Upgrade Your BP.net Experience!!!

Have you ever wished you could upload more pictures into the BP.net gallery? Wish you could store more Private Messages? Want a custom title like the mods and admins have? Have you ever wanted your own forum?!? :D

The time has come for Ball-Pythons.net to step into a new phase of our existence, and that will include lots of fun benefits for our members! As I'm sure you all know, the site is now growing exponentially, and along with that our costs of operation are also growing. And rather than adding "Google Ads" or more flashy banners scattered across the site, we are appealing to our members to help support the site, to help us keep it growing and running smoothly.

Please understand that the owners/admins of the site receive no monies from BP.net at all. The mod staff is not paid. Everyone on staff, from the newest mod to the most senior admin are strictly voluntary. Every single penny brought in from the current advertisers, and future subscriptions, go toward keeping the site running and growing.

So...with all that said, please allow me to introduce our new Membership Subscription Program! Grab a drink and get comfy...this may take a few minutes of your time.... ;)

First and foremost, 100% of the content of BP.net will remain 100% free. No one will ever have to pay a dime to participate, search, learn and grow here. However, there are lots of benefits we can offer to financial supporters while still maintaining an excellent and entirely free service to all Registered Members.

What follows is a benefit chart and a break-down of what each benefit is. There WILL be some changes to our current "Registered User" benefits. All changes will be explained below...so keep reading!

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https://ball-pythons.net/images/memb...ship-chart.jpg

Explanation of OPTIONS:

Custom Avatar: The ability to load an avatar image of your own choice, rather than choosing one from among the BP.net "library" of avatars. (See * note at bottom for more discussion on this change)

Avatar Size: This is the maximum size your avatar can be in order to upload. width x height

Custom Profile: Customize your Profile Page by adjusting the color scheme and fonts!

Profile Pic Size: This is the picture that shows up on your Profile Page.

Custom Title: Where it normally says, "Registered User" or "BP.net Veteran" under your member-name...you can select a title of your own choosing. Titles must be family-friendly and abide by all BP.net TOS/Rules. They may not be used to mock or demean another member.

Private Messages: The number of messages you can store in your PM box. (This includes the total of incoming and sent messages) (See ** note at the bottom for more discussion on this change)

Gallery Space: All members get a certain amount of free gallery space for hosting pictures right here at BP.net. While we can't compete with Photobucket for the amount of space we offer, it IS nice to have a selection of special images hosted right here at "home". ;)

Free Ads: These are the ads placed in our For Sale/Trade/Adoption or Wanted Forum. The limit on ads allowed to be placed are annual limits. (See *** note at the bottom for more discussion on this change)

Canned Replies: This is a new feature in which you can type up certain answers, phrases, groups of questions...whatever you find yourself typing over and over again. You save them and give them a name, then whenever needed you can insert them right into a post without having to type it all out again.

Member Forum: Another new feature offered to our Platinum Members. We'll have a new section of forums where members can host their own forum for "Off Topic" discussions, sharing pictures, or whatever catches your fancy. All BP.net TOS/Rules will still apply.

Subscription Icon: Show your BP.net Patriotism by sporting one of our nifty new icons above your avatar!

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As you can see, we have LOTS to offer! But there are three changes that will affect our current members that we need to discuss:

* Custom Avatars -- As things stand today, any member of the site has been allowed to upload their own custom avatars. The staff has decided to make this a perk for financial supporters as well as those who have earned the BP.net Veteran rank. We have a huge list of "canned" avatars to choose from and have plans to expand this list in the very near future.

This change will be "grandfathered" in somewhat, as we have no desire to penalize our current members. Registered Users who already have a custom avatar uploaded will be able to keep it. And we'll leave the ability to upload up for one more week from the posting of this announcement so folks can make sure they have an avi they are happy to keep. After that week, Registered Users won't be able to upload any new avatars and any changes will have to come from the BP.net collection.

I hope that makes sense...please feel free to ask for clarification if necessary.

** Private Messages -- The number of messages our current members can store is being increased regardless of whether or not anyone chooses to subscribe. Registered Users go from 100 to 150 PM's and BP.net Vets go from 200 to 250.

