Paid Forum Supporters
 

I know I have said this before, but I believe it's important.

I just renewed my subscription to CD this morning and then counted the number of paid supporters. 22 paying members at the moment.

<IMHO> This is a great community we have here. I don't believe that FIRST would be as successful as it is without Chief Delphi. This is where we all hang out. We learn here, we share here. We grow here. Without this community, we would all be on our own. Belonging to this community makes all of us stronger.

There are 4865 active members and only 22 that help defray the cost of this community. Since you are here and reading this, you understand how important Chief Delphi is to the FIRST community. In the spirit of FIRST you don't have to pay to benefit from this, but what would you do if Chief Delphi was not here.

Put a subscription to Chief Delphi on your holiday list. Just skipping Starbucks ONCE will cover the cost. Give the gift of Chief Delphi. It's the gift that keeps on giving. </IMHO>

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I wasn't aware that a subscription was available. How do you do it?

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Quick Links tab then Supporters. Click on Paypal. You don't need a Paypal account to check out.

Options $5.00 for 6 months , $15 for 2 years.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Or, alternatively, click the PayPal button in between the banner ads.

I just re-upped for two years--took me five minutes to do. You should too!

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Thanks for the info. I'm in for 2. :)

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Hokey Smokes Bullwinkle, I never knew we could support CD this way. Thanks for the tip

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

But you do need a credit card (or so it would seem)...

Checks work?

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Paypal can withdraw directly from your bank account (although you may have to create an account with paypal to do that). For other payment arrangements, see this post: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...5&postcount=14

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I am proud that my name constitutes nearly 5% of those supporters.

Guys, Chief Delphi support is one of the best bargains on the Internet, and well worth not seeing the banner ads. Think of the content of the site as a bonus.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Is this a subscription or a donation?

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

It's a donation to help pay for CD and a subscription to not see the banner ads.

I recently learned about this about a week ago, so I need to get on the ball. Or maybe I could just wait til the 25th of December. I feel like I owe CD half my life, but $15 is good, too.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I just renewed for 2 years, I like that option now, I only remember the 6 month one the last few times I renewed.

Folks, for the amount of knowledge and entertainment $15 is a bargain here at CD that you will get 2 years out of instead of $15 to see a movie and only get 2 hours and popcorn stuck between your teeth. :)

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I'm in for 2 ..... Thanks for the reminder!

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I guess eyes skip over advertisements and anything near them so I completely missed the donate button. Just put in for $5 and definitely plan to keep supporting CD.

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Up to 31, great job. lets keep those donations coming.

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I re did mine a few weeks ago, $5 for CD is nothing I couldn't live without checking this site at least 10 times a day

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I don't remember the two-year option before, unless I was just blind to it.

I'll donate again, as soon as I can.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Great thread John,

As others have said this is so quick and easy, and one of the best values you will find ANYWHERE - it is sad there are only (now 33) individual supporters. This is one of the best resources we have in FIRST, and I often wonder how many students/teams aren't even aware of its existence.

I suspect the "owners" of this site are too modest, but I think this thread should have gum or tape or contact cement or ... JUST make it a sticky ...

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Also, not many people venture down here. I vote that a sticky/announcement be made in the General Forum.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Just did it, I never knew CD had a support thing like this.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Thanks to everyone that subscribed since I started this thread. The current count is 34 up from 22.

I agree with Stu that most people here are not aware that there is a direct way to help with the expenses of running Chief Delphi.

This is by far the best resource for teams in FIRST. This is the first place I look for answers. Can you imagine what it would be like without CD :ahh:

Let's see if we can get a total of 44 paid supporters by the start of build.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Best $15 I ever spent.... now when do I get my spy decoder ring?

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I know it is against "the rules", but this thread is definitely deserving of a BUMP. I count 41 paid subscribers at the time of this post. CD is such a great resource for us all, and with the increased traffic of build season I think there should easily be over 100 subscribers.

