Sep 2015
10:12am, 8 Sep 2015
68,326 posts
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Hanneke
Oh, now he is bargaining... pfffft! Right, I will stop procrastinating and go set up a marquee. That doesn't need to go into the cross training by the way, as I only do that once a year!
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Sep 2015
10:13am, 8 Sep 2015
1,207 posts
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Lorraine
I use a forum site for Teen 2 and all her ballet/ dance, it is another free site and like Fetch invaluable. Every 5 yrs or so they ask for donations to help keep it running. This year it was £12, it seemed a very small amount of money to pay to keep it running. I feel the same here. Fetch has been part of my life for 10 years and I am sure I owe it a coffee and several slices of cake ........😉
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Sep 2015
10:21am, 8 Sep 2015
4,537 posts
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BaronessBL
I think more merchandise to support the site would be an excellent idea too. I am not sure how the merchandise works at the moment but parkrun seem to sell their stuff through Wiggle which I imagine helps with the logistics even if it doesn't help the profit margin (but perhaps Wiggle or a similar company would offer something like that in a sponsorship deal to Fetch?).
I also like Happy G's idea about buying online coaching and sharing the revenue with Fetch. I know lots of Fetchies offer running/biking/physio related stuff as their business - perhaps there could be a section of the website 'FetchMart' where such people could advertise their services or people could sell stuff ebay style (bikes, kit in the wrong size, ex-display kitchens etc). Obviously you wouldn't want the site becoming a pure sales site but perhaps its an option? Maybe regular advertisers would be exempt from paying the other (non compulsory, I know) subscription (unless they were such generous souls they insisted anyway?)
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Sep 2015
10:54am, 8 Sep 2015
2,245 posts
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Mandymoo
I love this site and its a small price to pay - done
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Sep 2015
10:55am, 8 Sep 2015
36 posts
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Nicholls595
I am happy to pay for many reasons. One of life's little pleasures is reading Jock Itch's race reports on Fetch
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Sep 2015
10:57am, 8 Sep 2015
1,274 posts
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Fitz
I'm mostly just thinking out loud to myself in an incoherent way here, but it helps me to get things clear in my head if I write them down...
I'm not a member of any running club (except FERC), partly because I'm usually with Groucho Marx when it comes to clubs but mostly because when I was working I had no prospect of getting to club nights, training sessions, etc., so it would have been a waste of money.
When I was first getting into running, it used to bug the hell out me that a lot of content on RW was subscriber-only, and it appeared that I had to sign up to a magazine subscription to get the best out of the site. Suffice to say I didn't subscribe, and since then I've maybe looked at RW once or twice a year (although I remain grateful that "smartcoach" is free!!). FE was a breath of fresh air in comparison and I look at the site pretty much every day for one thing or another.
I'm a member of a couple of (motor)biking organisations who charge an annual membership / subscription. Even though I don't perceive much direct benefit for my money, I'm happy to pay to support their campaigning aims for bikers in the face of ignorance or even open hostility from government, legislators and other interest groups.
I'm happy to support wikipedia when they occasionally come cap in hand. They're always near the top of the page whenever I'm googling for info, and I find the site useful, informative and entertaining.
As for ads on Fetch, I only recently installed a blocker on my pc. I felt bad about doing so (as if I was reducing FE's earning potential) but the site was becoming really clunky with the ads running. It still is, if I use my iPad instead of my pc to view it.
Every call for money, from charity donations to life insurance, tries to make it sound less by breaking it down to "the price of a coffee per day" or a "packet of fags a week" but it's best to ignore that tactic and ask yourself "does £10 / £25 / £50 / whatever for this product or service represent value for money?"
I wasn't around when FE was bought by NatMags / Hearst whoever. As all of this (makes sweeping arm gesture) was built by one man, there must have been a lot of soul-searching before deciding to do it. The current situation probably feels very similar.
I like that it's voluntary. I like that it's not auto-renewing. I like that the level of contribution is variable. I like that the site won't go down the premium-content route. All of that helps me to believe that there's an honest, caring man behind this, not a greedy corporation.
I like that FE is constantly evolving, and that the users get to contribute / feedback / make changes to that evolution in exchange for some unpaid beta-testing. Long may it continue.
I think I just talked myself into contributing!
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Sep 2015
11:02am, 8 Sep 2015
334 posts
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Fragile Do Not Bend
Thanks for answering my query about the funding from the mag, your first post about it sounded like they covered your costs so I was all confuddled.
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Sep 2015
11:14am, 8 Sep 2015
6,766 posts
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KatieB
"there's an honest, caring man behind this"-Fitz
Yes. Very much so. We just chatted through what Crash Hamster asked on Fetch's blog, and both us ended up having leaky eyes, not because Crashy upset us but because I knew what his answer would be and when it really comes down to it, there are a few things that mean the world to Fetch:
His family (and the security he gives them) and friends...many of whom are here on the site. fetcheveryone.com Marmite.
It's taken me ages to type this small amount, because I try and keep out of all this mostly but just wanted to let you know that he is an honest and caring man, and I am lucky enough to see that every day in how he is with us.
*shuts up*
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Sep 2015
11:15am, 8 Sep 2015
6,767 posts
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KatieB
p.s. you are all being very lovely.
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Sep 2015
11:27am, 8 Sep 2015
3,899 posts
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Northern Exile
Even though my use of FE has declined over the last 12 months - largely due to a bit of disenchantment with a few things - I'm not going to abandon it and think the manner in which the call for voluntary contributions has been made is entirely appropriate. I'll be stumping up, it's worth that just to recognise a worthy effort.
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