*** Free Advertising -- This will be the most difficult thing to explain, so please bear with me.

Our "For Sale/Trade/Adoptions or Wanted" Forum has long been something we wrestle with. We want to provide this service to our members, and yet we don't want to turn BP.net into just another "classifieds" or sales venue. We also don't want to be taken advantage of by having outsiders come in and utilize our free ad space without giving anything back to the community. The Membership Subscription Program allows us to bring even more balance to these concerns.

Up until today, the policy for free advertising has been that any registered member may place up to 15 new ad threads annually. While the rest of the Rules for Advertising will remain unchanged, this one limit will be changing for most members.

BP.net Veterans will still be able to place 15 new ad threads annually, so what follows doesn't apply to them.

Subscribed members will receive an increase in that limit, according to the level of subscription they choose. The number of annual ads placed will be calculated for them as they currently are for everyone, by counting the threads created over the last twelve months.

Registered Users are the most affected by these changes. The number of ads allowed to be placed by Registered Users is now FIVE. This still allows for newer members to place the occassional ad as needed...while making it far more difficult for the "seasonal" advertisers to take advantage.

As with the avatar changes mentioned above, it is not our desire to penalize anyone...so to help with this change, all ad counts by Registered Users to this date are "zeroed out". (No, we're not deleting anyone's ads! :P ) Regardless of how many ads one may have over the last twelve months, all Registered Users will get a fresh count of five starting from today.

Once again, I hope this makes sense. Please ask for clarification if I've been muddled about any of this.

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And that is the extent of my discussion on the changes! I realize some folks will complain or find some facet of this to be unfair. I wish with all my heart there were a way to please everyone when we make broad changes to the site. All I can say is that we are committed to always giving our utmost to do the very best for Ball-Pythons.net and her community.

Sincerely,
Judy and the entire BP.net Staff

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TERMS OF SERVICE FOR SUBSCRIBERS:

1. All subscribers are still bound to the original TOS/Site Rules they agreed to when registering for BP.net.

2. If a subscription upgrade is made, the member will be refunded the prorated difference. (ie: If a Silver account is upgraded to Platinum right away, the member will be refunded their original $25. If the account is upgraded after six months, the member will be refunded $12.50)

3. All subscriptions are non-refundable. (Except as mentioned in point #2.) In the unlikely event that a member finds themselves banned from the site, they are not entitled to a refund.

4. Current online subscription is payable only via PayPal in $USD. Checks or money-orders in $USD may be snail-mailed to JLC - PM her for more information.

To Subscribe, click on the link and choose your level of support!
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/payments.php

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

Seems logical to me....though because of all the changes, I think posting in this same post or perhaps editing in how to achieve veteran status would be good.

Also, are the subscriptions one time or annual?

As of now, achieving the rank of BP.net Veteran hasn't changed. A Registered User is automatically upgraded to BP.net Vet when they reach two years of membership with a minimum of 200 posts. OR, they can be upgraded by hand (an admin has to do it) when they reach a reputation of 75 or higher.

Your taking away our right unpaid to change our Avatars!:O

Kill me now:tears: I change mine at least once a month

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

Also, are the subscriptions one time or annual?

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Also curious about this.

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

Also, are the subscriptions one time or annual?

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Originally Posted by snakecharmer3638

Also curious about this.

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Annual

Yes, subscriptions are annual. The renewal is not automatic...so if you subscribe and then in the future move on to something else and forget about BP.net....you won't find yourself hit with a mysterious Paypal charge you weren't expecting.

It's about time!!!

Congratulations and thanks to the entire Bp.Net staff for all of the hard work that I'm sure it took to put these new features into place and to test them in order to make the "bullet proof" for the membership.

I've watched this site grow so much over the past 4 years and I'm super excited about this next big step for the best reptile community on the net. These new membership options will not only put some really great features and benefits into the hands of the Bp.Net diehards but will also allow the site to reach for even greater heights in both features, scalability, and performance.

I'm darn proud to be a member and thank the entire Bp.Net crew (both members and staff) for making this place one of the best sites I've ever had the pleasure of participating in!

-adam

now the annual payment will automatically happen or will I receive a reminder when its time to renew?

never mind.. we posted at the same time

WOW.. It already shows I supported? that was fast.

