RCadmin
Posts: 13216
Joined: 11/28/2001
From: Belle Mead,
NJ, USA
Status: offline
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Well...I wasn't going to bring this up because these debates and misinformation seem to go on forever. Obviously I have stated over and over again that nobody has seen the site in its final working condition. I mean nobody. RCU's beta site had and still has things that aren't working 100% yet or features not put in.
Tattoo had little patience to realize was that the option to turn off ads and change frequency will exist on the new site.
It is true that guests will not be able to change their ad view preferences but a "registered" member and all upgraded members have the choice to do so.
What I truly enjoy is that quite a few RCU users who had so much faith in me for almost 2 years lose it all in a drop of a hat. Does the way a person operates change that fast? Do people change who they are and do 180 turns? RCU has always been a work in progress and always will be. We WILL always give users what they want and a great experience here. We WILL ensure some economic model exists so RCU can and WILL be here 5 years from now to serve everybody well.
Just because RCU makes money doesn't make it "commercial". If that was the case than RunRyder and Ezonemag/RC Groups is commercial to by definition. Everybody runs in the black. Question is how much is fair to make? Some would argue that we should set limits on how much we should make on our sites. Well, should I take a poll of the membership to see what they think is an acceptable salary for me, michael and our 2 employees? Is $40,000/yr too much or too little? How about $200,000 each per year? Is that too much? What about 1 million each per year? Is that too much or too little?
To run RCU I have dedicated 6-7 days a week of my life and 12-16 hours a day. I did this at the expense of spending time with my wife and 4 year old son. If I died today I can never get that time back. That time is priceless IMHO. I sacrificed my time and now 6 digits of money which officially puts RCU WELL in the red if you do all income less expenses since day one. If that makes more of you happy then rejoice. Party on. Do I deserve to make a living from RCU? How about a very good living or is that unethical in our capitalistic society? Should sites like this only be run by philanthropic owners who can afford to spend their time and money on them at the expense of having a personal life or earning a living for their family? Just stuff to think about for all those crying "commercialism". I'm a lifetime hardcore modeler. I count myself lucky I have a business that I enjoy building. I fly planes, fly heli's and drive RC cars as much as the next guy. If the day comes where RCU comes back into the black and makes money and even if it makes millions will everyone leave a site that caters to the user and provides great service because it is "commercial" or the owners make "too much"? Take a look around you and the products you own. You probably made somebody wealthy in the process. The computer you are reading this on right now is an example. Michael Dell...billionaire. Do people not buy Dell's because they think Dell has gone commercial and he has too much money? I don't think so.
If this hobby should be free to everyone then please petition all the companies who you buy your RC products from and request them as you have to us that they provide all their products to you from now and at no cost. Since this is a hobby and a brotherhood we should really not pay for anything, right? Everyone should provide what we need to enjoy this hobby at no charge otherwise they are commercial and that would make them bad according to some.
If these are the things that some of you think I am truly sorry. There is nothing I can say to debate you. That is your opinion. I also have mine and you should respect that as well. In the good ole USA everyone has the right to provide goods and services along with innovation. IF they do right then they make money. There are no limits in capitalism. If they do a not so good job at it and somebody does better then the other guy flourishes. This is capitalism and Darwinism in action. It is not a bad thing. If it were we would not have cars, computers, drugs, tv, airplanes, homes, electricity and everything else we consume every day.
LAST, I'm not going to debate these points. If you have comments on the new site, things you like, don't like, bugs, suggestions send them to me. I can change or fix anything.
Thank you.
Off soapbox 
_____________________________
Marc
RCU Site Admin
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All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> S.P.A.D. Aircraft - Coroplast design >> Just too much 
Just too much - 
