one finger john
Active Member
So I go over to the NTBA site and it appears that you have to be a member to get into the tech section. Whats with that ?????
Geez Louise
- Thread starter one finger john
- Start date
Mike
Well-Known Member
It sounds to me as if it is an incentive to become a member.
I had considered making the Library a subscription service, so it's not so unusual to see things like that happening. It's merely a decision they have made in the operation of their site.
In any case, I want to head this off, before it takes a wrong turn somewhere. Let's leave others to run their own sites and not descend into talking trash about them. I don't particularly care for it when I discover people taking cheap shots about my sites elsewhere, so I try to make sure we're not involved in doing the same here.
I had considered making the Library a subscription service, so it's not so unusual to see things like that happening. It's merely a decision they have made in the operation of their site.
In any case, I want to head this off, before it takes a wrong turn somewhere. Let's leave others to run their own sites and not descend into talking trash about them. I don't particularly care for it when I discover people taking cheap shots about my sites elsewhere, so I try to make sure we're not involved in doing the same here.
The NTBA site is under going some changes. They have one volunteer that does it so it will take awhile.
lincolnuT
Well-Known Member
putz
Member
It is working now for a little while there where pages that members couldn't even get to. I guess the ISP did and up grade on there end without telling anybody and it changed the way the site was run.JMO
blownt
Member
I don't believe you have to be a member, you just have to log-in to access the T Bucket Q&A board. You can register and get a log-in without becoming a member. Atleast it used to be that way and I don't think it has changed, maybe it has. I am a charter member there and my dues are due but I am sorry to say NOMO. Was fun, especially back when it was under Spirit,
one finger john
Active Member
To Mike and all, it was never my intension to trash talk the NTBA site. Granted, I will poke fun at anything that hits me the wrong (or right) way. But not this time. It was more of an observation. My routine is to come here first and then go there. Hit the "Forums" thingy, then the "Message Boards" hanger downer, then either the 'Public (BBS)" or the "T-Bucket Technical Q&A" whatzizs. Now, if I hit the "T-Bucket Technical Q&A" section I am informed that " You do not have rights to view the selected forum". Well, o.k., I get more technical info here anyway. By the way, what is BBS ?
John
John
putz
Member
BBS is Bulletin Board System
T-Odd
Member
"Now, if I hit the "T-Bucket Technical Q&A" section I am informed that " You do not have rights to view the selected forum".
If you are not logged in as a registered user you'll get that message. Not sure if you have to be a paid-up NTBA member or just logged in as a registered forum member yet though.
I'd think that if it were a "Members Only" section it would be transferred to the Member's Only area of that site.
With respect to Mike, I suppose we shouldn't use up lots of his bandwidth talking about it here.
If you are not logged in as a registered user you'll get that message. Not sure if you have to be a paid-up NTBA member or just logged in as a registered forum member yet though.
I'd think that if it were a "Members Only" section it would be transferred to the Member's Only area of that site.
With respect to Mike, I suppose we shouldn't use up lots of his bandwidth talking about it here.
LarryH
Member
The T shirt and NTBA windshield sticker alone is almost worth the membership fee.
EX JUNK
Moderator
Mike
Well-Known Member
I understand. As I said, I just wanted to head it off before it happened. You're fine.
HAceT
Member
Yep I noticed that too. Have to be a member.....oh well like someone said earlier there is a TON of great information here and if you have a question someone here can answer it for you. I am very Thankful to Mike and the rest here for keeping this such a great place to just sit back and relax.
Mike
Well-Known Member
I can understand the reasoning behind making it available to members only. It encourages people to join up. If someone does not want to become a member, then no bandwidth is wasted, serving files to non-members.
We're approaching 2,000 members on this site (and members like Rick, Thomas and Fred are as shocked as I) and of that number, 89 help support the site with donations. One of the mysterious facts concerning the Web is most people figure if it is on the Web, then it should be free. Which would really be wonderful, but it is a pipe dream. I am paying over ten times what I paid for hosting when I opened this site. And when members suggested it would be nice to have a technical library on this site, I started shopping. The opportunity to use IP.Content, which is the software driving the Library, was one of the factors that helped make my decision to purchase Invision Power software licenses. The initial license purchase on IP.Content was $49.95 and after 12 months, I will have another $30.00 in license renewal fees. So you can see why I considered making the Library function available to the forum donors only. It's the same with the Gallery software. $64.99 for the license and $20.00 per year in license renewals.
