Thread: To Pay or Not To Pay - Please Vote !!

Jon · 17-03-2006, 04:51 PM

Greetings AA Members,

The owners and myself have sat down and had a serious talk about AA and its future. We believe that AA (especially its members) would benefit alot more if we went back to our roots and were a free site again.

This post's intent is for us to get a general feel of what the members of AA want. We want YOU all to decide on the best course of action and to have a say in the future of AA. As I have said, we would prefere to go back to being free to use. If you all decide to agree with this then AA will set a date that it will revert back to being a free site again. The date will be exactly 1 Year after its last paid member. This way our paid members get the benefits that they have paid for aswell as AA honouring the contract.

We believe that being free will entice more people to join, thus raising the chances of its members being able to help each other more.
To help us with server overheads, AA will set up a donations area for any members that are willing to help with the cost of running the site.

Please vote as YOUR input is very important to us. If you do not agree please reply to this post explaining your reasons. I thank you in advance.

Best regards.

petal · 17-03-2006, 05:42 PM

I'll go with whatever you think is best John but running the site and all it currently offers must cost money and I am happy to pay. Will being a free site mean we will lose any of the facilities on site at present ? I'd hate for that to happen.

Shan · 17-03-2006, 05:59 PM

Hi Jon

I'll go along with what Mary said, at the end of the day if being a free site is the best way to go then that is fine and i will be more than happy to donate to help the site pay for itself.

Mary im sure you will get the same as you do now, i cant see that anything will be restricted in anyway.

If im wrong on this im sure Jon will put me right

Jon · 17-03-2006, 06:20 PM

Hi Mary,

Thanks for the Q's. The answer is simple, once we become a free site everything will be free. You WILL NOT lose any of the features that are currently on AA.
We will rely on the good nature of our members to donate what ever they can to help us out.

Bottom line is you WONT lose anything, you just wont be paying for it.

Regards

dominex · 17-03-2006, 06:53 PM

Hi, I know I'm new to this site, but I would like to make a comment .
You are providing a service, and £5 a year hardly breaks the bank! If someone is really interested in wanting information from somewhere, then they are willing to pay. I can't see why it would affect interest in a site.
I'm also a member of Genes reunited, and ancestry which charge a fee. I've even used pay per view sites ( especially for Scotland ) which can be a pain, especially if you waste 5 credits on looking at something which turns out irrelevant!
I myself would personally like to take part in inputting data on a geneaology site, I find it really interesting!
That's my 2 cents!

Jon · 17-03-2006, 07:00 PM

Hi Dominex,

Firstly, please do share your comments. Just because you are new does not mean you can'y add your view. We want to hear them so thank you for your input.

The idea of going back to being a free site is a personal choice that the owners are looking into. We are not out to become millionaires, we just want a happy community in which to help others.
If you are interested in helping input data into sites then you are at the right place, we are currently looking for people to help us transcribe the 1841 London census onto MS Excel, if you are interested.

Thank you very much for your input, it is greatfully received.

Kind regards

Shan · 17-03-2006, 07:01 PM

Hi Dominex

Your 2 cents are appreciated, very good points you have made.
Your input is most welcome, and valued especially as a new member.

Thankyou

dominex · 17-03-2006, 07:05 PM

Oh Dear, excel isn't one of the tings I have on this computer, or not to my knowledge.
Actually only found that out the other day, when the IoM registry office sent me a file of a request form. I couldn't open it! Is excel what is needed?

Jon · 17-03-2006, 07:09 PM

Afraid so Dominex,

To save time uploading the names to the database, we require the data in Excel format.
Thank you for your interest though. Much appreciated.

Regards.

anny · 17-03-2006, 07:49 PM

Jon, I'll go along with whatever you all decide, but I'm more than happy to continue paying £5 or more for all the benefits I recieve from my membership, and I can't see that this small sum would put anyone off joining, especially when you consider the subscriptions you're required to pay to join, for example, Ancestry. But whatever you think is best is okay by me, as long as the owners personally are not out of pocket.
Sorry, I suppose that's not very helpful, really.
anny.

