That feature, along with Advanced Search and Next 20-100, is part of a featureset the site didn't previously have and though that feature and Next 20-100 have been available to everyone since this version was rolled out, we never intended for them to remain that way and said so all along.
Our new business model (this is, after all, a business, and must be run profitably to remain one) calls for making some new features availble to Grandfathered and old Lifetime members (and there are many such features -- like a completely revamped and reliable set of search tools with additions to them) to encourage their continued participation on the site, and their keeping all features the site used to have and still does to encourage their continued participation and contribution of content.
But that business model also includes a way to monetize, to a very small extent, such members. And this is done by making available an extended featureset that can be accessed for a very small annual fee.
The old model of "pay us once and your money's never going to be good here anymore" was only viable short-term and it's one of the biggest reasons I was able to acquire the site. The business model was failing to such an extent that survival of the site was questionable.
It no longer is.
Grandfathered and old Lifetime members are not required to pony up the $19.95 for the extra features (unless they want access to them) and though the extra features are certainly nice to have, I don't consider them must-haves. If they didn't exist on the old site, they weren't must-haves.
Something to keep in mind is that I'm not making light of the fact that Grandfathered and old Lifetime are a valuable part of the site. Many of them (the ones who post actively about the market) provide content and content is a key site requirement. Because of that, they still get new features. It's not *every* new feature that'll be Premium-Plus.
But the harsh reality is that I must keep this a viable and profitable business and money paid by people before I acquired the site isn't in the new company's bank account. And it's the new company's bank account that matters.
Premium-Plus is simply a way to help populate that bank account. One of a number of ways. Another way is keeping costs low. My salary is a pittance and Dave's is zero. And by moving to this new version of the site, we dramatically decreased our ISP bill since we're running on about 1/4th as much equipment.
In short, the Premium-Plus features are extra-cool features that didn't exist on the previous version of the site. They're by no means necessary features as evidenced by the fact that people used the site for its entire lifetime without them. They're simply an extra featureset that we hope (and are finding) a number of people will reach into their pockets to gain access to.
And that's what makes a business work. |
