Tutorial How membership works on these forums

[Richard]

Last Update: May 2021
--------------------

Unlike most discussion forums on the Internet, these Ski forums are not actually 100% free.

After a free trial period, access to Apres topics is restricted to subscription members only.

Our very generous Free Trial period is based on the volume of your contributing 'posts' - - and so for many people, the Free Trial may last a year or longer.

In a Nutshell..

• Theses forums are free to join.
• After 50 posts or 100 days, new members enjoy the same set of features as Gold & Silver Members - but with advertising (see Rewards for details).
  
• At 1000 posts, members are required to subscribe with a Silver Pass for $11 per annum to maintain full access to Apres topics. All advertising is removed.
• At 3000 posts, members are required to subscribe with a Gold Pass at $33 per annum (or $3.85 per month) to maintain full access to Apres topics. All advertising is removed.

Membership is not compulsory and should you reach the 1000 or 3000 post milestones then you may choose to not subscribe and you will still maintain full access to all other forum topics - just not the Apres topics.

You may also upgrade at any time before reaching the 1000 post count.


What happens when I reach 1000 or 3000 posts?
If you are not yet a subscription member, then your participation privileges within the Apres topics only will be downgraded. You will be able to continue to read, however you will not be able to start new threads, post replies, 'like' posts or otherwise engage in threads.


What are the Après topics?
The Après topics are all the non-snowsport sub-forums, specifically;

• Conversation
• Sports Bar
• The Distance
• Tech Heads
• Arrangements

Rewards
Rewards are achieved the more registered members participate with the forums during the 1000 post free-trial period. The first reward is 50 posts, then 350 posts, then 800 posts.

@ 50 posts (or 100 days membership)
- The bottom ad-slot is removed from all forum pages
- Access is granted to send Private Messages to other forum members
- Access is granted to create threads in Gear Swap
- Pavilion topics become visible
@ 350 posts
- The middle ad-slot is removed from all forum pages
@ 800 posts
- The top ad-slot is removed from all forum pages

Re-birth
a.k.a How to get around these rules and never have to subscribe!
Anyone may 're-birth' at any time. Re-birthing is simply creating a new account with a different email address and a different username and starting again. This is your choice.

Pavilion - Subscription-only Topics
Participation in the topic group known as Pavilion is subscription only. This group of topics are subject to separate moderation rules and only becomes visible once a new member has contributed either 50 posts or has been registered for 100 days (1st Reward)

Why?
Put simply, we believe this is the most equitable and fairest approach to looking after the long term economic viability of these forums. Advertising alone is not enough to keep the lights on and those who use the forums the most are the ones whom we ask to subscribe.

For more about why & how see this announcement and also this very long discussion thread from September 2016.


Got questions?
Ask below

 

[currawong]

Maybe you could add a few extra bits

• explanation of season pass holder banner
• explanation of gift memberships

 

[Richard]

Not sure if those two points are material to the nuts and bolts of how membership works. They are just detail to observe at the subscription page.

One concept at a time.

Even 'Why' is probably superfluous.

 

[currawong]

Ok, it's your show. I'll delete that post to avoid confusionand try to remember to delete this

 

[Richard]

Ok, it's your show. I'll delete that post to avoid confusionand try to remember to delete this

No need, I feel these conversations become a sort of FAQ without the forced marketing-speak of FAQ's that no one ever actually ask!

 

[gettingtooold]

Well and simply explained. I get my less than 10c a day worth, but some may not see the value or the need to pay and that's fine by me. What does annoy me is posters who can both afford to and enjoy overseas snow trips, get advice from here and on principle refuse or get around a subscription (read donation.) Gets up my nose a little. (Sorry about the rant.)

 

[Ziggy]

I'm trying to move from 30 day Gold to 1 year Gold.
I cancelled the recurring debit in PayPal and can't see how to sub to the annual plan now.

 

[Richard]

I'm trying to move from 30 day Gold to 1 year Gold.
I cancelled the recurring debit in PayPal and can't see how to sub to the annual plan now.

@Ziggy

Your current 30 day pass is valid until 21 March. Once it expires, you will drop back to a regular member and the option to purchase the Annual Pass will become visible.

You can view your expiry date here;

If you would rather organise a membership now, I can manually downgrade you and after you have renewed as an annual - I will then add 30 days to the end of your annual membership expiry.

 

[person s]

less than 10c a day

I pay ten times more for the SMH
this is 100 times the value

 

[Ziggy]

@Ziggy

Your current 30 day pass is valid until 21 March. Once it expires, you will drop back to a regular member and the option to purchase the Annual Pass will become visible.

You can view your expiry date here;

If you would rather organise a membership now, I can manually downgrade you and after you have renewed as an annual - I will then add 30 days to the end of your annual membership expiry.

Thanks Richard.
I'll do it in 30 days.

