# Can only paying members view the forums please



## butterfly_wings (May 14, 2009)

Hi

Just a quick comment, I think the site would be better is only paying members could access and view the forums, I know some members have experienced people from outside LHCF stealing their photographs and passing them off as their own, also it would protect peoples foki’s as it would be harder to access the links.

Just a though, all the best J


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## brownelovely (May 14, 2009)

That's not a bad idea...I get a lot of valuable information from this forum so it would be fair for the paid members in the long run.


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## dlewis (May 14, 2009)

I agree.  I was just thinking to ask Bev if the Health forum could be private.


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## JustKiya (May 14, 2009)

I disagree. 

I think that this website is a very valuable source of information - information that should be as widely available as possible. Limiting it to just paid members - esp. the Hair Board - seems to *me*, to be against what LHCF is all about. 

I would agree about making all of the other forums private/paid members only - like Off-Topic is. 

Anytime you put *anything* on the internet, it is liable to be used for reasons that were not originally intended by the owner. Period, bottom line. If you are that concerned about your privacy/pictures, lock them down, or don't post them, at all. That's a choice many ladies have made. Others have opted to present their pictures, and they also run the risk that those pictures might be 'stolen'.  It's a part of the internet.


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## butterfly_wings (May 14, 2009)

I think all of the forums should be private, I don't really think it is fair for not paying members to get tips from our comments as paying members, I don't mind sharing but I think they should contribute too!


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## areneeh (May 14, 2009)

Hello Ladies.  I am a paying member of LHCF, but just to add to the discussion, I would not have joined if I was not able to view the forums.  Just a thought!


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## LaidBak (May 14, 2009)

If you do that then no one new would ever come across the site and join--like I did.  And wouldn't the site lose advertising revenue?


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## Sasha08 (May 14, 2009)

I agree also.  I have a friend that is a member on this board and she told me different things about the site. It wasn't until I begin "lurking" that I made the decision to sign up.  I do think pics should be made private only for paying members but other valuable tips I really appreciated being able to see ahead of time.


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## LaidBak (May 14, 2009)

Sasha08 said:


> I agree also. I have a friend that is a member on this board and she told me different things about the site. It wasn't until I begin "lurking" that I made the decision to sign up. *I do think pics should be made private* only for paying members but other valuable tips I really appreciated being able to see ahead of time.


 
That would be the perfect solution.  If its possible. But then again, just because a person pays the $6.50 it doesn't mean they won't steal a photo.


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## butterfly_wings (May 14, 2009)

Also what about this discount codes for the Pibbs etc that are meant for members but are open to everyone?


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## LadieCrn (May 14, 2009)

The hair and makeup forum should remain open to the public but all others should be available only to paying members. I also agree that I would not have joined had I not been able to lurk first. However the only forum I lurked was the hair forum.


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## 757diva (May 14, 2009)

I lurked for about 3 months before I signed up but I only lurked the hair section.  The pictures on the site should just be limited to paying members or have an automatic picture blocker for non paying members.


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## clever (May 14, 2009)

I agree.most of the forums I joined give you a certain amount of posts you can view before you have to join.Some of them block pictures until you join.


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## lilmsjanet (May 14, 2009)

i agree with you 100 %


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## BrooklynSouth (May 14, 2009)

*PAID ONLY. The archived posts were what brought me here. The archived without photos area should continue to be a free for all area. *


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## KEWLKAT103 (May 14, 2009)

areneeh said:


> Hello Ladies. I am a paying member of LHCF, but just to add to the discussion, I would not have joined if I was not able to view the forums. Just a thought!


 
*ITA. *
*I would not have joined if I hadn't had a preview of what I was paying for first.*


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## takincareofme (May 14, 2009)

I don't agree with the paid only suggestion. In fact it reminds me of the many times I have been reluctant to ask many women their haircare principles since many like to keep them secret. Even my own stylists, and I paid them too.

