Hey Vince,
Good choice on looking into VIP membership. It is the VIP members who support BOTH boards.
The lists and the info are the same, it is the members who provide most of the information on OPs. However, there are quite a few bennies to being a VIP member. First, there are discounts that many OPs, domestic and international, give to VIP members. There there is the "search" feature, which allows you to put in your medication, and it will show who is likely to carry that med. I enjoy the freedom of the VIP board, as we have a LOT more forums for posting, including one where we can put all the posts that normally would be so off topic they wouldn't last a minute on the typical board. The only OP serving VIPs exclusively at this time is EVMG. I think that is because Shawn, the owner, has been a member for some time, and saw a need for a good, reliable, understanding OP, so he opened one, and chose to limit it to VIPs so that it doesn't get bogged down and become unreliable. Also, I think it's his way of "giving back" to the community.
So for about 5 bucks a month, you have access to 2 boards, TONS and TONS of info, and occasionally, a new OP that chooses to limit his clientele.
I think it's worth every penny....
take care,
toky