What is so upsetting is YUKU was always toted as free. I did a quick search on EZ Board as a topic and came up multiple references to this issue and never, not once was it mentioned that member dues were being spent to support Yuku, all the while arguing that V Bulletin cost money.

What is the point of trying to be objective when a simple fact as to the difference between free and $160.00 per year get confused by "management"?

That is worse then the chance that there is a WWF ad likely to appear in this post, but not by much.

So you ask the differences...

First I am using a text editor to retain a copy of my post, because of the way yuku works there is a good chance I'll loose the post before posting especially if my login times out while the agents were refreshing. (agents = bullshit compute code). I lost a couple of good trip reports with pictures that way.

VB cost a few hundred dollars to purchase and install, money that people such as me have offered to raise for the club. VB then costs $30 a year if you want upgrades and support. Some folks never upgrade. Plus you can lease VB for $85 a year which is almost half of what we pay YUKU.
VB is easier to use and has an installed base in the motorcycle community of over 250,000 riders. I bet about 250 riders use Yuku. Those 250 have no idea what they are missing. The fact that they are here is proof enough that they are wiling to do something new (like the web). Why stop at forum 100 when we could provide so much more.

When I post on VB I retain copyright and grant it to the site owner which would be the Yankee Beemers, just like I submitted it Victor for the Boxer Shorts. When I post here Yuku retains the right to republish what I posted in their promotional materials but what is so horribly offensive is that someday there may be an advertisement for Dog knows what next to something I wrote unless the YB's keep paying. FOREVER.

You think I want a picture of me and one of my kids doing a can toss only to come back and see an ad for bud light in the same post? Screw that. My Iron Butt stories could all be hosted here which quite honestly is where I would like them but because of the difficulty of the service and ridicule I would get for posting on a site like this I use Adv Rider. I would never ever link to something here. Anyone with a clue to marketing would understand that isn't good unless we just don't want to build community and invite new folks to join.

Every single time I pointed out these issues and the benefits I thought the membership and the club would receive I was told to STFU, the EZ board / Yuku service is free. Being a good Yankee and understanding the benefits of trading a little user inconvenience for a free service I would give it a big whatever and then post my trip reports and stuff somewhere else. The problem is that when people start doing this they eventually stop participating, on line and at breakfast.

Here is a quote from a thread from April 11, 2007 on the MOA Forum. The author is Gail Hatch who is now on the MOA Board.: (emphasis mine)

"I applaud Greg's idea. I'm somewhat of an introvert myself and definitely look to others for ideas in this area.

One area that I do know well is how valuable a successful forum is in getting to know the members of your club. My best riding friends are Rounders (not a chartered BMW club) because the Rounders have a robust, well managed forum. People can get to know each through the exchange of ride stories, mechanical advice, tire kicking as well as in person gatherings. I wish the Yankee Beemer's had as robust a forum, it would help people link up with like minded riders.
I am in favor of offering local clubs the MOA umbrella if they need it
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Gail Hatch
SheRidesABeemer's Blog
03 K12GT
87 K75CT

So tell me. What makes Yuku worth paying more for.

What else are we getting for "free".

kathyh99 wrote:

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Oh, and one more thing Rob, if you look at the contributions over the years, it's obvious that some members of the YB decided to contribute, all on their own. That wasn't a YB club decision. Perhaps it was important to them not to have ads, however that really doesn't mean that Yuku isn't free. Yuku is just like any other "free" message board. If we choose not to pay the price, that's certainly our choice. No one is forcing us to pay, however, a free board means you get ads. No one lied, this board IS free, we can continue with a free site and have ads.


Kathy Harmacek

Contributors to Yuku on behalf of this forum: