I'm willing to wager that if any of these suggestions get put into place, it honestly won't make the slightest difference. There's more retro communities out there besides NA, regardless of which site/community is better.
All of you people who think NA's posts are responsible for price hikes, do yourselves a favor and go to Google, and search "retro video game forums". Guess which site doesn't pop up on the first 3 pages. NintendoAge. It shows up on page 4 due to a thread that has similar keywords. On the first page, however, is DP, AtariAge, RetroGamer, etc. Most people, unless they're doing some hardcore research, won't find NintendoAge first, especially without it being on the first few pages with a phrase like that.
Hell, even "Nintendo Forums" doesn't yeild NA on the first page. Quit being silly.
ETA:
Search for "Next rare retro video game", "next rare nintendo game", etc. Same results. Sure, we get a lot of lurkers, and as much as I love NA, we're not the be all, end all on video games here. Just because one or 2 people speculate that a game will be rare doesn't dramatically affect the current prices.
By the way, Faxanadu is going to be the next hot item, so you should all grab a few extra copies.
Precisely. Too bad we aren't the center of the classic game universe, though, or we would have sold an easy 1MM EOO DVD's by now
I'm willing to wager that if any of these suggestions get put into place, it honestly won't make the slightest difference. There's more retro communities out there besides NA, regardless of which site/community is better.
All of you people who think NA's posts are responsible for price hikes, do yourselves a favor and go to Google, and search "retro video game forums". Guess which site doesn't pop up on the first 3 pages. NintendoAge. It shows up on page 4 due to a thread that has similar keywords. On the first page, however, is DP, AtariAge, RetroGamer, etc. Most people, unless they're doing some hardcore research, won't find NintendoAge first, especially without it being on the first few pages with a phrase like that.
Hell, even "Nintendo Forums" doesn't yeild NA on the first page. Quit being silly.
ETA:
Search for "Next rare retro video game", "next rare nintendo game", etc. Same results. Sure, we get a lot of lurkers, and as much as I love NA, we're not the be all, end all on video games here. Just because one or 2 people speculate that a game will be rare doesn't dramatically affect the current prices.
By the way, Faxanadu is going to be the next hot item, so you should all grab a few extra copies.
Precisely. Too bad we aren't the center of the classic game universe, though, or we would have sold an easy 1MM EOO DVD's by now
we should start doing some SEO, all it takes is just 1 press release only 1 that will drive all the traffic. (with the right keywords)
Honestly I don't think posts should matter. Anyone can just crap/blank post the heck out of things to see the BST. I wish we could do things off transactions, but that would require the BST thread and then on top people could be making false ones with secondary accounts..
The whole thing can be abused sadly, and people who want to see the BST bad enough will find their ways to get around the new "rules". Maybe we should just keep the BST of out NON member views..so at least this way you have to at least create an account to see it. It'd keep the crap posting/abuse down too from the whole post limit. I think people can agree what we want Quality of Quantity
I'm willing to wager that if any of these suggestions get put into place, it honestly won't make the slightest difference. There's more retro communities out there besides NA, regardless of which site/community is better.
All of you people who think NA's posts are responsible for price hikes, do yourselves a favor and go to Google, and search "retro video game forums". Guess which site doesn't pop up on the first 3 pages. NintendoAge. It shows up on page 4 due to a thread that has similar keywords. On the first page, however, is DP, AtariAge, RetroGamer, etc. Most people, unless they're doing some hardcore research, won't find NintendoAge first, especially without it being on the first few pages with a phrase like that.
Hell, even "Nintendo Forums" doesn't yeild NA on the first page. Quit being silly.
ETA:
Search for "Next rare retro video game", "next rare nintendo game", etc. Same results. Sure, we get a lot of lurkers, and as much as I love NA, we're not the be all, end all on video games here. Just because one or 2 people speculate that a game will be rare doesn't dramatically affect the current prices.
By the way, Faxanadu is going to be the next hot item, so you should all grab a few extra copies.
Precisely. Too bad we aren't the center of the classic game universe, though, or we would have sold an easy 1MM EOO DVD's by now
we should start doing some SEO, all it takes is just 1 press release only 1 that will drive all the traffic. (with the right keywords)
You can SEO as much as you want, it still doesn't matter that there are already dozens upon dozens of established communities out there. NA, for me, was a "word of mouth" thing (I joined DP first, and ended up leaving there because they went down for 2 weeks or so with issues). You will never capture 100% of the traffic, or even 20% of the traffic with all the other sites out there (and that's not even counting the forums in other countries that don't show up through your google search).
