I checked the ownership and I don't see it happening other than the name. Apparently there are legal issues involved and it is likely the domain name will cost about 10K after the site shuts down . After a few years if it isn't bought it will run $10 or less depending on where you buy it.

@Lizard_of_Ahaz I found the following informaton.

[domain.com]

agnostic.com
Registered to Registration Private
Last Updated Sep 07, 2022
Expires On Sep 07, 2023
Registrar GoDaddy.com, LLC

@ASTRALMAX I found far more detailed information which I posted here... Including the owner has been blocked from transferring the domain name and information here...
The registrar is godaddy but the server space is on Amazon.

@ASTRALMAX Here you go from the raw data available on "whois" it shows that the owner tried to cheap it and made the mistake of allowing godaddy to hold the rights to the domain name.

Raw Whois Data

Domain Name: agnostic.com
Registry Domain ID: 2809473_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.godaddy.com
Registrar URL: [godaddy.com]
Updated Date: 2022-09-07T12:56:25Z
Creation Date: 1996-09-07T23:00:00Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2023-09-06T23:00:00Z
Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC
Registrar IANA ID: 146
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: email@godaddy.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.4806242505
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited [icann.org]
Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited [icann.org]
Domain Status: clientRenewProhibited [icann.org]
Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited [icann.org]
Registry Registrant ID: Not Available From Registry
Registrant Name: Registration Private
Registrant Organization: Domains By Proxy, LLC
Registrant Street: DomainsByProxy.com
Registrant Street: 2155 E Warner Rd
Registrant City: Tempe
Registrant State/Province: Arizona
Registrant Postal Code: 85284
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.4806242599
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax: +1.4806242598

How much of your real information is entered into this system here?... Free sites make you pay by being invasive and unless you have ways to block them from stealing your information are selling it to anyone willing to pay them a couple bucks. I have those protections because I don't want Amazon selling my information.

This is why I asked some people will be unable and some too cheap.... Ask yourself how is a "free" website paid for? Server space costs money so they either sell ads or steal your information then sell it to others.

@Lizard_of_Ahaz On your poll, you should've added; Unable to pay✓ or Too cheap✓. One of those two choices would've won the poll.

@barjoe We have discussed several options for those who are unable to afford to pay but the way I figure it too cheap is not something to be rewarded. I am arguing to keep the price low because I just want to cover the costs and discourage scammers. Anything extra would go to financial assistance to those who are unable to pay or site improvements.

I have signed up for it BUT on my 10" tablet the type size is Totally unreadable, not an option whatsoever.

@AnneWimsey Thanks for the heads up.

@AnneWimsey I've never used a tablet, can you not increase the text size on tablet browser?

@LenHazell53 Since the tablet is 10", increasing the type size more than a tiny bit makes a lot of stuff disappear off the page.
I find that particular site the Only one i cannot cope with because they designed it with a TON of wasted space, have had No problems with any other site for the 15 years or so i have exclusively used a tablet.....therefore irritating the livin' hell outta me!!!!

@AnneWimsey That is because the person who wrote the site wasn't any good. They neglected to allow for tablets and phones and only wrote it to work with computers.

Not so reasonable for someone on an extremely low fixed income though. I remember being on SSI for a while and trying to live on 889.00 a month which included rent, utilities, food, etc.

This site has gone to shit because it isn't monitored in any way. Using Paypal currency conversion would not be an issue and allowing criminals is causing a lot of problems for people. I figure any criminal who comes to a site to steal from others deserves what happens to him and when scammers contact me they learn quickly that sympathy is just another word between shit and syphilis in the dictionary...
Criminal conduct should never be allowed or condoned nor should people who come to a website to enjoy themselves and exchange ideas freely be subjected to threats of terrorism or other criminal misconduct.
You don't like it feel free not to join decent human beings.

