Aluminum Camper Forum

General Category => News and Announcement => Topic started by: Paul on February 02, 2017, 12:46:05 PM

Title: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 02, 2017, 12:46:05 PM
We wanted to receive input and ideas from forum members on how to generate enough income to operate this forum without using vendor advertising. We are not trying to make a profit and if this doesn't cover the full cost of the forum I will gladly continue to cover for it, this forum is here to stay :). Here's ideas Bill (rideandfly) and I have been discussing, so far. 

Proposed Premium membership:

Premium membership can be for those that can donate $12 per year to help with this forum's operation cost. Premium membership is not required.  Regular and Premium members will have access to the same areas of the forum.

Premium member's Dues would be set at $12.00 (US) a year. Premium Members would receive five stars and title of Premium Member in their username.

Please give me your opinions.
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: PaulJ on February 02, 2017, 05:19:44 PM
To keep this FREE from Thor, I will gladly send $12.00.   What we need is to somehow promote ourselves to new Aluminum camper owners .
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: gbpack on February 02, 2017, 07:03:32 PM
We would gladly pay $12 per year to help fund this forum. If that's what's decided, then just let us know how to a accomplish that!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 03, 2017, 07:56:36 AM
Thank you to both of you! There is a built in subscribe in this forum that I can activate and it use paypal for payments. I will wait a little bit to gather more comments before implementing this! It would be nice if we could get more participation from other Aluminum Camper Brand, we need to find a way to promote it!  :)
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Merlin on February 03, 2017, 10:17:15 AM
We would gladly help support the cost of the forum at the bargain price of only $1 per month! (Payable by year) The lack of the usual "in-your-face" advertising sets this forum apart as really special.

I would note that many other brands of aluminum campers already have their own forums, some well established. Attracting new members from those other brands may take some creative efforts. There are also advantages in being "small" as a forum. Getting too large too fast can make problems for moderators and administrators. It is the Internet, after all, and as the saying goes: "There be dragons."
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 03, 2017, 10:49:57 AM
Quote from: Merlin on February 03, 2017, 10:17:15 AM
We would gladly help support the cost of the forum at the bargain price of only $1 per month! (Payable by year) The lack of the usual "in-your-face" advertising sets this forum apart as really special.

I would note that many other brands of aluminum campers already have their own forums, some well established. Attracting new members from those other brands may take some creative efforts. There are also advantages in being "small" as a forum. Getting too large too fast can make problems for moderators and administrators. It is the Internet, after all, and as the saying goes: "There be dragons."

Thank you for your support Merlin!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: rideandfly on February 03, 2017, 10:57:08 AM
Agree, believe $12 per year to be a bargain for an ad free forum with knowledgeable and experienced campers!!!!!   :)
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 03, 2017, 08:35:18 PM
I have implemented the feature to the forum. Is there someone willing to test it before we start advertising it?

http://aluminiumcamperforum.com/index.php?action=profile;area=subscriptions
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: rideandfly on February 03, 2017, 09:43:39 PM
Paul,

Looks like that link is going to your profile.
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 03, 2017, 10:33:40 PM
I changed the URL can you try this one instead http://aluminiumcamperforum.com/index.php?action=profile;area=subscriptions
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: rideandfly on February 03, 2017, 11:54:27 PM
Paul,

Looks like the $12 payment worked!

Should folks making a payment PM the Pay Pal Receipt # so their profile can be updated to Premium Member?

Will PM information shortly!!!!

Thanks,
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 04, 2017, 12:06:00 AM
Hi Bill it is automatic! No need to PM me
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: gbpack on February 04, 2017, 12:15:44 AM
Paul - We just paid as well. The link works very well. Thanks again for running this forum.
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: DavidM on February 04, 2017, 07:50:50 AM
Me too. Works very well.

David
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Merlin on February 04, 2017, 09:56:52 AM
Me too. Post the link!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 04, 2017, 11:02:56 AM
Thanks everyone for the support!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: mojospeople on February 04, 2017, 10:38:58 PM
Done! Now I expect some damned good advice and entertainment from you all! I'll do my best to contribute to the community :)
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Chappy133 on February 04, 2017, 11:11:15 PM
Done.
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: PaulJ on February 05, 2017, 03:17:30 PM
Tried it - Used it - Hope you get the $12.00   I like that you can opt out of reoccurring charges as we have had credit cards compromised in the past so I no longer do reoccurring charges anywhere.