We're not the center of the retro gaming community. NintendoAge is one of the largest ones, but without digging deep or seeing it referenced on another site, a quick search won't show it.
Also, we probably get new users based on what's in the BST from time to time, because they see something, come in, and want to buy that item. There's nothing wrong with that either. Back when I released Hangman SG on SegaAge, it brought in a good 50+ members for the initial release. Some have stuck around, while others went back to their main forums.
Honestly, this whole tirade of "zomg quit posting speculatory threads on what's going to be the next hot itemz!11!!!" is rather silly.
Marble Madness is starting to spike up, I'm glad I got my copy months ago for $1.50, phew.
I like the idea and I think this is a good topic. I'm taking a page out of Bill's book over at GameTZ.com here. I'm a long-time member over there (way before I joined NA) and still support the site.
Bill implemented a subscriber feature a long ways back where you have the option of opting into a "subscription" to the site. This membership gives you tons of options into a better site experience. For example - do you want a forum avatar? You have to be a subscriber. Want a signature? You have to be a subscriber. Subscribers also get the option to customize the site (color schemes, font, font size, etc. etc.), add your own personal forum, add in a swear filter, and other additions like this. Bill also uses ads on the site, and if you're a subscriber, the ads go away altogether.
You can purchase membership (subtime, as it's called), but you don't just have to BUY subtime - although buying it directly allows cash to go to site directly (in NA's case, Dain). People trade, barter, and sell subtime between each other. Ultimately it creates a dynamic where people want to have subtime so that site features are "unlocked". As with user icons here (donator icons for example), you get a subscriber icon on the GTZ site. If you have more than 1 year of subtime, your icon changes to gold from grey. Again, people love having icons, so it's another bonus
His price structure is this for buying subtime. Again, a small amount for a good return, but you can trade/barter with other members for their time as well:
- Two Month subscription is $5.
- Six Month subscription is $12 (save $3 or 20% off!)
- One Year subscription is $20 (save $10 or 33% off!)
- Three Year subscription is $55 (save $35 or 39% off!)
My thinking is that if a similar idea would get kicked off at NA, I'd see it as a win-win. You get engaged members of the site that have an incentive to give back without a lot of pain in the process, and Dain is getting a bit more money coming through to support the site. In the example that Tanooki is proposing, perhaps you have to be a site subscriber to post in the Price Check/Collector's Corner/BST threads? Just a thought.
Absolutely horrible idea. There are many non-collectors who Google and end up at Nintendoage, wondering what some rare item they have is worth, then selling it to a member here. I prefer that to them not posting and thinking the item is worthless, or tossing it up on Ebay or what have you. If you want Nintendoage to decline like Digitpress, then go for it. If you want Nintendoage to be a welcoming place, then keep things the way they are.
I like the idea and I think this is a good topic. I'm taking a page out of Bill's book over at GameTZ.com here. I'm a long-time member over there (way before I joined NA) and still support the site.
Bill implemented a subscriber feature a long ways back where you have the option of opting into a "subscription" to the site. This membership gives you tons of options into a better site experience. For example - do you want a forum avatar? You have to be a subscriber. Want a signature? You have to be a subscriber. Subscribers also get the option to customize the site (color schemes, font, font size, etc. etc.), add your own personal forum, add in a swear filter, and other additions like this. Bill also uses ads on the site, and if you're a subscriber, the ads go away altogether.
You can purchase membership (subtime, as it's called), but you don't just have to BUY subtime - although buying it directly allows cash to go to site directly (in NA's case, Dain). People trade, barter, and sell subtime between each other. Ultimately it creates a dynamic where people want to have subtime so that site features are "unlocked". As with user icons here (donator icons for example), you get a subscriber icon on the GTZ site. If you have more than 1 year of subtime, your icon changes to gold from grey. Again, people love having icons, so it's another bonus
His price structure is this for buying subtime. Again, a small amount for a good return, but you can trade/barter with other members for their time as well:
- Two Month subscription is $5.
- Six Month subscription is $12 (save $3 or 20% off!)
- One Year subscription is $20 (save $10 or 33% off!)
- Three Year subscription is $55 (save $35 or 39% off!)
My thinking is that if a similar idea would get kicked off at NA, I'd see it as a win-win. You get engaged members of the site that have an incentive to give back without a lot of pain in the process, and Dain is getting a bit more money coming through to support the site. In the example that Tanooki is proposing, perhaps you have to be a site subscriber to post in the Price Check/Collector's Corner/BST threads? Just a thought.
If that's to be implemented here, why not just go to GameTZ then? It would be NA transforming over to the same ways as other forums, and what makes NA great is that it's its own entity and unique compared to other places.
Originally posted by: VideoGameAntiques
Absolutely horrible idea. There are many non-collectors who Google and end up at Nintendoage, wondering what some rare item they have is worth, then selling it to a member here. I prefer that to them not posting and thinking the item is worthless, or tossing it up on Ebay or what have you. If you want Nintendoage to decline like Digitpress, then go for it. If you want Nintendoage to be a welcoming place, then keep things the way they are.
Wow, I am surprised how much feedback this thread has gotten.
All good opinions.
Anybody who has donated, you would still have full access. Others get the option to donate to get into the Sell/Auction.
I was just trying to kill 2 birds with one stone. As we may not not reach the server donation goal this year, do we expect Dain to pick up the difference? what about next year. Each year we get bigger and bigger, and expenses are going to be higher and higher. Eventually even he is going to run out of money. Then what, reduce features, slow servers again or worse, the site has to close all together?
I would rather deter a "few" new members because of a fee for the BS&T area's than to lose the site all together... I know it is a worst case scenario, but anything is possible...
Wow, I am surprised how much feedback this thread has gotten.
All good opinions.
Anybody who has donated, you would still have full access. Others get the option to donate to get into the Sell/Auction.
I was just trying to kill 2 birds with one stone. As we may not not reach the server donation goal this year, do we expect Dain to pick up the difference? what about next year. Each year we get bigger and bigger, and expenses are going to be higher and higher. Eventually even he is going to run out of money. Then what, reduce features, slow servers again or worse, the site has to close all together?
I would rather deter a "few" new members because of a fee for the BS&T area's than to lose the site all together... I know it is a worst case scenario, but anything is possible...
You have a valid point, and a very good point Beni. It's not fair for Dain to front a $7000 bill each year to keep a free site up and alive. But there's also a lot to get around that stipulation of if you haven't donated, or a "paid membership", such as posting a quick blurb in your signature. Would that become frowned upon/against a new ToS? If it does, where will all these future terms end with making NA a welcoming place? It's a very shaky line to walk on when it involves going from a free website to a $$ site, especially with those that don't have the extra coin to spend.
I totally agree. If members don't have the extra $$ to donate, they should not. There is NOTHING WRONG with that. But I find it hard to believe (even in this economy) that members who utilize the BS&T/Auction portion of our site don't have an extra few bucks to donate. Hell, I rarely use the Sales portion of the site (no papal) and still have made enough to donate.
I totally agree. If members don't have the extra $$ to donate, they should not. There is NOTHING WRONG with that. But I find it hard to believe (even in this economy) that members who utilize the BS&T/Auction portion of our site don't have an extra few bucks to donate. Hell, I rarely use the Sales portion of the site (no papal) and still have made enough to donate.
There could be a system where we can aquire points by doing certain things and waive or discount payment. Or yearly payment with discout. I really think we should do something about the ezine, we should start printing that stuff. Also someone here knows how to write articles on wiki? Ive tried but their back end is really weird may be to scare off people that want to over use it. The mighty wiki could help us
I totally agree. If members don't have the extra $$ to donate, they should not. There is NOTHING WRONG with that. But I find it hard to believe (even in this economy) that members who utilize the BS&T/Auction portion of our site don't have an extra few bucks to donate. Hell, I rarely use the Sales portion of the site (no papal) and still have made enough to donate.
I think the issue isn't that people can't pay, it's that they won't, and that it will lead to much less usage of the BST forum. With something like the BST forums, you want as many eyes on your sale/buy thread as you can get. The more people that have access, the more likely someone will sell the item you're looking for, or that you'll find a buyer at the price you're looking for. In economics, they call this the network effect, where the more people that participate in a service, the more valuable that service becomes.
My suggestion is, if you really want to raise money, then start charging the businesses that advertise their products on Nintendoage a percentage fee on sales (ex. you're selling a run of 100 numbered copies of a game on NA, so NA gets a 5% cut of the proceeds), not the hobbyists who are selling or buying one or two things here or there. I'm not in favor of this option either, but I think it'll be the least intrusive for the average hobbyist member.
I totally agree. If members don't have the extra $$ to donate, they should not. There is NOTHING WRONG with that. But I find it hard to believe (even in this economy) that members who utilize the BS&T/Auction portion of our site don't have an extra few bucks to donate. Hell, I rarely use the Sales portion of the site (no papal) and still have made enough to donate.
Yes and no. There's quite a few members here who sell things to pay off their debt, and others who buy very seldom due to their financial situations. I know every dollar counts in terms of donating, or saving, so it's hard to truly judge. Some people are frugal, while others are generous. A single person paying a mortgage and regular bills has a lot more to worry about for their own wallet, while a married couple can spend a little more loosely. Some members are on unemployment, while others make minimum wages, and then you have the other end of the spectrum.
I believe that if a monthly payment or yearly subscription or whatever, will seriously deter people from using the BST forums. I'm also not sure how Dain has NA registered (be it a non-profit business, or whatever), so that may be something he doesn't want to do. Again, I can't speak for him, but it could become more of a headache than he's willing to deal with.
Originally posted by: pichichi010
I wouldnt pay percentage for a sale. I would go to ebay for that. I would pay a monthly flat fee though
Right, 5% or less on NA, as opposed to eBay's, what, 15%? And that's if you're doing an LE run as a "business". That, honestly, makes zero sense.
Maybe Dain could offer ad space to the retro game makers/developers/businesses, and offer their ad somewhere on the site for $X per month/year? We have an ad free site right now, but maybe if Dain decides to put some up if server donations don't meet the goal, then those who didn't donate will see the ads. That would probably make people want to donate instead of requiring a monthly/yearly fee to use certain portions of the site.
I have put a little more thought into this, and I'm not a big fan of any of it personally. I think what makes NA different than a lot of places is that we try to encourage a welcoming environment, I think these changes would cut down on a lot of positive new membership as well.
I also like having a very active BST area, it doesn't bother me if new people show up to sell stuff, that just means we get first crack at it. If it's overpriced or junk, it will quickly fall away and they will probably disappear on their own if that is all they were here to do.
Price checks don't get me bent out of shape like they do for some, and I really don't understand why people get so worked up about rarity discussions. I agree with what sadikyo said in that I think the perception of our influence is probably slightly more than reality.
Comments
Originally posted by: dra600n
I'm willing to wager that if any of these suggestions get put into place, it honestly won't make the slightest difference. There's more retro communities out there besides NA, regardless of which site/community is better.
All of you people who think NA's posts are responsible for price hikes, do yourselves a favor and go to Google, and search "retro video game forums". Guess which site doesn't pop up on the first 3 pages. NintendoAge. It shows up on page 4 due to a thread that has similar keywords. On the first page, however, is DP, AtariAge, RetroGamer, etc. Most people, unless they're doing some hardcore research, won't find NintendoAge first, especially without it being on the first few pages with a phrase like that.
Hell, even "Nintendo Forums" doesn't yeild NA on the first page. Quit being silly.
ETA:
Search for "Next rare retro video game", "next rare nintendo game", etc. Same results. Sure, we get a lot of lurkers, and as much as I love NA, we're not the be all, end all on video games here. Just because one or 2 people speculate that a game will be rare doesn't dramatically affect the current prices.
By the way, Faxanadu is going to be the next hot item, so you should all grab a few extra copies.
Precisely. Too bad we aren't the center of the classic game universe, though, or we would have sold an easy 1MM EOO DVD's by now
Originally posted by: arch_8ngel
Originally posted by: dra600n
I'm willing to wager that if any of these suggestions get put into place, it honestly won't make the slightest difference. There's more retro communities out there besides NA, regardless of which site/community is better.
All of you people who think NA's posts are responsible for price hikes, do yourselves a favor and go to Google, and search "retro video game forums". Guess which site doesn't pop up on the first 3 pages. NintendoAge. It shows up on page 4 due to a thread that has similar keywords. On the first page, however, is DP, AtariAge, RetroGamer, etc. Most people, unless they're doing some hardcore research, won't find NintendoAge first, especially without it being on the first few pages with a phrase like that.
Hell, even "Nintendo Forums" doesn't yeild NA on the first page. Quit being silly.
