this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2023
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Technology
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How do you see that working? Pay for access? Pay to post? I know there's one sort of BBS called "The Well" that apparently has run since 1985 by charging monthly, now $15 a month. That's a big ask for sight unseen BBS / forum. But that's apparently what it costs to run the servers for ~ 3,000 people.
I just think that sort of thing would really really kill reddit right fast - approximately none of the normies are going to want to pay monthly for memes and harassment.
If you want to read the history The WELL, and other virtual communities, then Howard Rheinghold's book "The Virtual Community" is a very good read. I first read it before I even had internet access, and it completely captivated me. Talk of running The WELL on a minicomputer will certainly feel dated, though :-)