Accusations against this "dieing" BB and members

[Camperroo]

This forum was the very first forum I joined 4 years ago when I first got on the internet and then had bought a popup camper.  I remember when Cajun was the king on this board (I mean that in a respectful sense) he offered so much information it was unbelievable along with many others.  I've watched the board go through a ton of changes.  

Dave has a small business he's trying to grow and has a right to charge for access to the board.  Others have the option of deciding if it is really one more thing they can afford in their budget.  $30.00 may not sound like a lot, in most instances it isn't.  But even in my case where DH lost his job and is luckily working again...I don't know if I can as easily dole out the money for the board when I realize it's an extravagance I can easily get at another forum for free.  Except...I happen to like this board and am more comfortable here than elsewhere.  I'd like to see the board become part of the magaziine fee or open it up again as a free board but advertise the heck out of the magazine. I wouldn't mind a few Pop Up Times pop up ads appear in the discussion forums as you now see in the rv.net forum.  That way the name is always around somewhere for someone to pick up on and hopefully subscribe to the mag.  There's no easy answer.  You just have to do what's right by you and your pocketbook as does Dave.

[campingboaters]

Why I stay with PUT...
 
I had been on the other sites a while ago, but found the people there VERY rude, so I never check in to some of the other sites anymore.  When I ask a question, it's OBVIOUSLY because I don't know the answer.  Some people on the other sites would rather belittle me than give me an answer or just not answer me at all.  You don't get that here.  This is a GREAT group of cyber-friends.  And while I've never actually met any of you, I still consider you friends and a GREAT source of information.  My non-cyber camping friends always think I'm weird that I found things out on this site -- I say it so often.  You'd THINK they would just hook them selves up here and find out how wonderful everyone is and how much information is to be had!  I can only do so much to help them!  
 
Unfortunately, most people are driven by the almighty dollar.  That is why it's "slower" here versus PUX.  To me, PUX has TOO much of the same thing going on everyday.  I come here for the peace, the quiet and the occassional (more often than not) laugh.
 
Even though I now own a hybrid (pop-out) instead of a Pop-up, I'll re-new my membership to keep visiting here.  It's a nice break in my day -- catching up on all that is going on.  I'll even try to post more often.
 
What to do to improve things?  I think there are way too many forums.  I tend not to check certain "rally" forums because I feel like an outsider.  Some threads go on for hundreds of responses and it's just too hard for me to keep up with what's going on when.  Maybe we could limit the number of responses one thread can have?  
 
Also, instead of regions for campground reviews, could there be a way to select a state only.  I think IRV2 has that type of setup for campground reviews.  I found it easier to see campground reviews listed by campground for just the state I wanted to go camping.  Having to read most of the post just to find out what campground it is or where it's located is tough.  If we can't change the format, can we just make everyone enter the campground name, location and if it's a review or question in the subject line?
 
Just a thought or two.

[MtnCamper]

Well, I might just as well add my two cents too. I'm all over on the net, I follow about 5 boards, but don't post a lot to all of them. Each board has it's own personality. Which is good. Each board has it's own advantages (and disadvantages), But I camp in all of them. And I will probably continue to. So you guys will just have to put up with me.

As far as all the forums, It's for convenience. You can go look at the forum where you know the thread will be. Rallies, or Camping Clubs or Recipes. It's not the number of forums that keeps the membership low. It's just the way people are, some don't want to pay for the board, when free is available. But if the other boards charged $31.50, This board would be swamped again. It's the same reason you drive around the block a couple times to buy gas 2 cents cheaper. When the total cost savings, really doesn't justify the action. I know people that go to 3 or 4 different grocery stores, and buy just the special priced items at each one. They spend all day doing it. How much is your time and effort worth, or better how much do you enjoy this board? Ask yourself if it's worth the cost......... I bet it is.

[wiininkwe]

I've been following this thread wanting to post to it, but not sure just what I could say to express how I feel.  This morning DH and I were cleaning out some desk drawers and I came across something that I wrote and emailed to ladies Home Journal magazine almost exactly a year ago.   They had featured a new type of forum and I was hoping to get to have my 'thoughts' published in it.  (No, it never happened, but we can dream, can't we?)  Anyway, I hope you don't mind, it's kinda of...no, make that, quite...long but I'm going to paste it here so you can see how I feel.    Remember, I wrote this a year ago.
 
Connections

[wiininkwe]

Okay, here's the end.  Sorry about it being so long.
 
At one point just recently, the message board was host to over 4,000 members, and the logistics of running a website that large got to be very problematic. The owner of the site decided to go to a

[Nick]

I think Campfire should be kept seperate from the general, as we do a lot of off topic discussions there, but the different camping region discussions might be a possibility if you ask me. before I was shooed away from Nick-Neff-Cough area, I was amazed how busy that forum was.
 
Just an idea, don't shoot me.

