First, I just want to go on a little rant. As a small business owner and builder, I have donated time and free merchandise to all sorts of people from varying background. In our volatile economy,the Bill Gates of today might be tomorrow's vagrant. Look at the Great Depression and even as near as the oil boom in West Texas to see where millionaires flipped out because they lost it all.
That being said, we all can't afford to belong to every forum, have every home brew club membership, buy every magazine, software and book, and STILL have money to brew, buy these cool products and build our equipment cache.
Some of those out there are more fortunate, but think about it this way vendors...that $25 membership fee could be used to buy some of your products so that these home brewers can have an easier time/better time brewing.
Before you reply half-cocked, don't think I'm saying that people shouldn't pay to keep the site up, running and being successful, but I also know how websites work...there are plenty of ads on here that make money for the website owner...otherwise, it would be membership only sustained and no ads would be needed. At some point, I will definitely be a paid member here because I think the info you get is worth it...and having that access is as well.
But, at this point, I can't put the membership as a financial priority, and although some people may think that they should never pay, there are many of us out there who want to...but have other really pressing needs.
So, why not open the giveaways to everyone? Tomorrow, one of us non-paid members might win the Megabucks...and buy everything in sight! Just my $0.0235 cents (marginally adjusted for inflation).
That being said, we all can't afford to belong to every forum, have every home brew club membership, buy every magazine, software and book, and STILL have money to brew, buy these cool products and build our equipment cache.
Some of those out there are more fortunate, but think about it this way vendors...that $25 membership fee could be used to buy some of your products so that these home brewers can have an easier time/better time brewing.
Before you reply half-cocked, don't think I'm saying that people shouldn't pay to keep the site up, running and being successful, but I also know how websites work...there are plenty of ads on here that make money for the website owner...otherwise, it would be membership only sustained and no ads would be needed. At some point, I will definitely be a paid member here because I think the info you get is worth it...and having that access is as well.
But, at this point, I can't put the membership as a financial priority, and although some people may think that they should never pay, there are many of us out there who want to...but have other really pressing needs.
So, why not open the giveaways to everyone? Tomorrow, one of us non-paid members might win the Megabucks...and buy everything in sight! Just my $0.0235 cents (marginally adjusted for inflation).