I posted this on the old web site almost a month ago but wanted to re-post it again since the web site changes are still in progress. It was originally in response to the members only conversations we were having but can pertain to the web site too.
The question "How can we find a way to have a members only area on the board but simultaneously not restrict or turn away any potential owners from joining" has been going through my mind for days now. I have been picking brains left and right to get ideas on how to make this work and each time I feel like I hit a brick wall. If we have a members only area on the board created, we would basically have to "give" something to those who are members to differentiate them from the non-members. We already know that we do not want to restrict the message boards in any way as that may very well deter new and potential members from joining. But on the other hand, what can be given to the members only if there really isn't much to give? The only possible idea that I could come up with is recognition. For instance, this is an example of what we currently have underneath our username:
CristinaB
Marmaduke
396 Posts
Currently, for X number of postings, we get a star and a category (i.e. Marmaduke) which basically identifies how active we are on the board and/or how long some of us have been on here. There are even a few "Founding Member" categories which to me is just too cool to have next to your name. Although it is a simple aspect of the board to have these categories, I think it is a neat feature to have on a message board. So, one idea would be to have the "Members" (Members = Those that are committed to pay the monthly $5 or whatever is decided on) be identified differently than those who are non-members. For example, those who are members would have their Username placed in bold and maybe in gold color per say. Or, we could even have two members only categories. Maybe the bold and gold are the ones that pay $10 per month and the bold and silver are the ones that pay $5 per month?
Just a thought....
All of this can be
All of this can be accomplished easily with the right software. I moderate a vBB forum and we have members-only areas, a chatroom, rankings for members by posts with a special title for the level you're at, etc. The owners don't charge for it though, but I imagine you could link PayPal to the registration somehow.
Yep,
The software Courtney's talking about is standard issue. We WILL have all those fun little things like titles for your level of posts, etc (we're working on them now). Just remember we had all that stuff on the old site and this new site is not a downgrade...it's a definite upgrade. It just takes time to get everything loaded and looking right. It's like the danes of the front page said...this site is under constuction...check back frequently.
I'm ok with some sort of
I'm ok with some sort of ongoing member subscription plan that gives recognition as a subscriber or allows access to an added feature such as a live chat or such. I would hate to see anything that comes across as exclusive of casual lookers because in all honesty those are the people that so needed to be tapped into. Part of the reason I am a far better dog owner now than when I was younger was because of being able to read forum boards and learn alternative ideas and standards. I was raised by a family that puts the dog out back, feeds him, vets him yearly and that's about it. They think it's crazy I have a dane living IN THE HOUSE much less that we put so much thought into her nutrition, health care and have such fun find ways to give her treats.
I discovered crating, RAW diet, training tips, the need to keep her joints healthy while she's young, how to care for her when she's older, raising feeding stations, why rawhide can be harmful, that ear flapping meant something to be paid attention to, etc. I overhauled how I was as a pet owner from reading these things and much more from sites on the internet. I always loved my pets and it took the opportunity to see how others did things to realize that while I loved them I needed to be making better choices. I did most of my initial reading anonymously and made changes and gained confidence and pride and started joining in on various boards. I think others feel much the same way. An open forum, a welcoming community and a set up that encourages participation is best for the goals that GRDNT has in my opinion.
Thanks
Thanks for the insightful post. You're right, we have not only an opportunity - but also a duty - to educate as many people as possible about the proper care of animals. It's easy for some to forget how powerful these boards are because they've been a part of GDRNT for so long.
The posts from this thread will be printed and discussed when the board votes about how to move forward with breaking the discussion board into 'private' and 'public' sectors.
"Just a thought...." And
"Just a thought...."
And it's a great thought too. We've actually already been tossing around these sorts of ideas....we would love a way to differentiate those who actually own danes, volunteers for us, foster for us, have specialized knowledge (hello, Cassie, I'm talking to you), from people who maybe don't have as much experience with the breed. As you alluded to in the original post, it's helpful for new people to have an easy way to sort of recognize 'who's who' without having to read through 100s of posts to figure it out.
Keep those thoughts coming!
I agree, I like the idea of
I agree, I like the idea of knowing peoples specialties and expertise.
I do think that if the sight becomes only available for people who pay for memberships, etc., that may be excluding people with a desire to become educated about the breed and or responsible pet ownership in general and 2nd it might exclude people who have a lot to offer but cannot afford to pay annual fees. I know I myself have no problem donating my time but monetary support is just something I can't do right now. I would like to see a small part be exclusive to "members, volunteers, fosters, etc." only because I like that we can share pics and stories and not feel like anybody and everybody can see personal post like that, but I really think a huge part of the forum must be public so it can continue to educate and in my opinion that is the most important function of the message board.
Good Idea
I just emailed something similar to Jaime about the public vs. private postings..... I think that the general areas should all be public (that's how I got some useful of info before I adopted) and then if some people want to be a "member" and pay to post in a private area, you could do that too. Or we could have the private area be for the "members" of GDRNT who pay $30 (I think) for their annual membership? I don't have any problem giving an extra $5-10 a month for the website and a little goes a long way. I think that the site is basically public anyway so if people wanted to pay to have special recognition next to their name, that would be fun. I love that stuff. : ) Just some thoughts at 3 am. Lol.
Meg, Carter, Ninja, and Hank
That's what I'm thinking
Since we are concerned about all of the information being out there for public view for people who don't have to register or log in, I say we have separate areas that are for members only. That way, we can still post personal stuff for the group as before, but the whole world won't be privy to it. But the general forums (for training and advice and stuff) are still open to anybody that wanders by.
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