ETA:
Search for "Next rare retro video game", "next rare nintendo game", etc. Same results. Sure, we get a lot of lurkers, and as much as I love NA, we're not the be all, end all on video games here. Just because one or 2 people speculate that a game will be rare doesn't dramatically affect the current prices.
By the way, Faxanadu is going to be the next hot item, so you should all grab a few extra copies.
Precisely. Too bad we aren't the center of the classic game universe, though, or we would have sold an easy 1MM EOO DVD's by now
we should start doing some SEO, all it takes is just 1 press release only 1 that will drive all the traffic. (with the right keywords)
The whole thing can be abused sadly, and people who want to see the BST bad enough will find their ways to get around the new "rules". Maybe we should just keep the BST of out NON member views..so at least this way you have to at least create an account to see it. It'd keep the crap posting/abuse down too from the whole post limit. I think people can agree what we want Quality of Quantity
Originally posted by: pichichi010
Originally posted by: arch_8ngel
Originally posted by: dra600n
I'm willing to wager that if any of these suggestions get put into place, it honestly won't make the slightest difference. There's more retro communities out there besides NA, regardless of which site/community is better.
All of you people who think NA's posts are responsible for price hikes, do yourselves a favor and go to Google, and search "retro video game forums". Guess which site doesn't pop up on the first 3 pages. NintendoAge. It shows up on page 4 due to a thread that has similar keywords. On the first page, however, is DP, AtariAge, RetroGamer, etc. Most people, unless they're doing some hardcore research, won't find NintendoAge first, especially without it being on the first few pages with a phrase like that.
Hell, even "Nintendo Forums" doesn't yeild NA on the first page. Quit being silly.
ETA:
Search for "Next rare retro video game", "next rare nintendo game", etc. Same results. Sure, we get a lot of lurkers, and as much as I love NA, we're not the be all, end all on video games here. Just because one or 2 people speculate that a game will be rare doesn't dramatically affect the current prices.
By the way, Faxanadu is going to be the next hot item, so you should all grab a few extra copies.
Precisely. Too bad we aren't the center of the classic game universe, though, or we would have sold an easy 1MM EOO DVD's by now
we should start doing some SEO, all it takes is just 1 press release only 1 that will drive all the traffic. (with the right keywords)
You can SEO as much as you want, it still doesn't matter that there are already dozens upon dozens of established communities out there. NA, for me, was a "word of mouth" thing (I joined DP first, and ended up leaving there because they went down for 2 weeks or so with issues). You will never capture 100% of the traffic, or even 20% of the traffic with all the other sites out there (and that's not even counting the forums in other countries that don't show up through your google search).
We're not the center of the retro gaming community. NintendoAge is one of the largest ones, but without digging deep or seeing it referenced on another site, a quick search won't show it.
Also, we probably get new users based on what's in the BST from time to time, because they see something, come in, and want to buy that item. There's nothing wrong with that either. Back when I released Hangman SG on SegaAge, it brought in a good 50+ members for the initial release. Some have stuck around, while others went back to their main forums.
Honestly, this whole tirade of "zomg quit posting speculatory threads on what's going to be the next hot itemz!11!!!" is rather silly.
Marble Madness is starting to spike up, I'm glad I got my copy months ago for $1.50, phew.
Bill implemented a subscriber feature a long ways back where you have the option of opting into a "subscription" to the site. This membership gives you tons of options into a better site experience. For example - do you want a forum avatar? You have to be a subscriber. Want a signature? You have to be a subscriber. Subscribers also get the option to customize the site (color schemes, font, font size, etc. etc.), add your own personal forum, add in a swear filter, and other additions like this. Bill also uses ads on the site, and if you're a subscriber, the ads go away altogether.
You can purchase membership (subtime, as it's called), but you don't just have to BUY subtime - although buying it directly allows cash to go to site directly (in NA's case, Dain). People trade, barter, and sell subtime between each other. Ultimately it creates a dynamic where people want to have subtime so that site features are "unlocked". As with user icons here (donator icons for example), you get a subscriber icon on the GTZ site. If you have more than 1 year of subtime, your icon changes to gold from grey. Again, people love having icons, so it's another bonus
His price structure is this for buying subtime. Again, a small amount for a good return, but you can trade/barter with other members for their time as well:
- Two Month subscription is $5.
- Six Month subscription is $12 (save $3 or 20% off!)
- One Year subscription is $20 (save $10 or 33% off!)
- Three Year subscription is $55 (save $35 or 39% off!)