Works great!!!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 05, 2017, 03:50:19 PM
It worked DocktorJJ thanks for the support!!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: djsamuel on February 06, 2017, 01:46:15 PM
Just subscribed. Hope it worked!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 06, 2017, 08:25:08 PM
Quote from: djsamuel on February 06, 2017, 01:46:15 PM
Just subscribed. Hope it worked!
Thank you!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Steve and Dana on February 07, 2017, 06:01:53 AM
Done for Steve and Dana,  thanks Paul
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Merlin on February 07, 2017, 12:28:47 PM
Quote from: mojospeople on February 04, 2017, 10:38:58 PM
Done! Now I expect some damned good advice and entertainment from you all! I'll do my best to contribute to the community :)

The good advice is free (and worth what it cost you). It's the entertainment you're paying for as a Premium Member  :o
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: AZMVP on February 09, 2017, 02:36:11 AM
Good evening all ~  I am a new member, I don't have a Camplite trailer yet. It's on order. Two more months to wait. *Sigh*  Anyway, just a quick note to say I like what you are doing here Paul... so I donated to the cause. In another few months, I might actually have something to say.

From the perspective of a newbie, one observation to share - there certainly seems to be a lot of residual anger/frustration towards Thor... so much so at one point I considered cancelling my order, eating the deposit, and ordering the VMIOffroad trailer I really wanted. That move wouldn't have set well with the wifie, so I am still sticking with my Camplite 16BHB order... and to be perfectly honest I feel pretty good about it (even though I have never seen one in person... ordering from Arizona is a huge pain).  Thor may not be as bad as we think... they may simply have managed the initial transition poorly. Not that KZ is a world beater, but from what I can tell it seems like they are righting the ship a bit.  Have faith my friends... it seems like Camplite is doing many things well and is trending in the right direction once again. 

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. ~ Thoreau

Cheers!

Matt

Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 09, 2017, 07:01:15 AM
Quote from: AZMVP on February 09, 2017, 02:36:11 AM
Good evening all ~  I am a new member, I don't have a Camplite trailer yet. It's on order. Two more months to wait. *Sigh*  Anyway, just a quick note to say I like what you are doing here Paul... so I donated to the cause. In another few months, I might actually have something to say.

From the perspective of a newbie, one observation to share - there certainly seems to be a lot of residual anger/frustration towards Thor... so much so at one point I considered cancelling my order, eating the deposit, and ordering the VMIOffroad trailer I really wanted. That move wouldn't have set well with the wifie, so I am still sticking with my Camplite 16BHB order... and to be perfectly honest I feel pretty good about it (even though I have never seen one in person... ordering from Arizona is a huge pain).  Thor may not be as bad as we think... they may simply have managed the initial transition poorly. Not that KZ is a world beater, but from what I can tell it seems like they are righting the ship a bit.  Have faith my friends... it seems like Camplite is doing many things well and is trending in the right direction once again. 

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. ~ Thoreau

Cheers!

Matt
Welcome Matt, thank you for the support. There is someone here that posted a really positive post about a 2017 unit. Let us know how it goes with your tour camplite!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: rideandfly on February 09, 2017, 10:22:06 AM
Matt,

Welcome from North Carolina and congrats on your new CampLite!!!!!!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Merlin on February 09, 2017, 10:32:02 AM
Quote from: AZMVP on February 09, 2017, 02:36:11 AM
Good evening all ~  I am a new member, I don't have a Camplite trailer yet. It's on order. Two more months to wait. *Sigh*  Anyway, just a quick note to say I like what you are doing here Paul... so I donated to the cause. In another few months, I might actually have something to say.

From the perspective of a newbie, one observation to share - there certainly seems to be a lot of residual anger/frustration towards Thor... so much so at one point I considered cancelling my order, eating the deposit, and ordering the VMIOffroad trailer I really wanted. That move wouldn't have set well with the wifie, so I am still sticking with my Camplite 16BHB order... and to be perfectly honest I feel pretty good about it (even though I have never seen one in person... ordering from Arizona is a huge pain).  Thor may not be as bad as we think... they may simply have managed the initial transition poorly. Not that KZ is a world beater, but from what I can tell it seems like they are righting the ship a bit.  Have faith my friends... it seems like Camplite is doing many things well and is trending in the right direction once again. 

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. ~ Thoreau

Cheers!

Matt

Great first post!  I bet you'll like the camper and the places it takes you. Where's the first trip going? 
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: AZMVP on February 10, 2017, 02:48:16 AM
Quote from: Merlin on February 09, 2017, 10:32:02 AM

Great first post!  I bet you'll like the camper and the places it takes you. Where's the first trip going? 

