Wild camping for motor homes (1 Viewer)

[keith]

Another forum has gone searching for the pot of gold. Wild camping for motorhomes has now gone down the route of charging an annual subscription.

It will now cost you £15 a year to become a member.

A shame because that site was almost as good as 'fun' although not as friendly. I have seen other funsters on there.

I thought the information on pubs & stops was particularly useful & wonder why we don't have a list on fun for pub stops, everyone else seems to be doing it. If there is one I haven't found it so can someone show me the way to it, if it exists. oh:

This was posted recently:

Quote: Wildcamping has now grown to a size where it requires more of my time than I have spare. (34,000 unique visitor per month - 10,000+ members - nearly 1,000 registered members logged in per day)

I need to be dedicating time each day to handle members emails, removing spam and site maintenance.

I also intend on spending more time developing this site for the members benefit, I am going to upgrade the site to vbulletin version 4, have a custom site theme and develop bespoke features like a searchable database (available on mobile devices).

There will be a yearly subscription for use of certain areas of the site. (classifieds, wild camping locations, etc).

The wildcamping locations section may have limited free member viewing, I am still debating this. There are several pros and cons for this. But I except to trial this.

Community areas will remain free for all to use.

Certain features of the site will be restricted for free members (private messaging, signatures, photo albums, blogs, etc).

I have really struggled to decide what would be the correct amount for a yearly subscription to this site. The problem is I cannot just have the money it needs to be run as a business, I am already self employed so it becomes complicated. All subscriptions will have to go into a business bank account. I am sure their are many members who will have comments to make about this but you do not know my personal circumstances whereas the chartered accountant that has advised me does. At the moment £15.00 (less than 30p per week) seems to be the correct amount, I know this is more than the £10.00 that has been discussed but there are several reasons for this amount been correct.

For members who have purchased a yearly £10.00 subscription there is no change this year, the amount will change next year.
Members who have already donated will have their donations converted to a subscription based on the amount of their donation. Members who have made a significant input into this site will receive a subscription based on this. I will not be announcing the calculation structure of this as it will be quality rather than quantity based, but you can contact me directly if your question relates to your account. Quote

 

[bobandjanie]

Hi Keith, and some of the members were not happy, Me!
The worst thing is,oh: he took away my avatar.

Today, 05:41 PM
janeandbob
Free Member

Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 139
Thanks: 17
Thanked 59 Times in 34 Posts
Hi, we are on many free forums, and also facts which we have paid for the last 3 years, but will not be a subscriber any more when its that time again. They say there are over 44.000 members but only 3.500 subscribe the rest keep logging on under different user names creating more members, they have members that are no longer on there. They still have Jim as a member who was banned and started Motorhome Fun. So needless to say we will not be subscribing here.

I would say a site supporter is someone who contributes to a forum by posting information and giving a little advice, without that there is No Forum and £15 is the most expensive forum there is. So its BYE from us. Jane and Bob.

Could you delete us as members please Phil (admin )

 

[lorger]

Yep same here i dont use it as much as here so dont think it will be value for money for me i must admit its not the cost its if i get value for money so if Jim wanted to charge here i would pay as i get loads of info from and some friendly banter.

Gerry

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[Carol]

Had a e mail of them this week asking me to log on, I did as I had not been on for a while, was very surprised by the attitudes they are taking and the way they have free member under everyone who has not yet subscribed.
Then after looking at 10 posts your told your times up tor that week. Think they need a lesson in public relations not at all a friendly feel to that site. I know where I will be staying.

 

[American Dream]

Glad you're happy here guys.:Cool::thumb:

 

[Scout]

Ive never used "other motorhome" forums, I never paid for any forum, however thinking about it, they must take up a lot of time to monitor etc, they do cost money to run, if it cant be raised by adverts or people making donations you cant realy expect the site owner to subsidise it, horses for courses and you get nowt for nowt,

nobody wants to pay, but eveybody wants to take, a wise man once said if you divide all the money in the world by all the the peope, there wont be enought to go around.................

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[747]

Just for the funsters who need to know a more balanced opinion than the ones given here.

Last year Admin (who runs and I suppose`owns` the site appealed for financial help to keep the site going. Some of us donated and were given the status of Site Supporters. If any of the ex members on here had dipped into their pockets and given a small donation (£10) then they would not have had to pay anything now. Of course when the site came back on line, everyone was happy and saying how much they had missed it.

