[brad]

As of today, you have 1,712 people who didn't think it was too much.

I have a gold membership at TPT which costs 15$. I'm still waiting to see if APC will offer other options but probably be Paypaling them 15$ as well. So far, you're the cheapest board I visit.

I found myself visiting the other boards and posting questions for you anyhow, and I figured that you took quite a few hours to answer me over the course of a few months. I also was able to get on top of my algae problem because of the advise I got here which saved me more 13$ worth of plants. I could have gotten the same advise for free. yes! But I also would have had to filter out the poor advise from people who know nothing. This way, I went straight to the source. I got free GH boster from Greg through this site, got some Nerite snails from you through this site.........

That said, I do feel it warrants that extra effort to make sure a question never falls too far down the page without getting answer. I would like to see this board have more discussions instead of the "ask Tom" format it has taken, but I think that will come with time. So far, especially given that it's all new here, I'm happy with the 13$ I spent.

Thanks to both you and Greg for the work that goes into running this site.

[Tom Barr]

Originally Posted by brad

As of today, you have 1,712 people who didn't think it was too much.

Well, member vs subscribers are quite different, that number is much lower than 1712 folks. I'd be doing pretty good if that were the case.

I have a gold membership at TPT which costs 15$. I'm still waiting to see if APC will offer other options but probably be Paypaling them 15$ as well. So far, you're the cheapest board I visit.

I'm the cheapest? haha
I'm not really a board though, that was never the intent, that was namely the readership and a user friendly format that folks where already use to.

I found myself visiting the other boards and posting questions for you anyhow, and I figured that you took quite a few hours to answer me over the course of a few months. I also was able to get on top of my algae problem because of the advise I got here which saved me more 13$ worth of plants. I could have gotten the same advise for free. yes! But I also would have had to filter out the poor advise from people who know nothing. This way, I went straight to the source. I got free GH boster from Greg through this site, got some Nerite snails from you through this site.........

That said, I do feel it warrants that extra effort to make sure a question never falls too far down the page without getting answer. I would like to see this board have more discussions instead of the "ask Tom" format it has taken, but I think that will come with time. So far, especially given that it's all new here, I'm happy with the 13$ I spent.

Thanks to both you and Greg for the work that goes into running this site.

Well the board here is a lot of ask Tom stuff.
But the focus are the monthly reports.
That was the goal here.

But if folks want to discuss more, I welcome that too.

I can also play devil's advocate if it's something I already agree with just make it nice and messy

I'll jump the fence and often do to see what types of responses might come out of it.

I sometimes say things that are purposely contentious to lull folks out of lurk mode, but a good discussion is a rarity these days, so I've gone to writing articles instead. From those, others will distill down further, but have a good encompassing basis for that for referral if they need it.

The distillation on this site's forums is a good way to get discussions going, there's a lot in each month's article for discussing a topic.

I raise a number of questions and can ask some at the end of each month after folks have had a chance to look the artilce of the month over.

Hummm..........maybe that might be a good idea, I know what conclusions and ideas might come from them, so I'll just guide and not offer my notions/concluding remarks till the very end based of the thread's consensus.

This is sort of the Socratic method.
Are folks ready for that or want that?

I can do it easily.

Whether anyone wants to take the bait and put it out there, is another matter. The questions would be designed to make you think and discuss, not for me to come in and answer.

I can make exam type questions, say 10, if folks really want to have that type of format.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[shake]

I don't mide paying for things that will help in this hobby. I have spent hundreds of dollars on books, so a small fee (which I think was $18.50 Aussie dollars converted) in my mind is no different to paying for a book. I get as much information, if not more, from the BarrReport than most books.Tom has set up this site because of his love of aquatic plants and his desire to help people in this hobby. I have no problems paying for this privilege.

Tom, keep up the good work.

Zack

[detlef]

Tom,

please no questions at the end of your reports. I myself had lots of questions after reading but did not ask for several reasons (due to lack of time etc.). The summary allows for a quick check if one does not want to reread the whole thing after some time. Also, it serves for a better understanding ...... so, please stick the main statements together like you did in the past.

As we all know one answer poses lots of new questions and I will bother you for sure ... if you don't mind.

You are doing an incredible amount of work for the hobbyist. Thank you so much.

Regards,
Detlef

[Tom Barr]

Well, you guys are the best advertizing that there is, so get out and tell folks if they want to learn more, this is a good way to do so.
It really is not a bad deal $$ wise and helps the hobby much like support of other forums.

I think many place barriers up and have mind sets that cause them to not want to subscribe due what they claim to be the cost, yet then they pay for other services on forums.

So tell them that the they are asking for $ from many forums that are helpful to the hobby, why not get some real meat on the table and do the same here with some deeper articles on the specific topics.

