The negativity that some are bringing here is clearly (to me anyway) more of a way to try to pressure Og as revenge tactic for issues external to the fanclub.  Buying mining equipment, or becoming a part of a collective mining group is the same thing in that you are essentially selling your BTC for the fiat value at the time of purchase of the equipment or for the seat. The only "businesses" I've ever seen that promised a BTC investment that claimed to increase your BTC holdings were scams or ponzis that relied on some undisclosed trading method like Trendon Shaver's ponzi or the recent Bitconnect ponzi as examples.  If you are bullish on bitcoin price...hold bitcoin.