A teenager should't be able to know how to care for her hair on her own simply because she doesn't have a credit card??? I just think if more ppl were willing to share info there would be more ppl with beautiful hair not just the hair "elite." I think of lhcf as a research library.


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## trenise (May 15, 2009)

I like it the way it is. Before I joined, there were things I wanted to see, but did not get access to. That kept things somewhat private until I fully joined the LHCF sisterhood. Also, knowing about the hair forum and the help I could get there is what brought me on in.


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## Allandra (May 15, 2009)

KEWLKAT103 said:


> *ITA. *
> *I would not have joined if I hadn't had a preview of what I was paying for first.*


This is why we get new members here.    Everyone likes a glimpse of what they're gonna get.


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## HAIRapy (May 15, 2009)

I think the only forum that should be public to non-paying people is the hair forum because that's the title of the site. As for the rest of the forums, I don't think they should be open to the public. I think the public should get general teasers to let them know what other forums are available for paying members, but not full access ro read them. I also don't think the member's blogs should be open to public view.


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## ebonylocs (May 15, 2009)

New membership of LHCF would drop significantly if that were the case. I can't see people paying (even if it's just $6.50) and not knowing what they are going to get.

I think certain limitations are appropriate, e.g. 
-Only hair forums visible to non-paying public (no blogs, OT forums, etc),
-after having viewed a certain number of posts / threads (say 50), not able to view anymore without paying
-only able to view certain number of pictures (don't think pictures should be blocked completely because I think they are very important in conveying what the site is about and what people achieve on it.)


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## Blessed_Angel (May 16, 2009)

LadieCrn said:


> The hair and makeup forum should remain open to the public but all others should be available only to paying members. I also agree that I would not have joined had I not been able to lurk first. However the only forum I lurked was the hair forum.


 
I agree...I only lurked the hair forum before I joined as well.


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## Hotmommak (May 16, 2009)

I agree that the hair forum should remain public, or at least partially public.  I lured the hair forum for a couple of hours...or maybe a day!  I totally fell in love!  Now, had I come across this site, and been unable to see ANYTHING, I definitely would have eased on down the internet superhighway (and missed out on all of this valuable information, and all these great ladies)!


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## Lovelylocs (May 17, 2009)

Why not give them a "teaser" of the hair forum too. They can get a three month trial membership. After that, they can pay. Otherwise, I may as well end my subscription after this year since I mostly view the hairboard these days if at all. LSA has more pics than the entertainment section here. The other boards you can get elsewhere.


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## Kacie (May 17, 2009)

Maybe there should be an "INTRO" forum that has some of the important stickies such as the Newbie Guide.  That way the non-payers can have the basic hair care info for free and have an incentive to pay for more.

ETA: I agree with others that the Health Forum should be private also.  Other than that, I don't see any real problems with the way that things are now.  In fact, I think it's a tad bit selfish to desire padlocks once you have found the info. (Not directed at OP)


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## sleepflower (May 17, 2009)

I like it the way it is. I would turn have turned around and left if I had to pay $6.50 to see the hair info. I found this site looking for reviews for a product, and I can find that free elsewhere. It was not until I saw the sheer amount of information here that I decided to sign up, and not until I got too curious about what I was missing that I decided to pay. I am willing to bet that a lot of people come here now under the same pretenses. Just because _we_ know all that is available here is not good enough. You can count on a lot less interaction and new information by making everything paid only, not to mention that it will cut into the open feel of the community.

Limiting how many posts one can see for free would be frustrating, too. For example, looking up "deep conditioner" would bring up way more than 50 posts, and from my experience, one has to keep searching and keep searching to find really great information about deep conditioners--not to mention reading through all the conversations having nothing really to do with the topic at hand. I would assume this place has very little information if I had 50 posts a day to choose from.

As for the stolen pics and coupons and all that, well. Sorry. It is the Internet. Anything you say and anything you upload runs the risk of being stolen and used by someone else. If not by coming here, then by using search engines and archive sites. It is not up to the admins of this site--or any site, for that matter--to 'protect' us from that. It is up to you to decide whether you want to take that chance. You can watermark your pics and put them on a private server where you can better control access to them. Whatever methods are put in place will not do much, in the long run. How do you know people stealing pics are not paying members, first of all? How do you know paying members are not telling their friends and family about 'members only' discount codes, or putting them on blogs none of us know about?


