Would you pay a membership fee here?

shalhevet

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 2:10 pm

southernbubby wrote:

The DSL portion of any phone bill is about $40 per month and is optional for those who want internet. I don't know what dial up costs. How do those who cannot afford necessities afford DSL? (That could also be said about cell phones, cable TV, video rental, etc.) My generation grew up without computers so we know what it is like to live without it.

I have to have internet for my work, so it's a neccessity.

We use our cell phone only when we have no choice and have a combined bill of about 10-20 NIS a month ($3-5). The other things I wouldn't have if you paid me.

The person who wrote that it was socialist to complain about a 'nominal' $5 fee. That is about NIS20. When one of my children come home and need 20shekels for a school trip, dh and I start racking our brains where it's going to come from....
The comment about not everyone can have the same is not right. It's not like a consumer good; once the site is running it costs the same no matter how many people are on. So if poster x is not paying you are not subsidizing her.

And the more people using the site, the more attractive it is to advertisers. So actually everyone who logs in and certainly who posts, is contributing to it.

GramaNewYork

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 2:11 pm

Is anyone familiar with the site allrecipes.com? I love that site. I'm a registered user but I don't pay to use. There is a fee for some level of membership, though, where certain perks are available. Perhaps that's something that could be done with imamother. Off hand, I can't think of what perks could be given to paying members, but I bet we could think of some.

I did also like someone's idea of anonymous sponsors above. I feel like this site can really help a woman's emotional health. Some may not need to pay for a therapist because of it and may be delighted to be able to use that money to anonymously know that are helping a fellow imamother.

Ruchel

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 2:14 pm

letsbehonest wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

I voted NO. Not because I don't want to, but because some people cannot, and if they are allowed to not pay, there will always be someone to say it's favoritism or even make comments that at least I contribute and you don't.

How would you, and others, feel about anonymous sponsorships?

No problem! (it is funny because actually my community is considering doing that to resolve all the comments problems).

Mevater

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 2:18 pm

DefyGravity wrote:

Wait until they are addicted, and then make them pay....... Rolling Laughter

I think that many of us would pay if we had to.

For sure! Three months and you're addicted for life.
Like the words of the song- If it happened to me, it can happen to you.............................................Ha Ha

Ima'la

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 2:27 pm

amother wrote:

I am curios at the democratic / socialist slant to this whole dilema. We do not live on a kibbutz, where we all just go along for the ride. In life there are people who have more and people who have less. If Yael feels she can't continue the site as it is, and there has to be a nominal fee (approx $5 etc.) then that is what it should be. I don't understand the "I can't afford it and would feel bad" attitude. There are pleanty of things that I wish I could have but can't. Life isn't about everyone having equal, unfortunately we can't all have everything.

The american dream isn't about equal results, just equal opportunity.

Let me start by saying that I have tremendous appreciation for what Yael and her husband do by running this site and I would REALLY like to see us find a solution to this problem.

But the problem with the above attitude is: first of all, Yael created the site to benefit Jewish women - not to make money - so I don't think she wants it to be an "if you can't afford it get lost" type of place.

Second of all, I see a lot of posts from women who are really being saved from "going under" or are getting really helpful advice in serious areas of life that they would not otherwise have received....and I think in MANY cases, these are the same women who could not afford the fee - and in most cases, when they first come across the site, they won't start asking if they can get in free or have a sponsor - they'll just say, "Oh, there's a fee, this is not for me." I think the people who will lose out might be the people who are benefitting from the site in the most meaningful way.

GramaNewYork

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 2:52 pm

I do believe that there are many people who would be willing to pay $25/yr and also give supplemental donations here and there.

Nobody commented on the idea of different LEVELS of membership like on some recipe sites where you can be a member without paying but you get some extra benefit for payed membership.

Also, there can be different levels of membership w/o perks. For example, some could be free members like they are now, and some, who feel they can afford, can pay more and some can pay even more.

Nobody has to know who paid and how much. If anyone can "guess", it's because the poster gave them clues. So what?

GramaNewYork

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 2:59 pm

Regarding the liberal/conservative point of view thing, I would also like to say that even if a person is politically conservative, one may usually be liberal with one's immediate community. By that I mean that we have to live in a country, but we don't have to join a website. If we joined this website, we probably appreciate that it is helping women. Those who can afford to make donations (or pay a fee) will get a great satisfaction knowing that they may be sponsoring. IT IS AN INVESTMENT in the Jewish community as a whole and those who cannot pay invest in the community in other ways of doing chesed.

Ruchel

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 3:00 pm

GramaNewYork wrote:

If anyone can "guess", it's because the poster gave them clues. So what?

So what? Well, people who need to talk about their problems will be unable or unwilling to do so, and won't get support. Or they will, but then they will be known as not paying. If everyone is comfy with the idea, ok. But I am not sure it will work in the long run.

GramaNewYork

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 3:05 pm

I think that everyone has different priorities on what they do with their money. Because someone is having money problems and speaks to the forum about an issue with leads us to believe they are poverty stricken, we cannot assume that they didn't pay for imamother.

For example, I try to spend time with a little boy whose mom is a single parent. She often complains about how little money she makes and how difficult it is to make ends meet, yet her apartment is extremely spacious and well-furnished, she has a new car with features that I wouldn't dream of paying for and she eats out quite a bit. So just because we get the idea that a person is having a tough time financially, doesn't mean they didn't pay an imamother memebership.

DefyGravity

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 3:09 pm

Ruchel wrote:

GramaNewYork wrote:

If anyone can "guess", it's because the poster gave them clues. So what?

I don't see how it's possible to know who did and didn't pay.

amother

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 3:11 pm

Perhaps they can have a once a year collect-a-thon where the site is on strictly for donations, and don't go back to regular functionality until they reach their desired goal.

Trust me many of us would be reaching into our pockets and No One would die for those few days without Imamother.

downsyndrome

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 3:16 pm

I know that money doesn't grow on trees and I also don't have an excess of it, but I have a very hard time when I hear people say - Give me something for nothing! I am not proud to be in the company of so many suckers, excuse me! Anybody who afforded to buy/own their computer 'should' afford to pay a few measly dollars a year to upkeep that which they hold so near and dear - Imamother!!
It is not about Yael expecting it from us; it is about us wanting to give it to Yael for the wonderful service she is providing us!
And, for those who keep writing about voluntary donations on this site - forget about it! It doesn't happen. A while back Yael asked people to sponsor months; I sponsored my birthday month - I was the only one!!! Nobody ever did it again. So, unfortunately, in this world, voluntary donations are not very voluntary.
C'mon imas! Where is your shame? Can we only be takers? How about giving something back!!?!

Marion

Wed, Apr 18 2007, 3:27 pm

See, the problem is I think with the different numbers that are being tossed around. I could manage maybe $5 a year, and I wouldn't have to tell DH about it. But $25 a year would show up in our budget, because, well, that's our gas bill for 2 months, or our grocery bill for a week, or 2 months' worth of internet access (DSL, which I use for work, and which is about $10/month).

Paypal, by the way, takes a cut of incoming funds, so it would have to be adjusted for that. And I still want to know how you'd adjust for multiple currencies...if I paid 100 shekel you might or might not get the full $25.