Also, you can still use the site for free but certain areas are excluded eg wildcamping info and pub stopovers.

I know that money is tight for some people and maybe they cannot afford the £15. In my opinion, it is still cheaper than one night on an average campsite and they would get their money back immediately because of the access to wildcamping.

I am following the thread on the wildcamping site and watching the parade of `drama queens exiting the forum. Better than anything on the telly.

 

[JeffersonCampervan]

I've never liked their heavy handedness.
I posted a simple enquiry reply once that never showed up on the site - from reading their FAQs, i think it was because I had included a link to my travel journal website.
Of course, no mod ever sent a note or an auto-response as to why my post was intercepted.
I've not visited them since.
I'd certainly not send them any of my CDN$!!
Too bad, because I like Belgians & their beer! :Cool:

As for MHF, I am a free subscriber & I read it occassionally, but I can't see the benefit to me of all the UK-based incentives - if I could avail myself of any of the discounts, I might pay them. So net result is that I don't post there. And although my info is very "niche", being a North American does make my posts on certain subjects desirable. Several times I've almost replied, then had to remind myself that I'm not allowed to - but the poster could really have used the info. So I limit myself to Out & About & this forum.

 

[747]

There are no moderators on the wildcamping site

Maybe you should take another look. If you have a problem, you contact Admin. I am sure he can sort you out.

In the spirit of the forum, you should really contribute some of your wilding sites in exchange for the new ones you will get in return. Not everybody did that but that is the way of some people. All take and no give. From your posting jefferson, it sounds like you are reluctant to divulge info.

What are CDN$ anyway?

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[656]

What are CDN$ anyway?

CDN$ = Canadian Dollars

 

[activecampers]

Tough one really, and I feel for the admin even though I'm not a member there (or may have an account not used)

Running a website is a lot of time, and interactive one a lot more time, and one that needs maintenance is even more time. What started for fun may have become a burdon. Dealing with updates; issues; maintenance; spam; legalities; hosting etc all takes time and effort. Even my blog takes hassle - around 50 spams a day (mainly detected); database backups; and going to have to upgrade my hosting bandwidth. etc

And if the fun has gone out of it and it is become a chore, then fair enough to charge for his time. Thing is - we all like freebies and even if membership was £1, £5 or £10 the same number would leave compared to £15pa. I only do free

Lets be honest, one day Jim may flip and get fed up of running this site as the revenue from the ads isn't really life changing. EDIT: GUess we could all click his GoogleAds a bit more often to get him some Google revenue (PS - done )


Guess its all our fault for wanting stuff for nothing! lol! But yeah, a free decent database would be most welcome. Feel free to populate with my personal finds

 

[madbluemad]

I got the notification and because I dont use the site I didnt contribute.

I once tried to contribute to the dark side and it woudnt accept my money .

Its probabley just as well because I never go there.

If you ask a question on this forum and dont get a satisfactory answer then I would say that your unlikley to get one anywhere else.

This is the only forum that I use and it suits all of my needs. The best forum on the web.

Jim
:thumb:

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[Wintonian]

It is always a problem when someone decides that he should start to make money out of a web site. I suspect that it has a lot to do with his "chartered accountant". Frequently accountants are very good accountants, but very poor businessmen. There is nothing difficult about him turning the forum into a business. If he needs an accountant to tell him how to do it, he should probably not do so.

Advertisers are attracted by the possibility that their ads will be seen by large numbers of people. Magazines brag about their circulation figures and readership. The circulation figures usually have some foundation in fact, often being audited. Readership numbers are based on surveys and are pretty meaningless, including people who read a 2 year old copy of a magazine in the doctor's surgery. But these figures determine the desirability of the magazine to advertisers.

For web sites, membership lists are the thing. As has been pointed out, the membership list of the site has not been weeded and obviously does not reflect the true number of active members. Any competent advertiser would question the composition of the membership list and not just take it on trust. The true membership is probably a very small fraction of the list.

