Membership Drive

IMG_3496

This is where I beg and tell you the lights are about to go out.

If we don’t get [fill in arbitrary number] the lights at BDB will go out. (This time we mean it again.)

Fail-o-meter

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123 Responses to Membership Drive

  1. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    How can you give away free Memberships?

  2. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    It is free but I hear you vet people coming in. Are your standards high?

  3. billybilly says:

    I’ll just email you my credit card number and let you do what you think is best.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      Please remember to send the credit card that is not maxed out, Billy. No MisterCards, Vizas, or Dinar’s Club either.

  4. EThompson says:

    Dime, what are you saying exactly?

    Nobody has asked me to pay for membership, but I’m more than willing to do so. Just tell me how much and where to send.

  5. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    Of course if you want to pay we will give you select Dreamium Podcasts.

  6. EThompson says:

    Cut out the snark; if you need members to pay, then just say so and give us the details.

    This is a business like any other; I get it.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      Liz, I am doing a parody.

      I am with you about supporting this financially if it needs it. I am new here so I don’t know what BDB pays. If there’s one thing I know about BDB it is that he has a sense of humor. I’ve been kidded by him and I have kidded him on the AMUs.

      • EThompson says:

        Moral of the day:

        Don’t post jokes about “the lights going out” when you have an audience of business people and entrepreneurs. This isn’t funny to folks like us!

        Just saying …

      • NandaNanda says:

        ET & Titheness: FYI, I offered support back in the Summer of ’15 – and was politely, but definitively – refused. (Offered as clarification for ET, above.)

        • EThompson says:

          Thanks for this Nanda and I hope BDB knows he’s got members here willing to pull out their wallets.

          Nothing good in life is ever free! :)

  7. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    There are three levels of membership: the Ball Level, the Diamond Level, and the Ball Level.

  8. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    Let’s just say it up front, you don’t get a free mug with any level.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      Pencil, we promise to send you a full set of mugs with a dining room table.

    • Vald the MisspellerVald the Misspeller says:

      That’s OK, I prefer to drink from the skulls of my enemies anyway.

      • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

        But do your enemies skulls have cool logos and are they made in China? Our mugs break the laws of physics and come with cheesy worded certificate with real typos.

        • Vald the MisspellerVald the Misspeller says:

          No, mine are mostly unmade right here in my very own tool shop and ossuary. I Do like to hand paint my victims … er, I mean creations though. You know, with flowers and butterflies as well as the occasional blacked-out tooth and obligatory moustache. Also, felt tip pen works great for adding inspirational messages such as: “Heads, you lose!” or “You’re out of yer mind.”

  9. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    If this is a membership drive where are we driving to?

  10. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    Our first Member Cruise better the heck not be to Japan.

  11. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    I hope I get to sit at the table with Bill Crystal. He hosted the Oscars once I think.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      Bill Crystal is an editor at the Weakly Standard. He had a scheduling conflict and won’t make it this life.

      • PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

        Maybe I’ll get to sit at a table with someone named Klein. About 67% of political writers are named Klein for some reason.

        • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

          Chairs are extra. You are at the standing buffet level.

          • PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

            If you get within range I will buffet you, Little Mister Muffet.

    • Vald the MisspellerVald the Misspeller says:

      A ‘Crystal’ skull would be a great addition to my collection.

  12. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    Speaking of potential new members, if anyone knows jeannebodine at the old site it looks like she will not renew there. I can’t read why, but her titles still show up on my notifications page.

  13. NandaNanda says:

    Who let Rod Serling in here? Just curious….

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      “There is nothing wrong with your [monitor]. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. …”

      • Vald the MisspellerVald the Misspeller says:

        Well could you do something about the Contrast then, it’s too dark.

        • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

          Have you tried adjusting the rabbit ears?
          Contrash? What is wrong with Contrash?

    • DevereauxDevereaux says:

      *

  14. Xennady says:

    It’s not really a membership drive unless you keep a fail-o-meter at the top of the site for months, so everyone will know that you’re failing, and then you ban TKC for no reason.

    Otherwise, you’re just messing with us.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      Xey, can’t I just ban TKC and skip the fail-o-meter?

      For a limited time only we are giving TWO FREE MEMBERSHIPS for the price of one.

      • EThompson says:

        Sorry Dime; once again, you manage to compel me to act the humorless heavy (which is so not me!) but TKC was one of my favorite members of Rick O’Shea and one of the significant reasons I enjoy this site.

        • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

          Liz,
          Xennady brought this up. He was joking and I responded to his joke. He could have used any name.

        • DevereauxDevereaux says:

          So, ?may I have this dance, Liz. You seem in need of a tango or waltz to take that snarl off your face and replace it with a smile. Little exercise is good, too, and at my age, about the only exercise I can tolerate (other than driving cars fast). Music will do that.

        • Xennady says:

          Sorry, that was perhaps too obscure.

          I was referring to the bad place, and their never-ending membership drive, which for a long time had a progress bar on the homepage, visible to everyone.

          We were frequently warned that the site was about to shut down, unless they reached 1500 new members- and yet there was it was, plainly showing that they weren’t reaching the critical number. Sometimes that number declined. Gosh, I’m sure that made people want to join up, knowing the place could vanish at anytime, but whatever. Eventually, someone figured this out, because they took it down just before I quit visiting.

          About TKC, I referenced him because that’s what they did to him, in my view. He was also a favorite of mine there- and here- and I think he helped keep a bunch of unhappy customers around with his commentary.

