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SI - Site Forums : Questions and Answers with SI Admin (s) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: d:oug who wrote (3472)	11/14/2009 4:46:49 PM
From: Jaakko	3 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 4893

I joined initially in 1997 by paying US$200 for a "Life-time membership".... all in good faith.... I thought it mean: "As long as I live".... I still do... It turned out that it likely was only on the "Corporate Life of the then current owner"... it appears that way at least... BOTTOM LINE: I had to cough up more money to be able to search and post messages... Am I somehow affected by this new offer??? What happens if I don't take neither 3-years, nor Life membership??? Are you planning to sell the business and take all the money you can before selling it to some new unsuspecting owner, who then later on ends up short in cash and offers a new "Life-time-membership" etc. to make ends meet??? Would appreciate an honest decent answer...

To: d:oug who wrote (3472)	11/30/2009 8:16:59 PM
From: SI Bob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4893

One correction: Lifetime subscriptions, as they used to be, are an extremely poisonous business model. The Dryers knew it and were planning to change away from it pretty much about the same time they found themselves powerless to make such changes, having sold the site to a company who felt that, having issued stock to acquire it rather than being the visionary founders, surely knew far better than said founders. With the addition of optional Premium-Plus, Lifetime subscriptions not only are no longer poisonous or an albatross, they're surprisingly good business because of how many people also opt for the Premium-Plus to go with it. I'm often amazed at the genius of it and how important it is until I remember it was my idea, so it's probably more blindingly dumb luck than dazzling brilliance. I think the reasons so many Lifers, who need never give me a dime ever, buy into Premium Plus in such large numbers are, in what I think is the likely order of importance. 1. They know this is the kind of business where every bit helps and are happy to help a site they're very fond of. 2. There really are some nifty features that come with it. Features one would never miss a moment's sleep without, but really are cool when you try them out.