I run a forum for bikers in Brittany. It is small, and we keep it that way. People frequently find out about it and subscribe for membership (which is free). And that is the last that is heard from them. If they do not contribute with a post within one month, the membership is cancelled. They are clearly not members. So our list is an accurate representation of membership. We run a very loose ship. People can refer to any other web site that they wish and we do not censor posts. We are adults and behave as such (rather like the members of this forum )

It does not, in fact, take much of my time to run the forum. I set it up, loaded it onto the server and now leave it to run. The term "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies very much to forums. The software that I use seems to be less vulnerable to spam than other software that I have used in the past, but nothing is really safe. For me it is just part of my hobby, and the cost of running it is miniscule. Members have offered payments but I have so far not accepted any.

To generate meaningful revenue from Google ads it is necessary to have a huge number of clicks. Only sites that have real traffic volumes can make anything substantial out of them.

 

[Wildman]

I would say a site supporter is someone who contributes to a forum by posting information and giving a little advice, without that there is No Forum and £15 is the most expensive forum there is.

Actually I fit your description of a site supporter, and though I have not paid to be so am listed as a site supporter just as he said people would be. The bulk of the site is unlimited viewing. I was a member there long before finding this site, I still visit occasionally and have many friends there. Whilst I log onto Fun every day the other sites of which I am member don't see me that often. There is room for all and I do respect Phil's right to charge, just as I respect others right to choose to be members. The discusion about paying or not and what for has been going on for a few years. At one point Phil threw all of his toys out of his pram and I decided to look elsewhere. I do not need wildcamping locations and have always thought they are best found on your travels, frequent publication of these sites (if in the UK) only results in over use and subsequent banning. At the end of the day he has a living to earn or not as the case may be if he charges too much. He will be lucky to retain a third of his membership as paying members. Live and let live. Good luck to everyone concerned either joining or leaving.

 

[Belgian]

Hi all,
I too am on both sites.
But wildcamping suites me more for I'm a wilder and that interessed in RV's or 5th-wheelers.
I understand wildcaming Admin (the site doesn't have 'moderators' .... or whatsoever)
Wildcamping spots are vulnerable for misusing (some politcal MH-haters or camping-owners are keen to search them and should like to have a NO-NO sign overthere.):Sad: Britain as a whole is not MH friendly as eg France and Germany.
Maybe you should read what I posted overthere:
Why do I love this site ?
About 4 years ago I stumbled over this site, planning to go to Britain. I was very pleased about the general atmosphere of it, the freedom and the sharing attitude. And I hung on, it was for me an oportunity to fresh up my English and also I was delighted to meet some people with the same attitude of MH-ing.
It was a goldmine to me, copied a lot of wilding spots and in return send some adds about the continent. I made a lot of friends,( soulsisters- or –brothers) whome I never met in the flesh; but who are very dear to me now (have a look at ‘my friends’).
I saw this site growing. But sometimes I got a bit disturbed. I remember about 3 years ago a pub owner presenting himself with a lot of enthousiasm, so much our Admin made a seperate thread about ‘Pub stopovers’. And the pubs came in: a lot of members posted their favourite pub. And then we saw the same pub-member starting his own, paying, site with a list of pubs the most of them he freely gathered of our site. And Admin, nice man as he is, didn’t respond, altough he has every right to do so.
Our Admin (Phil) is really devoted to the site he made great. And he did it for nothing; and we all should be thankfull for the time and money he spend for the benefit of everybody visiting this site. And please observe that ‘our’ site is running without any censors, moderators, leaders or dictators.
I can imagine Phil did say one time “Enough is enough, I’m fed up to be the miking cow, time to set some barriers to ban misusers”
And he did. I can imagine some are not pleased with this; but some measures had to be taken, unpopular as they seem on first hand.
And I know Phil didn’t do that for the money. 2 years ago I wanted to make a donation; to have 15 € transferred I had to pay the banks 6 € banking costs, exchange rates … I asked Phil to give his personal adress so I could send him a cheque … he never answered. He obviously didn’t want to make himself richer.
Believe me, this site is an unicum for his general atmosphere, its friendly character and the input of its members. 15£ to support, so be it; it’s a cheap price for friendship.
I see now Phil did clean up ‘dead’ members; about 3000 of them; a lot of them where ‘skimmers’ I’m afraid
Only the vulnerable threads about wildcamping spots and pub stop-overs are restricted to 10 views a week for non-members and visitors. Members and supporters still have full acces.
I also see that Wildcamping's Admin has purged out 3000 of the 10,500 listed members who never made an add.
So I said my words ; but I don't like the enjoyment of others' mishaps some are showing right now.
But enjoy on both sites :thumb:
Belgian

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[Jaws]

Bikers Oracle membership is currently sitting at 36,000 members.
Of that I would guess ( cos I really cannot be bothered to go check !! ) about 15,000 are active and regular contributors

Bikers Oracle has various options..

