I don't agree here. Creating a restricted part of the site for paying users is exactly he oppposite (IMHO ;--) of building a community.

The site should remain as is, accessible by all. If you try to get people to pay before they feel that they are part of a community they just won't, and PM will be all the worse for that.

I see 2 main categories of users here: those who are mainly looking for solutions to their problems and those who are mostly giving anwers (and learning in the process, that's why they do it). Sad as it is I am not sure the first category will ever be willing to pay. You cannot sign a support contract with PerlMonks for example. Considering all the failed "expert-sites" around it does not look to be a viable model for PM. So the only ones who might actually be willing to pay for PM are the ones who spend a lot of time here, answering questions and helping people. Which might sound unfair, but who said life was fair anyway? Why would they pay? First because they like the site, after all if I am typing this on a Sunday morning instead of just watching soccer on TV I must be enjoying it somehow. Then for those of us who are either consultant or looking for a job this is a great place to gain visibility so it makes perfect sense to spend some money to keep it alive.

Last thing, how would we pay: what about using the current banner add system? Have us or our companies sponsor the site. No need to look for clickthrough rate or whatever, just knowing that merlyn hates you because you replaced the anime-fu chick would be enough (and before I get the ob-denial, yes, I know that merlyn blocks the add banner ;--)

Hey, I'd be more than happy to sponsor the Module Reviews section!: These reviews brought to you by XML::Twig (ps: XML::DOM sucks!)

If you want to be a registerd user you should pay a subscription. Simple as that... The user base can be smaller,

Not only would teh user base be smaller, you might get fewer registrations. Had Perlmonks required a fee in order to register, I would not have registered, would not have discovered the real value of the site, and probably wouldn't have visited more than once or twice; as it stands, however, I now value the site and would pay a reasonable fee to be considered 'in good standing', provided I could do so by sending a check (as I do NOT do credit cards).

The standing could be orthogonal to the XP-based rank and go along with it; it could be possible to be a scribe in good standing, a monk in excellent standing, a saint but not in good standing, or cetera.

$;=sub{$/};@;=map{my($a,$b)=($_,$;);$;=sub{$a.$b->()}}
split//,".rekcah lreP rehtona tsuJ";$\=$ ;->();print$/
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