For those of you who subscribe to Bonjour Paris, is it worth the money to subscribe, or can you learn just as much "for free" by doing your homework?

It's a great site with wonderful and KIND not snotty posters. You don't have to pay to go to the forum but only to get the news letter and also there is about.com with great French lessons from Laura,(though I'm not a good student) But it is the greatest and she is VERY helpful.

I agree,I don't have a premier membership but I read all I want and post all I want for free on bonjour Paris..and use the francophile About forum and the France for visitors Ddelphi forum. And any other free website I can find!

wren,
It is a very helpful site. I do subscribe to the premium service, but it's not really necessary. You can just read and post on the forums without the premium membership.

It's a wonderful site, but I did not opt for the premium service because, well, the information I might get there is information I might just as well be in a position to offer myself. For neophyte travelers, it might well be worth it.
You can get Laura's French language site without going through BP -just go to Delphi and chek out French Language. It's an awesome site for those trying to learn French.

Gee, I thought I said that!

Cigalenta is about.com in the same forum of BP? I could use a refresher course in French..Please let me know..
Ciao,
kismet

http://forums.about.com/ab-french/start
sign up(free) for weekly lessons.
She is doll, meaning so nice, so helpul, and no "attitudë."

There are two main parts to the bonjourparis.com site: the newsletterS and the forums. One newsletter is free, while the other requires premium membership. The Forums are open to all without charge and have extensive information on travel and living in France. They're organized in a way that allows you to go back and find earlier material by category without having to do a search, although there is a good search engine. That's nice when you're interested in a long-running thread, such as Romantic Restaurants.

Thanks to you all...I guess I wasn't taking advantage of all the various free possibilities available on that site...

Bonjour Paris does have good information on France, but I would never pay for the site. Much of the same information is available online for free. I get several free newsletters from other sites about France. In fact I get so many that I rarely have time to read them. Many just get deleted if I am busy.

Many of the sites that start charging do it as a way of generating income to finance the site (and pay the owners for all the time and effort). Others end up peppered with advertising. Unless you are offering something very unsual, people will not pay and will look elsewhere online--which is the reason that many sites that do not sell products do not end up being profit making (or, even worse, folding).

The BP site's offerings go beyond travel advice; there is also fiction, articles on new chefs, an interactive French recipe section, and features that you would find in a magazine.

I am happy to support the Bonjour Paris site with my subscription. It has been invaluable to me over the years in planning my trips to France and reminding me of all the aspects of French living that I enjoy. The staff keeps a careful watch that everyone's questions and comments are treated without belittling or sarcasm. I look forward to the weekly newsletter and would recommend it to anyone interested in France. JMHO, Deborah

I agree, Deb, it's a very nice kind group who never judge or criticize
another poster with a superior attitude.

One more bit of info about BParis.com--the consumer reviews are very useful, and the responses to queries by ex-pats living in France really provide in-depth assistance.

Hi--just another note on Laura's French language site, whether accessed through Bonjour Paris or directly through about.com--it is a boon for French teachers so take a look--I use it for supplements to private adult lessons for folks who have second homes in France-- it is so well organized and Laura is very generous is allowing folks to use it for non-commercial purposes.