Subscription levels dropping

[Morrus]

Why make this a forum topic rather than emailing the people who cancelled and asking directly?

I don't want to be invasive. This is an easy way for folks to share info if they want to.

 

[mach1.9pants]

EDIT:

I don't want to be invasive. This is an easy way for folks to share info if they want to.

I don't think it is too invasive, if they have selected the option of 'receive emails from admin' then they want to 'receive emails from admin'

And a PM, please if you don't mind so I know how to improve, why did you unsubscribe is not in any way invasive.. it is just good customer care IMO.

Just to clarify again, folks - with apologies. But I am looking for a specific piece of information here - it's why people have been cancelling in the last three months in particular.

I realise that "why I haven't subscribed" is in the same subject area (and that may well be a thread at some other point - takeup levels are perfectly fine, so it's not as pressing a concern as the recent spate of cancellations), but what I really need to pin down here is what's prompting these cancellations.

If we would stay on topic, that would really help. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly interested in your stories of why you didn't subscribe, what you thought the moderation here 3 years ago was like, and so on, but it's far more important right now that I get that specific bit of information.

Thanks - I hope that didn't come across too abrupt. It's just that I need to pin down that particular thing right now.

Maybe PM all those that have stopped and see what you get.

 

[stonegod]

My older (non-renewable) account expired during the time when $$ was tight. That should be clearing up so I plan to re-up to support the site.

 

[jonesy]

The moment you offer a way to subscribe that doesn't involve Paypal is the moment I'll do it.

 

[Kobold Boots]

Well, no one needs to give him a reason when they unsubscribe. I think this is his attempt to reach out and see what reasons they have, from those who want to give them. A forum thread hardly seems an inappropriate method which with to do so, nor is the desire to try and keep the responses in the thread on-topic.

I mean, my opinions have largely been in-line with yours on the entire issues, but I think it is a bit much to start arguing that he "needs" to approach this topic in one specific fashion, and that doing so in a different method (via a forum thread) is somehow unacceptable.

Morrus is the admin and he can communicate how he wants. I think that the term "unacceptable" is a bit strong given the content in my posts and I won't endorse that term in conjunction with my posts.

However, what I am suggesting (required comment form for unsub) is best practice for just about every other online subscription service I've ever partaken in, whether it's WoW, or DDI or anything else, so it's not beyond the realm of civility to approach that as a suggestion.

It was also appropriate for me to state that I had no idea if he'd already done so. "Helpful" isn't always about being right, and arguing that he "needs" to put something in isn't the same thing as insisting it.

Thanks,
KB

 

[tenkar]

I noticed earlier today my annual sub had run out.

I had to think long and hard before re-upping with the monthly, and I'm not sure how long I will stick with it. That being said, I did opt for the Silver Level (GO ME!), but that was mainy because I want to support the site, but i'm not sure I'll stay with the monthly sub.

The yearly sub was set and forget, I didn't have to balance my checkbook against a reoccuring monthly withdrawl, no matter how small.

I don't really care one way or the other for the PDFs that are part of the sun. I already own War in 3.5 and don't play 4e. Heck, most of my gaming is with retroclones these days.

I like the ENWorld Community. I've been coming here for years. I still find threads to read or add my 2 cents to. I just don't like the monthly sub as the only option.

I'm subscribed for now. Lets see how it goes.

 

[broghammerj]

I don't want to be invasive. This is an easy way for folks to share info if they want to.

Morrus,

Just a few comments on getting feedback about cancellations.

1. A public thread may not be an appropriate venue to share why someone would cancel. I am sure some people don't want to come in and dump on the website which in some ways indirectly relates to you and other contributors. Sort of like the phrase, "if you can't say something nice...." I think Enworld was formed as a community and criticism may be felt as more personal rather than directed toward a business (it was a long time before I realized Enworld was a business site and I don't think I'm alone). Also if it is personal or financial reasons people may not want to air their own dirty laundry on the internet.

2. I don't think it is intrusive to email or solicit a response when framed in the manner of a business looking to improve product and customer service. Again I don't think people think of Enworld in a business fashion so you have to present the solicitation in that way. Asking for a PM, email, or even posting to a thread created by you makes it somewhat personal. My suggestion would be to send a solicitation email that allows someone multiple was to give feedback: anonymously to something such as survey monkey, information that there is an active thread on the matter, or personally PMing you.

I don't know if you can track use of the site by individuals, but my base assumption is that someone who let their sub go probably isn't using the site as much and may not see the thread for days.

Also does this correlate to an anniversary of a subscription drive when things were discounted and hence a disproportionate number of subscribers corresponds to a large numbers of lapsed accounts clustered at one time instead of the expected churn or turnover each month

 

[JeffB]

I don't subscribe because ENWorld, particularly the general forum, is less and less interesting to me.

