The Auswine Forum

Well done people and thanks Gavin!

Cheers

Carl

Yeh. Many thanks Gavin. Without your site we'd have to slum it with those Francophiles with too much money.

Carl

Chuck wrote:Yeh. Many thanks Gavin. Without your site we'd have to slum it with those Francophiles with too much money.

Carl

There is another alternative, but you would have to pay for the privilege, against the religion of many wine people apparently.

Yeah, but some of us like white wine! Only one red bigot on this forum, not hundreds!

Cheers Gavin, great site, much appreciated. Going to order a few wines from you this week, I suggest others do the same!

Sorry red bigot but maintaining a subscription in your site is like a banned gambler walking through Crown Casino. It's not the $40 price tag that is damaging but all the marvalous bargains I would be exposed to. You get the picture?? My marriage can't afford all those extra purchases at the moment.

TiggerK wrote::mrgreen: Yeah, but some of us like white wine! Only one red bigot on this forum, not hundreds!

Cheers Gavin, great site, much appreciated. Going to order a few wines from you this week, I suggest others do the same!

There's the Wh!te Wine Back Alley on Brian's site. I guess he got tired of all the disguised references on the other theme threads.

wiggum wrote:Sorry red bigot but maintaining a subscription in your site is like a banned gambler walking through Crown Casino. It's not the $40 price tag that is damaging but all the marvalous bargains I would be exposed to. You get the picture?? My marriage can't afford all those extra purchases at the moment.

I'm an inaugural member of Brian's site, subscription cost fixed at the original level but I do know what you mean wiggum.

Red Bigot wrote:

Chuck wrote:Yeh. Many thanks Gavin. Without your site we'd have to slum it with those Francophiles with too much money.

Carl

There is another alternative, but you would have to pay for the privilege, against the religion of many wine people apparently.

Hmmm

$40.00 per year

...

per forum member.

Interesting, now, where is that calculator ???

.

Current subscription price is $36 (not $40), there are 48 free ongoing memberships to friends, industry people etc, 126 foundation members still on $12/year, many others on $18 and $24, the total income (before expenses) still comes in under the ATO hobby income guidelines, it's not a business.

Despite the small number of members the forum has about 1200 posts per month, about the same as here or maybe more.

Gavin, I'm not running a business in competition with you, I'm not trying to steal your members, there are some who post in both (or all 3) forums, most people here don't see any value in paying $36/year, last time I posted here about my Forum there was one new member that may have come from that.

Seems to me you're touting for customers Brian. Otherwise you wouldn't have made the 2nd post. Your argument in the last paragraph is poorly argued. You are in competition as you recommend other wine retailers. I suggest removing your 2nd post all together and keep with the first. Gavin's being very gracious IMO.

OK. Swing away.

Carl

Chuck wrote:Seems to me you're touting for customers Brian. Otherwise you wouldn't have made the 2nd post. Your argument in the last paragraph is poorly argued. You are in competition as you recommend other wine retailers. I suggest removing your 2nd post all together and keep with the first. Gavin's being very gracious IMO.

OK. Swing away.

Carl

Carl, you can think what you like. You have a different definition of competition to the one I understand. Next you'll be wanting to ban mention of google or wine-searcher.

I have a limit on the number of members due to the hobby income guidelines, if membership reaches that limit I will close it off until enough do not renew. It's been very close to that limit a few times, but enough people drop off at renewal time to keep it below the limit. I don't need any more subscribers, new members finding the site replace some/most of those that move on, it's pretty much a small niche that is fairly static in numbers and that's the way it will stay until I decide to shut it down or pass it on to someone else who may want to do different things with it.
It's not a competition here, there is room for three forums that cater for mostly different but slightly overlapping audiences, one of which isn't restricted by association with an e-tailer. I charge a subscription (less than the price of one cup of coffee per month, $1 a month for original members) to keep away freeloaders who think that everything on the internet should be free. I think paying for some good wine and a few gadgets/toys is fair recompense for the considerable amount of time I put into it.

I think Gavin had a free membership at one time, but he never visited for a long time and I deleted it, I'm happy to offer it again, a few of the other independent e-tailers are members.

Obviously it's his site and he's free to delete messages that go against his guidelines. I would not have posted the second comment, but Gavin's "calculator" comment seemed to require clarification of the facts and reiteration that this is a retirement hobby for me, not a business. (Or perhaps he was just getting ideas about charging you guys? )

Sorry, I think I need to say something here...

Chuck, I agree, RB's posts in this thread does smell like a canned meat product.
However, RB has been a great contributor to this forum for many, many years. We are all allowed mistakes or bad choices (we're only human), and I feel Gavin is allowing this for this reason.

BTW, RB, I strongly believe amateur sites on the Internet SHOULD be free. It is a separate issue if you are a business, which you steadfastly claim you're not...

My 3.5 cents...

monghead

Sorry, I think I need to say something here...

Chuck, I agree, RB's posts in this thread does smell like a canned meat product.
However, RB has been a great contributor to this forum for many, many years. We are all allowed mistakes or bad choices (we're only human), and I feel Gavin in allowing this for this reason.

BTW, RB, I strongly believe amateur sites on the Internet SHOULD be free. It is a separate issue if you are a business, which you steadfastly claim you're not...

My 3.5 cents...

monghead

Have to agree. It has been very quiet, gentlemanly and sedate around here since RB and TORB stopped "stirring the pot" here (I can't say I always saw things eye to eye with either).

Fact of the matter is he has been a great contributor to the forum and perhaps as such he is "entitled" to sail a bit close to the wind at times. Of course this is always at Gavins judgement for all of us. Gav is a forgiving man which has proabably allowed me to last here so long!

Peace, Love and Flowers

Ah Craig, there I was hoping to "get the band together" for another stoush or two.

Re "amateur sites should be free", I obviously don't agree wholeheartedly with that and it's those people I am successfully keeping away. I much prefer a small and interested/participating membership than a thousand or more of which maybe 10% or less contribute.

BTW, no new members from this current "spam campaign" and I didn't/don't expect any. But being unable to discuss the existence/operation of an alternative forum is a sign of major insecurity or super-sensitivity that I like to test occasionally. Seems nothing has changed.

Bye for now.

Guys,

Good to see such a well balanced discussion. Arguments between fellow forumites, like between good friends, can be enlightening and stimulating. I can see both sides of the argument and appreciate Gavin's silence. A true gentleman.

Now the most important issue is - Where is TORB? I do miss his special way with words.

Carl

Chuck wrote:Guys,

Now the most important issue is - Where is TORB? I do miss his special way with words.

Carl

TORB has retired from wine-writing in any form, he's into wood-working and cabinet-making in a big way as a retirement activity.

Red Bigot wrote:

Chuck wrote:Guys,

Now the most important issue is - Where is TORB? I do miss his special way with words.

Carl

TORB has retired from wine-writing in any form, he's into wood-working and cabinet-making in a big way as a retirement activity.

Please pass my best regards to Ric when next you're in contact with him Brian. I hope he still enjoys a glass of good red in at least the company of his much-loved pets after a day in the workshop. I miss the tour diaries, the pie king, the coffee critiques, those real, natural stories.

Cheers

daz

Red Bigot wrote:

Chuck wrote:Guys,

Now the most important issue is - Where is TORB? I do miss his special way with words.

Carl

TORB has retired from wine-writing in any form, he's into wood-working and cabinet-making in a big way as a retirement activity.

Yes, please pass my best wishes onto him as well. His humour helped light up the forums and his presence was missed, but if he's happily immersed in his carpentry then that is great news.