FerrariChat.com Members Only Rossa Corsa Forum... | Page 2 | FerrariChat

FerrariChat.com Members Only Rossa Corsa Forum...

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by rob lay, Dec 31, 2003.

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FerrariChat.com Members Only Rossa Corsa Forum requirements?

  1. Own a Ferrari.

  2. User for at least one year.

  3. Voted on by current members.

  4. $15 a year.

  5. Approved by Rob.

Multiple votes are allowed.
Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. Tony Fuisz

    Tony Fuisz Karting

    Nov 5, 2003
    182
    Bethesda, MD
    Full Name:
    Tony Fuisz
    I'm a recent owner but that hasn't made me any more of a rabid ferrari fan than I've been for the last 30 years or so. Would membership be stripped when you sold your car?
    15 dollars would be cheap for the sort of resource this board can be.
    Maybe there should just be a 3 strike policy and then toss people off the board.
     
  2. TimF40

    TimF40 Formula 3

    Nov 3, 2003
    1,035
    Seattle/Bay Area/NYC
    Full Name:
    Tim
    From a novice chatter and new f-car owner who does not pull any weight here: Um, how do you "work" towards membership if you're not allowed on it? Spending a year at the children's table before being allowed at the grownup's table might not appeal to future valuable members. I would think f-car owners have already "earned" their membership. I'm for charging $xx for the site use and ownership as the two main entry points. Geez, I just love that these topics can actually be openly discussed on this site! - Tim
     
  3. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Aug 3, 2002
    40,647
    California
    Full Name:
    Carbon McCoy
    Now there's an idea... 15 bucks to get in, then 3 f_ck-ups get you kicked out...
     
  4. lapeter

    lapeter Formula Junior

    Jun 13, 2002
    885
    SunValley ID&Kapalua
    Full Name:
    Al LaPeter
    I voted for Ferrari ownership, put I want to retrack that vote. I joined while I was looking for my 355 spider and I got a wealth of information. I think the $15 is a good cover charge.
     
  5. SrfCity

    SrfCity F1 World Champ

    Hey Rob,

    I'd be curious as to the estimate of how many people are actual Ferrari owners on here? My guess is about 1/3 and maybe 1/2 tops. What's your estimate?

    And, we could do like they do on Ferrari.com whereby they have an owners section and then a separate "You and Ferrari" type site. They charge for that but I don't think it is absolutely necessary as our sponsors should be covering it. The "free" chat just needs to be policed like you've been doing imo.

    Ferrari ownership "has its privileges" so why not have a section where fellow owners can chat uninterrupted by trolls.

    Scott
     
  6. teflon

    teflon Formula Junior

    May 16, 2003
    330
    Full Name:
    Greg A
    IMHO:

    If these are my only choices, I would go with a $15 subscription fee.

    Not every Ferrari owner wants the world to know s/he owns one. Also, some owners may be averse to sending copies of titles to people who really have no business seeing them.

    Greg A
     
  7. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Oct 3, 2002
    48,581
    @ the wheel
    Full Name:
    Andreas
    Well "those people" really only would be Rob. And if you can't trust him, well, then why bother being on this site?

    Besides: Those copied titles would be a great starting point for Rob to put together a registry.
     
  8. wax

    wax Five Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 20, 2003
    51,458
    SFPD
    Full Name:
    Dirty Harry
    The easiest rule is the KISS rule: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

    Troll?
    Ban Troll. In so doing - delete their comments/threads. Key thing is to do it quickly and decisively.

    Troll comes back?
    Ban Troll. In so doing - delete their comments/threads. Key thing is to do it quickly and decisively.

    Works elsewhere.

    Aside from that, we're well over the 3,000 member mark (3,077th member was the actual member, as the first 77 were temporary accounts created for testing purposes, according to my calculations at the time the current board reached 3,000). Rob indicated the 3,000 mark would be the time to discuss in greater depth the $15.00 fee, and implement said fee.

