So, we just completed a detailed and exhaustive accounting of all the income and expenses associated with running Fixitnow.com and the Samurai Appliance Repair Forum and we discovered something verrrry interestink: the forum generates less than 7% of the revenue that the main site, Fixitnow.com, does yet it comprises more than 82% of the overhead because of higher hosting fees and bandwidth charges! In other words, I’m losing my a$$ running this forum. 😯
But I figured out a way to keep the forum running…
Access to the forum will continue to be free on a read-only basis. As an unregistered user (Lurking at the Threshold), you will not be able to search the forum, send private messages, start a new topic or reply to an existing topic. As a registered user (Grasshopper), still free, you may search the forum (a very server CPU time-intensive operation which was causing problems with the server). But in order to start a new topic or reply to an existing topic, Grasshoppers will need to pay a one-time access fee of $5, after which they’ll be promoted to Apprentice Appliantologist and have full posting rights forever. BTW, if you have ever donated any amount over $5 to the United Samurai Beer Fund, you don’t need to pay the one-time forum fee– just let me know the email address from which you made the donation and, wallah!, I’ll make you an Apprentice Appliantologist.
In order to get posting access, first register as a Grasshopper and then go to the “Subscriptions” tab in your account and select, “Lifetime Membership in the Samurai Appliance Repair Forum,” here’s the direct link.
Of course, professional appliance techs will never be charged because they contribute to the forum intellectually by answering questions. If you’re a professional appliance tech and would like to participate in the forum, just contact me (samurai _AT_ fixitnow.com) or one of the forum moderators and you’ll get promoted to Master Appliantologist without ever having to pay the one-time fee. The idea is to only charge a one-time nominal fee to Grasshoppers and then *only* if they’d like to post in the forum.
This forum is successful and popular because people get expert help from lots of different techs. Thanks for helping to ensure that the Samurai Appliance Repair Forum will continue to be here both now and the next time you need help fixing your broken appliances! 8)
