Really Google+ WTF?!?!?!

I'm trying to work on this stuff here and I'm like a crack addict and have to keep watching a thread between Robert Scoble of Rackspace talk about how Amy Wineshouse death is polluting his stream. While it's not really relevant to the idea of Amy Winehouse it is about being able to customize the experience and the content.

Now that I've squandered some time with that. I'm trying to work on this space today and tomorrow.

Now that the speed issue isn't so much an issue and I need to do some planning for subscriptions.

I figure 2 levels of monthly subscriptions but what can we offer?

This is all I can think of
$2.50 mo
animated avatars
a little donor ribbon silver
private forum access

$5.00 mo
animated avatars
a little donor ribbon gold
private forum access
premium skin access

 

Amy Winehouse is indeed dead.

I don't know how I feel about the idea of segregating content behind a paywall. Skins, avatars, custom titles, whatever -- just don't require payment to access any part of the forum, says I.

Honestly, I bet you could find yourself 15 or 20 people who would contribute monthly just for the sake of doing it. Hell, I'll throw $5 per month in the pot -- with my big promotion and all I can certainly afford it now.

 

People like to have some sort of difference. I don't plan on any huge mill of content creating to happen in the private forum access. Maybe it's as simple as the people who donate get to discuss and hear about things that are coming or changing. Kind of like the invitation we've made here.

 

Was thinking about it because I can't sleep. We have content already behind a clique wall. Mp is 50 posts and exhibition is pretty much invitation only.

 

Using content as an incentive to participate is one thing. Forcing folks to pay to access content is something else completely.

You're the boss, boss. What you decide is what goes. This is just my opinion.

 

Yes, forcing people to pay to access content is a completely different standard for our community. I don't forsee that. If anything I see the private forum access as more like a variant of Members Playground.... Subscriber/Donor Playground

 

Yeah, I'm torn on the contribution for content idea. I've contributed a couple times and probably will in the future. It's nice when there is incentive to contribute, and a subforum for contributors would definitely be a huge incentive. My main comment would be to keep the threshold very low for how much you have to contribute if a forum becomes part of the perks involved. Most anyone with an internet connection can afford a couple bucks for entertainment if they so choose. A few months of TFP for what it costs to rent a video from RedBox or Family Video? Well worth it IMO.

 

I don't see any practical way to do a recurring subscription in a non-electronic manner. I suppose you could mail a bunch of post-dated cheques or something, but it seems like a bit of a hassle.

 

Fresh. There's no grandfathers here.

 

That's sort of where my head is. It's a lot easier to get people to donate when they don't have to actually do anything, and it's a lot easier to convince people to chip in $5 per month than $50 once a year. Things are being done to lower the costs around here, so if we can get even a fraction of our long-term user base to put $5 in the pot each month we'll be set.

I'm not against adding perks for money, I just don't think access to content should be one of them. Fancy features, icons, doohickeys? Sure. But our discussions are what attract new users here in the first place. Let's not start cutting them off.