• We’re easing into the Plus Membership benefits

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    #1916979

    Several of you have written to tell me that you can’t download Susan Bradley’s Master Patch List. There’s a reason for that. We’re gradually enforcing
    [See the full post at: We’re easing into the Plus Membership benefits]

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    • #1917020

      Thanks Woody.

      Is there, or could there be please, a way of showing within our profile when we last made a donation? I appreciate I can go back through credit card statements (if it’s clearly named), but I don’t want to miss annual renewals and let it lapse to the point where my status changes, so it would be handy to get a prompt within the profile whenever the anniversary has come round and another donation is due.

      9 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1917029

      While I completely understand about the newsletter being premium content and would understand it being fully for actual paying members, locking the MPL this way seems to me to take away a core part of the site is about from regular (in the sense of common, not necessarily regularly returning, though of course that as well) visitors. And for that matter, the first bad move there was moving it to a downloadable file instead of a regular page…

      — Cavalary

      8 users thanked author for this post.
      • #1917390

        I agree, particularly on the change of format to a downloadable file. I would prefer to have access to the MPL also in the old way, through a regular Web page, because the file now needs downloading before it can be read comfortably, as the writing appears in tiny letters if one tries to read it directly, without downloading it. I believe that it should be possible to convert the PDF or Excel file to html. If so, that will be something both helpful and worth doing, in my opinion.

        Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

        MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
        Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
        macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

        4 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1917065

      Woody, I really don’t think that restricting access to the Master Patch List is a good idea.  The only way that would make sense would be if the entire site here was restricted to Plus Membership users (not that I’m suggesting that).  As long as the site — and these discussion forums — are open to one and all, then limiting who can access the MPL is just going to cause confusion and needless question-and-answer threads.  For example,

      Hey, does anybody know if KBxxxxxxx is safe to install yet?  How many updates were released last month for Win 8/8.1?  What’s the latest security-only update for Win 7 this month?  Does anyone know why some folks here are saying to hold off on installing KBxxxxxxx for Office 2016?  How many security-only patches were released for Office 2013 last month, and are they all considered OK to install now?  etc.  etc.

      You get the idea.  These forums are going to be flooded with questions like my examples above.  And all for no reason.  They are all questions that are answered by looking thru Susan’s Master Patch List.  Clogging up the forums with needless Q&A threads like that just doesn’t seem practical or productive.  I wish you would really reconsider that plan.

      8 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1917123

      Hi everyone,

      I completely understand that AskWoody needs to be able to pay its bills. Signing up and donating to AskWoody isn’t rocket science. For me, it was money well spent. I hope that everyone, after browsing the forum categories, after seeing what knowledge is available, and also seeing how others take the time help others, would consider it to be a no-brainer to sign up and donate to the continuing existence of AskWoody.

      Oh, and what else is now GONE from the forum? Advertising! If you want to see how incredibly disrupting and intrusive inline advertising on a website can be, simply visit space.com for a really bad taste for how the AskWoody forum could readily choose to pay its bills. So ask yourself, is it worth having an incredibly useful and helpful forum which you can enjoy, and in which you are not inundated by advertising? I certainly hope so.

      Sign up. Make a donation and earn Premium Membership. You will get a Badge next to your avatar which shows that you are a Premium Member and that you do care about this extremely helpful forum. Your Badge shows everyone that you are not dirt cheap!

      Susan spends a lot of time creating and vetting her Master Patch Lists. She and others also spend a lot of time researching and writing their very informative Newsletter articles. So yeah, I think that Susan’s Master Patch List should be available only to the forum’s Plus members, given that Woody has killed all forum third party advertising.

      This forum will be useless to everyone if it does not survive. I hope that everyone thinks of this forum as a history book which is continuously being written, such that it is an ongoing and living and valuable archive of information which continues to help all of us. I hope that everyone who posts useful information or posts helpful information for others, will realize that they do become a part of this forum’s living history which, collectively, all of us are writing.

