oc6088, for years I subscribed to the magazine. I got a lot out of it. Then I started interacting on this forum. I've gotten a lot out of that, too. Now, I've gone and become a Plus member, and I'm only starting to get the most of that.
It's not the same thing as the magazine--for a long time I had the magazine in print and that was enough for me. I suspect one reason you pay extra for the Plus membership is because it's more than the print edition, and it's different than the print edition, and not everyone who has the print edition wants to pay extra for the Plus stuff. So, it's like a la cart--you pay for the amount you want, I guess. So far it works for me and saved me money when all I wanted was the print edition. Now, I'm growing and trying to learn all I can and this is another way to do that with online tutorials, etc.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess.