There's a lot I like about CGOAB and a lot I don't like. I love the location tagging. If I'm ever passing through an area I'm curious about, I can usually find a couple journals of people who have passed through just using the location data. I would say that's the main reason I use the site and why I prefer it over a personal website. It's nice to be able to use locations or tabs or searches to see what several cyclists have had to say on the topic.
But it does feel like a site from the early days of the web. It's got a lot of features, so that look is kind of deceiving, but it's there. Neil has some very specific rules about using the site. Some I agree with and some I don't, but none of that matters since it's not in any way my site. And while the title of the site tickles my funny bone, it also seems somewhat dismissive of half the population.
I've donated before and will again. I love the idea of the site. I am not always thrilled with the implementation, but I understand that it's one person's labor of love. Well, one person making the framework and many, many more providing the content. But I don't love it so much that I'd pay a subscription for access. A small fee per journal could be something, but still probably not a great idea. It'd be fine for me, but since journals are the meat of the site, I wouldn't want any barriers in place to prevent people from starting one. It can only serve to bring the amount of content down.