videobear
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May 29, 2006, 6:38 PM
Post #1 of 9
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Benefits of Membership
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If you're a regular here on the Video University forums, you'll have noticed that last Friday (May 26), VU went to a semi-subscription format. Anyone can still come here for free and lurk...reading the forum threads, debate, and information just as you always did (with one exception, which I'll get to).
But, if you want to join in the discussions and post, it'll cost you $25 per year. The purpose of this is to try and increase the "signal to noise" ratio of the forums. Frankly, it's a small price to pay to be an active participant in such a vibrant and diverse community of video enthusiasts.
Another step that we think will improve the overall character of the place is the requirement to include your real name and address when you register. This won't be visible to other members, but will be used (if necessary) as a tool to identify and exclude people who come here primarily to disrupt the forums.
Besides that, there's another important benefit to a paid membership: There is a "Members Only" forum which can only be accessed by subscribers. In less than two days, it's already become one of the most popular forums on VU, and it's turning out to be THE place where members prefer to post their work for viewing. Posting clips in the Members Only forum has the advantage of making it less likely that some lurker will rip off the material and use it as his or her own, something that has worried many of you. It's also a good bet that your clients won't be reading your "Members Only" posts.
In the scant few days since these changes, I've already seen positive results. The overall post count hasn't gone down significantly, and I have not had to delete or even edit a single post, let alone ban some troublemaker. I'm impressed, and very enthusiastic about the future of VU. I think that these are long-awaited improvements to a site that was already one of the favorite places for videographers around the world.
If you're sitting on the fence trying to decide whether or not to part with $25, let me encourage you to take the plunge. Posting on VU, as many have found, is not only a way to share your interest in video with others, it's so much fun that it's habit-forming. (If you don't think so, do a Search for discussions of VU addiction!  )
Regards,
Doug Graham
Panda Productions
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