I have been on orchid since it began. There is now going to be a monthly charge. I am going to unsubscribe. To all of you I have exchanged information with thru the years, thanks and you will be missed. Goodbye. have fun, tom
@Tom_Arnold1 You can actually join for free if you were a previous Orchid member. Feel free to email me at seth@gemsociety.org and I can get you set up. That being said, the new Orchid is member supported and the cost at full price is literally $4/month. I think thatās a huge bargain - itās the cost of a cup of coffee.
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I have been on Orchid since the beginning as well and honestly I quit using it because I couldnāt navigate or find anything easily. I was wondering what peopleās reaction to a fee would be. My initial reaction was a step back but in the end Iām thinking Iāll be happy to pay a little for a new and improved and updated version of an old favorite tool. And really, 4 bucks, itās a resource that Iām happy to pay for if it makes it a bit more user friendly and easier to navigate. A cup of coffee with an old friend.
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I was a bit hesitant as well. However, I have learned so much over the years here and enjoyed the conversations that itās well worth the $4/month. But that is over a Starbucks cup of coffee though (thatās one reason I donāt drink their coffee!)
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Iām afraid I miss my old Orchid Digest. But then, Iām one of the ancient ones who is not at all into ālikesā and all the other social network āgamesāā¦:-)ā¦
I was literally shocked when I saw that Ganoksin was no longer free (and greatly relieved that I could get a free account and not have to pay to look up my old postsā¦:-)ā¦)! I understand that a lot of work goes into maintaining all the elements that Ganoksin offers, but the free forum was perhaps its greatest point. Four dollars a month may sound like a pittance to e.g., an American, but one of Orchidās main attractions was its international makeup, including posts from countries where the average income is but a fraction of what it is in the US or Europe. Also, many gold/silversmiths today are really struggling, what with the rise of metal prices and the troubled economics of todayās world. Not to mention students and smiths who are just starting their careerāa time when every penny goes to toolsā¦:-)ā¦
As I said, I think it is understandable (although unfortunate) to charge for videos, etc., but perhaps the forum part (Orchid) should be made into a Yahoo group so everyone can talk to everyone and have access to past posts for freeā¦It seems like everyone has stopped postingā¦:-(ā¦
I have my concerns about paying membership.
I helped people for free with what i know and more knowledgable people did
the same ā¦ for free.
The idea of ganoksin was that EVERYBODY could access this, no exeption.
Now, all this free information will be used to make some money?
I realy feel strange about this since all the videos are given for free and
you only may access them when you pay a fee?
So, people who are on a low budget are ruled out?
It feels awfull strange and uncomfortable to me, it realy doesā¦
Over the years various fundraising initiatives have been tried to fund Orchid. Major tool manufacturers have donated prizes for raffles. People have been asked to gift some money to Orchid on their birthdays. Rare books have been digitized and offered for sale. Orchid, like most good things, requires money to occupy space on the Internet and I believe that birthday donations are a good idea. It provides an income stream year round. Please consider donating to Orchid if you are able to, so that students and jewellers from other parts of the world can benefit from this amazing resource. Cheers,Karen
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I agree. Thank you and take care, Paul Le May.
ā
I have my concerns about paying membership.
I helped people for free with what i know and more knowledgable people did
the same ā¦ for free.
The idea of ganoksin was that EVERYBODY could access this, no exeption.
Now, all this free information will be used to make some money?
I realy feel strange about this since all the videos are given for free and
you only may access them when you pay a fee?
So, people who are on a low budget are ruled out?
@Pedro_Alonso-Sanche1 Hi Pedro - The resources on Ganoskin.com, including the articles and videos remain 100% free. Forum access is the only thing that requires a paid membership to access. The membership subsidizes content curation and the staffing required to continually upgrade and improve Ganoksin as a resource to all. The reality is, it does cost money to administer such a large web property - and the money has to come from somewhere. It used to come from advertisers and Google ads, and frankly, the revenue was insufficient to justify any improvements to the website. Thatās why Ganoksin looked the same a month ago as it did in 2001. It made just enough money to stay alive, and barely. Had I not stepped in, in another few years it would have continued declining.