 

[Ralf_Plow]

Well and simply explained. I get my less than 10c a day worth, but some may not see the value or the need to pay and that's fine by me. What does annoy me is posters who can both afford to and enjoy overseas snow trips, get advice from here and on principle refuse or get around a subscription (read donation.) Gets up my nose a little. (Sorry about the rant. )

1. You are simply paying to keep your alias, you can put a noble spin on it if you like, but that's all you are paying for.
2. It's a personal choice. I may very well think you are an idiot for paying to keep a name, but does it really matter what I think?
3. Lots of "re-spawners" offer plenty of "advice" that you refer to. It takes all types to make a place as it is. If the owners didn't think so they would exclude the freeloaders.

 

[currawong]

1. You are simply paying to keep your alias, you can put a noble spin on it if you like, but that's all you are paying for.
2. It's a personal choice. I may very well think you are an idiot for paying to keep a name, but does it really matter what I think?
3. Lots of "re-spawners" offer plenty of "advice" that you refer to. It takes all types to make a place as it is. If the owners didn't think so they would exclude the freeloaders.



Sometimes it's like bashing ones head against a brick wall i'll admit.....

I've got no problem with some people choosing not to pay, but i disagree that it's just paying to keep an alias. I'm paying to do my little bit to keep the forums here, partly by showing that I value them and partly by contributing to the cost. I think most people that pay have similar motivation.

 

[Ralf_Plow]

Whatever your personal motivation, the benefits are what they are. If it wasn't for many of the non subscribers (present company excluded of course, we know the answer there ) would you bother coming back?

 

[cold wombat]

I've got no problem with some people choosing not to pay, but i disagree that it's just paying to keep an alias. I'm paying to do my little bit to keep the forums here, partly by showing that I value them and partly by contributing to the cost. I think most people what pay have similar motivation.

This. For me. And I really don't care what motivates anyone else to do or not do whatever. It's a non issue for me.

 

[Froff Life]

I couldn't give a hoot about upholding an online alias, I pay the subscription to support the amazing guys and gals that built, manage and continue this wonderful forum.

 

[currawong]

Whatever your personal motivation, the benefits are what they are. If it wasn't for many of the non subscribers (present company excluded of course, we know the answer there ) would you bother coming back?

TBH most (not all) of the people who I'm most interested in hearing from are subscribers. Granted it would be duller without the non-subscribers

 

[Seafm]

For the cost of less than one cup of coffee a month this place is great value for the information and sometimes the entertainment it provides. In all honesty if a person can actively participate in the activities discussed here everyday you can afford to subscribe.

 

[gareth_oau]

I’m averaging abojut 5,000 posts per year

That’s only 0.6 cents each of you have to oay to read each of my nagnificent contributions

 

[Seafm]

I’m averaging abojut 5,000 posts per year

That’s only 0.6 cents each of you have to oay to read each of my nagnificent contributions

Pity you can't spell.

 

[gareth_oau]

Pity you can't spell.

there"s nothing wrong with my spelling skills

 

[LMB]

there"s nothing wrong with my spelling skills

What you did there...even my drunk self can see that

 

[person s]

Pity you can't spell.

it’s typing, not spelling
tiny keyboards on phones and tablets make it even worse

 

[Ralf_Plow]

I couldn't give a hoot about upholding an online alias, I pay the subscription to support the amazing guys and gals that built, manage and continue this wonderful forum.

See I am of the belief that there isn't much nobility in it, it's provided because it serves a purpose to a business model. If that model was only supported by full subscription, that's where it would be, but it's not is it.

 

[Skichic2]

it’s typing, not spelling
tiny keyboards on phones and tablets make it even worse

Yeah but if I'm paying, I want grammar and spelling and punctuation dammit!

 

[Ralf_Plow]

Yeah but if I'm paying, I want grammar and spelling and punctuation dammit!

I see you got sick of finding new email addresses.

 

[Skichic2]

I see you got sick of finding new email addresses.

Yup!

 

[Richard]

1. You are simply paying to keep your alias, you can put a noble spin on it if you like, but that's all you are paying for.

True, keeping one's alias is all it actually is.. for the moment.. (shamelessly stolen from the 'gamification' text book). There is also the removal of ads but dozens of ad-blockers will do that anyway - I'd bet my last dollar you have an adblocker running (I use ad-blockers too, I even pay for a superior one on my iphone - so not judging, not being hypocritical).

The thing about subs though, is no other software/online model aligns incentives better.

The incentive to keep existing subscribers and grow the sub base requires directly attending to the subscribers needs and constantly producing a better product & better user experience.

Netflix is the perfect example of a service that just keeps getting better the more the subs grow - but there are many others (Salesforce, Atlassian, Spotify, New York Times)

If I keep ticking away at the road map I have (in-between my paying gigs), this whole site will become mostly (but not all) paywall access for subs-only subscribers over the next few years. The current model is a transition model.

