Rokslide subscription, premium access

[Shrek]

Have to agree with this. I wouldn't pay a subscription to this or any other Web site for that matter. This site is to the point that many of them get to. Lots of repeat threads "what's your pack weigh" "best gear list" " first time this or that". Make no mistake, I still believe rokslide to be the best hunting based website out there,its just the nature of Internet forums

Yep , always new guys wanting to have a conversation , wanting to talk about pack weights , ect. Good thing a forum is an open and continuing conversation and not a bound reference manual sitting on a shelf. So many feel the need to reference old threads because they have already participated in the topic and I believe feel it's been talked about so it's all settled. Just because you are bored with the topic doesn't mean the next guy should just read old threads and keep quiet. It's fresh for each successive wave of new members and their conversation is just as relevant to them as it was to you the first time you discussed it. If the topic is old news to you then don't participate but when some asks a question they should be treated with respect and not dismissed with a link to an old thread.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Personally, I would not like to see this go the subscription route. I'm not a subscriber to any forum and don't see it happening in the future.
I very much like the current tone, content, and level of moderation on this forum. From my view everybody is doing a pretty good job.

 

[kickemall]

Yep , always new guys wanting to have a conversation , wanting to talk about pack weights , ect. Good thing a forum is an open and continuing conversation and not a bound reference manual sitting on a shelf. So many feel the need to reference old threads because they have already participated in the topic and I believe feel it's been talked about so it's all settled. Just because you are bored with the topic doesn't mean the next guy should just read old threads and keep quiet. It's fresh for each successive wave of new members and their conversation is just as relevant to them as it was to you the first time you discussed it. If the topic is old news to you then don't participate but when some asks a question they should be treated with respect and not dismissed with a link to an old thread.

Well stated.

 

[fillthefreezer]

I don't want to see it go to that. I like Rokslide the way it is right now.

i liked rokslide the way it was 6 months ago....
no offense new guys...

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Matt you recently edited one of my threads and I personally was happy with what you did. It turned into an off topic thread. Thanks again Matt. Back to this premium. I don't think that I would pay. I have other gear that needs purchased

 

[Beastmode]

i liked rokslide the way it was 6 months ago....
no offense new guys...

Thats the nature of the beast. Forums especially good ones get big fast. Some think its bad some think its good. Whatever someone's opinion is on this is just that. As some senior members of this forum I think we need to set an example and keep rokslide the place we want it to be. Big or small we can keep this a good forum without belittling eachother or having online pissing contests. Keep threads constructive and helpful the way rokslide was originally.

 

[Justin Crossley]

i liked rokslide the way it was 6 months ago....
no offense new guys...

I guess I don't see a big difference between now and six months ago.

Without "new guy" questions, it will get really boring around here. Everyone has a different amount of experience and almost everyone who posts will bring something to the table. I have found that the minute I start to think that I have something figured out, I will meet someone who has twice as much experience and I realize that I still have plenty to learn.

Also without new members, this site will slowly die.

 

[fillthefreezer]

As some senior members of this forum I think we need to set an example and keep rokslide the place we want it to be. Big or small we can keep this a good forum without belittling eachother or having online pissing contests. Keep threads constructive and helpful the way rokslide was originally.

Without "new guy" questions, it will get really boring around here. Everyone has a different amount of experience and almost everyone who posts will bring something to the table. I have found that the minute I start to think that I have something figured out, I will meet someone who has twice as much experience and I realize that I still have plenty to learn.

Also without new members, this site will slowly die.

agreed for sure

 

[littlebuf]

Yep , always new guys wanting to have a conversation , wanting to talk about pack weights , ect. Good thing a forum is an open and continuing conversation and not a bound reference manual sitting on a shelf. So many feel the need to reference old threads because they have already participated in the topic and I believe feel it's been talked about so it's all settled. Just because you are bored with the topic doesn't mean the next guy should just read old threads and keep quiet. It's fresh for each successive wave of new members and their conversation is just as relevant to them as it was to you the first time you discussed it. If the topic is old news to you then don't participate but when some asks a question they should be treated with respect and not dismissed with a link to an old thread.

i never made any suggestion that one should be dismissive on here i solely pointed out the obvious nature of internet forums and stated why subscriptions have no value in them. trust me there plenty of threads i don't even open on here. maybe even one or two of yours

 

[HellsCanyon]

Have to agree with this. I wouldn't pay a subscription to this or any other Web site for that matter. This site is to the point that many of them get to. Lots of repeat threads "what's your pack weigh" "best gear list" " first time this or that". Make no mistake, I still believe rokslide to be the best hunting based website out there,its just the nature of Internet forums

Yep that's the nature of it all... I even remember the days when MM.com was a much friendlier place and in its infant stages. From there to HuntWa, from there to Huntfishnw, to Rokslide. I definitely don't post as much as I used to on here but I also know this is the only forum where I'll openly meet with a group of strangers and have a good time with them! I'll continue to be on Rokslide for awhile to come hopefully both as a sponsor and as a contributing member.