      In summary, I have two very simple questions for everyone who is not a Plus member. If this forum is really useful to you, would you like this forum to survive? If you want this forum to survive, are you willing to help this forum survive in whatever modest way that you can and which is within your means?

      Woody created AskWoody to help others. I pray that all of us will Pay It Forward by financially supporting this forum and Woody’s vision.

      Best regards,

      –GTP

       

      Total of 31 users thanked author for this post. Here are last 20 listed.
      • #1917673

        Oh, and what else is now GONE from the forum? Advertising! If you want to see how incredibly disrupting and intrusive inline advertising on a website can be, simply visit space.com for a really bad taste for how the AskWoody forum could readily choose to pay its bills. So ask yourself, is it worth having an incredibly useful and helpful forum which you can enjoy, and in which you are not inundated by advertising? I certainly hope so.

        I didn’t mind the ads here at all. They were actually USEFUL and I hate ads usually and block them (with a few exceptions) since I got my first computer in 1999 (back then blocked with the Proxomitron). I made a point here though to exclude this site from ad blockers I have for various browsers (Proxo made it all the way through Windows XP but when I got Windows 8, I had to find other blockers). Plus, I did the Amazon thing here also but I avoid shopping on the internet as delivery is frequently torture here on the Big Island so I doubt my doing that helped this site much at all…but I tried and I did click on the ads every time I came here.

        Sites like space.com (which I had never heard of until now) I would never visit after the first visit where the site tells me to turn off my ad blocker as it just did on my default browser Basilisk. Well, actually, if I really wanted to visit that site, I would simply visit it on a browser that doesn’t need an ad blocker but ads are always blocked. I just went there on that browser and could see the whole site with no ads. We are in the middle of a major turning point for the internet and I’m not going to help turn the net into paywalled sites as representative of the vast majority of sites. I fear that is the future of the internet and that is very sad given Web1 which was so exciting and such a breath of fresh air for the world.

        As for Susan’s Master Patch List, it is not just for Enterprise. I used it a lot because I have Windows Updates disabled and I update 1803 via reading her list (and Woody’s posts) and then I go to the Microsoft catalog and download what I need.

        Of course, this site is very useful but what about all the other very useful sites that are now paywalled where you cannot choose to see ads instead of paying? I’m not starting down that road of painfully picking and choosing which I can and cannot afford to pay to see. So, I say bring back the ads so I can see Susan’s list (I don’t particularly care about the newsletter so if I never see it that is ok).

        So, yeah, I will “pay it forward” if you bring back the ads that I can deliberately click on.

        1 user thanked author for this post.
    • #1917163

      Is there, or could there be please, a way of showing within our profile when we last made a donation? I appreciate I can go back through credit card statements (if it’s clearly named), but I don’t want to miss annual renewals and let it lapse to the point where my status changes, so it would be handy to get a prompt within the profile whenever the anniversary has come round and another donation is due.

      The information is there already.  Go to My account, Subscriptions – you will see the list of payments made (but no date).  Press the View button for your Active subscription and the Last Order Date (start date) and the End Date (due date) will show. My end date is in January 2020.

      Dell Precision 3630 w/32 GB RAM, 500 GB (C:), 1 TB (D:)
      Window 10 Pro x64
      Internet: FTTC (Fibre to the Kerb)

      11 users thanked author for this post.
      • #1917952

        Thanks for that, I just went to my profile and never saw the account heading at the top of the screen.

        Which just goes to show that this forum is for everyone regardless of their level of technical knowledge and simple common sense, in my case none!

        2 users thanked author for this post.
        LH, Myst
    • #1917180

      I agree with GTP and I also can see the dilemma that Tom-R refers to about the MPL. Personally I always contributed to WS and now to AW because it’s worth it to keep it going.

      Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
      All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

      4 users thanked author for this post.
      • #1917225

        I am trying to figure out how to renew my Plus subscription. I don’t see any way to renew it early. My subscription expires on 2020-01-15. I would like to have the ability to renew it before then, and for another year.

        Or perhaps I click on the JOIN TODAY! link so that I can renew my subscription? Inquiring minds might want to know how to renew subscriptions.

        Update…

        I clicked on the Join Today link, and I easily renewed my Plus subscription via Paypal. Wow. That was easy and painless.

        • This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by GoneToPlaid.
        • This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by GoneToPlaid. Reason: Add info
        7 users thanked author for this post.
        • #1917700

          Just as a point of interest, that “Click here for details and to sign up” link for Plus memberships on each AskWoody page, can be used for donating also, without subscribing – just untick the Subscription button.
          So for those with a lifetime subscription, it’s still possible for them to contribute to keep the site afloat that way 🙂

          6 users thanked author for this post.
          • #1920535

            For those of us who got Lifetime Memberships, this is a valuable way to continue to support AskWoody.com. Thanks for posting about this option.

            -- rc primak

            2 users thanked author for this post.
        • #1918338

          Hey GoneToPlaid, just a quick question about the renewal you did.  You mentioned that your subscription previously expired on 2020-01-15.  After you did your renewal, did it extend your subscription for 1 year from the date you did the renewal (making the new expiration date 2020-08-23)? Or did it add 1 year to your previous expiration date (making the new expiration 2021-01-15)?  Just curious what happens to the date if I do an early renewal.

          • #1918379

            It extends one year from the date you renewed on. I renewed early.

            On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
            offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
            offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
            online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender
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    • #1917321

      I don’t use the MPL or any of that, but never been much of a fan of squeezing users into giving money. Not just here, but anywhere. Keep removing features which makes the site less useful for people who just stop by occasionally for news or information they need. Never liked it. Never will.

      The MPL is pretty essential for those who like to keep up with patching. Things like the newsletter are bonuses which are perfect for subscription-only access and are not necessities for people visiting the site. I also agree with an above poster who said there will be more questions about which patches are safe, which are available. how many etc… with the patch list now behind a paywall. I don’t think it’s a good idea either, but we’ll see I guess.

      As for me, I used the Amazon link all the time here when it was here. I do not use PayPal and don’t even own a credit card. I use someone else’s for Amazon and pay them in cash for the purchases. The Amazon link was perfect for me and I used it every month for purchases well over $100, so I was donating through that every month. Now that it’s gone, I don’t anymore.

      • #1917357

        I agree about the MPL, because it provides the kind of information that people would come here to get, in one place and right away, on most known problems, or the lack of them, for example with the latest Windows patches. Whether they come regularly, as I do myself, or occasionally, they would be doing so as long as it is freely available. Paywalls tend to discourage people form accessing newspaper’s sites on a casual basis; this can happen also with useful sites such as this, and more’s the pity. There is also the possible fallout of MVPs having to answer more questions on things where the information is available only to Premium loungers, as others have pointed out. However, I also think that paywalling the Newsletter to incentivize people to become paying users might not be such a bad idea, as long as those articles about actual and serious problems with updates and other MS software and, or existing serious malware threats afoot, are not excluded from the main page of this site for all to read. After all we have not had a Newsletter for years, and who ever stopped using Woody’s because of that? The only (bad) difference would have been if the kind of information I have just mentioned would have been made available only to registered loungers and not to “anonymous” ones as well.

        Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

        MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
        Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
        macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

        1 user thanked author for this post.
        CBA
      • #1917364

        The AskWoody link for Amazon was drawing a whopping $13/month before I finally gave up on it.

        I dropped Google ads as well.

        Somebody has to pay the bills. It’s been coming out of my pocket. If there’s enough community support to keep AskWoody going, that’s great. If there isn’t, I don’t have much choice.

