Contraversial?....Maybe, but a necessity....

[Erectenstein]

Right, I shall cut to the chase......

I feel that all new members, as part of registering, SHOULD, pay a small fee, (One can call it a gesture of Good-Will) as a way of commiting & to show there appreciation to what support/information is being shared at all levels...

Now, some of you could and will argue that information is to be shared by all!! Now, I agree with that to a certain extent, that is true... However, when you have Leeches who `take` without giving something back to the community, is, in my books, takin the p*%$.

At least, this way, it would be a fair trade off to those who `take & run`. Those who are genuine, have nothing to lose, as there commitment remains, as does their reputation & knowledge pool..

But, as I mentioned, so many forums etc, fizzle out simply coz the backbone is being exploited, with NO returns...

There, that`s at least part of my case, for now...

:ahhhhh:

[westkill]

i dissagree with that
people come here for help ,and help will be given if this is within the site rules
not to join and be charged a fee to enter to seek the information they want
we are all here to help each other
dosent mater if your a newbie or another status on the forum
we all learn something new every day who ever you are on digital kaos
i think thats what makes this site so sucessfull
there will always be leeches on any forum
people can donate, know one would be ever be forced to do any thing as long as they abide by the rules :)

[.: JaCkPoT :.]

This has been mentioned and suggested so many times before!

The only reason our forum is as big as it is now is purely down to the fact that our services are free, in life there will always be leechers.

You may have donated but its the quality of your posts which will only help the forum grow!

Regards : RK

[Lainie]

i just echo whats been said before. if you want to donate you can. id personally make it a bit more difficult for newbies to get downloads ie a few more posts but theres pros and cons for that as well. there are takers in life everywhere - internet and real life. these people wont change. they wont pay either just go elsewhere.

[asaintuntilidie]

I've been a member of this site since about november last year when all the boxes started going down and was impressed by the easiness and friendliness of the site. Since then I have tried to help a few people out with simple problems as I thought that was the right thing to do. Because the site covers such a huge area of digital technology I am now using the same site to try and diagnose a pc problem I'm having, and the response has been as I expected, fast and friendly. Just a note to say its a wonderful site, and I dont think you change a thing on. Its been highly recommended by me to loads of people who have had trouble with a variety of things and I have recieved only positive comments about it. Something for the mods to chew on....

[manxspud]

why change what is a great site!!! I have only been here a few weeks, and was/am impressed with the way people help each other out for no other reason than they can and want to. On the few times i have been able to help somebody out, i felt a real buzz. To me that is what DK is all about... it is why i joined and why i will stay.

[stuckylad]

yep,best not to try and fix something that isn't broken,long live DK

[Guvnor]

Yes i'm a newbie to this site to, but you guys do a TOP job giving out advice over and over again. If it's not broken dont fix it :p. Keep up the good work :rock:.

[opsmonkey]

i think the OP needs to realise that status isnt bought on this forum.. many forums who have donation options give out auto VIP status.. this however doesnt happen here..

i find it quite disrespectful that you can offer a full opinion on our site after being here a matter of one day before posting..

[aftermath]

if we are to start taking donations or charging people on the forum then we are opening ourselves up to the law.
once we start taking in money then it could be deemed as making a profit and we dont want to jeopardise the forum.
there are other means of making a few quid to help in keeping the forum running, and to be able to afford upgrades , plugins e.t.c. like a raffle now and again " purely for the costs of running the forum only " and not for profit.

we try to keep this a free information forum at no cost. But sometimes have to recoup some of the costs. This has been a very rare occurance and was when we were trying to get off the ground.

