" To be honest, the fewer features the subscription service has, the happier I'll be. Giving too many extra features to paying users segregates the userbase, which is never good for online communities. Having said that though, I have every confidence in the staff to be able to provide a subscription service that works, and doesn't segregate the userbase. "
This is my main concern. There is a 99% chance that I won't pay for a subscription, but I won't have a problem with such a thing if it doesn't give the subscribers enormous amounts of extra features that the non-payers will never see.
I'm surprised that some are scared that Whiskey Media would even think of removing some already available features to make people pay for them. I think that would go against the entire idea they're going for. The way I see it, those guys need to get paid, and as far as I know, except for ads, there isn't a lot of ways to get money when you run websites. I would gladly give a small amount of money per month to encourage them.
As for what I would like to get for that extra...good question.
Maybe access to content earlier like bombcast since they're being held onto for a day or so. I would like to see some Giant Bomb merch actually for sale in the store so I could buy some of it.
more interaction with the community? Like the GB crew would talk to subscribers more? That seems like some sleazy sex chat line or something. Pay 3.99 per additional minute of hot Jeff-on-community action.
I'd quite like to know which ideas have already been given the green light as I'm user in Belgium and thus have no ads at all, so I can't really see what a subscription service could offer me to better my experience on this site.
I think a subscription thing should ADD new features, not take others away and make you pay for them.
- Maybe something like a special board on the forum where the Staff will regularly reply. - A special quick looks for old games that subscribers can request them to do(or even just the request feature and have the QL's complete free still). - Special TNT subscriber sessions so it could be easier to join(even though I still couldn't with my ping...unless it was a RTS). - Subscriber review feature. On the front page feature reviews from subscribers, maybe make it a more prominent display rather than on the bottom on the page. - For screened.com with movie night they could have a subscriber live stream where you can watch a movie with them and basically hear their commentary. - Give subscribers a special coloured name on the forum...just because. - Have subscriber only quests.
These are things that I don't believe will effect non-subscribers but would encourage people to pay. Making things like exclusive Endurance Runs is terrible and would be a huge negative on the site. The core rule of a subscription: You can not change for what is already free!
If you are very serious about providing real feedback and ideas that you can be sure I'll read, please send them to me using the real message board. I'll post commentary for the good and bad there as I find time during our build. "
What we need to do as a community is decide and vote on the features we want most, compile a list, and then have someone snail mail it to Dave. Whose in?
So Dave says that some subscription content would be able to be unlocked through completion of quests.........
What if non-paying subscribers could elect to have more adds thrown at them in exchange for the ability to view some premium content? There could be three options you are faced with when signing up, and they could be changed at any time in the user's preferences. Something like:
1. Non paying member views normal amount of adds, gets standard access to site features, although some premium content can be unlocked through quests. 2. Non paying member views more adds, including some adds that pop up IGN style before they can view the web page, but gets access to some premium content in exchange. 3. Paying member gets access to all site features add free.
I know very little about how revenue for sites is generated by ads being on them, but maybe if more people view more adds then the site gets more revenue/can sell ad space for more, so the people choosing to view more ads are kinda paying in a different way and are bringing more money to WM. At least, that's my reasoning behind this idea. I could be totally wrong though. :/
I'd only support this if it didn't exclude non-paying members from site content already available to us. That being said, here are my ideas:
1) No ads is a given, and has already been stated roughly two kajillion times. 2) More contests or drawings 3) Email services that would notify me when and what the newest Quick Looks, reviews, and previews are in, with the option to disable any/all of the notifications. 4) Blog and review recognition of some sort, with paid subscribers rising to the "top" of a new, easier to browse blog and review reader. Preferably, this reader would contain the first 100 words or so of text from the review or blog rather than just the user name and title.
I'm prepared to support Giant Bomb, since I think you guys are doing a fantastic job of running a video game community and news site. And by "support" I mean "money".
As long as it's not some crazy expensive monthly fee... see IGN/GameSpy or GameSpot if you're interested in doing it wrong. Oh, and of course, blocking access to a whole lot of content in order to force people to subscribe is also lame. That's never the best method to get customers.
I hope the subscription doesn't give to much to paying customers and still keeps the features already on the site free to the non-subscribers. That would suck if stuff like quicklooks were subscriber only.
" For screened.com with movie night they could have a subscriber live stream where you can watch a movie with them and basically hear their commentary.
What I'd actually like to see for a subscription fee is a non-flash RSS feed of at least SD content that I can stream/download onto something like my TiVo. That way I can easily watch all the Giant Bomb content on my TV at a decent resolution.