I too am glad to support this forum as its my home for information as well as connecting with people who share a similar passion and I am glad to call friends. thank you for doing an excellent job of creating an inviting place to visit and stay.

Awww....thanks, Adam!! :oops: :D

I never change my avatar, so it's really no big deal to me. But why aren't regular users allowed to change their avatar? Just wondering, if you only have 1 avatar at a time anyway.. I guess trying to save some server space?

I'm not complaining, again, because I don't ever change mine, just wondering what the thought process for this part is.

I'd like to donate $10 and be a copper supporter.

New supporter signatures were just added to our already existing list of BP.net signatures

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showp...63&postcount=1

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Your taking away our right unpaid to change our Avatars!:O

Kill me now:tears: I change mine at least once a month

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Pick one that you like during this grace period - then when you become a BP.net Veteran - you can change it all you want! ;)

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Originally Posted by Texas Dan

I never change my avatar, so it's really no big deal to me. But why aren't regular users allowed to change their avatar? Just wondering, if you only have 1 avatar at a time anyway.. I guess trying to save some server space?

I'm not complaining, again, because I don't ever change mine, just wondering what the thought process for this part is.

I'd like to donate $10 and be a copper supporter.

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You can change your avatar as a regular user, but you'll have to choose from a list of avatars that we have loaded here. Once you reach BP.net Veteran status, you can change it to a more personalized one.

Everyone currently will be grandfathered in and can keep their current avatar, which is why we're giving a grace period to change it now if you wish.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

You can change your avatar as a regular user, but you'll have to choose from a list of avatars that we have loaded here. Once you reach BP.net Veteran status, you can change it to a more personalized one.

Everyone currently will be grandfathered in and can keep their current avatar, which is why we're giving a grace period to change it now if you wish.

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Yeah, I know, I was just wondering if it's just meant to keep down server space and bandwidth.

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Originally Posted by Texas Dan

Yeah, I know, I was just wondering if it's just meant to keep down server space and bandwidth.

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No, it's meant to be part of the incentives to contribute to the community, either by steady participation and/or financially. Also...we have a lot more trouble with new members uploading inappropriate avatars and it'll cut down on some staff load if folks get a chance to get to know the site better before they start uploading pics that show up all over the place. ;)

One thing that I didn't make real clear in the initial discussion is about the Member Forum for Platinum Members. This is NOT an automatic feature. Not everyone would be interested in that feature. Any Platinum Member that wishes to have their forum set up should shoot me a PM and we'll talk about getting that set up for you!

~just giving this a little nudge for the afternoon lunch crowd~

;)

Aww, no extended sigs for platinum members? Whats to stop me from changing my avatar to the "platinum supporter" picture during this grace period? Hehehe, just kidding. One other thing, I don't really like the positioning of the supporter picture, It seems to take away from ones avatar, maybe move it to underneath your user info like location and infractions and stuff? Seems like each post is gonna have more and more baggage.

This is great Judy, I've always wanted a way to be able to give back to the community. This is a good way to do it.


Mark

I really really like this idea. Too bad I'm poor, else I would have given more. It's the least I could do for a place that has taught me pretty much everything I know about herps in general!

Lovin' it. :gj:

Great site...Great way for us to show our support. :bow:

Yes thanks for the lovely site... I would give more if I had more but gonna be ordering a snake rack as well as paying rent soon!! Maybe some time if I have extra cash I will upgrade further :gj:

Awesome! Sign me up!:)

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Originally Posted by Peter Williams

Aww, no extended sigs for platinum members? Whats to stop me from changing my avatar to the "platinum supporter" picture during this grace period? Hehehe, just kidding. One other thing, I don't really like the positioning of the supporter picture, It seems to take away from ones avatar, maybe move it to underneath your user info like location and infractions and stuff? Seems like each post is gonna have more and more baggage.

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Hehehe...well, oversized sigs are kind of a "thing" with me....but maybe someday we'll include some sort of exception for subscribers.

The positioning of the icon is limited by how the software works. Not that some genius couldn't figure out how to do some custom coding to rearrange things, but right now all our resident geniuses are super-busy! :P

Hey, great idea!

