There's not a single google ad on this site...the only thing is, is other RC companies who pay for their banners and keep RC tech alive, just as well as you. What justification does a subscription give you, to opt out of paid ads by other supporters?

I was refering to this:

I don't mind paying for a subscription to a message board if I can opt out of the advertising. It would be my way of supporting the upgrades and maintenance. I personally hate banner ads. I feel they are introusive, butt ugly, and have the potential of getting me in trouble at work (the more important reason). If the banner ads are coming from an outside source (google) there is not much control over what is being shown on the users' computers. Right now I use a browser that has colors and all graphics turned off. The flash still gets through. I use a separate flash killer to get rid of the flash, but it is manually tripped. In the end when I view this site, or others it winds up looking like e-mail. That is how I want it, it would be worth a subscription to me if I could opt out of the ads.

I know it's difficult for some people to believe how much it costs to keep a site like this up, but all I can say is, it is costly. Were I to expand to the amount of server power that I need right now, I would be back to losing a few hundred dollars a month. That doesn't mean I'm not going to do it, it just means I have to find new ways to do things.

Advertising is a very big reality on the web. There's a reason you don't see many/any big sites (aside from those wholly owned by larger entities) without advertising on them. I like to think that the advertising placements here are as unobtrusive as possible. If you want to go to whatever lengths to block those ads, all it's doing is shooting me and the site in the foot; I certainly won't stop those who do, and I completely understand their position. But the fact remains that this is a free service to them and at the end of the day, someone needs to pay for it. Thankfully, we have sponsors who purchase ad space to pick up that tab.

Similarly, a premium subscription is not going to "free" people from seeing the advertising. It would be difficult to convince people to advertise here if they knew that a certain percentage of active users could just opt out of the ads. Again, I'm not necessarily saying it's the most fair thing to the user, it's just a reality of doing business on the web.

Whatever you need to do to keep the site going you do that. I run a smaller R/C forum for the local South Jersey / PA community and went to using GoogleAds on non-forum pages and it has worked out for me (i.e. the site operates cash flow neutral)

Keep up the great work!

I think a subscription is a great idea, it should add services that non-subscribers cannot get access to..

or, free up the site of advertising SOMEWHAT (not completely)..

I think r/c related company advertising is fine, it's supporting the industry, however non r/c (and google ads) should be free from the site for paying subscribers..

I'm keen to pay a subscription (i pay on several other forums), however I need to know what I'm getting (or not getting as the case may be)...

One of my other favorite forums (very busy, very huge) removes all advertising (even company) for paying subscribers...

Subscription for value added services is a great idea, and works if done right...

Running a site like this is a killer huge task that costs a great deal, I have experienced the implications myself.

Hat is off to the dudes that make it happen!

Hey there, is the subscription a one time thing or yearly. I will probably send a subscription off via paypal once set up. This is a great forum and should get all the help it needs :)

Any updates on the subscriber packages yet?

If a Tech or Alpha member renews there membership before the current one expires will they keep there respective logo.

I believe it will remain. If it does not you can contact us and we will fix it.

Thx for the reply
Excellent site, cool forums, keep up the good work.