Hookups and Fishing Reports (Members Only) Forum

Should we make this forum available only for members who support NCKA (AOTY & DOTY)?  Currently anyone who registered and has 10 posts can access this forum which is almost everyone.

Should we make this forum available only for members who support NCKA (AOTY & DOTY)?  Currently anyone who registered and has 10 posts can access this forum which is almost everyone.

Supporting NCKA is different than supporting AOTY/DOTY.  AOTY/DOTY pay it forward to the community.  NCKA provides a platform for AOTY/DOTY.  NCKA loses money.  Food for thought.

-Allen

Should we make this forum available only for members who support NCKA (AOTY & DOTY)?  Currently anyone who registered and has 10 posts can access this forum which is almost everyone.

Supporting NCKA is different than supporting AOTY/DOTY.  AOTY/DOTY pay it forward to the community.  NCKA provides a platform for AOTY/DOTY.  NCKA loses money.  Food for thought.

-Allen

Oh...I forgot thing changes over the years.  I recalled part of the AOTY fee was used to support this site and winning the AOTY was just for "bragging right".  May be I should stop joining the AOTY and donate to NCKA instead.

Should we make this forum available only for members who support NCKA (AOTY & DOTY)?  Currently anyone who registered and has 10 posts can access this forum which is almost everyone.

Supporting NCKA is different than supporting AOTY/DOTY.  AOTY/DOTY pay it forward to the community.  NCKA provides a platform for AOTY/DOTY.  NCKA loses money.  Food for thought.

-Allen

Oh...I forgot thing changes over the years.  I recalled part of the AOTY fee was used to support this site and winning the AOTY was just for "bragging right".  May be I should stop joining the AOTY and donate to NCKA instead.

AOTY was for more than just bragging rights.  We used to solicit rather nice prize packages worth 1000's of dollars.  At some point, we were competing for the same prize packages as other tournaments and PIF.  And the overheard (and pain) of running it was just becoming too much for the additional small income that came in,  So we asked PIF if they would like to take on AOTY and use the money however they saw fit.  NCKA donates the compute resource and the platform.

I'm seeing quite a few requests in the various threads for a pay to play reports forum.  I'm open too doing whatever you guys want, but I'll stop short of pushing my own agenda (which really is just to reduce the workload on me!).  That being said, discuss away, even run a few polls, and see what the community wants.  This community is quite good at policing itself and setting the beat of its own drum.  Yeah, we have a few rogues like that Hammer guy and that guy that doesn't kayak, but they are more or less harmless and we love them still.  We moderators try not to get in the way.   Sometimes that may seem a bit too hands off, but it's better than the alternative of seeming too controlling.

Carry on!

-Allen

Hi Allen,

I paid the fee to participate in AOTY with the intension to support NCKA.  I never seriously "compete" in AOTY during my 10+ years here.  I also participate in PIF gatherings and helped out my fellow kayakers what I can.  With that said, I think we should contribute to lessen the burden of the financial aspects to keep this great website going.

Sonny

Allen-

Anytime you get the bill and need to pass the hat, just do it.

As far as all this other stuff, it’s the same as it’s always been and although I side on the part of the dipshits that over share just on general principle, I don’t necessarily hold them in high regard.

Allen-
Anytime you get the bill and need to pass the hat, just do it.

I am with Crash.  Let us pitch-in what ever we can to support NCKA. I'll sell some of my gears/tackles if I have to    We know you have family to support just like many of us here.

It seems to me that many advocating for subscription access don't spend much time here connecting with other members, more so to check in to check for fishing/diving info. There are thousands of members registered here but only a small fraction who participate. Check the member list to see how many hundreds have never posted.

Many, or some, here know I support events and members in distress with donations of prizes or money. T idea of charging for access turns me off. I believe it would change the group atmosphere. So, would I pay for access? Been there done that. Never more. I would stay connected with friends that I have made over the years and read the current events as a Guest.

I cant imagine taking on the headaches of running something like this and losing money doing it

Seems like a simple one

I’d pay

T[he] idea of charging for access turns me off.

+1

A pay-to-play model would completely change the nature of the forum—for the worse, IMHO.

Allen-
Anytime you get the bill and need to pass the hat, just do it.

I am with Crash.  Let us pitch-in what ever we can to support NCKA. I'll sell some of my gears/tackles if I have to    We know you have family to support just like many of us here.

+1.  I dont think it has to be anything big ($10-$20 annual?) and only for some sections only (Fish Report is a good one for example.  For Sale posting for paying members only?).  But keep the majority of the forums free.

Allen-
Anytime you get the bill and need to pass the hat, just do it.

I am with Crash.  Let us pitch-in what ever we can to support NCKA. I'll sell some of my gears/tackles if I have to    We know you have family to support just like many of us here.

+1.  I dont think it has to be anything big ($10-$20 annual?) and only for some sections only (Fish Report is a good one for example.  For Sale posting for paying members only?).  But keep the majority of the forums free.

When a new person joins and we tell them to make 10 posts and they’ll gett to see the good stuff, that’s an incentive to participate. If we instead tell them to pony up some cash, that’ll be a huge disincentive to the vast majority, who will instead rely on dubious YouTube channels (like mine) for their fishing info.

Very good point NWM, I agree.

Sorry if I didn't make it clear.  Here are my main points:

1)  I only ask if we can make the "Member Only" fishing reports to be accessed by members who support NCKA.  Other members still able to access the "Non-Member" fishing reports.  They don't have to join the AOTY/DOTY and pay the fee if they don't want to.

2)  Some of us would like to contribute to the cost of running this great website.  Would you want to run a website and loosing money years in and years out?

A pay-to-play model would completely change the nature of the forum

The subject comes up from time to time, years ago I was mildly in favor of paid entry, but I consider myself wiser now. Pay to Play would destroy or at least significantly alter what NCKA is today (still), a group of people who generally truly enjoy helping each other out with safety info, rigging info, tips and ideas, and occasionally just about any other subject on the planet. Any fee would change that.

I'll bet some sort of zero pressure anonymous pass the hat type fundraising would yield more than is needed to cover costs.