        • This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by woody.
        Total of 24 users thanked author for this post. Here are last 20 listed.
        • #1918136

          Wow, just $13? I can understand why you discontinued it then, but it is $13 you’re not getting now. It doesn’t seem like you have a shortage of support here, though. I’ve never run a website before, so I’m curious; how much does it cost a month to run this place?

    • #1917496

      If anyone believes their account is not correctly displaying their valid Plus subscription/membership (i.e the badge isn’t showing on their avatar, and they can’t access the Master Patch List), please contact CustomerSupport with your account name, and the details of your subscription, as well as your subscription email address.
      It is possible that some accounts aren’t correctly showing a valid Plus status, in a limited number of cases – hey, it is technology, after all 😉
      At least it’s fairly easy to sort out.

      2 users thanked author for this post.
      • #1917640

        A suggestion: Perhaps that email/link to “Customer Support” could be included in the “My account” menu available on the top toolbar of this and every other page here?

        Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

        MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
        Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
        macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

        • #1917674

          We consider making the link available on every AskWoody page, immediately below the log-in widget, to be appropriate:

          login-widget

          (it’s been there since early this year!) 😉

          2 users thanked author for this post.
          • #1917753

            Great idea, Kirsty! I have not noticed that link until you kindly pointed it out to me. Could this be because of the lack of contrast between text in lighter brown and the background in light brown, something remarked here by other individuals often enough in the past?

            Edit: Please follow the –Lounge Rules

            Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

            MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
            Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
            macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

    • #1917497

      I agree with the move to put the Master Patch List in the paid area. It is probably of most use to enterprise users rather than individuals, in which case they can get their company to pay the small subscription amount if they are unwilling/unable to pay it themselves.

      Windows 10 Home 22H2, Acer Aspire TC-1660 desktop + LibreOffice, non-techie

      1 user thanked author for this post.
    • #1918206

      Thank you for making this helpful website available.

      On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
      offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
      offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
      online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender
      4 users thanked author for this post.
      • #1918419

        geekdom wrote:
        Thank you for making this helpful website available.

        +1

        A few simple thoughts from a long-time fan:

        I love this site… it rocks!

        And I love woody for building it and maintaining it… woody rocks! (yep, pretty sure that’s an oxymoron, just let it go)

        Bills gotta be paid. Sure, site-associated hardware and hosting and web development and ???… but also other somewhat important stuff, like rent or a mortgage, utilities, food for the family, healthcare, etc.

        This site is a fantastic resource, with good people and great content… and it is in all of our best interests, folks, for woody to make the changes he needs to make to keep it going, under his control, without bankrupting himself and his family’s future.

        Yes, like many here I’ve benefited from having access to susan’s master patch list (the force is strong in that one – there’s a reason she gets to hang with yoda), but I also remember well that a short 18 months ago her “patch watch” column was posted behind a paywall on a different site – available only to those paying for access…

        https://www.askwoody.com/2018/breaking-susan-bradley-to-contribute-to-the-askwoody-site/

        So, woody, thank you for bringing susan’s sage advice and patch pronouncements to askwoody – and thank you, susan, for your effort and insight! Although restricting the master patch list to paying members may generate more questions as noted above by Tom-R, hopefully it will also generate more revenue from those able and willing to pay for continued access to susan’s specific patch recommendations.

        6 users thanked author for this post.
        • #1919236

          That’s quite correct. Susan’s Patch Watch column ran for many years in the paid Windows Secrets Newsletter, which cost $39/year. The volume of patches has increased enormously since then – as has the severity of the bugs.

          When Susan was putting together the HTML-based version of the Patch Lists, she spent hours and hours (and hours!) wrangling with the unfriendliness of HTML. Most of you can identify with that. The switch to spreadsheets was inevitable.

