i didn't know at the time of changing that board over that iHub was now a pay site ...
Hmmm... Common misconception. I need to figure out how to address that clearly because at first blush, it would seem we're a pay site.
There are two main tenets to our model, in order of importance:
1. Everybody can come over and post for free.
2. If you want certain extra features (PM's, Next 10, etc), it'll cost ya.
The limitations on free posting are:
1. No more than 10 per day (subject to change).
2. Posting allowed only in certain Groups.
The Groups that allow free posting are Nasdaq/Listed, OTCBB, Canadian, and Free Zone.
I just moved your Mining thread to a new Category (Mining/Resources) in the Free Zone Group, meaning anybody can post to it, free member or subscriber. Where it was, only subscribers could post to it.
As you can see by that quick ad-hoc change (I did it while I was typing this message), I'm real flexible on the free-posting thing. Actually, we're considering revamping the structure so that nearly every Board ("Thread") allows free posting. As you can see by which groups currently allow free posting, the idea here is that if you're there to talk stocks, we don't want your money unless you want the advanced features.
I don't ever want the ability to post to be a subscribers-only thing, and I need to remedy that perception. Sign up (takes all of about 10 seconds because we ask for so little info), and you're posting immediately.
they've sent out an email apparently that lifetime subscriptions for fifty bucks US would be over on 28 February, fwiw
Note to self: Put a link to the contents of that email on the homepage. A lot of people never got it.
Since that email went out, we've changed that cutoff to March 31st. I did this because I'm *still* in the process of setting up another credit card processor and automated subscription handling.
Note, though, that the subscription is only for advanced features. Nobody needs to pay to join the site and post on it.
people do resist paying before there is critical mass of discussion
That's kind of a flaw in the Yahoo/Motley Fool/Raging Bull business model. One of the 3 has gone to subscriptions, but all 3 could've long ago. They reached their critical mass ages ago.
I feel like iHub is actually at or near critical mass, with over 10,000 members and 270,000 posts (currently about 1200 new posts per day compared to about 4500 for SI), but that's not as important to us as it was for SI, because we don't require subscriptions for posting ability.
What we're trying to do is take the best of the both the RB and SI business models, and avoid the fatal flaws. That would be unlimited free posting on RB (it's as bad as Yahoo for quality), and the pay-to-post aspect of SI. And the abandonment of clean, speedy interfaces both seem to have done.
i was talking to them about getting the great white northers and those from russ' thread in, should get back to them now and ask what's up ...
Good idea. <g>
there is a great deal to like about the site, simple Dryer-style layout and fast loading etc,
Thanks. Fast and clean is very important to us.
i'd like to see them succeed
Of course, so would I. And I think we will. Matt's a good admin, I'm banging out code like crazy (two new features last night), and I think the business model really works. Seems to be working so far. And I'm not even remotely reluctant to tweak it when I feel it needs tweaking. |