@janetb Thanks for your note. You can see by performing a search that 100% of the Orchid archives, at great expense (over $50,000USD of my own money) and effort, are now available 100% for free right here. And the search is now fabulous - you can find any previous thread by topic and it is all in one place. Imagine taking 250,000 messages all with different formatting and getting them to look like that 
Not easy. The only thing that requires a paid membership is responding in Orchid. Those fees subsidize Orchid and Ganoksin.com, which remains 100% free (articles and videos). If you feel strongly that the information should remain freely available, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid member for $4 per month. By definition, those who can afford it support those who cannot. Such is by design. To reiterate, we do not charge for videos or access to articles, although we have removed all 3rd party advertising from that content and paid to completely re-organize it. We will continue to do so. We also pay to host the videos, in full HD, on our website. Again, all of this technical infrastructure costs money to administer, and that is what paid memberships support.
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Hi Karen - thanks for the support! We actually donāt support donations anymore - the best way to support orchid and ganoksin.com is to become a member. We use 100% of that money to continue improving the website and Orchid.
Hi Seth,
Iām very happy you have taken over and committed your resources to keeping Ganoskin an alive, active and vital resource for jewelers of all types and nationalities. Keep up the good work. Not everything is free!
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Thank you @Taf_Schaefer, I really appreciate it.
Hello Karen,
You make valid points. Those of us past a ācertain ageā find change difficult. I was one who sent a birthday check. I also contributed to the silent auctions in Tucson and very much enjoyed the Orchid dinners. I will always be grateful to Rio Grande for their efforts supporting those dinners and still use my sturdy bag from one event.
I digress. In an effort to support Orchid for all, perhaps I can go ahead and pay for anotherās membership?? What say you, Seth??
Judy in Kansas, where the calendar says Fall is here, but it still seems like Summer temperature-wise. Peppers are producing well though.
Great ideas Janet B.!
@Judy_in_Kansas I say it is community members like you, Judy, that remind me why I undertook this project. You need not pay for anyone elseās membership, but you are very kind to think of that. Rather, Iād suggest you become a Gold member (which is 50% off for all Legacy Orchidians, and you keep that discount forever as long as your account stays active). That would be a big help.
All of the old Orchidians can remain as Legacy free members for as long as they like, and those that choose to support us, can become Gold or Platinum members at the same discounted rate for a short time. The reality is, those Legacy folks who are willing/able to pay inevitably subsidize those Legacy folks who are not. I am hopeful all will come back, participate, and I am equally hopeful many will choose to pay.
New members of course, must pay to access Orchid, although they can read Orchid and the archives for free.
Members and Jewelry Industry advertisers like those listed on our homepage are the driving force behind this resource.
Thank YOU for being awesome.
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Thank you Seth & Leah for addressing my sign up problem so quickly, all is well now. I am still exploring the new site design and like what I see. It is much easier to navigate than when I first became a member years ago. Change is sometimes difficult but, like the work we do, we must keep going forward in order to keep improving.
Deeā¦now, back to the bench!
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Orchid has been a pivotal part of my metalsmithing career. It is the members of Orchid that chose the name of Metalwerx, which thrives today as one of the top teaching schools in the US. I am proud to have been a part of Ganoksinās growth and equally proud for Seth to take the lead in moving the core of Ganoksin into the future. Four dollars a month is a coffee at Starbucks. If there are those who cannot pay, I am happy to sponsor their monthly membership. Tell me how. The rich education from Orchidās passionate members has kept jewelry alive in dark economic times. Seth, thank you for honoring the mission of Hanuman, Ton and Charles. Thank you for honoring us in the times of FB and the jungle of social media. You can go home again if you are willing to accept change, and if that change is motivated by good intent for all. Seth. We honor you by you honoring us.
Karen Christians
Western Ave Studios #506
Lowell, MA
781-367-4992
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@Karen_Christians4 
Karen, you are amazing. THANK you!
Seth, can you tell us about the Gold and Platinum memberships with cost info. Thanks
Can you please clarify the differences between the subscriptions and the free from old members?
Thanks