          4 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1918207

      Woody I support the changes you indicated and agree with samak’s comments above.  There might however,  be some confusion with open posts and closed newsletter (even if justclosed for a week). For example the newsletter article may already address a poster’s question. Perhaps if a new post is posted in reference to a newsletter, a note at the top of the post indicating something like comments are in reference to askwoody newsletter available to plus members (open to all after a week or whatever is appropriate at that time)

      2 users thanked author for this post.
      • #1918303

        That’s exactly what I plan to do.

        We still haven’t cut over, so the change won’t happen this coming Monday.

        3 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1919289

      This will be an interesting ride!  I can sort of visualize questions raised in the “open” Lounge being partly replied to in the Lounge and partly replied via referral to “closed” Newsletter(s) and MPL.  Said differently, if a non-Plus visitor raises a question in the Lounge, he/she won’t (or may not) get the full answer without signing up to Plus.  As mentioned, confusion could be the result.  Or visitors going elsewhere as I doubt they’ll wait a week or so to get access…

      Don’t get me wrong, this site is great and it saved my butt during a recent migration from W7 to W10.  And I think a donation/subscription model is indeed reasonable.  However, the way it’s implemented is of the essence.  Personally (imho) I think an “open” model may be better and I would be happy to donate extra $$$ if it stayed that way.  Just one small voice…

      1 user thanked author for this post.
      • #1920516

        It’s a real quandary. Paul solved it by having “Premium” posts and two tracks of comments on all articles (Paid and Free). But that has problems, too.

        As for keeping it all open and relying on donations… man, I wish! My experiences to date tell me that won’t even come close to matching expenses.

        2 users thanked author for this post.
        • #1920600

          Indeed it is .. and a two track comment solution would be problematic too, as you pointed out.  I think any two track solution is a balance on a knife’s edge, again in my most humble opinion!

          Perhaps 5 free visits/comments and then all paid?  Like some online papers do.  I know, there are ways around this .. so it’s just an off the cuff comment.

    • #1920727

      As an observation, place copyright notice of some flavor on the home page and other prominent places.

      On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
      offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
      offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
      online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender
      • #1920735

        It’s already there at the foot of the newsletter as well as the General Rules

        Copyright © 2019 AskWoody LLC, All rights reserved.

        Windows - commercial by definition and now function...
        1 user thanked author for this post.
        • #1920737

          Consider placing copyright on the website home page, not just the newsletter.

          On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
          offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
          offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
          online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender
          • This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by geekdom.
          1 user thanked author for this post.
          • #1921841

            It’s not just on the Newsletter, but as @microfix mentioned, part of the site’s rules. It has also been added to every page:

            Copyright-Notice

            3 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1920833

      I guess I’m going to have to purchase a membership. I really liked using Susan’s Master Patch List.

      3 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1921786

      Is the same eventually going to happen to the Defcon System?  Will that also be off limits to the Non Plus Membership Users in the future?

      • #1921825

        The Plus Membership benefits are listed as:

         

        As an AskWoody Plus member, you receive:

        • One year of the full AskWoody Plus Newsletter — weekly, in-depth PC info and help from experts you trust, with clear explanations for all versions of Windows, Office, and beyond
        • Breaking Microsoft, industry, patch, and bug news via emailed AskWoody Plus Alerts
        • Downloadable reports, including freshly updated Patch Watch lists
        • Full access to the indispensable AskWoody Lounge, with a distinctive flare on your avatar

        Most of all, your Plus subscription helps our efforts to hold Microsoft accountable to all Windows and Office customers. Through your support, AskWoody remains a fiercely independent voice in an increasingly sycophantic tech world. We’ve got your back.

        1 user thanked author for this post.
      • #1921868

        Naw, MS-DEFCON will always be available.

        I have plans to improve it — but I’m still trying to get a bunch of additional, long-overdue changes made to the site.

        4 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1932234

      I have no problem with paying for access to the Patch Watch advice (as other have pointed out, it was paid for in Windows Secrets). It is probably the most valuable single feature of AskWoody to me.

