Is this site dead?

[Fred4]

I have been away for a few months, have I missed a notice that this site has died?  Is it now something that I need to pay for?

[formulaben]

Nope, free as always although support is highly encouraged.  What are you (not) seeing that makes you think it's dead?

[ahopkins22LSV]

Traffic was down over the holiday weekend but definitely not dead. I’d say traffic is actually up this spring. The supporter fee goes to maintaining the site and keeping advertising out. You also unlock discount codes for multiple online stores. Here is a more in-depth summary. 

https://www.themalibucrew.com/index.php?/supporttmc.html/

[Fred4]

Ok, thanks I am glad to hear.  I enjoy the site and the info and help I receive from other Malibu owners.

[Ronnie]

This site is what the members make of it. If more members sit back and don't contribute, it slows down to the regulars posters. The Admins/Mods can put the site online but it's the members that make it. Got anything to contribute?

[Chia]

Why not allow advertising, I kind of enjoy seeing related ads when I visit a site.

If an advertiser doesn't like what someone says about their products, they would have the option of not advertising here. 

I presume it is cost benefit, if you are making more with subscription model than advertising model.

I miss the input of members who had knowledge of stereo and other products but no longer contribute cause they could not even have a reference to their business in their screen name.

It is your site, you control your revenue stream as you see fit.

[Ronnie]

You've been here since the start. We have not changed any rules for advertising since we started the site. It's never been about the money for this site. We do it because we love Malibu/Axis boats and boating in general. The Supporting members help greatly with the costs of the site bills. We probably leave a lot of money on the table with no advertising but we've always felt strongly that we should be a member suppported site and not a slave to advertisers. I'm sure Malibu would buy ads from us. From what I understand (I've never visited that site), you can see how that works over at the Mastercraft fan site. Try talking negative about Mastercraft or promote other brands over there and see what happens.

Any vendor is free to post a link in their Profile, no signatures are allowed though. 

You've been here long enough to recall the stereo wars where we tried to let several vendors express their ideas of their own products vs. a competitor's and it got real bad real quick. When one thinks their product is superior over the other and expresses that. The fighting starts. Then the vendor supported members get into it and it goes downhill from there. We aren't going to go their again.