thank you for trying!
now back to the question
The purpose of the memberships are to donate money to the site to keep the site going.
It isn't about getting something extra, it is about perpetuating a site you use and like. That's the idea.
Sure, we can throw in a couple of perks, less ads, more access to downloads, and other nifty features, but helping to keep us afloat is the idea.
That having been said, the staff and I are dismayed at the response to our requests for assistance in terms of upgrades.
While projects and informative contributions are appreciated, it takes cold, hard cash to pay bills.
We respectfully disagree with those of you who feel that your contributions in posting entitle you to let others pay for you.
If you feel that way, try to pay your mortgage or car loan with your written expertise in machining. It isn't going to happen.
The membership fee has been lowered to just $10 per year, $25 for premium, and none are recurring.
We listened to your suggestions, and we followed them.
In future, I would like to push to use some of the money to reward those of you who post great projects, not only with the $50 for Project of the Month, but with gift cards and other incentives for great work on the site. It will take cash to do that.