My thinking is that if a similar idea would get kicked off at NA, I'd see it as a win-win. You get engaged members of the site that have an incentive to give back without a lot of pain in the process, and Dain is getting a bit more money coming through to support the site. In the example that Tanooki is proposing, perhaps you have to be a site subscriber to post in the Price Check/Collector's Corner/BST threads? Just a thought.
Originally posted by: Little Nemo
I like the idea and I think this is a good topic. I'm taking a page out of Bill's book over at GameTZ.com here. I'm a long-time member over there (way before I joined NA) and still support the site.
Bill implemented a subscriber feature a long ways back where you have the option of opting into a "subscription" to the site. This membership gives you tons of options into a better site experience. For example - do you want a forum avatar? You have to be a subscriber. Want a signature? You have to be a subscriber. Subscribers also get the option to customize the site (color schemes, font, font size, etc. etc.), add your own personal forum, add in a swear filter, and other additions like this. Bill also uses ads on the site, and if you're a subscriber, the ads go away altogether.
You can purchase membership (subtime, as it's called), but you don't just have to BUY subtime - although buying it directly allows cash to go to site directly (in NA's case, Dain). People trade, barter, and sell subtime between each other. Ultimately it creates a dynamic where people want to have subtime so that site features are "unlocked". As with user icons here (donator icons for example), you get a subscriber icon on the GTZ site. If you have more than 1 year of subtime, your icon changes to gold from grey. Again, people love having icons, so it's another bonus
His price structure is this for buying subtime. Again, a small amount for a good return, but you can trade/barter with other members for their time as well:
- Two Month subscription is $5.
- Six Month subscription is $12 (save $3 or 20% off!)
- One Year subscription is $20 (save $10 or 33% off!)
- Three Year subscription is $55 (save $35 or 39% off!)
My thinking is that if a similar idea would get kicked off at NA, I'd see it as a win-win. You get engaged members of the site that have an incentive to give back without a lot of pain in the process, and Dain is getting a bit more money coming through to support the site. In the example that Tanooki is proposing, perhaps you have to be a site subscriber to post in the Price Check/Collector's Corner/BST threads? Just a thought.
If that's to be implemented here, why not just go to GameTZ then? It would be NA transforming over to the same ways as other forums, and what makes NA great is that it's its own entity and unique compared to other places.
Originally posted by: VideoGameAntiques
Absolutely horrible idea. There are many non-collectors who Google and end up at Nintendoage, wondering what some rare item they have is worth, then selling it to a member here. I prefer that to them not posting and thinking the item is worthless, or tossing it up on Ebay or what have you. If you want Nintendoage to decline like Digitpress, then go for it. If you want Nintendoage to be a welcoming place, then keep things the way they are.
Agreed.
All good opinions.
Anybody who has donated, you would still have full access. Others get the option to donate to get into the Sell/Auction.
I was just trying to kill 2 birds with one stone. As we may not not reach the server donation goal this year, do we expect Dain to pick up the difference? what about next year. Each year we get bigger and bigger, and expenses are going to be higher and higher. Eventually even he is going to run out of money. Then what, reduce features, slow servers again or worse, the site has to close all together?
I would rather deter a "few" new members because of a fee for the BS&T area's than to lose the site all together... I know it is a worst case scenario, but anything is possible...
Originally posted by: Mog
I love how this went from a "hide info from non members" thread, to "turn NA into a pay website" thread.
Its all ideas and opinions, non of us have the last say. we are just brainstorming possible solutions.
Originally posted by: Mog
I love how this went from a "hide info from non members" thread, to "turn NA into a pay website" thread.
That is how much of a bad ass I am
Honestly, I was not really trying to do that....
Originally posted by: Benihana
Wow, I am surprised how much feedback this thread has gotten.
All good opinions.
Anybody who has donated, you would still have full access. Others get the option to donate to get into the Sell/Auction.
I was just trying to kill 2 birds with one stone. As we may not not reach the server donation goal this year, do we expect Dain to pick up the difference? what about next year. Each year we get bigger and bigger, and expenses are going to be higher and higher. Eventually even he is going to run out of money. Then what, reduce features, slow servers again or worse, the site has to close all together?
I would rather deter a "few" new members because of a fee for the BS&T area's than to lose the site all together... I know it is a worst case scenario, but anything is possible...