    Thanks to Rob, we've reached that goal, let's help Rob reach [/i]his. $15.00 to put up or shut up.

    Special: Refund Trolls a pro-rated amount after subtracting a published penalty fee.
     
  9. teflon

    teflon Formula Junior

    May 16, 2003
    330
    Full Name:
    Greg A

    I don't know Rob so I can't say I do/don't trust him. My trust in Rob has absolutely nothing to do with the reason I use his site. Didn't a lot of people here trust Matt Lemus before he was caught?

    There are 3000+ users here who share information. I don't personally know any of them. To some extent I distrust everything I read. That doesn't stop me from utilizing this site though.

    I have legitimate reasons why I would prefer to keep my personal information as private as possible. I would not submit a copied title. Maybe I'm the only person who feels this way.

    Greg A
     
  10. Tspringer

    Tspringer F1 Veteran

    Apr 11, 2002
    6,155
    Whats is the point of this new forum anyway?

    I dont like such a fundamental division of the community, and I think it would hurt the site overall. Heck, the site has yet to recover from the software change another big change right now is a bad idea.

    Just leave the forums as they are.


    If you want to add in a good function..... make it so members can vote OUT other users! If 20 or more members are sick and tired of a poster, they can vote him off and Rob will block his IP or at least make as much effort as is reasonable to keep the offender off. G Green comes to mind....


    Terry
     
  11. JaguarXJ6

    JaguarXJ6 F1 Veteran

    Feb 12, 2003
    5,459
    Black Hawk, CO
    Full Name:
    Sunny
    I voted for approved by members, $15 fee. I just read Brian's post and being nominated sounds better. You could have an enthusiast who was not here for a year but should have access, such as Roland Linder... you want him to be able to post in there. Exceptions will be made, but if you wanted to use the 1 year standing member loosely I would have vote for that too.

    I would be excluded if it was owners only - what about prior owners? I could live with it, as long as the technical threads were still accessable to everyone. If the technical and showroom disappear, I do too.

    Sunny
     
  12. ART360

    ART360 Guest

    I'd make Rossa Corsa open only to owners (past and present), and I'd have either a $15.00 yearly fee, or sponsorhsip of the site, or the race team (with appropriate minimums). Lastly, I'd have something for that special group that the general user doesn't get, i.e., some restriciton on the useage.

    Art
     
  13. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    you want to create a new forum for premium members?

    not a good idea. 3,000 users is not a big number when it comes to online communities. dividing that wouldn't be smart, imo.

    it's fine to have a place for eyes-only announcements and whatnot (maybe), but beyond that it'll be an annoyance. everything will get cross posted, etc...

    doody.
     
  14. trkevin

    trkevin Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2003
    918
    Belgium
    Full Name:
    K. Blommaert
    I think if you ask $15 for an entry on this chat, you would lose Fchatters. Which means that you will also get less money from your sponsors. But on the other hand if you only let owners publish on the site, this should exclude me :-( , you can maybe get some new sponsors that are looking for a higher public.
    And why would new members pay $15 for something they don't know? In the wurst case, it could be able that they pay $15, and there is nobody on the chat. If you are new and you pay $15, and when you see it and it doesn't interested you, you have paid for nothing.

    If you divide the site in 2 sections. One free and one to pay, you can probably expect one of this senarios:
    -All members stay at the unpaid section of the site.
    -1 good (paid) and 1 bad (free) chat. And the new members of the chat where you don't have to pay don't like that section, so they are not gona pay for the paid section.
    -...

    I think you should let the chat like it is now. I really think it's great this way. But I don't know anything about the financial situation of this chat.
     
  15. Kds

    Kds F1 World Champ

    Limiting membership by way of ownership is the most destructive thing that you can do.

    The vast majority of people "probably" already view f-Car owners as arrogant rich snobs to start with (which is untrue) but to propogate this myth would definitely do more harm than good.

