stephanie is: 
grr.
um, so now people are writing to me saying that i should give them a free lifetime membership because thier donations add up to over $50. they also mention birthday or christmas presents they have sent. is this supposed to make me feel guilty? it is working i guess. danny said he did not want me to do anything more than give current members a few months free. he said the donation system was just that – donations. but i am a big wussy that always has to please everyone. i can’t deal with people writing to me like i am causeing them to starve cause i am taking all their money. i never said that donations would get you a membership forever – just for as long as i could use that system. and i never said you had to donate anything more than $5. i could start going through all my records to see who gave more than $50… it would take a lot of time that i could be working on the site changes though. someone is going to be helping me with billing and i do not want to make things difficult for them – so i will not do the thing where you make up the difference on what you already paid. that wasn’t a down-payment anyway. i am still leaning towards giving all current members free lifetime memberships. yes it means a lot less money towards the t1… but… ergh. i don’t think danny would go for that.
i don’t know what to do. i could have made this decision easier on myself by not bringing into public view… but i do care about everyone’s opinions on this and i want you to be involved. i guess i just didn’t expect all the emails and comments from people saying they deserve a free membership.
so, what should i do?
your members KNOW what financial problems you are having right now. somehow its not okay for you to ask for some money to keep your site up…you are supposed to throw all your money into it and drive yourself into the poor house to keep them entertained, these ppl shuold realize you have manee other expenses in your life, YOU ARE A REAL PERSON not some thing that entertains them on the cam. i can understand some ppl being a little upset, but they need to also look at uit from your point of view and the situation your sruck in, they should also see that you are trying as hard as possible to do the right thing. and holding presents over yer head is just wrong, no one forced them to send anything, that was supposedly out of the kindness of their own heart.
as for giving all current members FREE lifetime memberships? dont cheat yerselflike that, discounted mebbe, but not free, you’re cheating yourself out of alot of money there when you throw so much of your time and energy and $$ into it already. if they dont want to pay for the service then they just dont need to be members if they are gonna get in a tizzy over 50 bucks for what will most likely be years of watching the cam. bah!
i say give everyone that has donated a couple months free when you’re back up, and start the regular membership plan. something like this shouldn’t have to be grandfathered in. charge the heck out of us! er well heh maybe i shouldn’t have said it that way. but frankly i find it hard to believe anyone would expect a lifetime membership for 50 bucks whether they paid it now or had paid before. i think that’s pretty generous of you already. so i think you should cancel everyone’s memberships after a month or two of being back up and then start over. 🙂
i think it is totally okay to start with a clean slate. If people can’t afford to eat then they shouldn’t be sending you money. hehehe
You have put a lot of work into your site so it’s only fair. I think people will understand. It’s not fair that you have to pay so much for the new access line and since your site is part of the reason your getting the new line, there is no reason everyone benifiting can’t give a little to help!
screw it!
(i wasn’t going to say anything..i was going to stay out of it because it is your guys decision..but, people are stupid) i am sorry but, fuck everyone else. make everyone pay straight out. isn’t it the fair way..?? then everyone starts out at the same place..
it was “their” decsion to give you money..or donate it in the first place..or give you a b-day present (isn’t that suppose to be a good deed anyway..with no “you owe me then” (same goes for the charity money)?)..soo..it’s there own doing. if they gave more money then $5 they did not have to only because that is all you requested from us to view the members site.
that is all i gave..that is all you asked for. straight out. today if you asked for $50 dollars i would give you that. i think you are a sweet girlie..and do good for people..do good for charities..it’s worth it! sorry if i sounded harsh …
Re: screw it!
Yeah, what she said!
Re: screw it!
Yeah, what he said about what she said!
I personally believe that if someone WANTS to be a lifetime member of your site, they should be willing to pay. I, for one, would love to be, but it depends on MY financial situation at the time of integration. I think you should do whatever is necessary to keep your site running. It’s no one else’s business because YOU and DANNY are the ones who have to come up with that hellaciously large chunk of change for the T1…
Just know that I will support you in any way I can, and will become a life member when it’s possible!
*huggles, girlie*
I see a consensus forming here. Personally, I think a clean slate approach is best. For those whiners that bitch about their past donations, they will either belly up to the bar and pay because it is a good site, or they can just disappear into the woodwork. You don’t need the whiners nad the bitchers.
pony up, people
Dont let them get to you, do what YOU know is best for YOU.
No one was forced to “pay” you before and no one will be forced now. What they gave before was a donation. Gifts were just that, gifts.
You are now talking about real memberships and that is the way you want things done from this point forward. If you want to grant a couple of free months to prior donation supporters, that is up to you. It’s your site so do it your way.
