free or decreased cost for website only

[Signal73]

Well my subscription is up and I dont think Im going to renew. I have lost interest in reading the magazine, and I read the site only on occasion. When I do stop on the site though, I always cruise the 12V section and try to help people with any questions they may have, and would like to continue to do so! So with the plethora of other great sites (that are free) out there, is there any chance of this happening with TDR? I must say that site traffic is wayyyyy down since I joined in 2005, most have moved on to competition diesel, which is now what TDR used to be when I joined.

I feel if the website became free it would be a much more active forum with increased traffic and would make it more like it used to be. Some say "it will keep the rif-raff off the site if its a pay site Blablabla" but if nobody is here to start with then whats the difference? maybe get some more moderators to handle any increased problems?

Feel free to voice your opinion on this I wont take it personally if you disagree.

 

[HBarlow]

... ... ... ... ... ..... Feel free to voice your opinion on this I wont take it personally if you disagree.

Well, you asked. Here's mine.

It may be true that some of the younger hotrod set have moved on to the free sites so they can brag (temporarily) about all the aftermarket black boxes they've added and all the theoretical or imagined horsepower their engines make before they self-destruct.

For an old guy like me, the TDR website is just as good as it ever was, maybe a little better for the absence of the teenagers and the hotrod nonsense followed shortly by the angry tirades against Chrysler, Dodge, STAR, or their dealer for refusing to honor their warranty after they grenaded their engine. I don't really care to read that crap.

In my opinion, the Turbo Diesel Register magazine gets better with every issue.

I'm afraid you're confusing the TDR with the new socialist government. You can't get it for free.

Do you really think Robert and Robin Patton who created the TDR and manage it at significant expense as their full-time careers should provide it to you for free? Have you given a thought to how much it must costs them to operate this website alone?

So long and best wishes to you. I hope you enjoy one of the free sites with all the bold claims, erroneous information, and nonsense. I consider $35 a year a bargain.

 

[ScottLewis]

Amen Harvey!



Dan

 

[Skydiver]

I only read the 12 valve and letters section.

For less than 10 cents a day I will hang around for a few more years or until the subscription increases.

I enjoy the web site more than the magazine and would consider dropping the magazine.

The Pattons do a great Job.

 

[TDRadmin]

Thank You For The Support

Thank you all for the support. It means a lot to us. We do try to maintain a magazine and a website that is well worth the $35 annual subscription.



We also understand that some users prefer digital format, so we have been working for the past year (or longer) to find an affordable digital tool to offer a digital version of the magazine, at a reduced cost. We are very close.



Regarding going free, there are serious costs to maintaining the website, and if we don't subsidize them with subscription revenue, we'll have to subsidize them with excessive advertising. And there is nothing more frustrating than trying to read a thread and having to slug through a string of google ads embedded in the thread.



You're right, Signal73, we have certainly been affected by the number of free websites out there, no doubt. But we don't want to be like all of the others. We're not about bigger. We're about providing quality information about the maintenance of our Dodge diesel trucks and creating a community that people will want to be a part of. I hope you reconsider your decision and stay. We appreciate our members providing information/support to other members. That is one of the great things about the website. But I also respect your decision, whatever you decide.



I hope we continue to see you around.



Robin

TDR Adminb

 

[WDaniels]

Robin,

This is a question I've been wanting to ask for a long time. I know Steve will reach out and kill me if you agree but here goes. Would it be possible to go through the archives and get a lot, most, all the posts for individual generational, topical eg. . engine and transmission etc... and put them on CD disks or DVD's and sell them? There is a plethora of information on the 94 to 98 12 valves lost, never to see the light of day in the archives. That information from the old timers is priceless and I am sure that it would be a great seller and income generator for the magazine.

WD

 

[TDRadmin]

Idea

I think it is a great idea and would be supportive, but I don't know of an affordable way to gather that data into an organized format. Any ideas? The cost of manually pulling it might be prohibitive, but I'm open to ideas.



Robin

TDR Admin

 

[dclassens]

I have been a member of TDR since 02 and in that time there were many many months that I did not own a diesel truck and still maintained a membership. I would be VERY disappointed if this went to a free site because of the non fact posts and shade tree mechanics posting stuff that was so far out into left field. I make a living as a professional technician and I often use my TDR knowledge to help provide for my family. TDR is as close to a facebook or myspace that I will ever be a part of. I think those social sites are lacking because here on TDR we have something in common(Cummins). I enjoy the magazine, and calendar. I enjoy the website and link to vendors for parts. I think $35 is very fair and I enjoy coming home and checking in here and seeing what is new.



Dave

 

[surfbeetle]

As much as I am sure that I could find something else to do with my $35. 00, I also realize that an hour's of labor at a shop is $80+ in my neck of the woods. So, for roughly 1/2 hour of labor, I have gained knowledge that has saved me thousands on labor because I can either do it myself or tell the mechanic exactly where to look to solve the issue. In my family, there are 90, 95, 99, 05 and 08 CTDs. TDR has helped diagnose issues in each and every one of the trucks.