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## topsyturvy86 (May 18, 2009)

HAIRapy said:


> I think the only forum that should be public to non-paying people is the hair forum because that's the title of the site. As for the rest of the forums, I don't think they should be open to the public. I think the public should get general teasers to let them know what other forums are available for paying members, but not full access ro read them. *I also don't think the member's blogs should be open to public view*.


 
I keep hearing this but when I sign out and try to view the blogs, I can't. I can see that they're there on the right side but when I click, I can't read them. Maybe it's because i'm not in the states, I don't know. But from my experience, they're not public.


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## Sunrise (May 18, 2009)

topsyturvy86 said:


> I keep hearing this but when I sign out and try to view the blogs, I can't. I can see that they're there on the right side but *when I click, I can't read them*. Maybe it's because i'm not in the states, I don't know. But from my experience, they're not public.




When you create a blog, you can choose who can read it: everyone (public) or, friends.  

Just befriend a person if you want to read their blog.  It up to them who to give access.


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## BlondeByDesire (May 18, 2009)

I agree too ...


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## topsyturvy86 (May 18, 2009)

Sunrise said:


> When you create a blog, you can choose who can read it: everyone (public) or, friends.
> 
> Just befriend a person if you want to read their blog. It up to them who to give access.


 
No, I meant when I sign out/not logged in, I can't read them but when i'm logged in, I can.


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## HAIRapy (May 18, 2009)

topsyturvy86 said:


> I keep hearing this but when I sign out and try to view the blogs, I can't. I can see that they're there on the right side but when I click, I can't read them. Maybe it's because i'm not in the states, I don't know. But from my experience, they're not public.


 You're right, they aren't open to non-member view anymore. I just tried it and it asked for my user name and passcode. They used to be- maybe that has changed. That's a good thing.


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## LilHoneyLok (May 18, 2009)

Getting off my lurker steez for a minute  I felt like there was no better time to kick off my official first post than now. I originally came across this board almost 2 years skeptical like pfft what could I possibly learn here? erplexed But after looking around I realized how little I did know and found the strength to accept myself and go natural.I learned how to transition and take better care of myself (mind body and hair) and I would not be at the place I am now had I not been able to lurk  I agree that some things should be reserved for paying customers but leaving things like the hair forum helps with those like me who stumble on this site out of curiosity/ no where else to turn. I continue to be surprised at how accepting and open minded people are to one another here and that played a major factor with my decision to go natural--I felt like I have finally found a place where I was not alone with my struggles. I would like to add that for some lurkers they may be underage and for one reason or another cannot subscribe to the boards, the way the forum is laid out it allows them to obtain that information so they can avoid some of the mistakes that many of us have expierenced at an earlier time.


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## *KP* (May 18, 2009)

A non-paying member can only read anyway, they can't post or search even on the public boards.  Most people do want to post and ask a question eventually so will have to sign up.  It isn't a big deal to me, I am just careful not to post anything I wouldn't want in the public to see.


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## HAIRapy (May 18, 2009)

*KP* said:


> A non-paying member can only read anyway, they can't post or search even on the public boards. Most people do want to post and ask a question eventually so will have to sign up. It isn't a big deal to me, I am just careful not to post anything I wouldn't want in the public to see.


 I talk so darn much I only joined because I wanted to join in on the convo in the hair section.


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## against all odds (May 18, 2009)

How does this prevent paying lurkers from stealing photographs? erplexed

There are far more paying lurkers than regular posters.


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## SVT (May 18, 2009)

against all odds said:


> How does this prevent paying lurkers from stealing photographs? erplexed
> 
> There are far more paying lurkers than regular posters.



Attaching pics rather than linking them may help. Only members can view attached pics but it's annoying IMO, to have to click on the attachment to see it.