One member suggested open source software as an alternative to licensed software and has even gone out on his own to set up his own open source T-Bucket site. I had already been around the mulberry bush with open source forum software. I was looking to step forward, not back. There are a lot of things going on in the background on the server this site is located on. I have several test forums set up - a phpBB3 forum, an SMF 2.0 forum, a MyBB 1.4 forum (all of which are open source), an IPB 3.0.4 forum, a 3.1.0 Beta 3 forum, a 3.1.0 forum and even a vBulletin 3.8.4 forum. I know what is secure, I know what works well and I feel like i know what has the features and functions users want. If I thought I could provide the same, robust forum experience with free forum software, would I have invested $265 in initial license expenses to set up IPB on just this one site?
And none of this addresses the amount of hours I put into the site. When I set out to create the AztechRed forum skin, it was my first attempt at styling Invision Power Board. And I have the best part of 24 hours in that skin. I managed to complete AztechGreen in 9 or 10 hours. With what I was learning as I was going, I decided to create AztechBlue and to pull out all the stops in trying to make it as good as I possibly could. I'm ashamed to tell you how many hours are invested in creating it. And I'll bet most people cannot tell the differences in AztechBlue, other than the color. Well over a week's work, just in creating 3 skins for the site. Plus taking care of problems members are having, doing the upgrades to the supported versions of IP.Board 3.1.0, IP.Content 2.0.0 and IP.Gallery 3.2.0, etc.
So if someone feels a need to charge a bit to offset software purchases, license renewals and effort, I certainly cannot blame them. When I first created the business to operate the forums, I quickly stopped tracking my time as an expense. It's enough to make me ill, just thinking about it. And mind you, this site is just one of five live forums and six live blogs and a wiki that needs serious attention. There is also a Joomla test site and a Drupal test site running in the background. Yeah. I know. I really, really need to get a life. But I have two more sites to upgrade today and an idea for a new knock-your-socks off forum skin I want to work on. :shrug: So I need to make shift...
We're approaching 2,000 members on this site (and members like Rick, Thomas and Fred are as shocked as I) and of that number, 89 help support the site with donations. One of the mysterious facts concerning the Web is most people figure if it is on the Web, then it should be free. Which would really be wonderful, but it is a pipe dream. I am paying over ten times what I paid for hosting when I opened this site. And when members suggested it would be nice to have a technical library on this site, I started shopping. The opportunity to use IP.Content, which is the software driving the Library, was one of the factors that helped make my decision to purchase Invision Power software licenses. The initial license purchase on IP.Content was $49.95 and after 12 months, I will have another $30.00 in license renewal fees. So you can see why I considered making the Library function available to the forum donors only. It's the same with the Gallery software. $64.99 for the license and $20.00 per year in license renewals.
One member suggested open source software as an alternative to licensed software and has even gone out on his own to set up his own open source T-Bucket site. I had already been around the mulberry bush with open source forum software. I was looking to step forward, not back. There are a lot of things going on in the background on the server this site is located on. I have several test forums set up - a phpBB3 forum, an SMF 2.0 forum, a MyBB 1.4 forum (all of which are open source), an IPB 3.0.4 forum, a 3.1.0 Beta 3 forum, a 3.1.0 forum and even a vBulletin 3.8.4 forum. I know what is secure, I know what works well and I feel like i know what has the features and functions users want. If I thought I could provide the same, robust forum experience with free forum software, would I have invested $265 in initial license expenses to set up IPB on just this one site?
And none of this addresses the amount of hours I put into the site. When I set out to create the AztechRed forum skin, it was my first attempt at styling Invision Power Board. And I have the best part of 24 hours in that skin. I managed to complete AztechGreen in 9 or 10 hours. With what I was learning as I was going, I decided to create AztechBlue and to pull out all the stops in trying to make it as good as I possibly could. I'm ashamed to tell you how many hours are invested in creating it. And I'll bet most people cannot tell the differences in AztechBlue, other than the color. Well over a week's work, just in creating 3 skins for the site. Plus taking care of problems members are having, doing the upgrades to the supported versions of IP.Board 3.1.0, IP.Content 2.0.0 and IP.Gallery 3.2.0, etc.
So if someone feels a need to charge a bit to offset software purchases, license renewals and effort, I certainly cannot blame them. When I first created the business to operate the forums, I quickly stopped tracking my time as an expense. It's enough to make me ill, just thinking about it. And mind you, this site is just one of five live forums and six live blogs and a wiki that needs serious attention. There is also a Joomla test site and a Drupal test site running in the background. Yeah. I know. I really, really need to get a life. But I have two more sites to upgrade today and an idea for a new knock-your-socks off forum skin I want to work on. :shrug: So I need to make shift...
Similar threads