A "Men of Whiskey Media" calendar every year. Put Drew and Brad in July/August because they always put the really hot ones in the summer months. edit: Dave in June.
If you are very serious about providing real feedback and ideas that you can be sure I'll read, please send them to me using the real message board. I'll post commentary for the good and bad there as I find time during our build. "
What we need to do as a community is decide and vote on the features we want most, compile a list, and then have someone snail mail it to Dave. Whose in? "
well to be honest if he's really not going to consider forum posts unless they are written on physical paper and mailed in, then he would be a dick and there would be no reason to even bother giving him any suggestions. It's not worth it to waste your time trying to argue with a bad person. I think he was either joking, or he just meant that since he is curating the "real message board" he would definitely see those posts and he would be less likely to see posts made in the rest of the forum because he doesn't have alot of time to surf it. I don't think he would intentionally ignore "digital posts". It's not as if mailing a letter makes a person necessarily smarter than a regular poster. Alot of letters are mailed by grumpy old people, or crazy people.
@DuhQbnSiLo: I was just a little worried that I wouldn't be able to do some of the stuff I am able to now, that being said if the options are good I could see myself paying for it
@thehexeditor: you sir, are a genius. I would pay EXTRA for that.
Unified accounts and an ad-free site are enough for me to want to put up money for a subscription. I already love the whiskey guys so it won't take much.
That being said, the worst thing you could do is provide exclusive site content to subscribers that regular folk don't get. I'd feel too guilty about that if i were a subscriber.
In fact, I'd really love it if all of the subscriber content was peripheral stuff like the unified accounts and an ad-free site, and all of the money was rolled back in to make the non-subscriber stuff EVEN BETTER.
Then I wouldn't feel bad about subscribing and I'm sure the non-subscribers would love that too!
100% ok with paying a sub for GB and related sites. Just as long as free users dont miss out on key things. If its pay and get some throw away features and no adds then Im good to go.
How about expanded profiles and the ability to use a modular customizable front page/homepage?
@Atramentous: Hmmm like some kind of google homepage that would incorporate multiple whiskey website. That would be sweet. Considering that I pretty much always have a tab for GB, Tested and Screened opened at all time and I just refresh all three from time to time, having all that info in one page would be nice.
i say its fine that they do a subscription model, gotta keep the price around 10-15 dollars though
because yo, whiskey media has 5 sites now id imagine to do stuff now is getting expensive (there is barely an anime vice now). especially since they used a good chunk of money to buy that new office.
as for features hmm. a dedicated unified whiskey software would be nice where you can do edits to any of the whiskey site pages, and upload images to whatever page you want on whatever whiskey site you want .it goes with dave's philosophy of making things more simple for the end user
I think the trickiest thing here is the idea of no existing features or content being locked out to non-subscribers. I believe that video and audio content is highly fungible. That is to say that time spent making subscription video/audio directly takes away from making free video/audio and for most GB fans they will watch anything the crew makes so free and pay videos would have essentially the same value. It would be disingenuous to create a new category of "bonus" video or audio because it would be a transparent attempt to convert previously free types of content into pay content. Of course that is Whiskey media's right as members of the free market, but consumers have every right to try to fight against it by not supporting the change in pricing model and actively hoping/working for its failure within the limits of the law.
Charging for content just changes the community dynamic so thoroughly and negatively that i would want to avoid it at all costs. There is a well known phenomenon for audio podcasts and radio shows. For some reason when you cannot see the speakers, you feel an illusion that you are part of the conversation as an equal/friend. This leads to strong fan loyalty, a desire to help (donate content, drinks, money, etc) and positive feeling all around. Users feel grateful for the content that is provided and appreciate it highly. Charging changes all that. The illusion of friendship is shattered. We aren't friends. You don't charge a friend to hang out or listen to you talk. Users are no longer grateful, they feel entitled. They don't donate stuff because they are already giving their money. Whenever they listen to a premium podcast or video their enjoyment is tainted by the question "Am i getting my money's worth? Was that video long enough? Were they trying hard enough? Should i complain?"
I think the GB crew is smart. I think they would know to avoid this. But how smart are the Whiskey Media businessmen, who may or may not like or understand gamers?
What intrigues me more is the amount of money I'd feel comfortable paying. This month, The Times, one of the most austere British newspapers, moved all of its internet content to a paying model, and lost ~90% of its readership. They were charging around £1 ($1.60) a day, which I think is a completely insane amount of money to ask from people.