You have a valid point, and a very good point Beni. It's not fair for Dain to front a $7000 bill each year to keep a free site up and alive. But there's also a lot to get around that stipulation of if you haven't donated, or a "paid membership", such as posting a quick blurb in your signature. Would that become frowned upon/against a new ToS? If it does, where will all these future terms end with making NA a welcoming place? It's a very shaky line to walk on when it involves going from a free website to a $$ site, especially with those that don't have the extra coin to spend.
I totally agree. If members don't have the extra $$ to donate, they should not. There is NOTHING WRONG with that. But I find it hard to believe (even in this economy) that members who utilize the BS&T/Auction portion of our site don't have an extra few bucks to donate. Hell, I rarely use the Sales portion of the site (no papal) and still have made enough to donate.
There could be a system where we can aquire points by doing certain things and waive or discount payment. Or yearly payment with discout. I really think we should do something about the ezine, we should start printing that stuff. Also someone here knows how to write articles on wiki? Ive tried but their back end is really weird may be to scare off people that want to over use it. The mighty wiki could help us
Originally posted by: Benihana
I totally agree. If members don't have the extra $$ to donate, they should not. There is NOTHING WRONG with that. But I find it hard to believe (even in this economy) that members who utilize the BS&T/Auction portion of our site don't have an extra few bucks to donate. Hell, I rarely use the Sales portion of the site (no papal) and still have made enough to donate.
I think the issue isn't that people can't pay, it's that they won't, and that it will lead to much less usage of the BST forum. With something like the BST forums, you want as many eyes on your sale/buy thread as you can get. The more people that have access, the more likely someone will sell the item you're looking for, or that you'll find a buyer at the price you're looking for. In economics, they call this the network effect, where the more people that participate in a service, the more valuable that service becomes.
My suggestion is, if you really want to raise money, then start charging the businesses that advertise their products on Nintendoage a percentage fee on sales (ex. you're selling a run of 100 numbered copies of a game on NA, so NA gets a 5% cut of the proceeds), not the hobbyists who are selling or buying one or two things here or there. I'm not in favor of this option either, but I think it'll be the least intrusive for the average hobbyist member.
Originally posted by: Benihana
I totally agree. If members don't have the extra $$ to donate, they should not. There is NOTHING WRONG with that. But I find it hard to believe (even in this economy) that members who utilize the BS&T/Auction portion of our site don't have an extra few bucks to donate. Hell, I rarely use the Sales portion of the site (no papal) and still have made enough to donate.
Yes and no. There's quite a few members here who sell things to pay off their debt, and others who buy very seldom due to their financial situations. I know every dollar counts in terms of donating, or saving, so it's hard to truly judge. Some people are frugal, while others are generous. A single person paying a mortgage and regular bills has a lot more to worry about for their own wallet, while a married couple can spend a little more loosely. Some members are on unemployment, while others make minimum wages, and then you have the other end of the spectrum.
I believe that if a monthly payment or yearly subscription or whatever, will seriously deter people from using the BST forums. I'm also not sure how Dain has NA registered (be it a non-profit business, or whatever), so that may be something he doesn't want to do. Again, I can't speak for him, but it could become more of a headache than he's willing to deal with.
Originally posted by: pichichi010
I wouldnt pay percentage for a sale. I would go to ebay for that. I would pay a monthly flat fee though
Right, 5% or less on NA, as opposed to eBay's, what, 15%? And that's if you're doing an LE run as a "business". That, honestly, makes zero sense.
Maybe Dain could offer ad space to the retro game makers/developers/businesses, and offer their ad somewhere on the site for $X per month/year? We have an ad free site right now, but maybe if Dain decides to put some up if server donations don't meet the goal, then those who didn't donate will see the ads. That would probably make people want to donate instead of requiring a monthly/yearly fee to use certain portions of the site.
I have put a little more thought into this, and I'm not a big fan of any of it personally. I think what makes NA different than a lot of places is that we try to encourage a welcoming environment, I think these changes would cut down on a lot of positive new membership as well.
I also like having a very active BST area, it doesn't bother me if new people show up to sell stuff, that just means we get first crack at it. If it's overpriced or junk, it will quickly fall away and they will probably disappear on their own if that is all they were here to do.
Price checks don't get me bent out of shape like they do for some, and I really don't understand why people get so worked up about rarity discussions. I agree with what sadikyo said in that I think the perception of our influence is probably slightly more than reality.
I agree with BA 100%
Originally posted by: Benihana
Just my opinion, one that I am sure A LOT of people are not going to like...