      At the end of the day, there are three ways to fund valuable information (if, as Woody says, charity does not work here). You can pay for it, ads can fund it or you can allow providers to collect your personal data and sell it. There are no  ads on this site and, to my knowledge, Woody does not collect and monetise any of our personal data and I am happy for both of those conditions to remain. That leaves paying for it.

      There are no free lunches, and I pay for mine with cash.

      Chris
      Win 10 Pro x64 Group A

      4 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1932364

      The debate about website subscriptions and their value to individual users is as old as the internet and everyone has their own opinions on what constitutes value for one’s money. I appreciate that people wish to make money for their efforts so they can put food on the table and keep the lights on and I also understand the concept that “information wants to be free”.
      At $10K/month in expenses to run this site it is more than understandable why it has morphed into an expanded content role coupled with a subscription model (if you want people to give money, then you need to offer something of value in return). If AskWoody is being run as a charity or nonprofit, has the site applied for that official designation? If not, is AskWoody paying taxes as the current model clearly suggests that it is being operated at least in part as a commercial money making venture. If a designated charity or nonprofit and I donate, it’s only fair to expect a tax receipt. If it is a commercial operation as defined by the IRS, it is also only fair that this site plays by the same rules as other legitimate commercial internet ventures and files a tax return.
      I must have missed it if this was addressed previously during the changeover. I’m not exactly clear as to what this site is operating as. Is it a noncommercial freely available information site accepting donations from those who feel inclined and not restricting content to everyone but paid subscribers? Clearly not the case as of today. Is it a charity/nonprofit charging to just cover operating expenses? Or is it a commercial venture like so many similar sites. It has to be one of the three and I can’t figure out what the intent is here.

      • #1932579

        Those are good questions, but the real issue is, how do we all keep this site alive and going?

        Woody doesn’t currently do auto-renew.  So I suggest doing as I do — whenever you find some particularly great content that you know you could never get anywhere else, use the method mentioned in Kirsty’s post above – go to:

        That “Click here for details and to sign up” link for Plus memberships on each AskWoody page, can be used for donating also, without subscribing – just untick the Subscription button (which appears on the next page after you have selected the amount, and where you select the method).

        and Donate!

        — Ron

        2 users thanked author for this post.
      • #1932612

        ? wrote:
        people wish to make money for their efforts so they can put food on the table and keep the lights on

        Hmmmm, for most people I know that’s not quite right. Maybe try this:
        “people wishneed to make money for their efforts so they can put food on the table and keep the lights on”
        Yes, that’s better. FTFY 😉

        But seriously, dude, with respect, it isn’t clear at all to me why the particular details of whatever legal structures woody has been advised to use for whatever business entities woody has been advised to create to support his business activities should matter much to any of us. IMHO that’s really between him and his legal advisor and his accountant.

        Stated differently, regardless of whether woody is currently losing significant amounts of money running this site as a commercial/for-profit entity (more likely) or as a non-profit entity (less likely), from my perspective what really matters is this: _WOODY IS CURRENTLY LOSING MONEY RUNNING THIS SITE!_

        AWRon wrote:
        the real issue is, how do we all keep this site alive and going?

        +1

        3 users thanked author for this post.
        • #1932791

          Hmmmm, for most people I know that’s not quite right. Maybe try this:
          “people wish need to make money for their efforts so they can put food on the table and keep the lights on”
          Yes, that’s better. FTFY 😉

          With 60 books for sale on Amazon.com and regular columns published at Computerworld and ITworld, I don’t think Woody needs profits from this site to keep food on the table.

          2 users thanked author for this post.
          • #1932860

            But it still stands to reason Woody is under no obligation to keep spending money on the site and the newsletter without expecting at least some of his efforts (and the rest of the Ask Woody team) to be fairly compensated. This means making some content subscription-only. Voluntary donations just don’t cut it.