PLEASE select "quick links/supporters" above and click on the PayPal button. And you too can help support this valuable resource. It's only 5 BUCKS !!

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

done - in for 2

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

REALLY ?? !! :ahh:
There's no one else who agrees that the convenience of CD is worth MANY MANY times the five dollar membership fee? :confused:

There's 265 people "online" right now!

... and only 42 paid subscribers total ... :(

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Great Reminder, one more added to the list :)

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Come on..... Brandon needs a new server

What would you do without Chief Delphi?

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Luckily the hardware failure is covered by our service agreement ..

Having a few extra bucks for when we need to double RAM isn't a bad thing, though.

Thank you to the subscribers.

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I think it's worth at least 47 times the membership fee. I signed up :)

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I just joined today.:yikes:

Are there anymore "down under" supporters?

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Woah, the site looks weird without the banners.
I like it this way though:D

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Oops, I let my subscription lapse. Sorry about that, CD.

Thanks for everything,
Jane

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I'll have to say that it looks almost too weird without the ads with this being my first subscription. I opted to go for the 6-months only also for two reasons, the whole point is that we are donating money to support this site, so why try to save $5, I find that cheap. Also I don't have $15 at the moment. lol

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Is there a possibility to add automatic recurring subscriptions? That would definitely help out a bit with those who are forgetting and would like to keep on sending some e-funds your way.

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Almost 60 signed up, great job folks!

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I believe you get an email or PM reminder.

And hey, isn't this a lot less annoying than Pledge Break Weeks on PBS?

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I know paypal has a feature that allows recurring subscriptions--it would have to be implemented within the CD link, but I know it's possible.

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Weird, I don't think I got that email or PM. But, if you say so. ;)

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Just re did my subscription, 2 years, for $15 thats a sweat deal. Come on people its fast, easy and cheap sign up!!

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Is it possible to get a special icon/logo in our info bar on posts, like "Active Donor" or something like that?

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While I like that idea ... That type of recognition could be resented by those who choose not to participate, and I suspect that Brandon would prefer to keep the financial support completely optional. Besides, the banner advertisers want SOMEONE still looking at their ads ...:p

Personally I believe EVERYONE should sign-up. I mean, c'mon, this is one of the best deals you will EVER find ... anywhere!!

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I agree, except that I would say it could be offensive to those who CANNOT participate. Remember, $5 to some people is a decent amount of money.

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Actually I would like to see the adds. I would like an option to still see them.

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"quick links > supporters" above and you can check them out any time you want ... :)

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While $15 is a bargin, why not go for the higher price since this is the "best deal around". $5 extra won't put you in bankruptcy, and if it does, start looking for pennies on the ground. :D

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that's not as much fun :)

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For me its not the money, its the fact that it is online. I'd rather pay $20 in person then $10 online. I know it's safe, but I still avoid it. Perhaps they could have a place at certain events to pay. I'm not saying a lot of them, but perhaps a table at the events they are already at. After all, a table at Atlanta might make some good money.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I've seen the tab, many times before, but never clicked it. Then I decided to see how much it costs, and it is only 5 bucks for 6 months, thats like nothing. Just think about how much chief Delphi has helped throughout the build season!! I do agree, FIRST would not be the same without it!!! I am in for 6 months!

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I just subscribed as well. Without Chief Delphi and the people and information here, I doubt our robot would have moved much in the last 5 years!

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I'm not sure how related this is, but how much do you need to donate per year to get a banner ad on the site? Our team's More Robotics Products may be interested in advertising on the site.

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Recognition for supporting the site. The advertisers get ads on the site for supporting CD some way or another. I was just trying to think of an incentive for people to donate. I know we're trying to be all touchy-feely and not hurt feelings, but let's be honest: If you saw that people were getting a badge for donating, wouldn't you want to donate (if you could)?

Unsung FIRST Heroes get a badge, WFA winners get a badge. I can't win either, so I don't have either badge on my profile or posts. By your logic, those should be taken away too, right?

