We joined in early 2006, unlucky to get free life membership, So we pay for our membership which we don't mind in the least (Blimey its only 96p a week absolute value) for as the site is a great site and has been such a positive thing for us.
I however will inevitably jib in a couple of months at forking out the £50:00 knowing others out there are not. And that maybe the paying members, well no maybe about i,t paying members really are supporting those who get it free. Maybe there should be an integrated introduction for the veteran members to start paying just a nominal amount maybe say £10:00/year year going up by £5:00/year until parity.
I know if i was getting it free i would probably be spitting about what i'm writing, but its a good, worth paying for site, which is having the newer members supporting the older ones. Not really fair on the new members is it. Just like to add that we didn't know prior to joining that it had been a free site.
99% of the time this doesn't bother me but after a discussion with a couple of people over a drink or two I just thought I'd ask in here.
I'm a non-paying member from waaaay back and I agree with you. If it went to suddenly £50 I would struggle, finances are very tight at the mo, but I would pay it I think. Ramping up steadily seems a vary fair way to go about it.
The people who get the site free, are the ones who were here from years ago. The site was sold in 2005 as an active site, which it wouldn't have been, had it not been for that membership. See their free membership as a 'thank you' hmmm? You're not supporting them, they were here before.
New members have the choice anyway - they either pay to join or they don't get the benefits of joining. Simple as. If they don't think it's fair, they don't have to join. It was a free site when the 'older' members joined; no reason why they should pay now - that would be unfair.
My origins on the site go back to when it was tiny with a few hundred membership was my revamped relaunch and because I'd let my other membership lapse lol!
I've often wondered how long it will stay free for people like was a bit of a shock when it became a pay site as it came over as an idealistically driven channel in support of swinging as a lifestyle before but I can still see that spirit of freedom and fun in many people here today, old and new.
agree with Freckledbird on this one
I'm curious what percentage are non-payers.
When the news arrived about the take over, there was a huge thread about what it would mean to the existing members.
A good amount of warning was given that new members would start paying on a certain date... it seemed pretty fair at the time.
A new site DH opening was also announced some months (?)later, giving previous and new members the opportunity to gain free membership/s. Many of the free members (non paying) of SH joined and gained a free full membership.
All business I know that but still people had another opportunity to gain a free account...might not suit some people here but it was still there
for those whom the site suited and wanted it.
Ya never know whats round corner do ya???
dont pay wouldnt pay... we are members of several , cough, other sites non of them fee paying, well none that ask us to pay anyway, we wouldnt , ive joined several with the same kind of membership this place has , a free one till you have placed an advert , filled out your profile etc etc and then its time to cough up if you actually want to benefit from the sites, some give trial free memberships, we use those for the trial period, others do what this place does and says pay up or dont meet...we dont meet and leave, leaving behind our advert, i guess many many do that here, once again id love to know what percentage, just so i can see how much time ive wasted contacting people that have placed join up adverts only to never come back again...
there are folk that have been here from the day the site was born..mark was one of those , he part built this place and sold the bit he built...most of this site was built by the pioneeers, people that contributed to it in many ways more than mark did, im one of those from before wild rose and the stag, i see the free membership here as my payment for my efforts before admin came along. nothing more nothing less.
staggy
I genuinely didn't mean it in a pedantic way Flower - it was a reasonable question! Like I said, active means different things to different people.
, those that pay do indeed keep the site running 