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## AdoreMsK67 (May 18, 2009)

I too found this site just by googling a while back, if the forums were not there for me to even read, I probably woudn't have joined. With that said, I belong to another site for support of a health issue I deal with and it looks very simular to this one..the one feature that they do have is if your not a member you can not click on the links or images..maybe that would be the way to go. Here is what it looks like.

so instead of seeing a picture or link it says this.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


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## vkb247 (May 18, 2009)

I agree that pics and links should be blocked.



HAIRapy said:


> You're right, they aren't open to non-member view anymore. I just tried it and it asked for my user name and passcode. They used to be- maybe that has changed. That's a good thing.


 
You don't have to be a paying member to have a username and password though.                         



SVT said:


> Attaching pics rather than linking them may help. Only members can view attached pics but it's annoying IMO, to have to click on the attachment to see it.


 
You can attach and image and then embed it....but most people don't do the second step.


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## Kayanna1212 (May 24, 2009)

Noooooooooooooooo!
I TOTTALY DISAGREEE!!
thats like soo not worthy i don't think it would be worth it.
Sure it has lots of great advice but you know some girls dont have 6.50$ to spare on a  hair board.
I dont think its fair.
I dont think you would of liked it while you were lurking saying in big bolded red letters saying "SORRY YOU MUST PAY 6.50$ TO VIEW THIS POST/THREAD PLEASE EXIT OR PAY TO VIEW THIS THREAD"


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## SEMO (May 28, 2009)

against all odds said:


> How does this prevent paying lurkers from stealing photographs? erplexed
> 
> *There are far more paying lurkers than regular posters.*



I lurked for a few months before I joined, but eventually got tired of just hoping someone would ask the question I wanted an answer to.  I also go tired of seeing fotkis I wanted to visit but the password was in the profile.  So I joined to be able to join in the conversations with everyone and get full member benefits.  But I don't begrudge someone who doesn't want to pay but still wants free hair info.

But sometimes I forget that there are a ton of paying members that _still _only lurk.  I can understand lurking and not posting when you can't, because you're not a paid member, but it makes less sense to me why someone would pay to join the site but not want to post.  Even if they are shy, or don't like to put themselves all out on the internet, at _some_ point I would think they would have something to contribute or say (even if it's in the non-hair forums).

I honestly find it weirder to having paying lurkers than non-paying lurkers.


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## LadyEuphoria007 (May 28, 2009)

I like the site how it is at the moment.  I would not have paid had I not been able to see what I was getting either. 

Making a mandatory post count would only cause folks to spam threads to get full access to the site.  

I know some of the ladies have been here since the beginning but think of all the others that came here looking for help... like me.  I came here from another site when my Natural Hair Idol just up and left and said she was coming here.  I joined after 3 months of lurking.  

I disagree with the protection for the photo thief as well because you never know who is doing it.  If you don't want the pics stolen then don't post it or post hair only photos. 

Thanks!


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## firecracker (May 28, 2009)

They gotta lure the folks into paying the fee by giving em a lil taste, then BAM break yo self with that $6.50 fool.  I think the $6.50 make some of these folks break out with boxing gloves just because.


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## Curlee_lurker (Jun 3, 2009)

Hmm I don't think an annual cost of $6.50 would stop someone that was determined to steal photos.

People should be more careful with what they post here anyhow.  The poster above me seems crazier than a june bug and she's a paying member so I don't get what the difference is.

Firecracker:


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## MeccaMedinah (Jun 3, 2009)

firecracker said:


> They gotta lure the folks into paying the fee by giving em a lil taste, then BAM break yo self with that $6.50 fool.  I think the $6.50 make some of these folks break out with boxing gloves just because.



Exactly. We've been members since the site was free and had very little forums other than the 'Hair' section. 
I wouldn't have joined, contributed & then eventually paid if I had not been able to view the pictures of all of the beautiful natural heads. The pictures helped me realize the potential of Black hair and only then did I join.


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