SSCA now pay-only website

Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association) had a great forums section for marine communications. A lot of good info on radios, techniques, issues, antennas, and so on. One did not have to join SSCA as a full time member (pay) to participate in their forums. However, one did have to register and it was free.

That has now changed. In order to access their forums one must pay and register. The fee is $65/yr and if one is only using the forums and nothing else, oh well.

I am not sure how I feel about this. As a sailing community we should be open to helping our fellow sailors. But to put business/profit in front of being a helpful community gets under my skin. If you really want money, sell ads. Heaven knows that is what everyone is doing.

Anyway, my little rant is over. Thankfully I saved one important post regarding an antenna ground system. I did a cut and paste into a Word Document. I am contacting the author asking for permission to put the document on my website.

Sorry about the rant. Now I know why I really love SBO!
 

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
That was not a rant! I understand how you feel. Too bad.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
That was not a rant! I understand how you feel. Too bad.
:plus:
In the end, the business model will be supported or it will fail for them. The Internet is open for groups like SBO to fill in or offer alternatives. I think they will find there is a balance between exclusivity and openness that works best. If they are too closed to potential customers and members who can satisfy their wants somewhere else for less, they will hurt their business. It may take so long for them to suffer from the damage that they loose the connection to the reason their business falls off or fails to grow. That is just the nature of business. It can be equally, if not more, frustrating to the potential customer who refuses to spend more that they think a service is worth. In the end, a free market system offers opportunity to succeed or to fail from both ends.

- Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Likes: Gene Neill
Jun 2, 2004
3,390
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
How are they going to know how many people have access to a single password? Not that I am advocating anything dishonest or amoral but...