Would you like to get in touch with like-minded visitors?

From time to time we've been contacted by visitors wanting to get in touch with other like-minded people hoping to swap knowledge and experience, and perhaps artwork that they'd created.

This got me thinking. Would it be possible to set up some sort of facility that would enable our visitors to get in touch with each other?

It would have to run itself, more or less, and there would have to be safeguards to protect our visitors' privacy. After a good deal of thought I came up with an idea that seemed to fit the bill, and would be technically feasible.

Membership

There would be two levels of membership. Anyone would be able to register his or her details: a name, perhaps a location, an email address, and a summary of his or her interests. Those who paid a small one-off fee (to help us with our running costs) would have unlimited access to the names, locations if supplied, and lists of interests.

That way those who joined the scheme early, when the number of members was relatively small, would be able to come back again and again, as the number of members increased.

Safeguards and Privacy

Members' email addresses would not be visible on the website. Initial contact would be made using a form that would send a message directly to the member concerned. Only if that member chose to respond would his or her email address be available to the sender.

In addition, a CAPTCHA graphic challenge would be used to eliminate automated spam.

This has got me quite excited, but…

There's a fair bit of programming involved, and this can only work if there's enough interest.

Would you be interested?

If we were to set up a scheme like this, would you be interested in registering your details?

Would you be prepared to pay a small one-off fee for unlimited access, and how much would you be prepared to pay?

Thank you for your honest opinions.

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