[wiiallday]

i totally disagree 2. If you feel so strongly Erectenstein then by all means find a way to give a contribution . i personally think its unnecessary 2 pay a newbee charge. what say if every group forum charged a fee. then would it not then be acceptable 4 all users 2 get rewarded 4 they re help? And id be pritty peed off if i paid a fee 2 a site and 2 find that its useless and no help. i think your being rather brown tonged. You,d think negative and pointless comments which didnt lead 2 any help would get a site on a downward cycle. veiws are veiws though and i respect that even if i dont agree. hopefully i could be of help 2 you in the near future .peace vv

[Erectenstein]

i think the OP needs to realise that status isnt bought on this forum.. many forums who have donation options give out auto VIP status.. this however doesnt happen here..

i find it quite disrespectful that you can offer a full opinion on our site after being here a matter of one day before posting..

Well I do not wish to be disrespectful, but I feel this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and no, my opinions on this site is not based on a 1 day 'site excursion tour' but rather from experience....

My intention is NOT to attack, upset or be-little anyone here, by suggesting a 'MEMBERS FEE ONLY' applies! All I am suggesting is opening up dialogue to obtain ideas, or ways to streamline the weeding process of this site, if any is needed...

I can see by the responces that a lot of the members feel passionate about this site, which is a victory in itself, however there are and will be people who will take advantage of this, which is prevelant in all areas wherever you go......

Guys n Gals, don't misunderstand me, I am on you're side here, yes I'm a newbie, blah blah blah, but I too feel passionately on the hit n run tactics....

Well, ultimately I don't control who or what comes in, but I shall leave the weeding out to others...

Thanks all, and chill!

[ManofScience]

Also, the site and it's owners could then be 'seen' or to be charging for certain information or profiting if it was a pay for acccess site - which would be more prosecutable under law.

Donations towards running costs are the best way, people who care and want to contribute can then give something - the leechers can fcuk off.

[badapple]

This site has managed to attract over 70,000 memembers without demanding a penny form any member. This site has become on of the biggest FREE forums available with a wealth of information and help and I beleave it will continue to grow.

New members come here seeking advise and help, if you start charging a "fee" for downloads and advise, this will then put new members off and they will not join.
As mentioned above, if you charge a fee, then there are other rules(law) that come into play.

There is already a option for members to make a donation if they wish to do so. There will always be leeches who will take advantage and give nothing back. These leeches come and go.
Only the people who have something to offer will stick around.

Some other sites that I have been on, will take you straight to a message asking for a donation, before you have even seen what the site has to offer and this is very off putting and annoying and you get the felling that they are only after your money!

PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THIS SITE A "PAY PER VIEW"

[caveman_nige]

leechers will always use forums in this way... who cares, it does not hurt us... they get what they want and move on.. We do not want a high post count before download access is given as this just fills the forum up with crap posts... As it stands with leechers making the crap posts, members just need to report them and and the staff will review them, no need for any other member intervention, staff will moderate the forum... We do go through the threads and clean them up getting rid of the 'thanks' posts etc but its not a problem that hurts the forum, just a little bit of moderation for us to do from time to time..

This site is a very noob friendly site that was one of the primary reasons for itis conceptation.. We were all noobs once and its thanks to places like this that we learned and developed our knowledge, we now insure that it is freely available to all to read with any help along the way if they need it... These noobs that come and learn will in time become the very experienced members of the future and will be in turn teaching what they have learned to future noobs... This is they way it should be...

No charges, no fees and no leet attitudes to those who are trying to get started in this game.. We give unconditionally and always will...

[cgscott]

Think the idea of raffles etc is a great way to raise money for the site. Plus it adds a bit of excitement and tensity waiting to see if you are going to be a winner.

The prizes in the last raffle were fantastic.

[cunny]

Think the idea of raffles etc is a great way to raise money for the site. Plus it adds a bit of excitement and tensity waiting to see if you are going to be a winner.

The prizes in the last raffle were fantastic.

I think raffles and stuff is a great idea to raise money for the site. I dont agree with the charging of new members at all, i joined on the sole purpose of finding a file for my sv2 an was overwhelmed by the support and how friendly Digital Kaos is. I decided to stick about and try to give back to the community that helped me out. Granted shame not everyone sticks about but thats life.