            -- rc primak

            4 users thanked author for this post.
          • #1934319

            You’d be surprised, my friend….

      • #1934320

        AskWoody LLC is a for-profit that isn’t making a profit. Tax returns and all. 🙂

        1 user thanked author for this post.
        Dan
    • #1932979

      Coming from the WS site I paid for a subscription NOT for the not so good newsletter ( at least toward the end) but to support the Lounge. ( the user friendly features of which I sorely miss, finding what I had not read was soooo much less time consuming with the WS s/w ) I will do so here for the forum and the MPL. I for one do not mind advertising if it does not bog down my browser, in many sites that is a problem, dozens of scripting sites added on makes for a weary experience. Any way Woody keep up the good work!

      🍻

      Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.
    • #1933158

      Oh for Pete’s sake, pay for the d**n service people. No one is asking anyone to break the bank but after hearing how much Woody is putting out monthly to provide everyone with this site, the least people who come here could do is contribute to the upkeep. I fully support a paid subscription model. Do it. Think of what all the advice you’re getting here is really worth monetarily. Why should those who are taking their time to provide the knowledge give it for free? They shouldn’t. No one works for free, but Woody will still let you access the site even if you don’t wanna pay. I can’t even thank him, Fred Langa, Susan Bradley, and all the others who help me keep my computer safe. Pay up and if you don’t want to, stop whining.

      Windows 11 Pro
      Version 10.0.22621, Build 22621
      Dell XPS 8950, 12th Gen Intel i7

      3 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1933312

      All of the opinions for and against paying into the Plus Membership benefits don’t surprise me.
      — For me, I don’t have a problem paying into it.

      When I was younger and started to become interested in computers, I subscribed to a couple of paid computer subscription magazines over the years and I never saw a subscriber complain about paying the annual cost of their subscription.
      — It’s easy to say that’s different from what Woody needs to do but the comparison is appropriate.

      HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

      2 users thanked author for this post.
    • #1934634

      I used to subscribe to Windows Secrets.  I thought (maybe I’m mistaken) that I was told when Windows Secrets merged into AskWoody that my plus status would be carried over and I didn’t need to do anything immediately.  I also thought I was told, or maybe I just assumed, that I would receive a notification when my Plus subscription was expiring.

      The most recent newsletter, this thread in particular, made me go exploring in my account.  I discovered that I wasn’t a Plus member and that there seemed to be no indication that I ever had been, so I joined.

      My point:  There might be as least a few others in my situation who will be lost due to apparently invalid assumptions.

      • #1934640

        Contact CustomerSupport@AskWoody.com to straighten out any irregularities in your subscription and Plus membership

      • #1934672

        The most recent newsletter, this thread in particular, made me go exploring in my account.  I discovered that I wasn’t a Plus member

        If you have been receiving an emailed newsletter, you would have an active subscription!

        And yes, just before subscriptions expire, an email gets issued to permit a renewal before that event occurs. 🙂

        1 user thanked author for this post.
    • #1934691

      The most recent newsletter, this thread in particular, made me go exploring in my account.  I discovered that I wasn’t a Plus member

      If you have been receiving an emailed newsletter, you would have an active subscription!

      And yes, just before subscriptions expire, an email gets issued to permit a renewal before that event occurs. 🙂

      Well, yes, I’ve been receiving the emailed newsletter, but after seeing this forum topic, I discovered that I couldn’t access the Master Patch List, so I guess there must have been something wrong with my account.  I don’t care anymore because I’ve rejoined/subscribed.

      1 user thanked author for this post.
    • #2010518

      I was a happy Windows Secrets lifetime subscription member.  Now I’m a happy AskWoody Plus annual donation member.  I assume that my favorite information sources will cease to exist if I do not support them.  It’s not complicated.

      TINSTAAFL.

      • This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by kewlputergeek.
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    Reply To: We’re easing into the Plus Membership benefits

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