    Hey....I do not own one yet....but if you want a copy of a registration as proof....tell me what year, color, and model of Ferrari you want and you'll have it....it's really that easy.

    The other requirements are good enough........especially the desire to financially support Rob in his endeavous for ALL of our mutual benefit.
     
  16. jordan747_400

    jordan747_400 F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa

    Dec 9, 2002
    6,928
    Houston, TX
    Full Name:
    Jordan
    I dont think there should be a member vote at all. That creates a club of people --almost a popularity contest. I also believe that limiting the forum to members only would be a terrible mistake. There are MANY members who dont own cars yet who contribute a great deal to the forum. Not to mention those members who are looking for their first Ferraris. How would they get the good information they need? I DO think that no matter what, all prospective members should be approved by Rob as the final checkpoint. Its up to you all what the requirements should be. I wouldn't mind paying 15 dollars a year myself.
     
  17. TOM B

    TOM B Formula 3

    Jul 24, 2003
    1,038
    Orange County, NY
    Full Name:
    Thomas Buckley
    Well said Brian. I don't believe it is a big problem anyway. Let's not attempt to kill a fly with a sledge hammer.

    Tom
     
  18. Brian C. Stradale

    Brian C. Stradale F1 Rookie
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 17, 2002
    3,612
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Yes, we'll lose some members... but the elimination of trolls may result in the addition of some really valuable members... and you might actually GAIN sponsors. Note that the sponsors here are largely only interested in enthusiasts willing to spend some money on their passion. Just as with magazine advertisers, most are far more impressed by paid subscriptions than overall circulation.

    Knowing there's 3000 signed up, but not knowing how many are duplicate handles of trolls or people who just decided to change their name or whatever... not nearly as impressive as knowing there are 1500 true subscribers willing to pay $15 to be here, plus 1500 additional lurkers who might also buy stuff.

    Note that some sponsors are only interested in actual owners... I'm sure they'd love to know how many real owners are on this site regularly.


    Let people lurk for free... then this is not an issue. You'll know exactly what you're getting... in fact, you can get a lot for free. But participation costs $$... and that alone will prevent this forum from deteriorating over time due to sheer volume resulting in an ever-growing percentage of nonsense and redundancy (and, as others have pointed out, that is an inescapable reality of unrestricted internet forums... they all eventually collapse from their own success).

    JMHO.
     
  19. rodsky

    rodsky Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2003
    1,601
    Los Angeles
    I agree with Brian (Stradale) and Doody. Ownership should not be a criteria. There are many (including myself) who are passionate who come here to learn and share that passion prior to buying. I have personally learnt a lot and have decided to buy a 360 based on my being here for 10 months.

    Or others that are great members that dont own - DES, Wayne etc. They should be here.

    Just charge $15 and leave it the way it is. You may also have to kick out the odd troublemaker - Green - at Rob's discretion. This site has class 99% of the time. The $15 could be used for additional bandwidth, servers, Rob's costs etc. We could post videos and larger pics :)

    My 0.02
     
  20. AEHaas

    AEHaas Formula 3

    May 9, 2003
    1,458
    Osprey, Florida
    Full Name:
    Ali E. Haas
    If this was my web site I would keep things as they are but for these exceptions:

    Under your web name put the name of your Ferrari model/year. For multiple Ferrari ownership, you can only list one, but it can be labeled as "favorite:", then the model/year. It is then easily visible who is talking from an ownership standpoint. It will also be immediately visible who owns just one or multiple Ferraris.
    Currently in this slot is "formula one" or "karting". This is redundant as your post total is already listed below.

    Make reading posts free but posting requires the yearly fee of $15 or $50 for 5 years. Multiple year subscriptions keeps your and my paperwork to a minimum. In the lower right box area, near edit/reply, post the subscription expiration date. That way I can see when I am getting close to it.

    A copy of your registration needs to be sent to verify ownership, along with your check for the subscription. Any person who does not own a ferrari now but had one in the past for any period of time must also send proof of previous registration and his listed car will have and asterisk signifying his previous car and poor current luck.

