Important: Please Read! Changes Are Coming!

[Hereticus]

I need to find a way to charge $6 per month for advertising in my signature line.

 

[Cassander]

Is there some value added in ENWorld having paid columnists? I've seen a mention or two of them, but I've never even seen a link to them on the site. Does anyone read them? Do they really add value to the core mission of the site? Do people need to be paid to share their thoughts?

And why make people pay for message boards features and use that money to pay columnists, instead of just putting the columnists behind the paywall?

Also, shouldn't ENWorld products be raising money for the site rather than the site raising money for products?

Just realized I've been coming to this site for over 10 years now... I feel old.

 

[I'm A Banana]

It is about friggin' time I got a CS account anyway.

And if you need someone to write you some material, I may know a pretty good freelancer...

 

[Vartan]

I think this is a great idea. I was out of work for a year and am just now getting back on my feet, so I'm not yet a subscriber, but I get a lot of value from this website without paying for a subscription or enduring pop-up ads. Making sigs "members only" sounds like a good way to increase subscription numbers and fund future improvements.

I'm glad to hear that the site is doing well and that you're thinking of ways to improve it.

 

[Perram]

I have some real mixed feelings about this announcement.

When you came forward last time and let us know that ENWorld was in trouble, we answered. We subscribed at $3. Companies donated product for your subscription plan to support it.

I didn't start giving you $3 a month to use a search feature (Google does better) or get access to your content. (I hardly even looked at any of it, no disrespect to the people that donated content, I just need more time in the day.)

I even left my ads on. I imagine I'm not alone there. (But blast, those Evony ads get on my nerves...)

This...

This...

This is different. And it kind of sours my feelings about subscribing to begin with. If it was a mistake in perception on my part, I apologize, but marketing is all about perception.

Removing the signatures is a bad idea. I don't think you are going to get a return on investment you are looking for, and you might have the opposite effect:

People canceling their subscriptions.

I don't know if I will or wont, but this plan of action isn't the style of the grand gaming cause I rallied behind last time.

Edit: To sum things up - This doesn't feel like supporting the community. It feels dishonest.

 

[Fifth Element]

Also this. Threatening current users with a loss of functionality unless they pay for a subscription sounds a bit like extortion. I understand that it's easier than coming up with new content or functionality, but I'm also sure that it won't sit well with a lot of posters.

The word came to mind, but I decided against using it since we're talking about a message board and $3. Maybe it's a new form of micro-transaction?

 

[Mr. Wilson]

My mother always told me that if I had nothing good to say to someone, I should keep my mouth shut.

I'll have to defer to her wisdom in this case.

 

[On Puget Sound]

I subscribed, but have not used any of the subscriber benefits (well, I did search for something once); I did it for the same reason I'm a public radio member... I'll pay to keep available a service I value and use.

That said, I find sigs to be very useful in playing any of the online D&D games here; I can instantly click to my own character sheet or any teammate's. Who's got a high Diplomacy score to talk us out of this situation? Click. I'd hate to lose that easy functionality, but frankly increasing the cost from $3 to $6 actually does cross a line into "something I'd notice", and I would not do it just to keep the sigs.

I concur with those who say if you want to offer a higher value subscription, you should find something new to offer rather than take away something. And unfortunately, I don't have any really good ideas on what that something might be. Character portraits? Mapping and gaming tools? An online dice roller that never rolls 1s?

 

[Dire Bare]

$6 a month is about what I pay for my DDI subscription. You better have something better than not taking away my awesome signature if you want that kind of money from me.

I agree that the more perks the "Heroic" and "Paragon" level subscriptions offer the better, both for subscribers and the site, but I don't expect DDI level of content. I don't think it's feasible.

I am not currently a subscriber due to financial reasons, but I would love to subscribe under the current system at $3 per month, and I really wouldn't use most of my membership perks. If I can afford it at some point, I'll also happily subscribe at $6 per month and again probably not use most of the perks. I understand and completely support that not everybody would be willing to support the site NPR-style, but I do imagine that's a large part of the draw.

I see a lot of folks getting all irate at the idea of a more expensive premium subscription, but please remember that it will be optional and that regular subscriptions and free access aren't going away. This will just be for folks who want to support the site even more.

Heck Morrus, I'd over a variety of increasingly expensive subscription offers that don't necessarily come with more perks. Not everybody would go for it, but some would!

 

[Dire Bare]

Or, like I said, hard copies of EW publications, like WotBS.

Print copies of ENWorld publications would truly be an awesome perk for those who want it . . . but wouldn't that also dramatically increase costs? I honestly don't know . . .