Merlin - The first trip will be a short jaunt to dead horse ranch state park in Cottonwood, AZ.  https://azstateparks.itinio.com/deadhorseranch/

Thanks again for the warm welcome everyone.  I will definitely keep you all posted as to how it goes.
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: leslie on February 20, 2017, 10:47:04 PM
Paul, I just contributed my $12 to keep this forum going. Sorry I came so late to the party, but some sorry excuse for a human being stole my identity and emptied my checking account. All my cards were cancelled, as were my husband's cards as well.

We lived below our means for a long time while we saved for retirement. We have been denied access to our own money for awhile, and have had to count our pennies just to scrape by while we waited to be able to use our own money again. To say this has been a hassle, is an understatement. This is not what we saved for.

Enough venting. Just wanted to make my contribution to the forum.
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Pinstriper on February 20, 2017, 10:53:48 PM
Quote from: leslie on February 20, 2017, 10:47:04 PM
Paul, I just contributed my $12 to keep this forum going. Sorry I came so late to the party, but some sorry excuse for a human being stole my identity and emptied my checking account. All my cards were cancelled, as were my husband's cards as well.

We lived below our means for a long time while we saved for retirement. We have been denied access to our own money for awhile, and have had to count our pennies just to scrape by while we waited to be able to use our own money again. To say this has been a hassle, is an understatement. This is not what we saved for.

Enough venting. Just wanted to make my contribution to the forum.

Ididntdoitnobodysawmeyoucantproveannything
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 21, 2017, 07:52:16 AM
Quote from: leslie on February 20, 2017, 10:47:04 PM
Paul, I just contributed my $12 to keep this forum going. Sorry I came so late to the party, but some sorry excuse for a human being stole my identity and emptied my checking account. All my cards were cancelled, as were my husband's cards as well.

We lived below our means for a long time while we saved for retirement. We have been denied access to our own money for awhile, and have had to count our pennies just to scrape by while we waited to be able to use our own money again. To say this has been a hassle, is an understatement. This is not what we saved for.

Enough venting. Just wanted to make my contribution to the forum.

Wow that is really not fun I hope you were able to recover your money! It's something we don't really think about but it could happen to anyone. Thank you for your contribution!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Merlin on February 21, 2017, 10:20:48 AM
Quote from: leslie on February 20, 2017, 10:47:04 PM
Paul, I just contributed my $12 to keep this forum going. Sorry I came so late to the party, but some sorry excuse for a human being stole my identity and emptied my checking account. All my cards were cancelled, as were my husband's cards as well.

We lived below our means for a long time while we saved for retirement. We have been denied access to our own money for awhile, and have had to count our pennies just to scrape by while we waited to be able to use our own money again. To say this has been a hassle, is an understatement. This is not what we saved for.

Enough venting. Just wanted to make my contribution to the forum.

Wow. Yuck. Since this could happen to anyone and maybe especially while we are out camping and using non-secure Internet connections, when you get a chance post some lessons-learned in the Off-Topic section. I'll bet others would appreciate some advice, after you figure out what happened and how to avoid it in the future.
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: PaulJ on February 18, 2018, 09:19:26 AM
Do we not need a place on the Main Forum heading for this?  It has been over a year and don't we all need to reUp or support for this Forum or like Livin Lite are we going to just go away? I got my $12.00 ready??? Another year???
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Steve Sanders on February 18, 2018, 04:46:56 PM
Since I joined after this was done last year, I didn't even know about it. I'll be glad to help out.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Merlin on February 18, 2018, 08:54:06 PM
Good to bring this up again! The thread for contributing is right at the top of the forum: "Premium Member".

https://aluminumcamperforum.com/index.php?topic=378.msg2375
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Steve Sanders on February 19, 2018, 12:45:11 AM
Since I use Taptalk, it's not as obvious. Thanks.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 19, 2018, 10:20:47 AM
Thank you for bringing this back. The premium membership fee is used to pay the operating cost of this website that way the website can stay independant and ad free. The forum won't go away like Livin Lite!
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: ADR on February 19, 2018, 10:54:08 AM
I'm in!    It is refreshing to go to a forum and not be hit with 40 trackers and infinite ads!

Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: catmanriff on February 22, 2018, 01:56:33 PM
Done. Glad to contribute. Need more posts so I can avoid work or reading the news  ;D
Title: Re: Ideas and Input Needed
Post by: Paul on February 22, 2018, 03:04:45 PM
Quote from: catmanriff on February 22, 2018, 01:56:33 PM
Done. Glad to contribute. Need more posts so I can avoid work or reading the news  ;D

Thanks! Haha