What about selling smartphone apps?

That's a possibility and is something I will eventually look into.

...

I've been dragging my feet too much in regards to getting any of what was discussed in this thread going.

I guess what it boils down to is that I do not like the idea of loading GreekChat up with ads nor do I like the idea of asking members to pay any kind of membership fee (even if only for access to bonus site features). It's a recipe for disaster if I don't do something, though, so I am going to get started working on it today.

That's one app I would consider paying for, and I don't pay for apps in general.

Me too!

GreekChat supporting member subscriptions are now available. $29 for 1 year & $99 for 5 years. Other subscription levels might be available in the future.

As this is so new for GC, I'll only be posting about it here in this thread so we can make sure everything is running smoothly before promoting GC subscriptions site-wide.

Thanks in advance to anyone who decides to become a GC supporter! :) Your support is definitely needed and is most appreciated.

Done.

Thanks, Kevin!

So far looks like everything is working properly with automatic account upgrades after subscribing. GC supporters will be able to access the private subscribers-only forum after making the purchase. That's setup to be automatic with the account upgrade happening within seconds. If anyone cannot access the private forum within a few minutes or so after subscribing, send me a PM and I'll get it sorted out.

Is there a list which clearly delineates the benefits of membership?

Yes, it's in the link in the original post.

Yes, you can find that at http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/payments.php I'll have a more visible list posted soon.

I want to make supporting GC as valuable as possible for those who do so. GC needs the support and I definitely want to make supporting the site worth it. I'll be adding to the list of bonus account features & benefits as much as I can.

Thanks John for all you do. Just went on the link and became a new "subscriber!"

Thanks for subscribing! I appreciate your support.

I'll be subscribing as soon as DH is employed again. Looking forward to that day!

Thanks for that.

I might be hitting the job market soon as well. All depends on how things go with a few current projects. I'd much rather be able to spend a lot more time working on GC and/or other sites, but things need to happen soon if I'm to continue doing this sort of work as my primary income.

Best of luck to the DH in getting employed again.

I'll subscribe as soon as I can. No $$ right now.

Thanks NP, I appreciate it.

Being low on funds is also what finally compelled me to get the paid subscriptions started. I don't really prefer either option of loading GC up with ads or asking members to subscribe, but it's getting to the point where I don't have a choice. Hopefully will turn this situation all around soon. The good part about how I'm setting up the subscriptions is that it's completely optional, everyone will still have full access to the forums and for subscribers there will be plenty of bonus account features which should make subscribing quite valuable.

Sounds good & fair!

John: if I were to add this quote to the U. Miss. Rush thread, you might get those 25-ish subscriptions faster. Just wanted to feel you out before I did that because I wanted to be sure that was a sanctioned move as I know IT management is a delicate balancing act. Heck you could add the idea to that thread yourself as that would be even better. I prefers be the "talk show host" there rather than any other role.

Did something happen to the 5 year option? when I click on the link above I only get the 1 year option.

I had it available initially. Took it down after I got to thinking that maybe I was asking too much. Thanks for wanting to help GC at that level. GC can definitely use the support, so I put the 5 year subscription back in.

Seems that would be quite helpful. Please feel free to repost. I appreciate the help.

^^^ Done and thank you for all that you do!

Done did!

Done, and thanks!

What kind of work are you looking for?

(Use that Greek network!)

Done. Thanks, John!

Done.

Web hosting or web development related would probably be the best fit for me. However, I'm pretty much a do-it-all computer geek in a way, so there are many areas of computer work that I could get into. Building / repairing computers, servers, networks, setting up software, security (from hacking & viruses), data security, etc, etc. If I was the only tech person at a company (of course, depending on size) I'm confident I could handle every aspect of their network, computers, servers, website development & hosting, etc.

If I go on the job hunt I'll be focusing on web hosting & web development with a preference towards a job that would include the opportunity to spend time on & learning serious skills in PHP & MySQL type programming. (PHP & MySQL development level skills would also enable me to build really interesting custom features for GC.)

As for my dream job... I think I would absolutely love working for you. ;) Well, for you, the other GC subscribers and any advertisers who also help to support the site. :) I'm very skeptical about that even being possible, but if the subscriber turnout does make it possible I would be able to put a very serious effort into GC. The result I believe would be extremely valuable to everyone who uses this site. One thing I've learned is that while it's important to volunteer for good causes (and GC is a very good cause) I cannot spend my life doing it for close to free. At least not anymore. We'll see how things go with GC subscriptions over the next few weeks. I think it would be great even if GC could turn into a dream part-time job.