          Banning him was quite stupid, especially if you’re attempting to build a nice home for center-right commentary on the internet, as we were oft told. But if you want a place for the nevertrump fringe to preen, it makes perfect sense. You can’t have anyone harshing the mellow by noticing reality, so he had to go, I guess.

          • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

            Xey, I thought you hit the right notes for this thread. Those who know you know your respect for TKC. Thanks for getting the joke.

            I put up a donut chart in the OP just so My Membership Drive would get some respect.

          • Xennady says:

            Dime, I just wanted to explain to EThompson what that was about, as she wasn’t around the bad place when the stuff I mentioned went down.

          • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

            Xey, good call. It is easy to forget that we don’t have all the same experiences.

            I was over there reading about someone leaving and was tempted to comment. What is the point if things never change. A wise person told me to not waste my time repeating what has been said over and over again. I am trying to follow that.

    • PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

      lol

      or, for Vald — llo

  15. Xennady says:

    No. The fail-o-meter is mandatory.

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      So, you are saying I can’t succeed unless I have a fail-o-meter pegged to the top of the page. Shirley, you jest.

      • Vald the MisspellerVald the Misspeller says:

        It’s either the fail-o-meter or the bold and inspiring mission statement and masthead: “We’ll Try To Suck Less Tomorrow.”

  16. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    Yes but make the fail-o-meter a pie chart instead of a bar graph, ok? Pie is much tastier. Maybe some whipped cream on it.

  17. BrentB67BrentB67 says:

    What is it all the cool kids do? Kickstarter? GoFundMe or some such stuff.

    The challenge is that small donations don’t move the needle much.

    We are approaching a critical mass where we are too little to be big and too big to be little.

  18. BrentB67BrentB67 says:

    I’ve a meeting with LureStudios this week on a new economics/investing subscription project. They could be a lot of help, but that costs $

  19. BrentB67BrentB67 says:

    Feature Request: If we make the Member Icon’s much larger I will post a real photo of myself.

  20. NandaNanda says:

    Titheness, when people asked for more “original” content, this wasn’t it…Incidentally, your “Do not adjust…” opening is from “The Outer Limits”. “The Twilight Zone”: “You are now entering a dimension not merely of sight and sound, but of mind…You are now entering The Twilight Zone”. Get it straight, wouldja?

  21. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    We just had Billy put up his first post. Let’s congratulate him.

  22. billybilly says:

    Please don’t call attention to it, Dime. Otherwise the PTB will just take it down.

  23. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    Would someone make the graphic so I can have a cool “progress meter”?
    Bar chart or pie chart is okay. I think we have had about 10 New Members since I showed up. The count is around 80 so 20 more to get to 100.

    • DevereauxDevereaux says:

      Yeah, but 30 left because you joined. So it’s a wash.

      • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

        Dev, only 30 left I am hurt. I thought I was more important than this. I blame Brent.

      • DevereauxDevereaux says:

        The rest are planning on a sock-roping contest. Like where you ride down upon the sock, lasso him/it, then tie off the ankles and stand up with a victory arms in the air. Could be fun.

        • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

          Not for the Sock.

        • PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

          **

        • NandaNanda says:

          I am so up for the sock-roping, Dev…Had a short course with the Rope-Master, shortly after parachute-training.

          • EThompson says:

            Nanda, I just spit up part of my dinner laughing at your comment; I hope you’re satisfied Missy!

        • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

          Dev,

          You know how to bring joy. First, you offer to dance with Liz. Then, you make the sock-roping contest and Nanda is happy. Good job!! I just you would pick on someone less deserving. (smile)

  24. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    I really think it is wrong for people to think that I would write comments to pad my comment count. How dare they.

  25. Mike LaRocheMike LaRoche says:

    Never fear, LaRoche is here.

  26. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    For those too lazy to look at the OP again. I have given Pencil a donut.

    http://balldiamondball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Fail-o-meter.jpg

    • PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

      Ha!
      I dunk your silly chart in my highly-caffeinated beverage!

      • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

        How could use my graph like that? If this drive fails it will because of a soggy fail-o-meter.

  27. Whiskey SamWhiskey Sam says:

    All we need now are little banners proclaiming how much money we pissed down a hole, er, what level we signed up for, to display under our names for bragging rights.

  28. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    How are people to know how superior I am with a badge under my name?

  29. Xennady says:

    What’s with these symbol posts?

    ****

    I had to search my keyboard to find that thing. Are you guys hiding stuff from me? Is there a conspiracy??

    Why? What I have I done?

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      Xey, you have not shown proper respect to the Minky. You better come up with some bananas or we are going to have to deal with a lot of ape poo being slung. (#100)

  30. EThompson says:

    BTW, speaking of people I’d adore to hear from again is my previous partner in crime… the only Rodgers fan this Brady fan could ever tolerate.

    You know who you are C*******e, so pls step forward and join the conversation. God knows MLR and I could use another sports fan who truly knows of what she speaks.

    Even if you don’t like hockey! :)

  31. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    We are up to 83 Users. How often should I update the fail-o-meter?

  32. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    Any bets on when we hit 3 digits and the BIG 100?

  33. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    We are up to EIGHT FOUR users.

    • MLHMLH says:

      Minus the 17 “inbound” who. by the looks of them, will not be joining us. . .

  34. PencilvaniaPencilvania says:

    The donut is working! The donut is working!

    • 10 Cents10 Cents says:

      What was in that coffee you dunk it into? Was it high octane German joy juice?

  35. 10 Cents10 Cents says:

    Up to 88 users.

    “Looks like I am going to need a bigger donut.”