Awhile ago there was some talk of whether people would donate money or not to support TN. I don't know if anything happened because of this conversation, but I figured that since I'm posting here anyway I'd give some input:

1. If there already isn't a donate button via paypal, perhaps it's time to install one. You shouldn't have to be a member to donate. There are lots of people who come here to read content and don't bother posting on the boards. Those people should be able to give for the services too. As this is free even one person donating is money that TN doesn't have.

2. A flat fee (small) for changing your username. Right now you have to abandon your old account if you wish to make a new user name or beg the mods on hands and knees. Although this would create more work for the admins it would also create some revenue.

3. A flat fee (larger) to have a custom icon if you do not have the requisite number of posts. Being able to pay for an icon would stop users from posting nonsense in order to eventually "earn" one. Therefore this would also reduce spam.

4. Another flat fee, perhaps renewable by year, that allows a user to store extra user icons somewhere on TN's server.

If you do not believe that people would actually pay for these services consider a few things:

1. People already pay to change usernames, have icons, and have extra icons on other sites, mainly blogging ones.

2. Even though many members are young, they have enough money to buy park season passes and even multiple season passes. $5 or $10 is not going to kill them.

3. Since paypal is free to set up, even a few users purchasing upgrades to their accounts would be revenue the site doesn't have.

Revenue could be used toward a new server or even getting rid of some ads. Both of these would benefit the users.

Does anybody else have other ideas?

I like the ideas and i would have no problem donating to TN. I'm all for it.

__________________

2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
Go Panthers! 4-6: Week 12 @ New York Jets

#6 North Carolina Tarheels 4-1

Why I do have a job and some cash, I would not pay for an avatar. That's just rediculous. I'd just go without one. And no real need to change my name. It'll cause confusion anyway.

I don't know how PayPal works, but I don't have a credit card to buy things on the internet, even if I wanted to buy useless things like an avatar.

You would not have to pay for an Avatar cause you have the required post count and have been here the limited time.

__________________

2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
Go Panthers! 4-6: Week 12 @ New York Jets

#6 North Carolina Tarheels 4-1

See: http://www.livejournal.com/pay/ as an example.
Some people apparently do pay for these things though I've never been one of them. If the setup of the idea is essentially free and only costs time, then it doesn't actually matter particularly that one user or another would never do it and thinks it's dumb, as long as you don't flame users who do it somebody would eventually. It's becomming a common way for some sites to raise cash since blogging sites started it.

^ Actually, the only time you have to pay is if you don't know anybody that will give you a code. As time goes on and the longer your a member, you generate codes you can give to friends to start their own. I've probably had 3 of those livejournal things and never had to pay a dime because I know people that have them.