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I think a small recognition of some form like a dot, button, donor banner, or smiley of some kind would be cool. It would stir interest, like -

Curious CD member: How did you get your dot on your profile or why do you have a dot and I'm missing one?

Donating CD member: Well, because I help support ChiefDelphi and you can, too.

Nice idea, David.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

PLEASE tell me you are not serious ... I can't even find the words to express my dis-belief ... :ahh:

I'm curious to know why you think you can't win either of those awards. :confused: Your "Team Role" indicates that you are a Mentor.

By the way David - I'm NOT trying to put down your idea. Please don't forget that my first words in my post yesterday (#41 of this thread) were that I liked the recognition idea. I was just pointing out a potential pitfall, as well as my personal knowledge of Brandon's feelings about soliciting for monetary support. Also, if you go back through the entire thread you will see that I have been one of the most obnoxious voices encouraging everyone to "pay up"!

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I was a college mentor, I just couldn't find it on the roles list. No, I wasn't serious, but was just trying to make a point. Those guys deserve it. And I didn't know Brandon's take on soliciting for monetary support. Although I still don't think this is the same as, say, putting Google Ads all over the place, making global announcements, and limiting features just to "force" someone to donate. But he is the bossman, so no arguments there.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

It's been 2 years, time to re-up.

Only $15.00 for 2 years. Pretty cheap for the information that you get.

I only see 71 paid supporters. Let's see if we can get 100+

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I'll re-sub next paycheck.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Two years have passed and I re-upped for another two. Nice to see the paid supporters count up to 67.

Those that are new to chiefdelphi might think that this is a FIRST sponsored website. It's not. It is community site with great corporate backing. The founders of chiefdelphi.com don't ask the community for support money, but they have made possible a small donation system to help with expenses. The link can be found under quick links. The supporters tab is at the bottom.

If you find value in what you read and do here, then make a donation. Let them know how much you appreciate their work.

I'll poke you again in two years. :)

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Maybe when a new user signs up you prompt them to donate?

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

;)

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Looks like I'm still a supporter from the last time I paid. :D I guess I'll just need to re-up whenever I'm due.

On all of the other forums I'm a supporting member there is some sort of incentive to donate. While that incentive wasn't really needed in this case (the fact that CD can continue to exist is good enough for me) it may be needed for some other members. Other forums I'm on have done things like allowing larger signatures than normal, custom user titles (which are editable by all on here), different color names to differentiate between supporting members and regular members, small badges saying supporting member, larger PM box etc. I'm sure some of these could be implemented here without much fuss, should someone want to pursue them.

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The box is suppose to grow bigger with rep but I haven't seen it happen.

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The subscribers do get the advertising from the top of the page removed. :)

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I'm willing to bet that a fair amount of people use Firefox with Ad-Block Plus, so they don't see the ads anyways. I personally use both. (However, seeing this thread reminded me about them, and I'm going to purchase a subscription.)

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Ad Blocker doesn't recognize CD ads unless you tell it to. I personally have CD on a whitelist.

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I think it does but I'm not sure.

My PM can store up to 470 messages, which seems a bit to random of a number to be intentional.

I never noticed this... I just logged out and logged back in and saw that they appeared and then disappeared. Cool.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

It's 47 X 10. Mine's been like that forever.

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47 is a theme in the limits on CD, I can name two other places it pops up.

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Seems like you have a knack for following my posts and correcting them... :D

I never even would've made the 47 x 10 connection... maybe for paid supporters the box could be 47 x 100?

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4700 PMs before I have to purge? I'd never need that much, ever (says the guy who agreed with Bill Gate's statement "who'll ever need more than 640k?") :o

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I just gave my first subscription! 15 bucks for 2 years is a steal for how useful and irreplaceable CD is to the whole FIRST community. Its a great thing to donate too also.

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Can't believe I've never noticed this and never even thought about it. I'm in.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Mega Bump!

Just renewed mine. $15 for 2 years is WAY LESS than most other useful popular sites. It's almost a non-negotiable for me since the CD forums and community has helped my team and I so much over the last 3 years.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I'm in for 2 years!

