Oddbean new post about login | logout I will politely disagree. You don't need to charge for access if you control access. I have been part of many comminuties online over ~30 years that didn't charge but had very little spam out scammers because access and culture was such that it was very self-regulating. But, I'm not saying you shouldn't charge. You are providing direct, quick access in an unprecedented manner that prioritizes those who have laid out significant fiat for your hardware. Having thought about that more over the last day, I've come to see why it us ultimately a good thing to do what you are doing for the sustainability of Start9.
It's different in Bitcoin. Scammers are everywhere and very agressive. If you don't charge for access, why wouldn't they just join over and over again using different emails and aliases? There is literally no cost or risk to scamming. You can disagree all you want, but you are 100% wrong.
You can move to an active approval model. I don't know how many people try to use your support. Approving would be a hassle if it's a high volume, so, I get that having a paywall as an effective filter is appealing, especially since you're trying to grow. Honestly, I get it. I was just very surprised by $100, especially since I just got startOS running this week. 😅
its great that you can monetize a fantastic service and deal with scammers at the same time. $100 is a fair price for first world nations but it may cause DIY users in poorer countries from getting quality support that keep them running their node when facing a tech issue. Its a difficult line to draw and you had to draw it somewhere.