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[Harry]

Hi all,

I'm posting this poll in order to get your feedback about an important decision we are going to make about the future of this website.

As you may have noticed, many and many good websites about video games were closed over the last year. The cause? Advertising is no longer enough to pay the increasing costs of the servers and to offer a minimum profit to people who spend lots of working hours per day to mantain their servers, services, and add content. Internet is no longer what it used to be three-four years ago - little by little, only the strong companies seem to survive on the long run.

There are only two choices available for a website like Ps2Fantasy.com

1. Become part of a bigger network, and lose its independence.
2. Ask our readers to pay a monthly fee.

Paradoxically, with just 1,000 registered readers and members paying just 1.5-2.0$ monthly to access this website, we'd make much more money than we actually do with the average of 7,000 daily unique readers - more money would mean better servers, more coverage: in other words, a better website.

So that's the question I'm asking you, and please answer sincerely and carefully:

Would you pay a monthly fee of just 1.5$ to access this website and the forums? Most important, would you have the chance to pay for it if we set up a secure Paypal-based payment system (this means you must have access to a credit card or to a Paypal fund)?

Remember, this is just an idea we had, an idea that frankly goes against our conception of the Internet - but this might be the only way to contrast stronger websites and not too honest advertising networks.

[IcyMourdor]

I know this was hard to ask. I myself would have no problem with paying. I already pay $25/month to my ISP and EQ, another 2 wouldn't hurt.

[Uchiha Sasuke]

Harry i will definatley help pay.2 bucks is pocket change and definatley not a problem.

[DSgamer]

man, i really want to, but i don't have acces to a credit card, plus i don't get allowance, but if did, i would def. pay

[Gadzoox]

I'm honestly sorry that I wouldn't. I really don't trust the internet and my money, as well as credit cards, little own have extra to spend.

[MakgSnake]

Count me in for 100% sure.

[Daedaelus]

I love these forums, so paying a measley $1.50 is nothing. I'm in.

[Pu the Owl]

I know you're probably doubtful regarding this matter, and well, as Harry said, we're the first ones to be against the idea of the payment of a monthly fee. Nowadays it's the huge companies that decide how the Internet should work, and it seem they have decided free services can't survive for a long time. This it could be the only way to keep the site running in the future.

BTW, thanks for the feedback anyone.

[jjmoohead]

Yes not only would I spend $2, but I will spend much more then that.

I'm here for you!

[Infernal Mass]

i'd gladly pay..the money isn't a problem at all, but i have no way to send the funds. So this will probably be my last post here. It's a great site no doubt about it, and the change would only make it better.

[Redpyramidhead]

WEll honestly...I originally voted no but that was before reading Harry's explanation as to why it might be necassary. 2 dollars is pocket change for me and most people so I guess I'm more than willing to pay if thats the way it has to be. It would be very painful to see such a great site end up in the hands of someone else who has no idea what the spirit of PS2 Fantasy is all about (I can only imagine how you admins would feel about that) and even worse it would be if the site dissappeared altogether. So, count me in. My only concern is for some of the younger members who do not have access to credit cards or who's parents might not appreciate them paying for something on the internet. Obviously these parents would be misinformed about the security of payment over the internet or something else...blah. Anyways, that just crossed my mind after reading Gamer's response and Gadzoox's and i wuld hate to see either of them dissappear. Maybe their is a solution that includes them and others like them.
Well I'm ranting...*steps down off xbox* or however the saying goes.

_RED_ stuff

[DragonSphere]

First off, let me start by saying that Ps2Fantasy is a wonderfully done site with exquisite content and has a forum like no other. I enjoy browsing through the site from time to time, and posting with fellow members here in the forums. If I was independent and actually had a job, I'd help the site any way I could, I'd really do. However, my mom also fits into that "distrust-of-internet-payments" category, so for now, I have no way of sending any sort of funds. It's unfortunate now of how tough it is for a successful (free) site to survive on the internet these days...

I agree on Redpyramidhead on this one: younger members would absolutely have no way of paying the fees due to their parents. So if such a fee was initiated, the forums could suffer a considerable loss of members. And I'm afraid that like DigiMortal, I'll have to be counted out and disappear like some of the other members. Sorry that I can't help you guys...

[Frozen]

To be honest with you, I really don't like the idea to pay for something I have always been used to have for free, at all.

BUT, given the circumstances, and having in mind the kind of website this is, AND having in mind as well the excellent people who runs it and keeps it alive, I would pay for it, hell yeah. Only if it's the last and only solution, though

I do not have access to credit card, yet, and may I ask, since when would the fees begin to be charged, if this actually happens?