Anything to keep Chief Delphi up and running. What a great resource.

Now only if we could get eery team out there to use it...

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Bumpin' this. I just went in for 2 years. Thank you, CD, for being there for FIRST teams the world over.

:)

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It's that time of year again....I sold some stuff on ebay, so I just paid for two more years, using my new playpal money.

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I just went in for 2 years. I owe these forums a lot more than $15 for all of the help and friends they have given me.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Very very true.

Jane

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Thanks for bringing this to the front. I had been meaning to do this.

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Just renewed my subscription!

Thanks for all your help guys. I don't know what my team would do without you all. =)

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I just renewed my subscription to ChiefDelphi. I am in for another two years.

If you are not a paid supporter, please become one. $5.00 for six months or $15.00 for two years. It's a small price to show your support for THE place for FIRST community. This is a valuable resource that runs on community support. If you get any value from ChiefDelphi, give a little back. Make sure it will be here when you need it.

Currently there are 68 paid supporters.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/advertisers.php?

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Just renewed my subscription!!!! :D

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They really need to find a better way to pay, I hate Paypal.

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In for 2. Well worth it. If we're proposing ideas to encourage more donors, here's a few: 1) "Donor" badges 2) Custom themes/stylesheets for the site

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In for two years also. Even though I've been here awhile, I didn't know there was a way to contribute.

On the other hand I do miss the one animated ad for Dobrusin, the little arms on the gantry made me laugh.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

You just have to go look at it on your own occasionally.

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I just signed up for two years. $7.50/yr is a great bargain; my team and I get way more benefit than that. Plus supporting a tool for a community that supports FIRST - how can I pass that up?

I'm not trying to start an argument, but I happen to like PayPal. However, I agree, having more options is a good idea, and might even get a few more donors.

I like something low key like the "Donor" badge. For now, maybe I'll add something to my "Custom User Title". Just to show some support; maybe it will inspire someone else to donate.

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Got a 2-year. Being on other forums, and talking to the admins, I kind of know how much these run monthly, so I'm sure that all you can give will be appreciated.

That being said, the donate button should be slightly more prominent on the page. I always missed it because I grouped it in with the ad's that I never bothered looking at...

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Just to check, I don't think I used Paypal? It seemed like a regular transaction to me; I just hit "don't have a Paypal account", switched to credit/debit payment, and skipped the create account step at the end. Is Paypal going to bug me anyway? I thought I'd dodged that bullet and don't remember anything from prior renewals.

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Wow, I can't believe that its been 2 years again. This will make the 3rd, 2-year subscription. Worth every penny! :)

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Just wondering, are there email reminders for past subscribers to renew? That could be a good way to encourage recurring donations.

When I made the PayPal transaction it looked to me like it was just a one-time $15 and not a two-year recurring transaction.

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NEMO is in for another 2 years and is very grateful to these forums for hosting our forum.

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Yes indeed. I've been doing the one-time, non-PayPal payments (not sure if there's an automatic way via PayPal), and I get an email notification when it's about to expire. Don't remember if that's an opt-in/out thing or if it's automatic.

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For those that don't have the payment options mentioned then don't forget about this link

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...5&postcount=14

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15 dollars is a small price to pay, even if I don't care about ads on the site. Worth every penny.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I just re-upped.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I have been trying to renew, but I keep getting this message.
"Chief Delphi does not have any paid subscriptions available to which you can subscribe."
I've been pressing the PayPal button thats between the advertisement banners, and then the paypal button above the list of other supporters, then I get this message.
Any clues?

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

No helpful advice but I'd like to subscribe and can not for the same reason.

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Ditto'd.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

Most likely a temporary artifact of the pending forum upgrade.

Re: Paid Forum Supporters
 

I personally enjoy the ads. With Chief Delphi as my 2nd homepage, It keeps me only 2 clicks away from VexPro (click tab 2, click banner)