I remember starting the internet forum thing on my own around 12 years old asking for advice. I was the youngest person in my family of 6 and the first one to hunt... had to learn somewhere especially when I was only hunting deer a few days a year during rifle season! There were a few people that helped me out a lot and I try to do the same on here from time to time.

Mike

 

[luke moffat]

i liked rokslide the way it was 6 months ago....
no offense new guys...

Thats cause it was hunting season


Seriously though, I could care less either way. I became a lifetime member at BPL as its honestly saved me as a geardo a pile of money and I find the reading interesting. But I certainly don't expect others to feel the same way or nerd out about learning about reviews of new products as much as me so I can certainly see their point.

This is a great place to read/learn about tip/tricks or advancements of taking animals in the backcountry and hauling them out. I'm certainly always learning. Sometimes its reading about what others like but seeing how it wouldn't work for my uses or seeing a slick way someone rigged up this or that to make the process of such and such more efficient.

 

[lintond]

I would pay a fee just because I've learned a ton in my 18 months on the site. BUT I probably wouldn't be a member if I had to pay from the start.

I'm not sure if a pay to play would cause less whining, might even be worse since it's "your" site....

 

[bz_711]

Keep up the good work here fellas!

I think it helps some that this web site address does not include the words "hunting" or "gun" or "bow" or "archery"...as some of the boneheads look right past this forum so they can jump on one with those titles and drop their knowledge about their new 350 fps bow...and argue about brands.

Rokslide is great for gathering solid advice/info!

 

[5MilesBack]

This site has cost me a LOT of money already. Now someone is suggesting that I pay a fee first to access a site that already costs me a lot of money? I don't think so. Actually, that may not be a bad idea. That would keep me from accessing the site, and then SAVE me a bunch of money. Now I'm for it.

 

[rodney482]

community makes the site.
sponsors pay the bills.
backcountry guys are almost always gear junkies and it seems they are not afraid to spend money.

I would bet the average back country DIY guy spends 10X more on gear than your average midwestern hunter.

I am all for leaving RS the way it is.

 

[robby denning]

matt,

you do an awesome job moderating. Keep up the good work.

x 2

 

[fillthefreezer]

Thats cause it was hunting season

haha, i know. that occurred to me after i posted...


over on hunt-wa, this time of year seems to get heated quick. its like everyone is on edge, not much to hunt, no football, etc...

 

[7mag.]

I like Rokslide the way it is now. I wouldn't change a thing, including the moderation.

Edit: I wouldn't mind more live hunts. I love the hunts Robby does, and would like to see more of that, or something similar to the late Idaho hunt Robby did this year, where did video blogs during his hunt, then posted them all after he got back.

 

[brunse]

Although my input may not be worth much... I help when I can. I have not joined any forum service requiring payment and am not likely to. I don't even pay for sat, cable or whatever TV. Good ole antenna. When the internet starts costing more than the phone line/fax line fixed fee, I will likely drop it too. I do enjoy several forums though. I probably do not read many adverts, but I have found/researched/bought most of my equipment in the last five years due to the advise/experience shared on this and one other site.

Thanks for a great product. I hope you can survive on advertisements alone.

 

[robby denning]

Hey Roksliders,
appreciate the thread and all the opinions. Ryan, Aron, and I read through everything and wanted to share our insights.

While a paid premium membership might be a way to make the site better in someways, it's not the direction we intend to go at this point. Ryan, Aron, Darin, myself put in 200-300 hours a month combined to make this site run. We have a bunch of great members contributing content and making the forum experience one to come back for.

It is the Sponsors dollars, though, that make the site possible. Without them, Rokslide would only be a very expensive hobby. We intend to keep the Sponsor model vs a paid subscription. To make that work, we have to make Rokslide a great place for sponsors to be. I talk with current and potential sponsors weekly and they like the Rokslide members. However, we mods have to walk a fine line between taking care of the sponsors but allowing civil debate, even that that may harm a sponsor. We're all learning here, but I think we've kept it as objective as we can.

You can find all kinds of negative comments on here about our sponsors- we don't delete them. But as Ryan said last week, when people start to dog-pile on, the debate is really over. Aron is very careful about which sponsors he'll let on here. We don't just take their money. They have to offer something great to you all, or they wouldn't be here. There will be problems with product always, no matter how good it is, and we'll always let that be discussed (in a civil way).

If you look at our sponsor list, it really some of the best of the best out there: KUIU, First Lite, Kryptek, Kifaru, Stone Glacier, S&S... and more.

My point is that we intend to keep it free and keep great content coming. To do that, we have to walk a fine line with Sponsors and members. We're not perfect and will make mistakes, but I think if we can do it right, Rokslide will continue with the Sponsors paying the bills in hopes of winning members to their products.

I have no intention of letting our forums go to crap, even if we get huge. If we can do it right, I should be able to attract great moderators who share our (as in yours, too) vision for a great mountain hunting website.

Thanks for the opinions and we really do listen. Can't always act on everything, but do listen.