@bug99 thanks for the question. I am the founder of IPVM. Yes, our member focus for IPVM is integration companies that do ongoing video surveillance projects. For companies that do tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of video surveillance projects annually, it is generally easy to justify the cost / value.
If we could do better overall financially by cutting the price in half, I'd be happy to do that but I don't believe that we would, e.g., double our membership. It's a very niche market so, by definition, most people are not going to be interested, regardless of the price. For example, the IEEE is completely different, they offer great benefits broadly but, for someone doing video surveillance professionally, we offer a lot more value since we cover video surveillance far more in depth.
Btw, you refer to IPVM as a 'forum site'. While it is true we have a forum, our main value (as well as costs incurred) is our
575+ tests, our
Calculator design software,
our statistics and our news reporting. Again, for most people, it is simply not applicable, but for video surveillance professionals, it generally provides strong value.
If I can answer any questions or respond to any feedback, let me know, thanks.