 

[Ralf_Plow]

I'd bet my last dollar you have an adblocker running (I use ad-blockers too, I even pay for a superior one on my iphone - so not judging, not being hypocritical).

You would lose your last dollar, I have never bothered. I do avoid sites with pop up ads, they annoy me. Banner ads i couldn't care less about seeing.

FYI Cayenne demonstrators are available now, for those missing out on ads!

 

[Ralf_Plow]

Yup!

It's line ball for me. I probably have another 2-3 re-spawns in me before I just can't be assed any more either.

 

[person s]

What are the Aprés topics?
The Aprés topics are all the non-snowsport sub-forums, specifically;

• Conversation
• Sports Bar
• The Distance
• Tech Heads
• Culture Vulture
• Arrangements

small nit pick - something I’ve just noticed
if using french punctuation, best done correctly: ‘après’ has accent grave, not accent acute
otherwise ok without the accent

 

[gareth_oau]

What you did there...even my drunk self can see that

I really should stop posting from my phone

 

[gareth_oau]

Yeah but if I'm paying, I want grammar and spelling and punctuation dammit!

Sorry you have to subscribe to the Premium Package for that

 

[Froff Life]

It's line ball for me. I probably have another 2-3 re-spawns in me before I just can't be assed any more either.

Just pay the $11? You seem like you use the forums a lot, surely it's a cost effective choice?

 

[Ralf_Plow]

Just pay the $11? You seem like you use the forums a lot, surely it's a cost effective choice?

2-3 more re-spawns in me yet!

 

[Richard]

small nit pick - something I’ve just noticed
if using french punctuation, best done correctly: ‘après’ has accent grave, not accent acute
otherwise ok without the accent

Nice pickup

You got the ascii code for that?

 

[Astro666]

138 Vs 130

 

[Richard]

138 Vs 130

Thanks, wasn't really expecting @person s to fix it

 

[person s]

yep, not my skill set

 

[Xwing]

As a casual poster since October 2000, I cannot now being out of work, find the money to post here now and then. I appreciate the economic model, but to pay in order to post a few times per month simply is not economical for me. Thanks anyway for all those years.

 

[LMB]

As a casual poster since October 2000, I cannot now being out of work, find the money to post here now and then. I appreciate the economic model, but to pay in order to post a few times per month simply is not economical for me. Thanks anyway for all those years.

You can still visit and post in most sub forums - all the snow related ones. If you hit the limit for free posts you can re-birth under a new or similar name. Many do.

 

[Chaeron]

As a casual poster since October 2000, I cannot now being out of work, find the money to post here now and then. I appreciate the economic model, but to pay in order to post a few times per month simply is not economical for me. Thanks anyway for all those years.

@Xwing - Xwing-2 ? That would do it....

 

[Donzah]

Re north?

 

[cold wombat]

Re north?

Comment obviously went south.

 

[Doonks]

Re north?

Re-birth

 

[LMB]

Re north?

Fixed.
Was an auto correct sorry.

 

[Richard]

I know our membership approach goes against the usual, but 2020 has been the first year since 1997 where ad revenue was not sufficient to cover the bare minimum of the hosting fees - due to Covid, online ad revenue has tanked and the travel sector even more - without subs we would not have survived.

Essential Baby, a forum that was larger than this and almost as old - got shuttered recently by Fairfax. Forums just ain't economic with a 1999 approach to the internet.

 

[CarveMan]

I know our membership approach goes against the usual, but 2020 has been the first year since 1997 where ad revenue was not sufficient to cover the bare minimum of the hosting fees - due to Covid online ad revenue has tanked and the travel sector even more - without subs we would not have survived.

Essential Baby, a forum that was larger than this and almost as old - got shuttered recently by Fairfax. Forums just ain't economic with a 1999 approach to the internet.

Well done on addressing the imminent and thanks to all the brethren who value this space and contribute.

 

[Seth]

I know our membership approach goes against the usual, but 2020 has been the first year since 1997 where ad revenue was not sufficient to cover the bare minimum of the hosting fees - due to Covid, online ad revenue has tanked and the travel sector even more - without subs we would not have survived.

Essential Baby, a forum that was larger than this and almost as old - got shuttered recently by Fairfax. Forums just ain't economic with a 1999 approach to the internet.

Well when you put it like that, I'm happy to pay a bit. The cost per hour ratio is pretty solidly in my favour.

 

[skifree]

Where does being able to start a PM fit into the OP of who can do what?

 

[Richard]

Where does being able to start a PM fit into the OP of who can do what?

We changed the permissions to send PM's after that spam attack a couple months back.. PM's are enabled at 50 posts with the 'First Unlock'

The First Unlock can be bypassed by purchasing a once-only First Unlock Bypass for $5.50