New Really Above Top Secret (restricted access forum) Membership Policy and Prices

There has been an additional significant change in ATS code this morning, the "Really Above Top Secret" restricted access forum now requires both a general access fee, and monthly maintenance fee.

The nature of the forum code required a user-access list be store in the database table that defines the RATS forum. This list was getting exceptionally long and causing several maintenance and performance problems for us. Primarily because the list is comprised of a significant number of names who simply don't come to ATS any more, or at least, very infrequent.

The new ATS Points Fees are as follows:

Purchase Base Access: 5,000 -- This is for first-time users. If you've never purchased RATS access before, this covers your membership fee and your first month of access.

Renew Monthly Subscription: 250 -- On the 1st of every month, the user-list will be removed, and you must renew your membership to gain access. For those who have previously purchased the RATS forum, renewals are 250 ATS Points to gain access again.


IF YOU ALREADY HAVE PURCHASED RATS ACCESS: You only need to purchase a monthly renewal to get your access back. You are in the membership list as having purchased base access.


This new process should help maintain a realistic list of people who actually use the forum on a monthly basis.



(edit to lower monthly renewal fee)

[edit on 6-12-2004 by SkepticOverlord]

Ah yes ... even ATS gets hit with the cost of inflation.
I guess we will see if the market can bear the cost.

If we don't purchase the renewal on the first of the month, and our name gets purged from the list, will we then have to pay the 5,000 point cost to get back in again? Or will there be some sort of grace period, like until the next month's time for instance? Also, I'm sure many may forget about this so will there be any sort of mass u2u to RATS members saying to renew their subscription?

About time someone made classified material control a priority. Not everyone needs to be in on every little secret, you want in, you better have the pay grade, and the need to know.

Carry on.

Can you draft our account for the monthly subscription automatically until we signify that we no longer want RATS access? There could be an option on the member profile page for this.

I'm serious.

cant you just delete the very, very old unused accounts?..too clean up a bit?

What about those of us who aren't such prolific posters. I don't think i can afford 500 points a month. Will this result in a forum of Trolls? (and people who regularly post good material)

No. Automatic list management defeats the purpose of this new process in the first place. Our current issue is caused by a large number of people purchasing access, getting in the list, then leaving ATS for whatever reason. An automated renewal would potentially create the same problem (not to mention lots of new code).

Where do we renew then?

in the ats-shop, of course..i think so

I think cmdrkeenkid brings up a good point. What happens if one just plain forgets to renew on time? Would they have to use 5,000 points again in order to use it?

Or is it just plainly that you pay a one time fee of 5 kilopoints and then, each month, can't post/view until you pay that 30 day/monthly 500 point fee? That sounds reasonable, i myself don't even use RATS all that much, so being able to pay a renew for 30 days worth of access every once in a while seems good.

If, for whatever reason, this doesn't work out how about there be a RATS probation process, along with a slight increase with in entrance price? Say, make it 7500 points to enter, but there is a month of "probation" in which the new entree to RATS has to make a certain amount of posts that contribute to the topic at hand.



In the ATS Store in your member center. The box to click says "monthly."

Oh no! I only needed a few hundred more points, too! Now I need a few THOUSAND! You couldn't have waited a couple more days to do it? Oh well, I guess this'll make the journey longer, but the goal ultimately more desirable. I don't even know what's in the secret forum. It better be worth it!

The monthly fee is too high for us quiet folk. In a little over a years time my piggy bank will be broke. Considering I have a "certain" topic limited to RATS will staff pay my monthly access?

bummer. I am going to miss RATS.

I wish there was another way to handle this, but times change....



bg

I want my 3500 points back.

I just signed up just over a week ago to RATS. Maybe later on, but right now I am simply not interested in a forum that I need to maintain access to. They should refund the 3500 to everybody.

In the end its nothing but meaningless numbers on a web site, but if you want to run a system like this, then you need to value points earned both ways.

Give us the points back please if we dont want to use RATS anymore.

[edit on 6-12-2004 by skippytjc]

You don't need to purchase the 5000 point base access if you already had access. Read this quote from SO in his opening post.

If you already have RATS it only costs you 500 per month... not 5000 more in addition to your 3500

Tap tap. Is this thing on? Just posting this to see how many points I have. I'm mainly a blogger now. I know it probably isn't possible to add points to blogs, is it?

edit: Ahhhahhhh! I finally found my member center (duhhhhhhhhh). I was wondering how you guys got your titles under your names, I had too much pride to ask.

It's time to think..hmm..and time to spend, spend, spend.

Dot.

[edit on 6-12-2004 by dotgov101]

I cought that guys and made the change. You guys are too fast.

So where are my points?