[Chris 96 WS6]

OK guys, the day has come. I've been approached by a vendor to become a sponsor here. You may be familiar with Street Lethal Performance already. David Mercier is who contacted me, and informed me they sell Koni and Ground Control among other things.

In a nutshell, I told David that if we were to bring him on board as a sponsor, it would be with the understanding that SLperf would not be immune to criticisms and they would be responsible for defending themselves and doing right by the customer. There would be no protection or favoritism given to protect the sponsorship income, as it is not essential to maintaining the site.

I closed by telling him we would discuss the issue among the members and arrive at a conclusion in the next couple of days.

So, I want an honest dialog here and whether you think we should bring in sponsors or not. This one would probably open padora's box.

Let me just throw out my thoughts on the subject. Personally I'd like to see sponsorships. I see it as part of the future for the site (which I think can be more than just a board...I see tech articles and such in the future). But anyway, I want to assure you guys as long as I own and maintain the site I will never compromise your ability to speak your mind. Sponsor dollars would/will never get in the way of that, and if it comes down to it I'd rather tell a sponsor to walk than create dissention among the members here. I also think that with the maturity level we have here, big blow ups with sponsors are not likely, but rather would be handled in an adult fashion.

So, with that, I'll let you guys hash it out. Whatever I think is the prevailing opinion is what I'll go with, despite my personal preferences. After all, without members, there is no FRRAX.com.

[trackbird]

I think there have been several valid points made by everyone and I agree with the majority of them.

However, I am not sure it is reasonable to pay for bandwidth out of pocket. Nor, do I think that money grows on trees (I've planted at least $85 in my backyard, so far....nothing.....). So, I think sponsors are an eventual "evil" (with all respect to those sponsors, potential or otherwise). But, I think we need to make sure that they don't impact freedom of speech on the board. Chris is on the right track with his ground rules. I'm not sure how many sponsors will go for the "no protection clause", but if the rates are reasonable enough, they may be fine with it (I know some boards get $125-$150 a month for ads, per vendor). If we can keep it at $50 to $75 (or whatever), they may go for it. And, if they build junk, get discovered and are called out about it, they are welcome to defend themselves, fix it, orget mad and leave. I don't want a reputation for sponsor abuse and I'm not suggesting Corner Carvers style beatings(though I have great respect for the info on that board and I cruise there on occasion). But, to protect people who manufacture "junk" because there is money in it is not a desireable situation (I'm already having visions of BMR, not to pick on out favorite whipping boy). I've got more questions than answers....

If anyone needs me, I'll be outside planting another 2 dollar bill.