I disagree with you on most issues, but you make a good point here. I agree the over moderation of this site in the past, has largely led to the exodus of most longtime members in recent years. And a big part of that was how arbitrary and discriminatory the moderators were in their actions. I know that I would be willing to cough up the annual $12, but would also think long and hard about doing so, if the new site still allowed group mods, like HippieChick48, for example, to boot me from a group I was already in, just because she had an argument with me in a forum on that site, outside of the group she moderated. Because if something that unfair and petty were done to me, I would want to have my money refunded to me if I wanted to leave the site, not because I needed the money, but on the principle of it.

@TomMcGiverin Yeah that is the most BS part, it's a bit like a ponzi scheme.
Those in early create the groups and rake in points. So if you happen to offend one who controls groups and you get blocked by them, you are excluded by dictatorial decree. Too much power to cancel other human beings from interacting with third parties. I don't give a shit but had a private chat with @Triphid back in his lucid days, and know it affected him.

@puff Yeah, that's the thing. I know for a fact that about all the other members of the Trump Pinata group, that Paula (HippieChick48) moderated, missed me being in that group and did not want me booted from there, but instead, the opinion of one person, Paula, was enough to get me booted and blocked from the group, and there was nothing I or the other group members could do about it, even tho the argument with her occurred outside of the group in another forum on here. No fucking way I will fork over my money if the new site would still allow a mod like her to pull that kind of bullshit on me, with no recourse or remedy for me, and still be able to keep all of my money if I chose to leave the site after being treated that unfairly.

No, I will not pay $12 / per year to have a moderator babysit me. If you can't figure out who to block or give money to, the Internet might not be for you.

@UrsiMajor True dat! Self moderation is best.

@UrsiMajor, @puff The $12 has nothing to do with moderation it would pay for things like the server and related infrastructure costs.... Try pricing the costs and see what they are and you will see what I mean. FYI you might also be surprised at how these "free" sites pay for these costs. Facebook is a classic example of data-mining users and sells personal information to anyone including scammer outfits.

Glad to hear it you just made me much more likely to do this...

@Lizard_of_Ahaz you'd be lucky to get half of the current 100 active users. Don't waste your money.

@Tejas Actually I am seeing an increase in positive responses and with you opting out I expect those will increase sharply. Pretty much everyone here sees you for the fascist extremist screwball you are anyway and just knowing that you won't be there should make people feel far more comfortable.

@Lizard_of_Ahaz okay I opt in for a years pay of it, for admin privileges.

@Tejas Pay for your own website then...

@Lizard_of_Ahaz I'm pretty confident it will go nowhere, but I wish you luck

@Tejas Anything you got involved in would be a failure.... If I decide to do this it will work and people will enjoy it because I do believe in free speech but I also believe that there are consequences for stupidity. Try yelling fire in a crowded theater and see what I mean...

@Lizard_of_Ahaz you're gonna have 5 people on there and none of them are going to want to pay. Take this site for example, it was popular for a year or so then 90% of the population became inactive. Keep in mind its always been free

I would be looking at about 30K out of pocket just to start this up so I would need a lot of interested parties. I have been considering making it a 501c3 org but even that would present difficulties.

@Lizard_of_Ahaz I am interested, but you'd have to PM me. Not sure how that would work, because the messaging no longer works here. I'm on FB.

@Organist1 Assbook sells personal information even the information of what you are saying to other members to anyone willing to pay them money.... Yes they have been caught violating their own privacy policies.

Update: I just remembered I can start one on a free platform but they are invasive with our personal information and use Google Adsense to pay for the site. But if I do pay them they leave us all in peace meaning no ads and no data collection. If I can get 100 people interested in this to start I can get a limited version up and running within about a week.

@Lizard_of_Ahaz I know...it's dangerous. I only stay there to keep in touch with relatives.

@Organist1 I avoid it because of the Nazi hate posts they allow...

@Organist1 There is an agnostics.com face book page
[facebook.com]

Well you know what they say about opinions right?...