Well, I've read a lot of emails lately on this, and I finally have to 
comment.  If anyone believes that the geocaching hobby is supposed to be 
free, and that you get nothing for your hard earned money by paying the 
membership fees, I suggest you start a web site and watch the bills 
grow.  You get to register domain names, you get to find a host, find a 
more expensive host when users complain that they can't connect all the 
time, find more reliable hosts.  Then there is the cost of developing 
all the custom software that Geocaching.com has.  And a staff to process 
requests from 139 countries to approve caches.  It all costs money.  I 
feel that being a charter member helps support the hobby, and pay for 
many of the features and software that makes the site so useable and the 
sport so enjoyable.  I work in the software industry. I know of what I 
speak.  If Geocaching.com was a big long list of caches, not sortable, 
not searchable, without forums, without the ability to log and track 
your finds, without travelbugs, would it be nearly as much fun?

To those who say there are other ways to contribute to Geocaching.com, I 
applaud your support.  With a membership at $30 a year, you'd have to 
spend $240 or more through Offroute.com to support Geocaching.com at the 
same level. (I'm assuming an average 12.5% kickback, the range goes from 
5 - 20%).  I doubt too many people do that on an annual basis, but I'm 
sure every bit does help Geocaching.com.

While I understand that not everyone can afford membership, I have to 
question that as a position to not be a member.  If I could not afford 
$30 for a membership (or better $3 a month) I doubt I could afford the 
gas (a whopping 2 gallons) , or the trinkets (a whopping 3 one dollar 
trinkets) to leave in caches.  If I had to do less caches, to afford my 
membership, I surely would.  If all the money dried up for 
Geocaching.com, how long do you think it would take for the site to go 
belly-up?

While I don't feel as strongly about this topic as Ken does, I find 
myself having to agree with him on a number of points.  Becoming a 
member does support the hobby.  You become an invested member in the 
sport.  I also feel it probably would protect caches from plunderer's 
such as the cache pirate as they are likely not a paying member.

Having said all that, I feel slightly saddened that people will view me 
as an elitist just because I have a charter membership.  Scott's mention 
of a non-members only cache really rubbed me the wrong way.  Do they 
need a new level of membership 
(Contributing-but-keep-it-a-secret-so-no-one-knows) just so I can 
participate in the sport at the same level as all the people who don't 
have a membership? All my caches have always been available for everyone 
and anyone, and I've enjoyed each and every cache log that I've read on 
my caches.

I'm amazed that AZgeocaching.com has been free for so long.  It provides 
a lot of great services and software all for free (Thanks Team Snaptek). 
  I'd probably be the first one in line with my checkbook if this site 
every goes fee based, but please don't hold that against me too.

--
Jim - Team 8 Feet