[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.

[Chris 96 WS6]

But, isn't there a way to keep a board alive WITHOUT sponsors? CC does it right?

I'd even be willing to put in a few bucks a year to have the open forum we have now. Then the users would be the sponsors (which could create some conflict in itself).

Sponsors are fine. But if it gets out of hand, this will be "just another site".

The problem I have with mass donations are multifold:

1. Inevitably only some are going to donate. Most will just piggyback and enjoy the benefits of the board w/o any contribution. This is not acceptable to me from a matter of principle. It just comes with the territory.

2. What if someone who has contributed funds gets banned from the site? Do I refund their contribution? Do I have to keep up with hundreds of donations? What are the expectations donating users will have of me and my site?

3. In comparison, it is much easier for me, from my perspective at least, to define the role and expectations of the board/sponsor relationship, and to manage and handle those vendors with regard to issues that will creep up from time to time, etc.