Randy,

i've benefited tremendously from this website over the last few years. i believe there is a strong community here, where people desire to share helpful information here to mutual benefit.

however, that leaves one party out of the equation in my book-- Flyertalk, whose resources we use.

i believe strongly in "tithing" something back to those things that extended me something of "value" for free. i know there are services for sale associated with Flyertalk, however: a) frankly they're not something i'm really interested in, and b) because of this, i'd rather "give back" directly in a donation than buy something i don't want for the same amount-- since there are costs involved in creating those products.

i don't mean to disparage the product offering-- just that they don't meet might tastes and needs. this is a very diverse and broad community at this point, so some will be more receptive to them than others.

i want to do my part to support the message board on Flyertalk. it's one of the few sites i'd pay a subscription for. others may not feel that way, and the community may benefit from encouraging many people to join.

however, i don't think there's any shame in having a banner asking people to contribute to support Flyertalk's needs if they want. as long as the money goes to directly support the IT resources Flyertalk requires, i believe you'd be surprised how many people would like to give back to the community that they reside in.

i have no idea what the business plan is for Flyertalk, but many users view this site as a great public service. for those of us in this category, who don't use a lot of the offerings of Flyertalk, why not allow us to contribute a little money?? heck, NPR isn't shameless about a month-long pledge drive that interupts my programs, what's a little banner-ad going to hurt??

I agree, an NPR-style pledge drive wouldn't hurt. I would be happy to donate.

I think this is a terrific idea.

PBS is available to everyone, but only people who feel comfortable doing so contribute financially.

My guess is, that with advertising $$$ down, flyertalk/insideflyer etc. could certainly use a boost in cash flow.

Think about this...could you live without flyertalk?

The line forms to the right.

Dan

dup

[This message has been edited by dhammer53 (edited 01-25-2002).]

@@ What a devastating thought, Dan!
To where do I send my checks?

Dan,

Do without Flyertalk? NO WAY!!!

Do without duplicate posts? WAY!!!

William

How about subscribing to Inside Flyer? By supporting Randy Petersen's businesses, you are supporting FlyerTalk.

FewMiles..

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[ FlyerTalkers' Resources on the Web ]
[ Unofficial Guide to AAdvantage ] [ Unofficial oneworld Info Desk ]

[b]Fewmiles[b\] I could not agree more, subscription is something everybody on this board should want to have and will help boost circulation, hence the abilty for Randy to keep strong relations with the airline heads.

As for a contribution in the form of membership fee or donation, that too makes sense and is only fair. In that anonomous donations are some times harder to get, why not do voluntary contributions and have a special symbol post next to supporters names. As well, maybe a members only lounge for those who subscribe or become FT sustaining members.



Just some thoughts

[This message has been edited by mktozd (edited 01-26-2002).]

It would be really easy to do this... Just setup a PayPal or C2it.com account (I personally prefer C2it as it is free for both parties).

In either case, we could all just 'email' the money to this account using our credit cards and/or our checking accounts.

The major reason I subscribed to Inside Flyer is because it was an easy way to support these efforts.

I would be happy to pay an annual subscription fee to continue my enjoyable and informative relationship with FT.

Randy's business also sells an Official Frequent Flyer Handbook. Truth told, it's not information that can't be found elsewhere, but it is handy to have in one place as a reference and I purchased it to support his business.

http://www.flyerguide.com

FlyerTalk,

I appreciate the valid suggestion, but I still don't think this (and other items/services being sold) is necessary a susbstitute to a pure donation for FlyerTalk for two reasons:

1) presumably, there are costs involved in the product being offered that exceed the value i may put on it. to me, this is similar to the candy products students are forced to hawk for their clubs and proms. i'd rather donate $10 directly to the cause, than buy a $10 small box of candy and have the student kick-back $5 to the candy company. again-- i'm not disparaging the services/products, just saying *i* don't feel they meet my individual tastes and needs.

2) hopefully, all WebFlyer products are either profitable or will be profitable in the future. however, each product (including FlyerTalk) seems to fill a different niche. therefore, i'd rather directly support the product i use by doing my little part to help sustain *its* viability.

Buy a t-shirt!
http://flyertalk.com/storefr.shtml