Park Slope Parents charging for a list serve? Give me a brea

^^^ Oh, I can't wait for the discussion on that thread!

Mamacita wrote: Agreed. I say we charge for access to brooklynian. Who's in!

that might cause the people of brooklyn to protest in front of 123 fake st.

I think some people forget the true value of a community site comes from the content and participation of all the members. Very few sites going from free to subscription manages a conversion rate of higher than 25% or so. That's 75% fewer eyeballs on the street, commentary, etc..

I get that the volunteers want to make some money and it's pointless to debate whether or not they 'deserve' it, but community sites are poor soil for turning into even a break-even enterprise. Once you start saying they 'deserve' this or that, contributors start thinking about monetizing their contributions as well. Why not? They're putting in their time and effort too. Don't they 'deserve' some compensation as well, even if it's just a little?

The truth is that people who participate do pay into the site with their contribution of time and information. Tacking on anything but a nominal fee irritates people because it puts a price on their community participation but not the true value of their time. It acts as a big brake, and makes it easier to create social monocultures.

And for this to work, they'll probably have to disband the yahoo groups or they'll be competing with themselves. If they do that, another will be happy to try to take its place in the free-access vacuum they'll create with their departure.

Carnivore wrote:
I think the point is that less than 7 cents a day is a nominal fee.

That's one opinion. Another is that a nominal fee is $5/year.

As soon as you charge -any- fee though, you lose substantial membership numbers - if for no other reason that one of simple transaction mechanics. It's not a happy solution to retain the army of casual participants who provide up-to-date intel and commentary on relevant events.

An idea would be to keep the site free but have the volunteers do less and pare down the scope of the site. It existed for a long time without charging money. Maybe the ambition to do more, while laudable, isn't necessary.

Another would be to keep it free but organize value-added services (e.g., excursions, room rentals, museum trips, daycare?) that subsidize the community site.

I thought the google group (or whatever it's called) is free always. Why don't they pay for a domain name and charge for it's access.... sorry if this has already been discussed. I failed at ignoring this thread until now #-o

I'm only here because I was damn curious about how a post about the BORING -- and now apparently elitist -- Park Slope Parents could grow into 2 whole pages.

It's now hit Gawker...

http://gawker.com/5202446/park-slope-parents-fee-battle-threatens-to-spiral-into-all+out-yuppie-war

I'm a member of Park Slope Parents and will not be paying the $25. I am a casual reader - scan it every so often. I've maybe posted there once in two years. For the majority of the information I get there, I can get free else ware. No thanks.

Made today's Post:

The yuppie parents of Park Slope are facing a new crisis.

Now that the dust has settled from their epic debate on gender-neutral children's clothing, there's a new threat to their peace of mind -- their favorite Web site wants to charge them $25 a year for the privilege of posting.

Volunteers who run the 6-year-old site, Park Slope Parents, said they had to take the drastic action.

To some of the 13,000 members, it went over about as well as recommending bottle-feeding over breast.

"I, for one, expected better of Park Slope Parents," fumed one poster, who signed herself as "Anna, mama to Alice, 15 months."

"I'm sick of being nickeled-and-dimed . . . This is a time when we should be pulling together, volunteering our time, helping our neighbors."

Another likened it to economic discrimination.

"It seems sad to shut off voices of a different socio-economic background by imposing a fee," an anonymous poster wrote.

But others remained true to the site, which has given them invaluable tips on designer baby carriages and organic cotton diapers.

"When I think of the money I've saved buying used baby items via PSP and made selling these things, not to mention all of the free advice and referrals I've gotten, I couldn't afford not to pay the $25," wrote one.

The normally mild yuppie site got so heated one poster channeled yoga: "RELAX PEOPLE! Take some deep breaths. Find your center," she wrote. "Be calm. Ahhhhhhh . . ."

The site's founder said she couldn't keeping it going without extra cash.

"I can't continue to run it in this economy. Ads are down," Susan Fox said. "I understand people feel betrayed, people feel I'm trying to cash in. It saddens me."

The last time the message boards broke out in such a brouhaha was two years ago, when a member posted a lost-and-found item that she'd come across boy's hat on Eighth Avenue.

That innocent-seeming post launched hundreds of responses, with some blasting the finder for assuming that a blue hat belonged to a boy.

"Did you see the boy himself lose it? Or does the hat in question possess an unmistakable scent of testosterone?" one member sneered.

I'm a bit intrigued
Re: Gawker article--Writer is annoying. Example: "Park Slope is where New York's most annoying parents sequester themselves in a twee, self-important doombubble." My impression: Gawker is where New York's most annoying writers sequester themselves in a self-important bubblegumchewing stupor, using annoying words like twee and possibly wearing tweed.

Re: Fee-sounds like someone is starting a business.

I don't have an opinion about this group or listserve--I don't belong, so I don't have a personal stake and I honestly don't know much about it at all, but I am curious to find out if people will pay or not.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04082009/news/regionalnews/baby_net_rage_163436.htm

Underhill_MT wrote: I realize there is no way to take the snark out of this board, but for the record, not every person in the neighborhood with kids is a helicopter parent with loads of disposable income. I have a newborn and my husband and I are far from the ridiculous caricature of the way parents are portrayed here. Do we have a stroller? Yes. Are we assholes who ruin every dining and shopping experience for our neighbors? No. Are we part of some priveleged sect who wants to debate private school merits ad nauseum? Nope.

I'm considering whether or not to shell out $25 for PSP. The message boards have been a great resource for me - much like this board - because I have ignored the bullshit and paid attention to the valuable bits.

If you're hurting because of the recession, screw the Park Slope Parents. If you've got money to burn, hey, why not?

Nowadays you can get a year subscription to any magazine -- print or online -- for less than $25 and most of those online magazines let readers post comments.

ok, this is too funny. Now Gawker has been sent some more info...

http://gawker.com/5211047/the-mommy-flip+out-too-hot-for-park-slope-parents

LOl! too funny! i recognize all of the posts in that email message as being from people I know. Too funny! the whole Easter egg hint thing was outrageous IMO, how hard is it to bring eggs to an Easter egg hunt?