View Single Post
Old 11-03-2008, 07:14 AM   #51
Chris1617
Avalon Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Japan
Posts: 87
Default Re: Will you leave if the forum is a Paid Subscription?

Unsure whether I'd stay or leave. I'm so busy I only get here occasionally. That might make it not worth my while to pay.

I differ with a couple of posters here and agree with some others:
I think Paying might deter detractors and the fluff which wastes ones time; also Internet 3 rather than 2 is in the offing -- at least in Japan. It opens to the public next summer. But I still see a place for sites like this in Web 3.

I have no issue with paying for something. When everyone wants something for free I just see economic collapse in the world and from personal experience, unless it's a freebie which is a sprat to catch the proverbial mackerel, and that doesn't apply here.

I think the ideas/suggestions of merchandising and advertising are good ones if they are workable here. Virtually all IT free spaces/places are so because they gain money from advertising. It's been shown these adverts are very ineffective, though, so how long advertisers will remain on 2D pages remains to be seen. IMO they'll all move into the coming 3D IT virtual worlds (not to be confused with existing ones like 2nd Life etc).

Although Avalon has suggested $30 dues I don't see anyone discussing price. Everyone seems to either be accepting $30 or requesting not a cent. If the annual fee were $10 I'd stay as I wouldn't notice $10. More than that...I just don't know.

One poster mentioned newbies: good point. I think somehow a one week or month free trial should be set up if payment goes ahead. People should be able to see what they are getting into and whether they want to stay before they pay. So, instigate some IT version of a cooling off period, but mods would need to have some way of knowing people weren't just changing their sign in names each week or month.

Just my tuppence worth.
Chris1617 is offline   Reply With Quote