JeffreyMiller wrote:It can't all be free. Somebody has to pony up ... human nature dictates that if you can get something for free, you won't pay for it voluntarily. And if having the CC as a download-only publication becomes a reality, I will ask for my dues back. I want my hard copy!
And I have no problem with the forum being open to read-only, but I also want it protected from spammers and flamers. Posting on the forum should be a privilege exclusive to members of the association.
For purposes of the Forum, our philosophy has been that there are people here who are PFRA members... and there are people here who
could be PFRA members in the future. If we limited posting to current members of the PFRA, we wouldn't have nearly as many topics of conversation as we do now, nor would we have as much of a variety of topics to discuss. We researchers often get some intriguing ideas from the visitors' observations. Plus, it's a chance for the experts to answer questions, clear up misconceptions and show off their skills.
I know, of course, that there are some on the Forum who have posted here for years and who have no intention of ever joining PFRA-- but I have no problem with that. The historians and the aspiring writers get the benefit of the resources in the Members Only section, and the Forum is a just the chips and salsa for what PFRA has to offer.
I agree with you also that the hard copy of the Coffin Corner is what the vast majority of our members want. A print and paper magazine has a permanency that an electronic publication doesn't. For those members who want to get published in Coffin Corner, their articles get archived at the library of the PFHOF in Canton. As tech evolves, so will the PFRA, but our core is our dues-paying members.