The number of new threads in general seems to have decreased. Umbran closed the "What could WotC do to woo back disenchanted fans" thread 2 days ago, and it's still on the main page. A year ago, it would have dropped down to page two in a few hours.

Worse, IMO, the quality of the conversation has declined. The same half-dozen or so topics (sandboxing v. railroading, WotC's pdf/piracy policies, 4.5 and rumors of 4.5, fudging, verisimilitude and the loss thereof, WotC's treatment of D&D canon, etc. etc.) pop up again and again. Each time one of these topics shows up it spawns a gigantic 20+ page thread where the same dozen or so posters make the same points they've raised in a hundred previous 20+ page threads. Nobody's adding anything to the discussion. Nobody says anything new. The only interesting thing is to see who blows their stack and gets modded first.

I still lurk around. I post from time to time. I even follow the occasional 20+ page megathread out of morbid curiousity. But I'm less interested, less informed and less entertained by ENWorld than I ever have been, and for that reason I haven't subscribed.

This is me- I'm a 4E fan, but I just don't participate much any more.The general boards are more about theory and gripes disguised as theory, and usually devolves into the same old edition polarization. My elves are better than yours. I spend most of my time online at some of the smaller "old school D&D" forums & BLOGS where there's a bigger emphasis on the game, creating for it & playing it vs. the industry/WOTC sux/D&D "politics" and general internet 3.x vs 4E B&M'ing here.

And on the flip side, none of the subscriber content I've seen as of yet has interested me enough to pay a monthly fee. Among the "D&D BLOGOSPHERE" (both old & new school) there is a TON of incredibly well done free content out there. Not saying I'm not willing pay for something I want (I've paid a ton of money for some old gaming items) , but I can find alot of inspiration & good D&D material elsewhere without having to pay a monthly fee. Also having to pay for a search feature really irks the crap out of me- I am on few dozen different forums for several of my hobbies and this is the only site I have seen where you have to pay to use a search feature. I relaize the cost and work associated with keeping the site runnning- I've donated a couple times (way) in the past, but..well


Also, I can see why subs would drop off with a monthly recurring payment, and having a gap in the subscriber content. (and I have no issues with PayPal, personally). Not a great analogy, but Its kinda like buying a magazine off the shelf that is in sealed plastic wrap, vs the discounted subscription price via mail. If it's a magazine you REALLY want, you will buy it for a year or 6 months sub, get a better price, and be happy because you are saving some money and you don't mind the "non useful months" so much cos of the savings. But having to pay "full price", every month with the same hit or miss outcome? I'd cancel too after a couple "misses".

 

[carmachu]

Hey folks,

I'm posting this thread to find out what you guys would like from an EN World subscription. The $3 subscriptions have been running for a while now, but in the last three months we've been seeing cancellations in droves - to the point where we're dipping to unsustainable levels. We're getting a dozen cancellations per day at the moment, and that's adding up to a lot of money over a few months!

That's OK - I'm not trying to guilt anyone into subscribing. But the problem with cancellations is that we don't have any feedback mechanism in place. So if you've cancelled your subscription in the last few months, it would be great if you could let me know why (obviously, if it's personal financial stuff it's none of my business - but if it's because you aren't getting something you expected or wanted, I'm listening).

We've lost hundreds of subscribers in just the last three months (it's odd that they all started happening at the same time). If any of your folks could offer some insight as to why, I'd be grateful, because PayPal doesn't tell us why!

Mine cancelled because, well now money is tighter, but back then, for some reason, you kept rejecting the paypal automated payment from the bank, even though teh money was there. Or paypal did. Either way after a yearish of it going fine, one of the two ends was rejecting the money.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

I was a community supporter, but now I am inactive.

Why? PayPal.

Specifically, PayPal refuses my money.

It requires me to log in (other PayPal-using stores do not) and then refuses to accept who I am. When I try to make a new account, no, sorry, that email is in use. When I ask for the password to be sent to that email, no, sorry, we don't have a record of that email.

So, it is honestly and truly impossible to renew my support. Change that, only that, and you will have my money.

I do not use the content--I've never been a big module buyer. (And if you want to know how long I've played and purchased, note I said "module.") I use the forums. They are the best forums I've found out there, forums that simply are not found anywhere else. Even though these skew 4e, I've been able to discuss other RPGs, and even more importantly to me, discuss the ins and outs of the RPG experience itself. Other sites either focus too strongly on one system to keep my interest, or cannot retain the level of civility of this site. I also play in the PBP Living Worlds here. For that, I am willing to pay to help keep it around.

But, with PayPal doing what it does, I cannot support ENWorld. It saddens me.