View Poll Results: Should Ancestry Aid return to its free roots?
Yes, great idea.	12	57.14%
No, bad idea. (Please post your reasons.)	2	9.52%
Not Sure. (Please post what you are unsure about.)	7	33.33%
Voters: 21. You may not vote on this poll

17-03-2006, 04:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jon Webmaster & Developer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK - England Posts: 995	To Pay or Not To Pay - Please Vote !! Greetings AA Members, The owners and myself have sat down and had a serious talk about AA and its future. We believe that AA (especially its members) would benefit alot more if we went back to our roots and were a free site again. This post's intent is for us to get a general feel of what the members of AA want. We want YOU all to decide on the best course of action and to have a say in the future of AA. As I have said, we would prefere to go back to being free to use. If you all decide to agree with this then AA will set a date that it will revert back to being a free site again. The date will be exactly 1 Year after its last paid member. This way our paid members get the benefits that they have paid for aswell as AA honouring the contract. We believe that being free will entice more people to join, thus raising the chances of its members being able to help each other more. To help us with server overheads, AA will set up a donations area for any members that are willing to help with the cost of running the site. Please vote as YOUR input is very important to us. If you do not agree please reply to this post explaining your reasons. I thank you in advance. Best regards.
	Jon Ancestry Aid Webmaster & Developer

17-03-2006, 05:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
petal Super Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Horncastle, Lincolnshire Posts: 8,638 Total Awards: 5	I'll go with whatever you think is best John but running the site and all it currently offers must cost money and I am happy to pay. Will being a free site mean we will lose any of the facilities on site at present ? I'd hate for that to happen.
	(AKA Mary) How beautiful it is to do nothing and rest afterwards...

17-03-2006, 05:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
Shan Super Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hampshire Posts: 1,747 Total Awards: 1	Hi Jon I'll go along with what Mary said, at the end of the day if being a free site is the best way to go then that is fine and i will be more than happy to donate to help the site pay for itself. Mary im sure you will get the same as you do now, i cant see that anything will be restricted in anyway. If im wrong on this im sure Jon will put me right
	Shan *Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life* The UK's No 1 For Genealogy & Family History. Top Tip: Use the forum search page to find surnames!!.

17-03-2006, 06:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jon Webmaster & Developer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK - England Posts: 995	Hi Mary, Thanks for the Q's. The answer is simple, once we become a free site everything will be free. You WILL NOT lose any of the features that are currently on AA. We will rely on the good nature of our members to donate what ever they can to help us out. Bottom line is you WONT lose anything, you just wont be paying for it. Regards
	Jon Ancestry Aid Webmaster & Developer

17-03-2006, 06:53 PM	#5 (permalink)
dominex Regular Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 38	Hi, I know I'm new to this site, but I would like to make a comment . You are providing a service, and £5 a year hardly breaks the bank! If someone is really interested in wanting information from somewhere, then they are willing to pay. I can't see why it would affect interest in a site. I'm also a member of Genes reunited, and ancestry which charge a fee. I've even used pay per view sites ( especially for Scotland ) which can be a pain, especially if you waste 5 credits on looking at something which turns out irrelevant! I myself would personally like to take part in inputting data on a geneaology site, I find it really interesting! That's my 2 cents!

17-03-2006, 07:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jon Webmaster & Developer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK - England Posts: 995	Hi Dominex, Firstly, please do share your comments. Just because you are new does not mean you can'y add your view. We want to hear them so thank you for your input. The idea of going back to being a free site is a personal choice that the owners are looking into. We are not out to become millionaires, we just want a happy community in which to help others. If you are interested in helping input data into sites then you are at the right place, we are currently looking for people to help us transcribe the 1841 London census onto MS Excel, if you are interested. Thank you very much for your input, it is greatfully received. Kind regards
	Jon Ancestry Aid Webmaster & Developer

17-03-2006, 07:01 PM	#7 (permalink)
Shan Super Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hampshire Posts: 1,747 Total Awards: 1	Hi Dominex Your 2 cents are appreciated, very good points you have made. Your input is most welcome, and valued especially as a new member. Thankyou
	Shan *Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life* The UK's No 1 For Genealogy & Family History. Top Tip: Use the forum search page to find surnames!!.

17-03-2006, 07:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
dominex Regular Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 38	Oh Dear, excel isn't one of the tings I have on this computer, or not to my knowledge. Actually only found that out the other day, when the IoM registry office sent me a file of a request form. I couldn't open it! Is excel what is needed?

17-03-2006, 07:09 PM	#9 (permalink)
Jon Webmaster & Developer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK - England Posts: 995	Afraid so Dominex, To save time uploading the names to the database, we require the data in Excel format. Thank you for your interest though. Much appreciated. Regards.
	Jon Ancestry Aid Webmaster & Developer

17-03-2006, 07:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
anny AA SUPPORTER Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: West Lothian Posts: 12,025 Total Awards: 4	Jon, I'll go along with whatever you all decide, but I'm more than happy to continue paying £5 or more for all the benefits I recieve from my membership, and I can't see that this small sum would put anyone off joining, especially when you consider the subscriptions you're required to pay to join, for example, Ancestry. But whatever you think is best is okay by me, as long as the owners personally are not out of pocket. Sorry, I suppose that's not very helpful, really. anny.