Todd; the main reason I upgraded was to get the messenger functionality and the ability to keep track of new threads and ones I participated in.
The areas which are for members only are for private or controversial things. There are people who like making a bother of themselves; but are are easily discouraged by even a small cost. This cost provides a somewhat sheltered place for donating members to feel more comfortable talking about things such as health, family, and other things you don't want the internet at large to see.
As for the other area, for controversial stuff it is a mix of politics and adult topics. I have my profile set not to display this area of the forum since I don't enjoy political content.
In my humble opinion; I encourage upgrading as a means to support the forum. This would be especially true if you have a lot of appliance content to share and lots of questions to ask.
Sincerely,
David
