happy thanksgiving!

well - I'm not sure it was written very well, but it is already on the web (on facebook) so here is my response to the question "excuse me but, why should I pay for sharing pictures?":
"That's a very good question! To start, there is no "should". If you don't want to pay to share photos, then obviously you know there are still places on the web where you can share without paying (except in the sense that you probably have to see ads along with the photos you are viewing).
However, I will do my best to answer why I pay to be part of ipernity. **My short answer, I do it because I want a website where there are people who communicate with each other around the art and fun of photography, a place to really engage with a photograph. **My long answer: I think it has something to do with why I share my photos. Outside of sharing photos here on facebook (I have a very casual business photo page here), I desire to share my photos with other photographers where 1) we can support each other's efforts, 2) learn from each other, gather ideas from each other, and 3) enjoy seeing photos from other people's perspectives and locations around the world. I want to engage with individual photographs and also get support for my photography. ipernity does all that for me. **I started out on flickr, and even paid for an account there so I could have more storage space, but when they changed formats to a stream style I discovered ipernity. a site where the photographs were honored and I could engage with the images and the contributors! Again, I chose to become a paying member because I wanted more storage space. **When ipernity was going to close (maintaining a website with tons of photographs is costly), us photographers joined together and saved the site by purchasing it as a member owned non-commercial website. We are passionate about keeping it going. But we have no ads to support us (which means we have no outside interests telling us how to run the website). We have a small core group of members that spend many hours each week volunteering to do the tasks required to keep the site going. No one is required to do anything in support of the site - there are still free accounts - but without paid memberships the storage fees for the servers and all other costs cannot be paid. I quite simply am thrilled that the site was saved from closing due to a group effort and happily pay, less than $5 per month, to help it continue."
ironically I could have gone on...

You are helping me be grateful!

A great reply and you put into words so well my feelings about ipernity. In fact much of what you write here could be used by IMA as a kind of "mission statement" (an over-used term that I have come to dislike, but for want of a better term it stays in!).
I'm sure it could be used somewhere with the aim of increasing membership!! There were a few (now ex-) ipernity members who got very hot under the collar about having to pay a fee and I wish I could have used your persuasive comments with them at that time!
Well said and well done, Laura!!
Have a good Sunday!
Andy