And another question: how much would it affect the site to lose it's independence if it merged with a bigger network? (sorry if it sounds as a stupid question )

But as I said, HELL YEAH, I would pay.

[Spank-A-Thon]

I can sympathise with the situation fully. I'm about to lose my own server because I can't keep up with paying £2,500 per year for the bandwidth.

Would PS2Fantasy being merged with someone else hurt it? Yes, I believe it would. As soon as independence is lost, the site would become subject to many more rules - which in not a good thing. Independent gaming sites are few and far between.

Asking people to subscribe is one idea, and $1-2 per month is nothing for me personally. However, I can sympathise with the plight of some of our younger visitors - I simply don't think it would be possible for those to contribute.

If you introduced a subscription, I fear you would lose a lot of members. People don't like paying for something - especially if previously they had it for free.

Would I pay? Probably. Don't get me wrong, if this was simply any other site there is no chance in hell you'd get any money out of me. But PS2Fantasy is different - here I truly feel like I belong to a community. The question is, what do we do about the community?

Doing nothing means potentially it will die. Introducing a fee may result in a smaller community - but it will still be a community, and to me that's what is important.

- S

[Piggle_humsy]

I can't i dont have access to a credit card!
But i probably would pay $2 or whatever that is in £'s coz i love this site and all the people here!


that's so sad that you might have to make it a pay site! if you do i will really miss coming here!

Piggle
x x x

[Pu the Owl]

DigiMortal and DragonSphere, it's not that we're saying things will change within the next few hours. It's just something that might happen in the next future, when all our funds will be gone.

Frozen, considering what happened to other sites that have been merged to become part of bigger networks, it could be that losing indipendence means, among the other things, the site will completely change administration. So, no more Harry or me or any other staff member you used to know will be working for the site, but you'll have people paid to do the job by the network administration. That's why that solution was discarded.

[Harry]

Originally posted by Spank-A-Thon
However, I can sympathise with the plight of some of our younger visitors - I simply don't think it would be possible for those to contribute.

If you introduced a subscription, I fear you would lose a lot of members. People don't like paying for something - especially if previously they had it for free.

Would I pay? Probably. Don't get me wrong, if this was simply any other site there is no chance in hell you'd get any money out of me. But PS2Fantasy is different - here I truly feel like I belong to a community. The question is, what do we do about the community?

Originally posted by DragonSphere

If I was independent and actually had a job, I'd help the site any way I could, I'd really do. However, my mom also fits into that "distrust-of-internet-payments" category, so for now, I have no way of sending any sort of funds. It's unfortunate now of how tough it is for a successful (free) site to survive on the internet these days...

I agree on Redpyramidhead on this one: younger members would absolutely have no way of paying the fees due to their parents. So if such a fee was initiated, the forums could suffer a considerable loss of members. And I'm afraid that like DigiMortal, I'll have to be counted out and disappear like some of the other members. Sorry that I can't help you guys...

Originally posted by DigiMortal

i'd gladly pay..the money isn't a problem at all, but i have no way to send the funds. So this will probably be my last post here. It's a great site no doubt about it, and the change would only make it better.

Those are exactly the problems we discussed among the staff members. Young people and others simply don't have a credit card. Adding to that, 90% of the readers "really don't like the idea to pay for something" they "have always been used to have for free" - and they have their right to think so. After all, why should you pay when there are bigger websites that can offer more than we can offer for free?

As Fortune said, selling our website to other networks would mean no more Harry, Fortune, Carlito, Rei and all the other members of the main staff. The domain, the servers, everything will be no longer in our hands. I can't even assure these forums will be still up and running - most likely, they'll merge into other forums. That's why I'll never sell the website or the domain - I'd prefer to shut the website down, "destroy" it, instead than selling it to a bigger network. You know, it's also a matter of respect for all the work we did for this website.

Digimortal, Dragonsphere, Gadzoox and all the others who voted "no" because they don't want to spend their money on a website like this or because they can't pay with a credit card - don't worry, this is just a poll, and this isn't your "last post". I just needed your feedback on this problem, so thanks for your sincere replies. We all "symphatize" with you, and I sincerely think that when our funds are finished we'll rather shut the website down instead than asking you and other good members who can't pay to leave. From the early results of these poll, it seems evident that just a few would be interested in paying a monthly fee - and most of them are loooong-time members of these forums.

But don't worry now, and do me a favour - enjoy the forums.

[dan da man]

no i dont want to pay that, its not alot but ijust would not pay to go on a forum,no matter which one!

[Sleazy P Martini]

I would gladly pay to help out the site.

[RufusFF7]

I don't have a job or money... and my parents wouldn't support paying to be registered at a gaming website... SRY .