Cunny

[opsmonkey]

Well I do not wish to be disrespectful, but I feel this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and no, my opinions on this site is not based on a 1 day 'site excursion tour' but rather from experience....

i think now you can see that from the experience of people who are here everyday that we totally disagree with what you are saying and it goes against the ethos of the site..

who are you to identify issues that need to be addressed HERE after less than 10 days of membership..

experience on other sites may have brought you here, this is probably more to do with administration of these other sites..

so what if someone joins, makes a crap post, downloads a file and never comes back..

we have nearly 2000 members on per day..

It's not broke so it doesnt need to be fixed

I'm going to stick my neck out here and appear rude but you have only made a few posts, none of which i think are contributing to the site..

I dont think homophobic jokes and jokes about disability make you a valued member..

[Evastar]

I also notice you had no problem making a number of downloads.

[cunny]

i think now you can see that from the experience of people who are here everyday that we totally disagree with what you are saying and it goes against the ethos of the site..

who are you to identify issues that need to be addressed HERE after less than 10 days of membership..

experience on other sites may have brought you here, this is probably more to do with administration of these other sites..

so what if someone joins, makes a crap post, downloads a file and never comes back..

we have nearly 2000 members on per day..

It's not broke so it doesnt need to be fixed

I'm going to stick my neck out here and appear rude but you have only made a few posts, none of which i think are contributing to the site..

I dont think homophobic jokes and jokes about disability make you a valued member..

I wont call them jokes ops m8. Not 1 for knocking any suggestion back but maybe maybe he should have got a few posts under his belt.

I have been a member where you have to 'donate' to gain a VIP/access to hidden forums. But i do believe these should be earn't and not bought.

Also if DK needs any fund raising ideas then sure DF or a part of his Admin team would post.

[Chimaera]

OP
If that was requirement for entry the membership would drop alarmingly, you need to understand a few fundamentals.

Some of the biggest problems in society these days....Apathy and Selfishness
Most people just dont give a rats a$$ about anything but their selves

So to find a forum where people help is a wonderful thing
but in forums the percentage has always been small on the givers and large on the takers, and that is the same across the net and over the last 5 yrs it has been growing alarmingly.
All the people that take take would just go elsewhere if you forced a monetry value on their membership and a lot would not have any web prescence in money terms ie paypal or want their card details in a web site.

God just look at the trouble having a single welcome post causes here with the "wheres the files" and the "my box dont work" posts can you imagine what it would be like gettin them to pay.

I have over 15,000 posts on the net in various places and i have always helped where i can, even though at times i have been left dissapointed when i have worked my ass of to do something for someone and the i get 5 thanks and 200+ downloads.

I still think "elite" sites are possible but until society changes as a whole they just wont work.

So i would say make a few posts and help others out and see what your view is later on down the line, when you have done something for someone or the forum and no one answers.

Just in case your wondering do i have any experience to offer this view
Webmaster/Admin x2/ SuperMod/Mod x2/L33t x3 and many years on the net.

[Erectenstein]

I also notice you had no problem making a number of downloads.


Well spotted.... You forgot to mention the fact at least I showed my appreciation by conributing something back into the community...

[Erectenstein]

I think nearly everyone has misunderstood what I am saying...!

I AM NOT having a go, or criticising ar even attempting to change or make suggestions to alter this site in any way or form..

I think DK is a great site, very informative, and excellent level of support, I was merely opening up suggestions on how to maintain it, and how people would feel if an element were introduced to aid or improve the user`s experiance...

Some people`s comments have been positive, like the raffle idea, but some were just taken on a personal level with no real value at all...





Another one for the books me thinks!

[Erectenstein]

OP
If that was requirement for entry the membership would drop alarmingly, you need to understand a few fundamentals.

