I know there's a lot of flurry around the soon-to-be unavailable lifetime subscriptions... it's a real boon to many here, it's a limited expense for the giver (if they're gifts), and it helps the Great Orange Satan in the short term.
I want to stand up for the Yearly Subscription. I have held one since the fall of 2008, and I will continue to for as long as dKos will have me. Here's why:
1. I will spend more money in the long run, but I will also provide ongoing support; in other words, I'm not a "one and done" subscriber but a continual supporter. That's gotta help.
2. $40 a year is a small price to pay for getting news a week early. (One of my favorite aspects of the site.)
3. The subscription management staff is so nice; how can I possibly pass up a yearly opportunity to confuse them with my odd billing situation interract with them?
4. Ministry of Truth, Jeff Lieber, jpmassar, WineRev, Clark Wooledge, both Troubadours, Ellinorianne, Julie Gulden, teacherken, Brit. (Your list may vary.)
5. Ads just distract from the pie fights.
6. Yearly subs make great birthday/holiday presents. Much as a magazine subscription makes a great gift and is something the reciever can kinda count on year after year, such is the nature of a yearly dKos sub. I've been giving a couple of gift subs for Christmas for a few years, and it's always a nice addition to the gift list. And if you the person you gave a sub to turns conservative, you can taunt them with the renewal cancel the sub.
So get out there and sign up!