 

[Andersonville]

Ditto what harvey said

 

[DCreed]

I with Jim on this. I feel I have out grown the site. I think it is a wonderful resource and I have enjoyed the relations and friends I have made here, but I think my truck is so far from stock at this stage that few on here could help me and it doesnt make much sense for me to pay to help other newbies. If a reduced membership were available to those who like Jim and I would like to stay and help but didnt need the magazine cost? I do know that without attracting new owners the site will eventually wither and die. I have already noticed a slowing of posts and activity since I first joined. I think the travel companion was a fantastic addition and I know has helped many folks out while roaming the countryside in their CTDs. Although I wont miss the political broken records on here, I am happy to know I will outlive them! LOL!

 

[TDRadmin]

So, What Would You Recommend?

For those who feel they have outgrown the magazine or feel their trucks have been modified that the magazine cannot really address their issues, offer me some constructive ideas about what you would like for us to offer. I will give them every consideration. Our goal is to provide an excellent technical resource with a solid community. Free would change that dynamic, so I do not see a TDR Membership being free. But ideas are welcome.



Robin

TDR Admin

 

[DCreed]

Robin- that is one of the reasons the TDR is one of the best CTD and diesel sites out there! You care!
I only feel I have outgrown this site as I am comfortable and confident to service and modify my CTD without researching here at this point as the info I now need really isnt within this member base. I doubt there are too many VP owners here who have modded their truck to the same extent I have, and I have no plans to stop there.
I would LOVE to see the search engine overhauled so searches can be made more effectively, as there is so much more info on this site than most can find easily.
Maybe for member with over 5yrs in they get a 50% discount or a reduced rate for those who like Jim and I Mostly only have limited use for the site but are still good resources for "greener" members. I have answered many 911 posts and sent a good volume of parts for free to TDR members over the years here (as others here have also done) and would like to continue to do so without shelling out the extra the whole kit-n-kaboodle that I really dont need or use.

 

[surfbeetle]

I also agree that the search engine should be more efficient. I can see how for some users things have become rather stagnant. So what some may be saying is that the TDR should somehow reinvent itself. One thing that I can say is that I don't think that magazine space should be wasted on printing threads that were posted on the website. I dont' want to see the same thing in the mag that I read a few months back online. I think that for each generation of truck, common issues and solutions to those issues should be discussed.



Also, I think that more products and vendors can be spotlighted. I have always appreciated TDR's non biased point of view as opposed to the normal monthly rags that are vendor influenced.



I think that there could be a TDR wish list post as a sticky at the top of the website for the mag and the website for members to offer up suggestions or constructive criticism so that Robin and crew can maintain and increase the interest of the intended audience.

 

[WDaniels]

Robin,

Is it possible to open the archives over a ceratin time period and then divide different forums of that opened period into... individuals, groups etc who pick out of that time period and submit those threads to be included into a cd. Or just take whole year periods and put them on cd's. I don't really know the limits of the forum program and what is doable. I just know that there is a tremendous amount of knowledge stored away that can't be accessed. I mean, people like Surfbeetle, DCreed, myself, and many many others could and would help on a project of this size if we could get into and look at the archived information without having to specify a specific search word string.

WD

 

[FFeiller]

as with probably most of the forum members here i belong to more than one forum, but unlike some here i donate to the other sites financially also. the amount of information available is priceless.

i personally have no interest in using illigal methods to incease hp, but fnd the opinions and info valuable.

i look to TDR for factual, constructive info.

I like being able to take the magazine with me to work for breaktime reading can't do that with the computer.



thanks for your sacrifices of time and resources as members, moderators, administrators, i greatly appreciate it.

 

[jmadison]

i have been a member for 13 years and for that time it has cost me $395. i have saved that much in one year on repairs that tdr articles have enlightened me. it its well money spent. i just bought a computer last year and been on the tdr web site a year. i have every issue from 1996 in a big storage bin. every once an while i go back and look at the old issues and how tdr has evolved into the best mag. is aviailable. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ROBIN AND STAFF!

 

[Moe]

TDR is a wonderfull site. Don't mess with it by making it free. 35 bucks is nothing these days. I've been here since 2000 and will keep on renewing till whenever! Moe

 

[Regcabguy]

Dime a glance.

Ditto what harvey said

X2 on Harvey's comments. I've learned so much on this site and the printed material gives me something to fall back on. I'm old and still prefer reading printed materials over a computer screen. For less than a dime a day,it's a bargain. Not that long ago Robin personally helped me score a part I needed. She's a gem!

 

[gbrinlee]

Been a member for quite a few years now. It does not take much to recoup the measly 35. 00 that we are charged for the access to the knowledge and also get a well put together magazine four times a year. Heck just knowing that if you really had an emergency with a truck that you can rely on a great group of individuals such as the TDR members makes it worth even more that the annual fee. I am not new to our trucks, however even the best of mechanics sometimes need someone not involved in the current problem to "point out the obvious" that is what the forums are great for. I will continue to support the TDR for as long as either it or I exsist. (I would maybe like to see a "lifetime member" offered. Maybe offer it for the price of 10 years of subscription or something of the sort).