Quote LAZSERUS:
"I looked over the forum and liked what I saw, so I decided to take a ride. I've been looking for a good solid forum focused on space for quite some time. I always tend to find the ones where there are nothing but "I know more than you" people, or quite the opposite - babbling idiots who have absolutely no concept of reality. It looks as if this forum has just the right temperature. I haven't found any idiots or know-it-alls. It seems like a really relaxed environment. My kind of place."

The above considered comment from a knowledgeable person convinces me, who doesn't know any other forum, that the Universe Today is a first class forum; top quality.

And whilst I agree with Kashi : "I don't think a membership fee would be very popular." , I would suggest that it is reasonable to pay for a quality product.

Reasonable for reasonable people, anyway.

It could be reasonably assumed that most Forum members are intelligent; and are either students with little spare money, or professionals who can afford a reasonable Membership Fee.

So - let the fee, as originally suggested by DippyHippy, be voluntary.