I finally made the leap to Supporter today.
Why did I finally cough up some dough for something that I can get for free?
Because I realized that I'm getting a LOT of value, and it was time to contribute to support this community.
I don't have an agenda about DIR vs rec, ScubaPro vs Atomic, or even the Shadow Divers controversy. I'm just here for the advice and community.
I've been on governing boards for several non-profits (HTCIA, LOPSA, SAGE and others), and the challenge has always been to convert "lurkers" to "supporters".
Almost all volunteer organizations are driven by a sense of community and value. After (mostly) lurking and still getting a LOT of value from this community, I realized that it was time to actually put my money where the value was, and join.
I mean, where else can you get a 480+ post thread where people tell you about the gear that they bought and regret? I learned more about purchasing gear from http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/114279-what-did-you-buy-you-regret.html
than practically anywhere else.
With more than 50 threads on Jack's Diving Locker, and literally hundreds on diving in Hawaii, I was able to plan my family's diving vacation using only operators that had a good rep here on SB.
I'll be planning my trip to Florida via SB as well, and I'll probably buy a new dry suit based on recommendations from SB members.
A year's membership is quite reasonable, considering how much money I'll save from the advice here.
That's my $0.02 and my $39 for the year.
Thank you to all the SB contributors who helped make my re-entry into the diving world safe, enjoyable and exciting.
Why did I finally cough up some dough for something that I can get for free?
Because I realized that I'm getting a LOT of value, and it was time to contribute to support this community.
I don't have an agenda about DIR vs rec, ScubaPro vs Atomic, or even the Shadow Divers controversy. I'm just here for the advice and community.
I've been on governing boards for several non-profits (HTCIA, LOPSA, SAGE and others), and the challenge has always been to convert "lurkers" to "supporters".
Almost all volunteer organizations are driven by a sense of community and value. After (mostly) lurking and still getting a LOT of value from this community, I realized that it was time to actually put my money where the value was, and join.
I mean, where else can you get a 480+ post thread where people tell you about the gear that they bought and regret? I learned more about purchasing gear from http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/114279-what-did-you-buy-you-regret.html
than practically anywhere else.
With more than 50 threads on Jack's Diving Locker, and literally hundreds on diving in Hawaii, I was able to plan my family's diving vacation using only operators that had a good rep here on SB.
I'll be planning my trip to Florida via SB as well, and I'll probably buy a new dry suit based on recommendations from SB members.
A year's membership is quite reasonable, considering how much money I'll save from the advice here.
That's my $0.02 and my $39 for the year.
Thank you to all the SB contributors who helped make my re-entry into the diving world safe, enjoyable and exciting.
