SDN Members
First, on behalf of SDN, we like to thank you for your active involvement inthe SDN Communities. It is because of you and your involvement that our sites have grown.
But as you are well aware, in this recession, many companies are looking for ways to control their expenditure expenses. This includes reduction in advertisement dollars. Also, with ongoing recession, record unemployment, and high student-loan debt, donations from members to SDN have been down. At the same time, SDN faces growing pressure to contain its operating expenses
To help keep SDN operating, the staff and administrators of SDN, after discussion with involved members, have decided to implement a paywall (similar to NYTimes) where members can enjoy the full benefits that SDN have to offers with unlimited access. Non-subscribing members may still view up to 10 threads a month for free before having to subscribe. In addition, non-subscribing members will also have free access to the High School Forum. SDN Donors who do not have subscriptions may view up to 20 threads a month for free.
Subscription cost will be tiered so that everyone can enjoy the full benefits of SDN no matter their income level. For less than $0.50/day, you can read as many posts and threads as you want. That's only $15/month (charged annually,$180, plus sales tax where applicable). For less than $1/day, you can read as many posts as you want and have unlimited REPLY TO POST privileges. And for the golden option, for $2/day, you have unlimited access to all the forums andposts, unlimited reply to post privileges, and also access to Private Messaging and "Report Troll/Spam" features.
In addition, in the spirit of shared burden, and to reduce operating expenses, SDN will be laying off some moderator staff. The result of these layoffs will be minimal, with only a mild lag time in responding to trolls and spam. In addition, the administrators and senior moderators have agreed on paying higher premiums for their SDN sponsored health insurance. The SDN Pension Plan will now be converted to a 401(k) Plan, with 100% vested balance. These concessions will significantly decrease the operating expenses and will make SDN competitive in this global online environment.
Once again, we thank you for making SDN what it is. With these strategic shift, we can ensure not only the survival of SDN, but its continued greatness. Our members and our staff are our greatest assets.