We already have 10-12 pages per article x 15 months=> 150-180 pages worth of meaty plant info. After a couple of years=> 24 months x 10-12 pages = nearly 260-300 pages.

So tell folks about it, what type of resource it is and ideas it provides.

Thanks,
Tom Barr

[rrguymon]

I subscribed for the monthly reports. I think they are worth the price of admission alone. Getting a direct response or recommendation from someone with your or GW's experience and success in the hobby is a great bonus to the articles.

I am also a member of the the planted tank. I like it also. Their forums move faster and I really enjoy browsing the photo album and swap and shop section. I buy most of my plants there now from other members. Rex is hoot a too. You come by often also 8).

Both are great and I enjoy them and think they are well worth the few dollars I spent.

Rick

[reiverix]

So it costs around 2.74 cents per day for the Barr Report. Somehow I think I'll cope. Even this mean and grumpy old Scot thinks he's getting a bargain

Seriously though. I first got into this planted thing without a clue except I'd barely heard of anacharis. What is really cool is when people see my planted tank next to my coral reef and they give all the attention to the plants.

[Tom Barr]

Reiverix, I am Scottish as well, There's even a Barr's Tavern dating back to the 1730 in Edinburgh. My grandfather was a Presbyterian minister and John Knox, the Edinburgh churchman, played his part in the reformation in Scotland, which adopted a Presbyterian tradition losing the link between church and state (which is retained in England). St Patrick was born in Scotland also and went to Ireland in 432. John Muir, Adam Smith is also from Scotland and a bunch of other onerous folks.

But back to the issue here.

I have some say that "why should they pay for for information such as the BarrReport....", yet, they ask for $$ on the forums for support as well. I can get free forum info as well.

Part of the forums here are free, just like many forums.
So that is no different.

But what are folks getting for the premium memberships on these so called free forums? More photo space, more PM space, no monthly Report?

What happened to the advertizers paying the bills etc?
I have none of those(other than you, the subscriber).

I have no issue like many of you in supporting the hobby, but I don't like folks judging me when they cannot judge thy self by thy own standard.

No one gets into this hobby to get rich haha, certainly neither Greg nor myself. We can make considerable $$$ with other endeavors, this is for fun and for it to pay for itself for the most part.

I may do a competion coming up here in about 1 year.
But it'll be an aquatic plant science competition with prizes etc.
Show off your brains instead of your aquascape.
I've toyed with the Marine plant competition as well.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Naja002]

Hi Tom,

Just Subscribed....

Hypocrites is the word: They collect at the Backdoor(advertising) and the Front (Supporting Membership et al). Whether they collect at the Front or Not---they are still collecting at the Backdoor. So, they have no place to say anything to anybody about getting paid.

Your Up-Front fee is just that: Up-Front. Websites cost Money. Period. The amount of Your Time alone that has to be put into this website--justifies the subscription fee.
I would hazard the guess that You have already forgotten more about Aquariums and Aquatic Plants than most people will ever know--again, that shared knowledge is worth more than the subscription.

I'm willing to bet that the other forum administrator's never bother to complain about You sharing Your wealth of knowledge on Their Forums. That just Helps them out....

Yep. Hypocrite is the word....

Keep up the Good Work!

I've always been Impressed by the simple fact that Your site requires a subscription, but You are still out there on other forums freely giving away help and advice.....

[Tom Barr]

Hypocrites is the word: They collect at the Backdoor(advertising) and the Front (Supporting Membership et al). Whether they collect at the Front or Not---they are still collecting at the Backdoor. So, they have no place to say anything to anybody about getting paid.

Well, they most certainly did on 3 boards.
And all 3 use both methods.

I decided to be different, well, because I am different.
But more than that, I wanted it with a magazine type model but without all the hash and advertizing. That makes it harder for both Greg and myself to deal with and less time we would have for content(which is my goal and will help the hobbyists). I just do not have time to play with that angle to begin with. Greg helps me do the business and web side. He is as much as this as I am. Some folks like the advertizing and look at that(like in FAMA and TFH ad's for Big Al's etc). I don't.

You can find plenty of ads for free if you wanna be like that

I'll give the public some general advice, not much really if it relates to a report I've done/doing etc.

You'll note, we do have a public forum section as well.
Some things are read only.

There's a lot more I know than what I tell them on the public boards.

You can see that once you read one or two monthly articles,
and that's only maybe 30-50%. A lot of it just cannot make it into the month's timetable of article production. Folks there, I may ignore at some point. Not here. Till you get it right if it takes 5 years.

Greg and I will be doing a lifetime membership fee shortly.
Then you'll have access to the all the Reports from here on, past present and future.

If the future, I'll produce a book with about 70% of what I know for each chapter, so it will bring even more to the table and drawn upon the relationships built here to explain the way Macrophytes grow and their environment.

It'll likely be 500-600 pages and contain 30 chapters or so.

Regards,
Tom Barr