So many things I want to say. So here's a quick summary.
It's complicated. What is a forum and who contributes to a forum? Basically everyone does except the secret readers (but that's ok of course).
All to different parts and in Igor's case and the moderators' case it is certainly more work than a hobby.
Igor and in principle also the moderators and all those who do more work with the forum should get an appropriate compensation for it. Without this compensation this institution core4d does not stand on stable legs.
I would also like it more if there was another way than a membership fee, not because of my 10€ per year, but because one way or another a payment will slow down the growth and acccessability of the forum. You can argue that a forum doesn't work as a pay service and I feel that maybe not all other options for monetization have been tried.
But clearly the forum is growing despite the €5 entry fee.
Therefore I don't see to much of a problem with 5 EUR per 6 Month.
But I think it is important to correct the communication. Writing a bill for people typing helpful answers in a forum is not cool.
But with the offer that the membership fee of 5 euros allows 6 months access to the forum and then must be renewed can possibly be more acceptable for people. So I would strongly advise not to make two different systems out of it, but simply to limit the membership to 6 months.
In addition, I think it is important that people can decide whether they want a self-renewing membership, or pay each time anew.
I appreciate DMCGAVRAN participation in this forum. However, I don't think his "joke" was very well done. There is a difference between exploiting a commercial product that everyone is already earning very well and satisfying your sporting ambition by pushing the limits of your customers to maximize profit,
and being so overloaded with the workload of a community service hobby that you have to generate at least a minimum income from it.