What would you do if the forum had a subscription fee (to post classifieds, etc)?

something that once was very free now has a real cost.

That's understood but it's only really understood by the minority, and the majority would have a problem with a perceived change of something free becoming something paid. (More than half are against the subscription idea, but yet still upvoted the amount to make the subscription!)

I'm likely to stick with donations and merchandise, but am veering towards indicating those who have donated. The survey has had over 1,200 responses and I'm getting the message that more than half of the membership would not like subscriptions yet do actually feel that if there is a cost it should be covered by the members.

forgive me if I'm reading this wrong, almost half the respondents are saying they don't want a subscription model, and would rather donate, but have they done so?
Will having a donate icon, next to your name and avatar, really propel those who don't donate to do so? Will the buy the forum a beer message have to be shown more prominently to remind people to actually put money into the forum?

I feel the subscription model at least gives you a sense of how much money will be coming in, and you can then send out reminders to the people if they haven't done so, or on the anniversary of their joining, and that the donations avenue leaves the forum at the mercy of those who say they would/will donate and don't, and that as we grow we'll need more than the donations to keep the place going and having a subscription model in place, funding will hopefully keep pace with the growth of the forum..