Important: Please Read! Changes Are Coming!

[ReeboKesh]

Pure curiousity here. Why do so many people refuse to use Paypal? I've used it for years and have never had any issues. Is there something I'm missing? I don't think you even need a credit card anymore just a bank account to link to it.

BTW I think the search feature should remain a subscription only service, as Morrus said if everyone could search the server would go boom! Maybe one day that can be fixed, but until then...
Reebo

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

From a thought back on page 3 or 4..

An idea for the $6 subscription would be PBEM online tools such as dice-rollers, map sharing, chat services... some of that would be added server material but I think a dice roller {that emails/PMs/ or posts} the results could be cool...

If added into the normal posting function for the PBEM forum you could have something like :

Fred dashes forward and leaps over the table [Skill Roll + 7]

come out as

Fred dashes forward and leaps over the table {16: Skill Roll + 7}

?

 

[Dice4Hire]

I have not subscribed due to credit card issues, but I can see the value of a second tier of payments, and believe most of the free stuff should start off at the top tier and work its way down to the lower tier. I know some people signed up just to download and unsubscribe, but apparently enough people did it honestly so it did not matter much.

As for signatures, it seems to me to be a fine thing to move to a higher tier. Of course, I have had hem turned off since I got here....

But I am all for anything that costs extra money to be in a higher tier. Those of us who just post and read, do not deserve more than to be able to do that. I am satisfied with jsut posting and reading.

 

[Fifth Element]

One thing folks seem to be doing is concentrating soley on the "losing sigs" part of the plan.

I suspect that's because most people think of ENWorld as primarily a forum, with other features as well. So you're taking away something related to your "core competency", if you will. Something that most people expect to be able to have on a forum without paying for it. The other RPG forums I frequent allow sigs, and are free of charge. That, combined with the fact that we've had them for free up until now, is leading to the push-back.

Now, restricted sigs are another thing entirely, and would be acceptable to most people I think.

 

[TheYeti1775]

Wasting my day at work coming up with solutions for ya.

I thought there was a Vbul code to alter the Control Panel to make certain options fixed via a Usergroup. Could have sworn it was on one of the other sites I'm on. I'll look into the other sites I'm on and let ya know if I see it.

Far as PM's. Personally, in my experience there have been two methods to this. One increase in size for payers, or have it turned off for freeloaders. But still allow the 'Email User' function.

Avatars - another Vbull site only allows avatars for paying members. You say the option for anitmated Avatars is turned off, but isn't there a sizing/file option you can split for Usergroups? I've seen it done on others, where only paying members could have the anitmated avatar.

Adspace - Paying vendors expect ad space to all your membership. Remember that's the lure for bringing them to spend money on your site in the first place. "Yo, Yeti Inc, we have 1,000 paying members. Would you like some ad space?" If you turn my ad off for those 1,000 members what am I paying for?
Bearing that in mind, this is where you can leverage your 'Paragon Tier'. Allow it the full no ad experience. Than you can go we have 3,000 Forum Members with 1,000 of them subscribers with about 100 in our Paragon level. The vendor will see a possible 3,000 customers out of it.
Offering Vendors their own forum to answer questions on their wares or fulfill requests can be helpful as well.
On one of my Jeep Forums, Vendors pay $100/yr. They have their own section of forums where they can conduct business like a store front.
I.e. Billy Bob asks Yeti Inc if they can make him a bumper to these specs. They answer Billy Bob and generally use the PM's to negoiate the custom bumper price. Or they answer in thread saying yes we have 3 in stock for this price, yada yada yada.

Dice Roller - very nice to have and could be worth it for some subscribers. But than again, Invisible Castle offers the same thing for free with code to put on the message board to show your rolls.

 

[TerraDave]

It's in the navbar these days. Second item along, after "My Account".

Maybe subscribers get an instructional video explaining the features of the site.

Just found it. Its a great feature.

 

[Morrus]

Adspace - Paying vendors expect ad space to all your membership. Remember that's the lure for bringing them to spend money on your site in the first place. "Yo, Yeti Inc, we have 1,000 paying members. Would you like some ad space?" If you turn my ad off for those 1,000 members what am I paying for?

That'll be the other 249,000 people who visit each month!

 

[Raven Crowking]

Pure curiousity here. Why do so many people refuse to use Paypal? I've used it for years and have never had any issues. Is there something I'm missing? I don't think you even need a credit card anymore just a bank account to link to it.

In my case, I tried to subscribe, but PayPal refused to make a monthly subscription without credit card information.


RC

 

[Obryn]

If you're looking for feedback, I think the idea of restricting signature length on non-subscribers rather than removing them entirely is a great idea. And I really, really hate most signatures, so take that for what it's worth.

If you're not, then carry on!

-O

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Maybe to a very limited extent. I tend to feel that design by committee usually fails when compared to design by a visionary (if that's the right word - sounds too pompous; I mean someone who has a clear view of what he/she wants to do and is allowed the freedom to do exactly that).

I did participate in only one Open Design project so far, and I must admit I didn't participate much. I kinda forgot about it. But it seemed it had a strong "vision", but there was still a lot of possibilities for input to improve on that. In other scenarios, you often have fans talking about stuff and acting with "nerdrage" when something doesn't go as they want it to go. It seems to me that at least OpenDesign avoided such an atmosphere. Maybe because there were certain known "rules" to how you could contribute? Or due to the way people got part of it.

It's possible that this wouldn't work on a subscription level, though, and you are entirely correct. Maybe there is some room for it. Like polls limited to read and answer by subscribers or something like that. "Brainstorm" threads - no definite end goal, no guarantees, just throwing out some ideas and see which ones stick and fit the "vision" but you (or whoever would lead the project) didn't come up on your own. You'll figure it out.