Subscription levels dropping

[Umbran]

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.

...

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

Just because I've seen a surprising number of people who don't think of this...

You could just pick up a spare (and free!) gmail or hotmail address to attach to paypal. I have several friends who have an address specifically for this and other e-commerce purposes, so their "conversational" e-mail doesn't get bombarded by amazon.com suggestions and other pseudo-spam.

 

[MrMyth]

You mean the entire adventure path for $3? I agree, I'm sure prices like that would be attractive to many people, but they aren't possible to do.

Well, it could be an issue even aside from the price. For one, how apparent it is before subscribing that you get only one download a month (since the subscription info from the attached image really makes it sound like you get the full deal as soon as you subscribe.)

And aside from that... this may be tied to the monthly subscription element. Say someone wants to be a subscriber, and wants the Adventure Path - but right now. If they could pay for a years subscription and snag the entire path (or 12 issues worth, or whatever), that would seem the best option. But without that, they are instead left with paying for a subscription and getting it slower than they want... or paying for a subscription, buying the rest of the AP directly, and thus have their free downloads of it 'wasted' later on.

Again, I know this isn't a direct answer to the thread, but you seemed to be viewing the objection to the 'one download a month' as all about money, and I think it might instead be simply about options.

 

[Morrus]

Well, it could be an issue even aside from the price. For one, how apparent it is before subscribing that you get only one download a month (since the subscription info from the attached image really makes it sound like you get the full deal as soon as you subscribe.)

I've included that information on the WotBS page:

You can subscribe to the campaign saga right now with an EN World community supporter subscription for just $3 per month! The adventures will be released to EN World community supporter subscribers on a roughly bi-monthly basis, and those subscribers will receive BOTH the 4E and 3.5 versions of the adventures - so you're set whichever version of D&D you play!

That could probably bear being repeated elsewhere, though, if folks aren't seeing it. I pretty much (possible erroneously) assumed that anyone who wanted WotBS would be checking out the WotBS page; but I guess there may be some folks who are happy to buy sight-unseen.

And aside from that... this may be tied to the monthly subscription element. Say someone wants to be a subscriber, and wants the Adventure Path - but right now.

It doesn't fully exist right now. When it's finished, it'll definitely be available to purchase as a single bundle. Right now you get 6 adventures and two guides immediately on subscription for $3, the rest coming as they're finished.

(The 3.5 version actually already is finished and available for purchase in various formats, including a big colour hardcover compilation - the 4E version is up to #6 of 12 so far).

Again, I know this isn't a direct answer to the thread, but you seemed to be viewing the objection to the 'one download a month' as all about money, and I think it might instead be simply about options.

You can download as much as you want for your $3; you aren't limited to one download a month. I'm not sure where that's coming from. The "per month" thing is that we add stuff to the download area each month. We don't remove anything from it - so right now for $3, one gets hundreds of dollars worth of stuff.

Anyway, if this thread is managing to successfully clarify things and point out for my reference where folks are needing clarification, that sounds like a good thing. Sometimes things will seem incredibly obvious to me because I already know how it works, but not to someone else. There's no such thing as too-little explanation, I guess!

 

[Steel_Wind]

Morrus,

I have no complaints over Paypal. If you didn’t offer it – then I’d be the one complaining.

I have noticed, however, that a few times in the last months, because of timing of payments coming out of Paypal, the e-cheque does not clear by the first of the month and your system “de-registers” my Community Supporter Account for a day or two until Paypal clears the e-cheque. I have to say that this is a DANGEROUS method of payment "enforcement". What you are doing is reminding Community Supporters of what’s it’s like *NOT* to BE a community supporter.

If you obviously lost a lot or privileges when losing a Community Supporter Account -- that might be one thing. But the fact is, members don’t lose *that* much by being reduced to “free user” status. I think your automated system is reminding people in a manner which is not helpful to your marketing efforts; rather, it HURTS your marketing efforts.

Secondly, I can’t believe that nobody has mentioned this more emphatically so I would rather stop beating around the bush: yes people have been dropping in droves in the past months and it’s no surprise to me at all.

There have not been many free product downloads of worth in the past three months. You need more new content to offer to subscribers. End or story. It's about the content. My guess is that the subscribers felt they had been keeping up the payment part of the bargain, but the content part of that bargain has not kept pace - and they bailed as a result.

Can't blame people for that perception, imo. I know I've had it. I'm a huge fan of ENWorld and so I have not pulled the trigger on cancelling my subscription. But that decision was made out of a sense of love for the website. In terms of my percepton of eroding value for subcription price? The subscription price no longer seems worth it to me as a straight up transaction as new quality content has not been released monthly so as to justify it.

IMO, If you don’t add more quality content regularly every month I would expect to lose more people, too. Moreoever, you need to balance that content between 4E and Pathfinder. And you need it now – not six months from now.

There are a lot of people who will donate to the website to keep it afloat. However, my guess is that most people’s charity level is between $10-20 a year for ENWorld as a freebie. You are asking for $36. There is, accordingly, a $16-26 “gap” between charity and monthly subscription cost that ENWorld has to fill with content to make up that gap in perceived value.

