Nubies

[Chopper]

Yeah....I upped ahead of time too.

[JHarris1385]

Wow I just realized mine is up. Gotta get on that......

[Y33TREKker]

Well, I showed up with a few additional "guests" during the server upgrade, but it's never really bothered me that I'm still listed as "only" a Super VXer.

I see enough of people wanting to be "lЗЗt" members of message boards everywhere else I go, do we have to have that here too?

[ZEUS]

Well, as Moncha mentioned before, we still need something like 133 (don't quote me) supporting members a year just to make ends meet. So actually, yes, we do have to have "l33t" members here too! Thank you for pointing that out! Otherwise, someone(s) would have to foot the bill for everyone elses' privilege (not 'right') to the knowledge contained here... if you want to support the site behind closed doors, more power to you. However, dropping some change for the server upgrade was NOT a lifetime subscription to this website. It was very simply a contributing vote and means to upgrade the server. Monthly bills are a separate issue, and yes, they still exist.

[Y33TREKker]

Is one of the "privelages" afforded me for making additional donations the "right" to call other participants "Cheapskate", "Freeloader", "Broke *****", etc...?

What happened to the statement VehiCROSS.info is a "Labor of love"? I won't speak for anyone else, but I for one am not really feeling it at the moment.

[tom4bren]

I'm sure the 'labor of love' part comes from all of the unpaid time and effort that Moncha puts in to the site and I'm sure he's had to dip into his own pocket on more than one occasion to keep us going.

I'll keep supporting just to make sure the site never goes down. The only privelege I seek is the exchange of valuable information and the chance to make new friends (I've never actually met any of the members here but look forward to the opportunity in the future - I dropped the ball on a Northern VA/Southern MD get together this fall (busy work schedule) but will try again this spring or summer).

[ZEUS]

Is one of the "privelages" afforded me for making additional donations the "right" to call other participants "Cheapskate", "Freeloader", "Broke *****", etc...?

What happened to the statement VehiCROSS.info is a "Labor of love"? I won't speak for anyone else, but I for one am not really feeling it at the moment.

You know, Trek, I just have one intention by using labels like that, and it is not to offend. They are only used as a way of hinting to some folks that it may be time to contribute to the site. Maybe it will register to some who don't take it so personally. So if you or anyone else takes offense to those terms, truly, I apologize. Maybe my words are a little harsh - bad on me. I don't mean to bully people into doing something they don't want to do. However, leaving others to pay for information they themselves have provided while certain folks decide to take it for free, providing nothing in return, gets under my skin. And I am not alone here; I have talked to other members who are equally displeased with such users. In my eyes, it is like draft-dodging or tax evasion. But I will get off my high horse cuz I have no ill will toward anyone, and God forbid I be "l33t". Just let me say, it is not fair to expect the few to pay for the many. It is not fair to assume Moncha will improve site operations and put down the extra cash for a bunch of people who only choose to take advantage of HIS "Labor of Love".
So for those who think that makes sense:
And for those who think taking, while giving nothing in return, is a-ok:
Otherwise, I hope to see you VXers in Moab or some other event that will be organized thru this great forum cuz I have never met a VXer I didn't like, whether they were a site supporter or not!

[nfpgasmask]

Hey Zeus, I just thought I would chime in here, because I can see both sides of this. I myself am a site supporter because:

1) I love this forum (it is far and away the best forum I am a member of)

2) The info is invaluable, saves me loads of money and time, and I don't want to see it disappear. EVER.

3) I completely understand how web forums work, are setup and maintained, and because of that I understand and appreciate what Moncha does for all of us, just to keep this forum running.

4) The folks on this forum are some of the best daytime company a poor, deskbound soul like myself could ask for.

Now, all that said, I am also a DIE HARD believer that the Internet should be a place to get FREE information, devoid of censorship and authority. Unfortunately, we all know the Internet has become an ugly, commercialized, mutated monster that is basically made up of scams, bugs, redundant false information, fraud, paranoia, and porn. There are VERY FEW quality websites out there anymore, and the few that remain struggle to survive, just like my gas mask site (Le Masque a Gaz). My site is the result of 12 years of collecting, research, photography, and HARD WORK. If you want to see my labor of love, there it is. It costs me a lot of money to keep up, and the bandwidth I push through is immense. I have never asked for donations, never run ads on my site, and I have never taken it down, even now, after being totally done with the hobby. I am basically putting all that behind me, but I feel to remove my site would be a disservice to the people out there who appreciate it, and it would also make all those years of collecting and work meaningless. So even after I am done selling off most of my collection, I have no plans to down it. Anyway, what I am getting at, is that I keep my site FREE. This is how the Internet should be, and there are people who cling fast to the idea of this freedom of information. And when these free, adless and fraudless sites are taken down, the Internet will be nothing but a giant electronic shopping mall appropriately situated next to a festering landfill of meaningless and endless garbage.

Now again, like I said, I see both sides of it. I probably could and maybe I should ask for donations to keep Le Masque a Gaz up....but for me, it just isn't my style.

So in a long-winded nutshell, what I am saying, is that donations are 100% optional, and you can't fault people for not chipping in. They are probably not free loaders (well, most of them anyway). They would just rather spend $20 on a dinner at Chilis, than on this website. On the same token, when VehiCROSS.info goes down forever (hopefully never), those same people who didn't chip in better not whine....because ultimately, it is we, the "fans" who keep places like VehiCROSS.info and GasMasks.net alive.

Bart

You know, Trek, I just have one intention by using labels like that, and it is not to offend. They are only used as a way of hinting to some folks that it may be time to contribute to the site. Maybe it will register to some who don't take it so personally. So if you or anyone else takes offense to those terms, truly, I apologize. Maybe my words are a little harsh - bad on me. I don't mean to bully people into doing something they don't want to do. However, leaving others to pay for information they themselves have provided while certain folks decide to take it for free, providing nothing in return, gets under my skin. And I am not alone here; I have talked to other members who are equally displeased with such users. In my eyes, it is like draft-dodging or tax fraud. But I will get off my high horse cuz I have no ill will toward anyone, and God forbid I be "l33t". Just let me say, it is not fair to expect the few to pay for the many. It is not fair to assume Moncha will improve site operations and put down the extra cash for a bunch of people who only choose to take advantage of HIS "Labor of Love".
So for those who think that makes sense:
And for those who think taking, while giving nothing in return, is a-ok:
Otherwise, I hope to see you VXers in Moab or some other event that will be organized thru this great forum cuz I have never met a VXer I didn't like, whether they were a site supporter or not!