[momdom]

Do you charge your members for anything? What type of perks do you use?

[dually]

I don't charge my members. I know that I would not pay to be a member of any forum and I would not expect any of my members to pay either. I think if I charged a fee to participate then many of my members would move on to the next free forum.

[momdom]

not to use the site, just like VIP members or links in their siggy or something like that not to use the forum

[Caddyman]

paid subscriptions, or premium memberships. search for it here, we have talked about it a few times.

[Moelman]

Yeah, I think premium memberships or subscriptions are a great feature to add to your forum but I don't think making all membership paid is such a good idea.

[Cool_Guy]

I would say that having to pay to be a member and having to be a member to see posts are bad ideas. I would just continue searching, and most likely find another forum when I can get that without joining or paying. Paid membership is a good idea though I would say, and I am a paid member here (thanks to loco.m )

[MissMoke]

I'm a member of a forum where it's free to join but you pay a $5/ yr to be able to post, etc. I kind of balked at that and the only reason I paid it is because it was a niche site and I wouldn't be able to find very many boards on that topic. I thought about doing it on my own site to recoup some of the cash I've put out, but I don't want my members to feel like they own something because they pay a few bucks a year. All that does is offset the cost of running the board, it doesn't give a person any rights.

[dually]

MissMoke makes a good point I been a member of a very large forum for 7 years that is entirely free and there are those that complain about every little thing. They have nothing invested in the site but the first time they can't get on because the server is swamped they start screaming like little kids. I can't imagine what they would be like if they were paying customers.

[mmelen]

The only real successful forum I know that charges for membership (not just premium... to even be a member) is WebmasterWorld News and Discussion for the Web Professional

[toady]

I'm considering offering Premium Membership as an option once my forum has grown a little bit more.
I really don't want to have to put advertisements on my forum, so if i can get a few members to pay a small amount per year that will prevent me from having to do so.

I'm not sure when the 'right' time to start offering paid subscriptions is though, i don't want to start promoting them too early when the forum is very new and look like i'm just after money, but i don't want to leave it too late so members think i've suddenly decided theres $ to be made here.