IMO, in the past several months you have not been filling that gap adequately. No wonder you have been losing subscribers.

Other issue: War of the Burning Sky has been out for years now. RE-releasing it as a 4E perk may be of interest to those who are 4E fans. For those who are not? It has an appearance of very little value.

 

[Vartan]

There's a dropdown menu at the bottom of the page. You select the currency you want to pay in, and then hit "Order". I've attached an image below.

Thanks for pointing that out: not sure how I missed it. And thanks for the great site and great deal on the Community Supporter account!

 

[nedjer]

You're right, Paypal should be workable for recurring subscribers, if not new ones.

I ended up never downloading any War of the Burning Sky once I found out my subscription only entitled me to one month at a time (not even sure if you can save up and download the whole thing after a year). "All at once" would have made it an actual benefit for me. Most people, once you've given them something, will feel some kind of obligation to you and will not welsh after one month's subscription.

I don't know the ins and outs, but that'd be one strange way to run a subscription. Are you sure that's how it works? I'd have thought you could get everything up to the point where a subscription ends.

OK it seems it does work like that?

Oh no, wait a minute it doesn't work like that.

 

[Morrus]

I have noticed, however, that a few times in the last months, because of timing of payments coming out of Paypal, the e-cheque does not clear by the first of the month and your system “de-registers” my Community Supporter Account for a day or two until Paypal clears the e-cheque. I have to say that this is a DANGEROUS method of payment "enforcement". What you are doing is reminding Community Supporters of what’s it’s like *NOT* to BE a community supporter.

That, unfortunately, is completely beyond my control. I find it frustrating also, but I have no ability to change it.

Secondly, I can’t believe that nobody has mentioned this....

(snip)

Other issue: War of the Burning Sky has been out for years now. RE-releasing it as a 4E perk may be of interest to those who are 4E fans. For those who are not? It has an appearance of very little value.

That's fine; it's a solid answer. If folks think the content isn't good enough to warrant $3, then I can hardly argue with them; I certainly don't want to try to convince you to buy something you don't want - it doesn't jibe well with my sense of decency.

 

[Noumenon]

I don't know the ins and outs, but that'd be one strange way to run a subscription. Are you sure that's how it works? I'd have thought you could get everything up to the point where a subscription ends.

OK it seems it does work like that?

Oh no, wait a minute it doesn't work like that.

I guess I'm one of the people Morrus is talking about with misconceptions about things that he understands well. I guess when I asked about it near the end of http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...-sky-campaign-saga-d-d-4th-edition-3-5-a.html I didn't clear up all my misconceptions! I also wasn't aware the product was available for purchase in complete form, I thought it was a work in progress I had to wait for.

As a penance for taking this thread off track, I gave XP to all the people who actually answered Morrus' question in the original post.

 

[Morrus]

I also wasn't aware the product was available for purchase in complete form, I thought it was a work in progress I had to wait for.

Only the 3.5 version.

The 4E version is up to #6 of 12.

 

[Kzach]

I really don't think it has as much to do with content as people are expressing.

Content, as far as I'm aware, was only a recent addition to the community supporter account benefits.

Although I think offering a $3 a month option was a solid step-forward, removing the other payment options was a major, major step back. As has been mentioned, $3 a month causes many people to constantly 'review' their decision to subscribe. And as has been mentioned, many people would take up the option to simply subscribe for a longer period as it's more convenient and cheaper (if you have the upfront cash to do it in the first place).

The very first thing I would do, before anything else, before reviewing content, or offering more options to pay other than PayPal, or even before investigating any further, would be to reinstate longer subscription options. That alone, I believe, will help things improve fairly quickly.

I'd recommend something on the order of $3 a month, $16 for six months, $30 for 1 year. Don't look at it as "1 year is $6 less than I'd get if they were $3 a month", look at it as, "That's $27 more than I might get if they were reviewing their decision after a month." Do the same for the gold, silver and whatever levels.

On a personal opinion level, I'd also scrap the entire notion of subscriber only content and board features. It's no doubt a headache, not to mention time-consuming, to manage all the different levels of access. Either do content or not. So far I'm getting the gist that doing content is not profitable, so personally I'd scrap it.

Make the boards searchable with full features for everyone, whether they're a subscriber or not. Keep the "gold, silver, copper" (or whatever levels it is now) but give them non-essential perks, like a gold, silver or copper icon next to their nick or something. Whatever it is, it shouldn't be on the level of getting something for your money. You shouldn't have to pay for things on a forum.

This, I believe, will help engender and build the community as a community, rather than as, "what do I get for my money?" People were donating to the site before it ever required donations for perks, and people have donated to the site many times since for no other reason than to help keep it alive. People will only keep being generous as long as their IS a community to foster. People's generosity doesn't hinge on the ability to search or download an adventure module.

By not tying subscriptions to content, it eases your burden by a big amount, and ends the whole notion of supply and demand. People will continue to support a community they love, the problem here is that for many people, it's becoming a community they no longer want to support.