" What intrigues me more is the amount of money I'd feel comfortable paying. This month, The Times, one of the most austere British newspapers, moved all of its internet content to a paying model, and lost ~90% of its readership. They were charging around £1 ($1.60) a day, which I think is a completely insane amount of money to ask from people. How much would you pay? "
I would like to know what ads some people are talking about. I have seen no ads ever on this site save for the occasional full site skin.
I would like HD quality videos personally, I'd be willing to pay a small fee a month for that along with a couple of other exclusive features perhaps. Dunno what those features would be... I'll have a think.
" I would like to know what ads some people are talking about. I have seen no ads ever on this site save for the occasional full site skin. I would like HD quality videos personally, I'd be willing to pay a small fee a month for that along with a couple of other exclusive features perhaps. "
Right now you should be seeing ads for Julia Robert's new movie "Eat Pray Love". At least in the US. I think some ads are region specific. I wasn't seeing them until a few minutes ago. I had allowed ads on the giantbomb.com domain through adblock plus, but the ads were being served through some script from a new domain, so NoScript was blocking the Ads anyways.
A chat room for premium users, where hopefully some staff would occasionally hop in.
As said before, more options for your avatar. Aside from animated GIFs, I'm thinking slightly bigger avatars for the premium users. If the current space you've got is too small to show what you want to show, then just pay up some. Not too big though, don't want them getting obnoxious. I'm thinking 125x125 or 100x150 or something like that.
Optional gold user name. You'd obviously still be able to pick an alliance colour instead if you wanted to, but this would seem like a fair way to let people know you were willing to invest in the future of Whiskey Media, just from looking at your name.
Forum signatures? No higher than 100 pixels though, nobody likes screen-filling sigs. But this could be a cool way to use those Xbox Live achievement cards on the achievement page. Which reminds me, maybe some way to flesh those out a bit.
I'm sorry that most of these are just aesthetic additions, but being in Europe I already don't get any ads, so less than none wouldn't be much of an addition to me. I'm sure some ads will follow in the future, so yes, a premium service would then of course be a nice legitimate way to avoid those. And the contests are not a matter of unwillingness from the staff but as someone pointed out earlier, a matter of international law. I highly doubt some nominal fee could change that.
A higher quality video option, and maybe even the option to download certain videos
A way to 'vote' on what content gets covered. Like a choice of potential quick looks for a given week
Access to certain codes if the guys get a load for a game
Some sort of way that your comments, posts etc are 'highlighted' or made more prominent around the site
But if nothing else I think some sort of donation system would actually work. I havent been part of the community for long but everyone seems pretty appreciative of the work put in by the guys and I know I'd be happy to donate a couple quid (British moneys) if I ever feel inclined. It is a tricky position to be in. Just dont do a Playstation Plus on us ;)
If you are very serious about providing real feedback and ideas that you can be sure I'll read, please send them to me using the real message board. I'll post commentary for the good and bad there as I find time during our build. "
What we need to do as a community is decide and vote on the features we want most, compile a list, and then have someone snail mail it to Dave. Whose in? "
well to be honest if he's really not going to consider forum posts unless they are written on physical paper and mailed in, then he would be a dick and there would be no reason to even bother giving him any suggestions. It's not worth it to waste your time trying to argue with a bad person. I think he was either joking, or he just meant that since he is curating the "real message board" he would definitely see those posts and he would be less likely to see posts made in the rest of the forum because he doesn't have alot of time to surf it. I don't think he would intentionally ignore "digital posts". It's not as if mailing a letter makes a person necessarily smarter than a regular poster. Alot of letters are mailed by grumpy old people, or crazy people. "
I'm pretty sure as most people who have been on this site for any amount of time can tell you I take user feedback pretty seriously and read through everything when I make a direct callout. Whether that comes via a PM, a post here, a twitter response or a hand written letter. I simply gave the letter suggestion since it somewhat vets that you took the question seriously. You have to go through a bit of trouble to send a letter.
Plus, it's just something fun to do and makes the process more personal.
Make the subs cheap, and have no ads be the only perk. Anything more than that will piss people off. And if you are going to expect people to pay, you are going to need a lot more content. Brad Nicholson posting 3 day old stories isn't worth my money.
Paying? Isn't that against everything they believed in when Ryan and Jeff stopped working for the people they worked before? Well actions speak louder than voice a lot of the times. Eventually they just have to become part of the rest, instead of being who they are and one of the best. Adds didnt bother me at all.
I wouldn't pay for anything, and its kinda unfair, because not everyone has the ability to pay for everything. I can't, i barely go by.
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