The most things should be acknowledgeable:

Planning planet (pp.) is an active, especial website because of the transparency of each member of it, no boundaries between each other’s, visiting the PP site become my daily basis.

When PP membership will be paid subscription fees, I think some of the specialty of that will be missed in somehow, the freedom in adding any input will be adjusted and most likely purity of relationship between corporative members will be lost.

There are other suggestion can be a much helpful to apply subscriptions fees and it is making a sense:

adding an optional service depends on the member selection of having some of it, hereinafter there are some:

1. Providing specific and recommended books based on valuable advice from specialists in pp. crew to pp. member or even tutorials materials.
2. Providing a seeking help to find job.
3. Helping in way of build up a professional CV, s.
4. Providing structured advices based on member demands.
5. Organizing events overall the world with a professional team of pp such as seminars, trainings, workshop …etc.

All above proposed services it will be welcomed if it is being payable, but expect of that will not be recommended at all specifically in this times since PP. achieving a big onward steps.

 

Thanks 

Mai

Agreed, I dont think we should charge. This will stiffle the debate and put people off from joining.

There are many vendors out there, software, training, etc who could know doubt be persuaded if it is ever necessary to get money to maintain the web space, etc. Planning Planet as a voluntary unpaid for professional forum promoting activer debate among interested planners is an ideal forum. By being free we deliver a service that I have not come across with any professional body. To us Planning is the key integrating business of Project Mgt. This website enables the Planners of the world to unite, meet and debate.

Keep up the good work.
Guy

Sorry for misleading. I means subscription will make the website quiet.

No subscription !! It make the wesite be a quiet place.

Agree on selected Sponsorship and advertsing. Banner at the top? Together with separate pages on brief and allow search from home page.

You are asking two separate questions:

1. Should PP membership be a paid subscription?
2. Should PP membership be categorized according to experience?

My responses:

1. I am sure at some point the bandwidth from the PP site will require James to seek some monetary compensation to assist with the costs of running the site. Whether it be on-site advertising or user subscription fees. As I understand it, PP is very sensitive to allowing people to participate (anonymously - "forum guest") who have (company or national) political or other concerns that would prevent them from becoming a member. Requiring paid subscriptions would curtail access for these individuals. It might also discourage participation from company employees who cannot get their company to pay for the subscription. It could lead to PP being used only by consultants and vendors. I do not think this would be in the best long term interests of the PP.
2. There is no way that the PP team can audit the experience of every potential member world-wide. Currently there is a system in place based upon the honor system whereby members can identify their base of expertise. I think it works well and most members appear to have been very honest/modest in answering that survey. Members who post in the forums provide the additional "evidence" of their expertise (or lack thereof) for all to see. That said, I would not mind seeing a system similar to the one employed by Eng-Tips.com where members can vote forum posts as useful or "expert information" and some ratings can be derived to credit members who contribute useful posts.

Bernard Ertl
InterPlan Systems Inc. - Project Management Software, Project Planning Software