Free membership.. Gives access to just about anywhere BUT no PM facilities, not too easy to post pictures, and a few other bells and whistled not available

Sponsorship.. £10 a year gives all the extra bells and whistles

Super Sponsor, £15.00 per year and gives you full sponsor membeship of all the dozens of sub forums within Bikers Oracle ( Each make and marque of motorcycle has its own forum as well as the B O central forums )

There are global admin's and sectional admins.. none get paid a penny..
B O is the leading multi-forum set up in the world ( odd really as we still use an older version of VBul .. but it is customised almost beyond recognition now !) and no one feels they need to devote more time or effort to it than they can afford to give.

If matey wants to earn a living out of the forum good luck to him.. ( and I mean that ) but don't come out with all the bull plop PLEASE ! Just jars folk off when you treat them as daft !! Honesty is ALWAYS best when it come to the internet.. There are WAY too many peeps out there who really do know the full story cos we are all at it in one way or another !!!!

 

[Jim]

Even if you paid your £15 you could not discuss it there because the Admin has closed the thread for discussion on his site. So please, don't continue to discuss it here on the cheap

We have a wildcamping section here, please feel free to use it:thumb:

 

[Jaws]

So please, don't continue to discuss it here on the cheap

Sometimes you do make I larrff out loud Jim !!!
Very well put !!!

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[GregM]

It does make me laugh when people complain about these fee's and expect everything in life to be free.

If they think a popular forum has no costs involved then why not start one of their own. No because they know it takes time and time is NOT FREE.

I admire Jim for keeping the forum free and the advertising obviously must work but I also admire Phil, the WC admin for making a decision which he knew would lose him members and get the free loaders complaining.

 

[JeffersonCampervan]

From your posting jefferson, it sounds like you are reluctant to divulge info.

That's an uncalled for, arrogant & incorrect assumption.

 

[Funnymunny]

Nothing comes free in this life unfortunately but i do object to paying to read material that either myself or others like me have put online free to help others.

To pay £15 to read some of the rubish on wildcamping is never worth it for me, the content is not that great compared to this site or Facts.
I never was a big contributor just the odd letter when and if i could help others so it will be no great loss to me personally.

Unfortunately it seems that it is not an entirely level playing field either as some that seem to contribute more have been given a free subscription on there whilst others like myself have been blocked from reading certain parts after a certain number of pages, I wonder what the magic number is before you get a freebie.

If you want to keep your customers happy and paying thats not the way to treat them.

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[747]

Hi there funnymunny,

I do not have to pay £15 to access all areas. That is because I donated money to Phil last year when he needed it to keep the site going. If you were a member then and did not donate then it has fallen back on you now.

The amount I donated is private but I will have to pay in a years time.

I find the wildcamping forum to be helpful in a number of ways. I find this site to be a good site but in a different way. I have got to the point in life where I am comfortably retired (after grafting very hard for what I have) and if I can help anyone then I will. What I resent very much is the small percentage of motorhomers who have spent a wadge of cash on a motorhome and expect to get everything for nothing.

This Canadian guy Jefferson campervan who does not like the wildcamping forum, he is vaguely familiar because of the strange posting he made when he joined. It will still be there and I will publish it on here when I find it.

 

[JeffersonCampervan]

This Canadian guy Jefferson campervan who does not like the wildcamping forum, he is vaguely familiar because of the strange posting he made when he joined. It will still be there and I will publish it on here when I find it.

747 - I don't know what axe you feel you have to grind, but I'm already tired of your bizarre personal attacks,unsubstantiated innuendo & gratuitous comments. There are no "strange postings" from me on either site.
Easy to search all post by member name,so it doesn't take much effort to determine that(I just did it myself to make sure I hadn't said anything odd after maybe a beer too many).
Anyway, this is my last comment. I've just added you to my ignore list. This is supposed to be Motoehome Fun.

 

[Jim]

Come on you wildcampers, pay the £15 and bicker on that site, or take it to PM This thread is now closed. Thanks

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