go reread my policy agreement.