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Old 02-18-2004, 10:28 AM
Q Q is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 839
I am a major proponent of free enterprise. I understand where Pindelski is coming from in wanting to cover his expenses of hosting his site.

Where I think the concept is flawed is that as a paid-for site, he has to market it in order to get people to see the value, as the valuable stuff is now hidden from view. You can't sell something that buyers can't see without a lot of time spent marketing the concept. Now, his costs (in time) have just gone up.

A lot of sites, like this one, frown upon people advertising in their forums. They have costs too, and desire to sell banner spots to help cover their costs. This removes a portion of Pindelski's market. Now his potential market segement just got smaller.

If you are truly an MB enthusiast and enjoy helping others, you do what you can to make resources available for your fellow enthusiast. I have posted some of my own discoveries and a few pictures here, just as a lot of others have. If you go as deep as Pindelski has, you create costs for yourself in the form of hosting. I don't know many people who are generous enough to support those costs on their own for any length of time.

My suggested solution was to create a PayPal donation button on the site. If you force everyone to come into your site through a donation pitch page (no deep-linking) that explains how the valuable site is able to exist, I think the money thing would take care of itself. This is especially true for the close-knit enthusiast group of MercedesShop.com. There are a lot of really honest and thoughtful people here that would find it hard not to contribute to the Pindelski effort. I would be surprised if a donation method didn't raise more money than the subscription method.

I used to particpate on a forum called clubcobra.com. At one point in time, the owner of the site mentioned that he was having trouble making his hosting bills. The response was overwhelming. The money he received within a week's time was enough to cover several years of hosting.

Another concept that comes to mind is becoming a part of MercedesShop.com. With Pindelski's efforts added to this site, the value goes up. What better way to sell MB parts than right off a "how-to" section?

Just my 2 cents. I'm not busting Pindelski's balls. I think he is a great guy for doing what he has for so long and wish him all the luck in the world. I wouldn't raise these issues if I didn't feel like they could help him out with his endevor.
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