Perhaps it would help if more members became "friends of FAOL"
Tim
Perhaps it would help if more members became "friends of FAOL"
Tim
Panman,
That was my thought as soon as I read this. It is a shame that a lot of FAOL member open up the "home" page and immediately go to the "forum" and never review the "menu" on the left of the "home" page. If they would, they would come to the "Friends of FAOL" link and could "click" on it and see what that is all about. I feel this feature should remain because it is really "archives". As it is, there would be added costs to the owners for pins and patches and that defeats the purpose of why this "thread" was started. They may still have some pins and patches left which could be dealt with. The following are just thoughts I am having, but, we could create a feature that could be at the top of the Forum page and have a title of "Support of FAOL" and members and visitors could link through it to contribute $10 per year towards the costs of keeping FAOL up and running. I know that we could also move "Friends of FAOL" to the top of the Forum, but, the list of past "Friends" and "Sponsors" is something I feel is important and should remain on the menu as archives on how FAOL got started. I know that I am on the list as "Friends of FAOL" and have contributed the initial $25 member fee and have also contributed the $10 fee in later years, but, I am guilty of not maintaining that $10 member fee over the years and that is a shame and my fault. Maybe with "Support of FAOL" at the top of the Forum it could be a constant reminder to us that have contributed in the past and have become lazy to continue. As far as any left over pins and patches go, we could reserve them for "new" members or those who do not have any until they are depleted. For this to work without any "hic cups", I feel there would have to be a secure and dedicated address for money order/checks so the mail system did not foul the delivery up.
I feel a fee of $10 per year is a very small amount to pay for all that is at your finger tips to research on FAOL. There is a wealth of info on FAOL site and I doubt very much if very many members have actually sat down and searched the archives available at no charge.
The above is just "thinking out loud" and nothing more.
Warren
Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.
Warren,
Ain't NOBODY gonna pay even $10 for this. Something along the route has changed .The economy, bad/lax site management, loss of interest in ff, competing sites, membership "personalities" and just HOW MANY TIMES do you need to read about the BEST KNOTS?? etc. So, NO PAY NO ACCESS?? If that were the case ,I contend there would be a total of NINE of ya to share your ff eloquence. Perhaps you've dismissed the statement that sponsors are bailing. That's the TRUE money/ economics of this. THEY( the SMART money) see NO/MINIMAL return on their investment based on NUMBERS that participate in all forums herein. I agree, it is a GREAT site but certainly not exclusive enough to merit a subscription fee. Personally , if this site were presented to me, in it's current state, as an INVESTMENT potential, as they say in the MSNBC "Shark Tank", I'm Out.
Mark
PS: As I've stated before, I hope FAOL survives these leaner times . Charging a fee ain't the lifeline.
Warren,
I'm with you!
Nobody should be expected to maintain a great site like this without at least breaking even. Given all their time, they should actually draw a stipend!
There should be a paypal component on the home page which allows grateful users to subscribe. Those who don't could perhaps have some limitation....for example not allowed to list on the for sale section or something......
Well, I am going to prove you wrong. I was not aware of the Friends of FAOL thing. I thought it was just for commercial sponsors, all these years. If they will set it up where I can pay through Pay Pal, I will join immediately.
Originally Posted by Marco
I think folks are narrowly focusing on the BB as the only part of value on the site. The views and readership suggest something else. Unless I am missing something?
Marco,
I am shocked to read how you feel about FAOL. I guess it just proves that you never know someone until they express themselves like you just did. I feel you have missed the most important reason that Deanna and Jim started FAOL. It was not as an investment to get rich on. It was an adventure to help all the new fly fishers who cannot afford guides, tying classes, casting instructions, etc. The Administrators of FAOL wanted to sincerely help expand the sport of fly fishing and I feel they have done that. Where else can you go and get all the helpful info on fly fishing, fly tying, rod building, etc., for free? The $10 fee does not have to be mandatory. It just needs to be brought up where new members can see it and if they want to contribute, they can. I do not know of any magazine subscription that offers this much info and only cost $10 per year. As far as you putting me in the, " If that were the case ,I contend there would be a total of NINE of ya to share your ff eloquence" I will always be available to share any help I can give to someone just starting into fly fishing and fly tying. I enjoy helping others and that is why I am a volunteer with Partners In Healing to help disabled Vets. I love to help others and expect nothing in return. That is just me. I pay $20 per year for a subscription to Fly Tyer magazine and it only comes out 4 times per year and I have been a subscriber for over 10 years and I still get something out of reading each issue. I have a strong desire to fly fish and tie flies. I love the river and the peace it gives me and I love to share that with anyone. All fly fishing and tying magazines, once read, are usually discarded and you can never remember what was in them unless you made copies before discarding them. At least with FAOL, you can go to the archives and pull articles up that were published on FAOL over 5 years or more ago. That in its self, Marco, is worth $10 per year. You can learn how to tie flies from going through each article here titled, Beginner's, Intermediate and Advanced. That, Marco, is worth $10 per year. If you no longer fly fish or tie flies or do anything relating to fly fishing, that is fine, but, don't take it away from those who have a desire to learn all they can and get it for measly $10 per year.
If my post has offended anyone, I am not sorry about it. FAOL means a lot to me and they have done so much for the sport of fly fishing. I have so many friends here on FAOL that I have never met in person and probably never will, but, they mean a lot to me and I would have never learned of them without FAOL.
Warren
Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.
I just withdrew the rod sale offer at the request of Admin.
Larry ---sagefisher---
Last edited by sagefisher; 11-19-2014 at 11:30 AM.
Warren,
You overheated your keyboard but missed my point entirely.
Mark
I would gladly offer $10 to keep this site open. I've learned so much about my passion fly fishing, tying, and rod building on this site. It is an invaluable resource that I use all of the time even though I've been enjoying this sport for over 30 years. I guess if you come to the realization that you know it all, a site such as this is meaningless, and that's fine. I've met many fine people on here such as Warren, and to me, that's reason enough for me to be a part of the community that is FAOL.
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