What is the general waiting period between payment and membership activation?

I know this has been brought up before but what are the real benefits to being a paid member.  I know that you get to enter the secret room and you get a cool picture added to your name but is there something great that I am missing or just not aware of, or is it mostly just funds to keep the board running?  Just curious.[:d]

When I joined, it was because I wanted to support the site. Then, as I began to use the free e-mail (with a @ar15.com address, which is pretty cool), and the pic hosting, I realized that it is worth it, just for the benefits.

I'm joining to support the fellow 2nd ammendment loving, gun totin brothers!  If ar15.com is trashed on TV talk shows by the do-gooders and anti's, then I want to help it out.  Shit, I "personally" get less out of my money from NRA and ISRA (Illinois state Rifle Association) but I still support the cause.  

Over the years I have learned a great deal about shooting, reloading, equipment, and tactics on this forum and I think that is well worth 60 bucks.  I have no one in my area I can talk to about our hobby, so AR15.com connects me with the entire country of gun loving folks!  

SHTF you say!  SHTF for me is having firearms declared illegal by the political idiots because a lack of support by gun owners! As a gun owner the more you support gun affiliated organizations, the more exposure the gun owners get.  I present my Illinois FOID card every chance I get, just to show people that I own guns and that we "gun owners" are not this "Deliverence" type folks.  

But really my goal is to:

1. Get a pic with my name
2. Be able to post pics in my posts
3. Give my email address as [email protected]  (More exposure for the cause)
4. have a warm and fuzzy feeling

Btw GoatBoy, is your call sign pic a pic of you?
Beacuse I'm thinking about getting creative with mine!

Takes awhile to do the backround check, we have to make sure the secret handshake is safe with you....

I also just sent in my payment. I figure GB'll get to it when he has the time. He's been busy as hell lately with the site upgrade and all, so he's most likely working out the inevitable bugs......I just hope he uses the money on site up-keep, and not blowing it all at some strip-joint. [;)]
edited (too late to disguise the fact that I can't type, btw) for spelling

Welcome aboard! Gargoyl   [beer]   Bob   [8D]

Welcome aboard Zardog you old dog(1700 posts).
[beer]     Bob   [8D]

Similar to Gargoyle, the information that I've gleaned off this sight has been great! Plain and simple, the $60/yr is a good value.  I just finished assembling my first AR and the tech info/opinions provided on this site were great prep for tackling the job. I realize that I didn't have to pay to get this good info; it just seemed fair to do so.  (BTW, my first AR project is a RRA Varminter. I did the "stripped lower thing" and bought a complete upper. Next time I'll roll my own to a higher degree.)
Kevin

Glad to be here, shit, would somebody activate me!