Like everything else in life, we CHOOSE to come here and we can CHOOSE to become members, no one is forcing us. If they do not wish to join that is their choice.
FWIW: I’ve donated, supported and sent you gifties well over the 100.00. So what. Even after I pay for the new membership, I will continue to support your efforts durring the year.
Hell, to show support, sign me up now as your first new member. Where do I send the money?
u gotta dew what u gotta dew
steph- just do what you have to do- your site is popular so regardless of the cost, there will be people who pay. Donations are donations- when money is involved a cam site becomes a business- so make what business decision you feel is best- people who like your site will back you up and if they dont like ur site enough to pay for it as though its any other service- then tough cookies.
do what u gotta do. the site is about YOU and we dont want you to be broke or stressed about money all the time- it should be enjoyable and at least somewhat relaxing for you.
Re: pony up, people
No, I want to be #1, hurry tell me where to send it….:)
Whatever! I’m sorry people are giving you a rough time, Stephanie. I sent a birthday giftie & also made a donation a couple of months later during the cancer donation run and as far as I’m concerned, *neither one* of those counts toward a full-fledged membership.
Even if you didn’t give a couple of months membership & my account shut down until I bought a “real” membership, there would be no problems with that in my mind. You are trying to run a little business to keep this going, and people sucking up your bandwidth should understand they owe you for what they *cost* you. Not the other way around.
It’s your site and there are many of us who will stand by what you decide. Good Luck!
Start fresh (see a pattern here?)
What they said.
Start with a clean slate. I’m not sure even the “couple of months grace” period is necessary; it’ll just serve to get you behind the game in terms of paying for the T1.
Nobody’s going to miss a meal because of this — nobody’s going to use their rent payment for stvlive membership (or if they do, it’s their problem and not yours). There’s no reason for you to put yourself into even more of a financial bind because somebody is trying to make you feel guilty. You can’t please everybody, but you can go broke trying…
I WANT TO BE A LIFE MEMBER!!!!…. 🙂
Screw aii the whiney ass complainers and start everyone out new at the same time, Iam a member and want t5o remain a member FOREVER and ill pay to be a lifetime member with out no whining now or ever! Please dont let the complainers make you feel guilty stephi, you have nothing to complain about. I feel like ive gotton much more from you then ive paid you. I enjoy your site and look forward to going to it everyday. Ive always enjoyed myself and its nice to be getting to know you and all your family too. If the whiney ass complainers are looking for some extra income to pay for their membership and i do believe we all should be paying they can sell some blood plasma for extra cash, i did that for years and theres always ways to make a little extra cash! The hell with the complainers and i dont need a few months or even 1 month free to be ok with what your doing stephi. When you,ve made up your mind on what your going to do let me know and ill pay it and ill be happy about a lifetime membership no matter what. Have a great day stephi!!!!, Jim…:)
Donations
I think you should go with the a couple months free if they’ve alreadi donated…When I donated to you I didn’t feel like I donated enough so I definatly would not feel right with a lifetime membership……
This site costs you alot of money, you shouldn’t feel guilty at all for charging membership for it. I don’t think your price is outlandish so I’m sure people will still donate! And for those people who are gonna try and make you feel guilty, try not to let them worry you…..there are some people who are always going to look for something to pick at (that and they’re cheap penny pinchers :). So don’t worry!! Your site rules and so do you! 🙂
earlier post
I hope you didn’t take my earlier response the wrong way 🙁
I was one of the ones who donated more than $50, but I *don’t* expect that to go towards a lifetime membership. I look at it as a one-time donation to help you out *at the time*, not as something that would buy me a permanent membership.
I can’t really say it any better than the people who posted before me in this entry, but I’ll say it anyway… Ignore the whiners and start with a clean slate! I, for one, don’t have any problems with paying more for a lifetime membership or yearly membership.
**HUGS**
i still think you should wait to see if you can get a DSL. i mean, what a few more months without your site when you can save so much money in the long run. i mean, come on stef, you just bought a house. why add extra expense when you could save?
as for the donations, well…$50 is a hell of a lot. but it’s your choice to spend so much on connection. i don’t think people should feel obliged to pay for your site just because of that. hell, i’d be happy with all the attention you get for free.
it is not just for our site. it is for our jobs. we both need a good internet connection at home. we plan to try again when our t1 cortract is about to end, but we have already been turned down, so we may have to wait for more line work to be finished before we can get it anyway.
$50 is for a lifetime membership. if it is too much for you – don’t pay.
i won’t- especially ince is is $100 australian
i’m a student for god’s sake
clean slate is only way to do it.
psst… how did wed. morn meeting go. are you a homegirl now?
Re: clean slate is only way to do it.
i don’t know – no one mentioned it to me… hrm. they prolly didn’t even get to it in the meeting.