You guys do a great job and ya deserve a little help!

Sorry I couldn't give more... but I figured it was a public service because otherwise everyone would have to look at my happy drunk avatar for the next year! :weirdface

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Originally Posted by SecurityStacey

... but I figured it was a public service because otherwise everyone would have to look at my happy drunk avatar for the next year! :weirdface

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I like your happy drunk avatar! =)

How quickly after I pay is all stuff gonna be active?

How about immediatley! Good Job!

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Originally Posted by monk90222

How quickly after I pay is all stuff gonna be active?

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It is active now :) It's an immediate change.

If anyone should have any sort of problem with their subscription, please do not hesitate to contact an Administrator and we will sort out the problem ;)

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Your taking away our right unpaid to change our Avatars!:O

Kill me now:tears: I change mine at least once a month

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Get out your wallet slacker!!!! ;)

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

It's about time!!!

Congratulations and thanks to the entire Bp.Net staff for all of the hard work that I'm sure it took to put these new features into place and to test them in order to make the "bullet proof" for the membership.

I've watched this site grow so much over the past 4 years and I'm super excited about this next big step for the best reptile community on the net. These new membership options will not only put some really great features and benefits into the hands of the Bp.Net diehards but will also allow the site to reach for even greater heights in both features, scalability, and performance.

I'm darn proud to be a member and thank the entire Bp.Net crew (both members and staff) for making this place one of the best sites I've ever had the pleasure of participating in!

-adam

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This is my home. This is where I come to for advice support and just for fun!!!
I think the least we can do to help support the dang herp site on the net!

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Originally Posted by JLC

~just giving this a little nudge for the afternoon lunch crowd~

;)

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Shameless

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Originally Posted by MarkS

This is great Judy, I've always wanted a way to be able to give back to the community. This is a good way to do it.


Mark

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X2

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Originally Posted by JLC

Hehehe...well, oversized sigs are kind of a "thing" with me....but maybe someday we'll include some sort of exception for subscribers.

The positioning of the icon is limited by how the software works. Not that some genius couldn't figure out how to do some custom coding to rearrange things, but right now all our resident geniuses are super-busy! :P

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I would like to see some what of an expanded avatar. I do not think we should have huge avatars as that would take away from the site. I like the no more then 10 lines size, the only complaint I have is the 500 character rule. Could we maybe change this? I understand and respect your decision either way.

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Originally Posted by cassandra

I like your happy drunk avatar! =)

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X2

This site just wouldn't be the same, with out the photo of your youth!

will the snail mail be counted yet? and can you pay for years ahead?

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Originally Posted by hoax

This is my home. This is where I come to for advice support and just for fun!!!
I think the least we can do to help support the dang herp site on the net!

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x2

I shudder to think where Stan and I would have been left just with the advice given to me by the reptile store that sold him to me.

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Originally Posted by hoax

I would like to see some what of an expanded avatar. I do not think we should have huge avatars as that would take away from the site. I like the no more then 10 lines size, the only complaint I have is the 500 character rule. Could we maybe change this? I understand and respect your decision either way.

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We did allow for larger avatars with the subscriptions. Not giant...but bigger than the current standard. ;)

I honestly hadn't paid much attention to the 500 character limit in sigs...I'm more concerned with how tall they are and how flashy they can get. I'll look into upping the character limit for everyone.

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Originally Posted by Aaron Ward

will the snail mail be counted yet? and can you pay for years ahead?

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Snail mail payments will have to clear first and then I'll make the change as soon as that happens. And I'm sure we can set it up to accept payments of multiple years...but keep in mind it's non-refundable. ;)

Considering what we save in vet bills from proper husbandry, preventative measures, and what not... it is a small price to pay. Not to mention the finder fees for when we connect with another person that has a great snake to sell, or wants to purchase from us.

The pluses to sites like this go well beyond just getting advice on how to keep a snake.

I am surprised you were able to keep it free for so long, and the key point is, as you noted, no one is being denied access to the site.

I belong to many sites where there are no avs, no profiles, no sigs, etc. So all the perks are just that.. fun, flashy little things. But fun flashy little things that eat up bandwidth and take time to implement.