Birol,
As the nnc moderator your always welcome at our forum.....  If you were shooed away, shoo yourself back over.

[Popupper]

$30 for a forum and a magazine that gives so much to pop up camping is a deal. I don't want to pay more but I'll keep paying $30 for this.

[rccs]

I agree with many of you that there are a few less posts here than there used to be. I believe it is mainly because of the fact that the people here are no longer competing to see how many little trailers they could get under their name like before. I think many of those who used to compete for the numbers have moved to other boards. I seen just the other day that someone on PUX (not mentioning his name) had been congradulated for the number of posts he had attained.
I check out this board just about every day and there seems to be something new every time I log on, granted there may be a little less than before. I plan on staying here also. I don't mind paying to use this site because of the fact that there are so many friendly people here. This was the first board I found on the internet that had anything to do with popup camping and I enjoy it very much.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DAVE!

[Gone-Camping]

Well, you may not have got published in the Ladies Home Journal, but somehow I suspect with a story like that, you'll get published in PUT...soon?!?!

[B-flat]

wii, that's a beautiful story about your experiences from beginning to the present with PUT.  It echoes the same feelings I have.

[LKaskel]

It's easy to see there are no simple answers!  In my opinion it comes down to the (LCD) lowest common denominator....MONEY.  We all have our own priorities on how we spend it but for most of us (I understand not all) we will spend $30 or more on all kind of things that have short term enjoyment and not much of a redeming value.  I'll give some examples...a night at the movies for a family of 4 or 5, dinner at Pizza Hut, all the extra pay channels on cable or satellite each month not to mention the extra money we spend at Walmart when we really went for "one thing".  $30 for one years worth of PUT and access to this board should not be a discussion.  Dave is doing a great job delivering a magazine for us and suppling this site which cost more money than he makes from it.  I look at it this way...I feel like I'm just thankful for what I get for one year at the cost of one dozen steamed crabs in Maryland.  The enjoyment I get reading this board is by far worth it!

[Miss-Teri]

Very well said, Toni.

[NightOwl]

See, it's things like Toni wrote that PUT makes room for.  She expressed beautifully what has happened on this board over the years we have been together!  

We KNOW  we have  the freedom to express ourselves here  OPENLY  without fear of ridicule, and knowing that others will  provide moral support if we need it when we face tough times such as Mike4947's tragic loss of his wife, or the Mahaffey boys going off to war, or jpreiser's Chemo.  And we all share in the good things as well, like the story of a DD going to a first long trip away from home, or tales of DD off to her very  first "Big Dance."  (And we all just HAD to see the pictures of this event!)  This is the first website I joined, and since have joined others, but  I have never seen another "subject based" forum where people do this kind of thing, not even the arts or fitness forums I belong to..

The atmosphere here is uniquely  family-like and this openess is what makes this place worth $30. per year for me, and as I mentioned in an  earlier post, I have never been sorry I continued on, even at a time when Dave took a lot of heat for charging for the board.   Like others have said, we set our own priorities for how we spend our money, and this one year subscription costs less than a night out at the movies for a small family.  (And at least what we see HERE is DEPENDABLY  fit for family consumption.)  

[Preacher]

I'm one of those that doesn't post very much, but I do read what is going on.  I've been with PUT for a while now.  I go back to the Cajun and Flyfisherman days of several boards ago!  I've found that what Solomon wrote is very true, "There is nothing new under the sun."  Most of the questions I read are the same ones I asked many years ago.  I have time under my belt and fewer questions now.  The things I am most interested in are the campground reviews.  As my wife and I plan vacations, I want to know what experiences people have had in various CG's.

However, just because I have very few questions, or answer very few of the questions asked (because someone usually answers them before I see them) doesn't mean I don't enjoy this site.  I still enjoy the excitement I see in the writings of those new campers.  I takes me back to my first days of camping in a PU.  There are also really no new SPUTs, but as I read about them I have to laugh as I remember doing the same things.  But then there are those times that there is something new and that makes this site even more worth while.  Yes I'm a member of many other camping sites, some of them longer than I've been with PUT, but I keep coming back to this one and keep reading the magazine.  I figure if I get just one good idea, or one good laugh every few months or so, then it is worth the money. Just the thoughts of a preacher.

[kimrb266]

We joined PUT last summer as we were shopping for our first PU.  We found valuable information about PU's and even located a local dealer, another PUT's member posted info about how happy they were, we bought it and have gone on two trips with members.
 
I seldon post but I enjoy checking out the various topics and info on a regular basis.  I have checked our PUX and found the info being posted is almost the same, I haven't found much elsewhere that hasn't been posted here.
 
The main reason I don't post in the general or campfire area is because I'm not much into "internet conversations", call me old fashioned, but for those that enjoy posting regularly I think its great.
 
I also like the camping forums and area rallys, I'm looking forward to 2 upcomming camping trips with felow PUT'ers.