    The administrator may revoke any person that does not seem to be contributing to the site. He may also reinstate as needed. The administrator job can be several people at the same time or just a single person changing from time to time position, rotating.

    aehaas
     
  21. F1racer

    F1racer F1 Rookie

    Oct 5, 2003
    4,749
    Laval
    Full Name:
    Jean
    Forget #1 because like many people said some don't own a Ferrari but they are huge fans ..like me :).


    As for being a user for at least one year or voted on by current members or approved by Rob....I think it would't help. Imagine someone gets voted or you approved and then someone else doesn't get in and he's maybe not a bad member and he's a real Ferrari fan ...people will start complaining and we don't need this.

    $15 a year ..
    I'm not for this idea but if at the end it happens I will pay for sure because I love this site.

    Rob,
    Do what its best for all of us.
     
  22. Kds

    Kds F1 World Champ

    I was thinking about this again and remembered three sites that went thru this same scenario that we are talking about.

    One site was www.flyertalk.com the internet's largest, and, believe me, most informative "frequent flyer" website out there. A site within the site was started by long time members who wanted to do what is being discussed here by some members. The end result was that within about 12 months it failed, because people found it easier to ignore the trolls and un-interesting posts, than to have to check 2 different boards every time they wanted information. Also, there was a lot of duplication of posts and as a result it became redundant.

    Second is www.atlasf1.com a fantastic Formula One website with a BB and racing news section as well as several contributing weekly editors from the motorsports world. They decided to charge an annual fee, but, the BB was kept open to all for no cost.

    Third was www.airliners.net which is an aviation enthusiast's site with the largest database of airline photos online. They also decided to charge and kept the BB free.......but the "first class" membership as they call it allows certain kinds and sizes of downloads from the database as well as access to other features not available to free members.

    I guess the only section of "measureable" value here at F-Chat IMHO would be the "Technical Section" so maybe that area would be invisible to all but paid members. Access to the regional sections, etc, could also be included in the fee, but the general interest Ferrari board can be free as well as the off topic section for lurkers and the obvious first time surfers.

    Just some thoughs........it keeps it sort of clubby for the serious people here, and the lurkers and trolls can use the other areas. Lurkers who need the paid membership can apply and be vetted accordingly, while trolls can stay in their playpen and be ignored accordingly.
     
  23. Mark(study)

    Mark(study) F1 Veteran

    Oct 13, 2001
    6,052
    Clearwater, FL
    Full Name:
    Mark
    NSXprime.com set up too many sections and you have to check 8 or 9 places to read all the post. I quit going... it takes too long, lots of people just want to sneak a quick look durring work to see whats new.


    But Ferrari is all about keeping people out! Low production runs, high prices, I think some owners need a members only section to feel normal...its just in some guys blood to set up private clubs,.. if for no other purpose then to keep others out. ( I'm just making a joke :) )


    Rob- what happens to your numbers as Ferrari moves through their production cycle? Since the 550 and 360 have been out for a few years...is there a drop off of people? Did you see a spike when the Enzo came out? If Ferrari drops a bomb and comes out with a wild 420 replacement or a mid 12 to replace the 575, will your site trafic pick up big time? What effect does the Factory have on your traffic?
     
  24. ralessi

    ralessi Formula 3

    May 26, 2002
    1,093
    Houston, TX
    Full Name:
    Rikk
    Fchat is still comparatively small to some of the major forums out there. I think that there is a lot more room for growth. This growth will lead to an increase in sponsors as well. It seemed as though last time this came up people were leaning towards having certain features cost money, instead of charging a straight annual (or whatever) fee. Whatever happens, I will probably pay, but I still think the more mature, contributing users the better.
     
  25. WCH

    WCH F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Mar 16, 2003
    5,180
    I don't feel Ferrari ownership should matter, given the enthusiasm and information brought by non-owners.
     

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