Sorry I couldn`t give more but I was 2.0$ short in my paypal... and I needed a reserve so that if Stacey couldn`t pay hers I was gonna take one for the team so that we did not have to stare at her happy drunken av for 365 more days!!! :rofl:

:b0x0rz:

Also... I did not want to be stuck with Spaghetti Cat as my av for another full year!!!

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Also... I did not want to be stuck with Spaghetti Cat as my av for another full year!!!

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:rofl: ~snickers behind her hand and meanders off with a sneaky secretive look~





(Spaghetti Cat is AWESOME, btw!! :D )

Just wanted to show my support. I really like this web site and have learned a ton here.:gj:

I dont know what to say

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

I dont know what to say

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that's what im saying! :)

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Originally Posted by JLC

We did allow for larger avatars with the subscriptions. Not giant...but bigger than the current standard. ;)

I honestly hadn't paid much attention to the 500 character limit in sigs...I'm more concerned with how tall they are and how flashy they can get. I'll look into upping the character limit for everyone.

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I am sorry I meant Sigs not avatars.

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Considering what we save in vet bills from proper husbandry, preventative measures, and what not... it is a small price to pay. Not to mention the finder fees for when we connect with another person that has a great snake to sell, or wants to purchase from us.

The pluses to sites like this go well beyond just getting advice on how to keep a snake.

I am surprised you were able to keep it free for so long, and the key point is, as you noted, no one is being denied access to the site.

I belong to many sites where there are no avs, no profiles, no sigs, etc. So all the perks are just that.. fun, flashy little things. But fun flashy little things that eat up bandwidth and take time to implement.

Sorry I couldn`t give more but I was 2.0$ short in my paypal... and I needed a reserve so that if Stacey couldn`t pay hers I was gonna take one for the team so that we did not have to stare at her happy drunken av for 365 more days!!! :rofl:

:b0x0rz:

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This site is a God send for us!!!

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Originally Posted by SecurityStacey

x2

I shudder to think where Stan and I would have been left just with the advice given to me by the reptile store that sold him to me.

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We would have lots of snakes. A friend of mine was telling me last night about some ones "lazy BP" I realized all the horendus things that were going on! It was not because the person did not care it is because the person did not know. It was in a 150G tank!!!!! No heating!!! Nothing!!!!

If it were not for this site I know there would be alot of people with "lazy" BP's

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Also... I did not want to be stuck with Spaghetti Cat as my av for another full year!!!

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You know you love you some Spaghetti Cat.

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

I dont know what to say

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How bout where is the uber titanium diamond package for you rich breeders ;)

J/K


Thanks BP net admin and mods for such a cool site!

...customizing your profile can get a bit addicting...kind of feel I am doing more harm than good to my profile. :P

[/QUOTE]Snail mail payments will have to clear first and then I'll make the change as soon as that happens. And I'm sure we can set it up to accept payments of multiple years...but keep in mind it's non-refundable. ;)[/QUOTE]
cool thanks

I missed this thread yesterday. Now onward to Paypal.

I am new to the site and BP community, but what I have learned here already could not be quantified! Thank you all for all that you do! I hope that I can be a more beneficial member in the future!

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Originally Posted by JLC

A Registered User is automatically upgraded to BP.net Vet when they reach two years of membership with a minimum of 200 posts.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Once you reach BP.net Veteran status, you can change it to a more personalized one.

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I've got the two year thing in the bag.... now I need to start saying stuff. :rolleye2:

I guess i can always switch to no avatar if i get tired of this one before 2015, which is when I should reach 200 posts at my current rate! :rofl:

:twocents: I think i'll start saving change until i get enough to buy a membership!

Question is it possible to be a Silver>Platinum member without having the icon for it?

SO what's the deal with hosting our own forum? I have an idea of what I want to do already! :P Do we get to create our own little subforum and run it? And how soon will this all happen...or am I missing something? :)

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Originally Posted by JLC

One thing that I didn't make real clear in the initial discussion is about the Member Forum for Platinum Members. This is NOT an automatic feature. Not everyone would be interested in that feature. Any Platinum Member that wishes to have their forum set up should shoot me a PM and we'll talk about getting that set up for you!

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