Some of the biggest problems in society these days....Apathy and Selfishness
Most people just dont give a rats a$$ about anything but their selves

So to find a forum where people help is a wonderful thing
but in forums the percentage has always been small on the givers and large on the takers, and that is the same across the net and over the last 5 yrs it has been growing alarmingly.
All the people that take take would just go elsewhere if you forced a monetry value on their membership and a lot would not have any web prescence in money terms ie paypal or want their card details in a web site.

God just look at the trouble having a single welcome post causes here with the "wheres the files" and the "my box dont work" posts can you imagine what it would be like gettin them to pay.

I have over 15,000 posts on the net in various places and i have always helped where i can, even though at times i have been left dissapointed when i have worked my ass of to do something for someone and the i get 5 thanks and 200+ downloads.

I still think "elite" sites are possible but until society changes as a whole they just wont work.

So i would say make a few posts and help others out and see what your view is later on down the line, when you have done something for someone or the forum and no one answers.

Just in case your wondering do i have any experience to offer this view
Webmaster/Admin x2/ SuperMod/Mod x2/L33t x3 and many years on the net.


Thanks Chimaera,

Great reply, and great to see your point of view, I understand it now in better detail, coming from someone with your background..

That hit the nail on the head!

[Allen1]

This whole thread is indeed Controversial and the idea makes an interesting topic but it should be taken into consideration that some people are not in a position to offer a donation or a membership fee, I fall into that category and my circumstances are not that unusual and are highly unlikely to improve in reality.

I am also not quite sure what is implied with the terminology given as leechers in this case, I do download quite a lot from one particular site and all the uploaders who by the way I get on well with, want is a thank you and to have their reputation added to now and then. On most sites there are people who constantly add more files of various types for downloading and they do that for the pleasure of helping others and get a real buzz in doing so. Apart from the odd upload that I have done, all I have been able to do is offer advice and assistance whenever possible. That is what being a member is all about, it shouldn't matter whether or not you have money to spare and thankfully this site understands that not everyone has the resources to do things like make a donation.

I have only been here a few days and what really impresses me is the attitude of the Mods and the ability to talk freely (within reason) without some over zealous member of staff waiting to pounce on any minor indiscretion when a bit of common sense and maybe a little editing would suffice.

From what I have seen in the short time I have been here, nothing needs changing, it's more than fine the way it is and a lot of other forums could learn a thing or two from the methods employed here.

Yes I have got a brown tongue but that's just because I have been eating chocolate lollollol

Cheers for the topic Erectenstein, it is one of those subjects that everyone has different views on and it certainly helps to air peoples opinions ;)

[asaintuntilidie]

Just a footnote to also jump in on Allen1's thankyou to erectstein for his thread topic. If anything, this thread has shown that DK is very different from other forum sites that most of us have been on, in that we are working to promote a quality site and continue the ethos that attracted us to the very site in the beginning, rather than lift our inflated ego's!

[firemouth]

I think nearly everyone has misunderstood what I am saying...!

I AM NOT having a go, or criticising ar even attempting to change or make suggestions to alter this site in any way or form..

I think DK is a great site, very informative, and excellent level of support, I was merely opening up suggestions on how to maintain it, and how people would feel if an element were introduced to aid or improve the user`s experiance...

Some people`s comments have been positive, like the raffle idea, but some were just taken on a personal level with no real value at all...





Another one for the books me thinks!

Ahh right, so comments from someone who has "contrubuted" in ?, carry some weight. wait till you have spent tens of hours, as some do, posting and helping others. should we pay these posters? if not, how can we charge THEM for the advice they give. and in what way would it "Improve the Users experience"? anyway.

sad reflection on today in the UK. only things that cost money, are worth anything. yeah right. odd then that the organisations that do the most, for the most, are all free.(well to the individual) why? because its done to help, not fatten the wallet of any individual. we seem to suffer from a "terror" of free stuff. so wound up in our "loads of money" attitude, to see reality. no need to look for reasons why our country is on the rocks, its all in this thread.