07-06-2002, 12:02 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Site evolution & a true mobile version
This could be potentially the most controversial post I've ever written, but here goes. I'm planning on introducing a significant change to this site quite soon, and I wanted to start some discussion on it. Last year I had a "subscriber" option, but I didn't offer the subscribers any added value for their money. Needless to say, I've re-thought that concept and came up with something better.
Since moving to real forum software, I feel this site has taken great strides in becoming more useful...to everyone except those on a Pocket PC. The forum templates are certainly not Pocket PC friendly, and for those of you who want to read and respond to comments both offilne and online, it's not ideal.
I love spending my days working on this site, but I have to find a way to keep up the level and quality of content, but also pay my bills doing so. The various affiliate programs we've tried have thus far have been a little underwhealming (though I dearly appreciate your patronage). All the content on this site has always been free, and once you're used to having something for free, you won't want to pay for it. I'm also reluctant to turn the entire site into a "subscribers only" offering becuase I'd really like to keep evangelising the Pocket PC and "hiding" information from people isn't a good way to do that. Guess where I'm going with this yet? I thought you would.
We've been working on a mobile version of this site, and it's coming along really nicely. The plan is to charge for access to this mobile version of the site. You can visit the desktop version of the site with Pocket Internet Explorer, or sync the site with AvantGo or Mazingo, but to get the optimised version with full mobile forum access, you'll need to subscribe. Access to the mobile version will be tied to your profile, not some strange URL or a username/password.
So there you have it. Is that something you'd be willing to shell out a couple of bucks for a month? Is the mobile version of the site in an optimised fashion enough, or would you also need to see exclusive content that the desktop browser visitors wouldn't see? I'm somewhat reluctant to create an "us and them" site, but I'm open to feedback. I'm including a poll on the page to see what price points you'd be comfortable with.
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07-06-2002, 12:17 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 355
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Re: Site evolution & a true mobile version
i'll be the first to step up and support the site, this great news. it's really important that we -all- support community sites we love.
i pay for infosync right now, so this is more than acceptable and welcomed. it's worth it. why? because i read this site everyday, i use it for my job, i quote it all the time, i use the stats, i keep up to date, i use the high-res pictures from the site in my presentations. when i'm held hostage waiting in line, waiting in meetings, waiting for anything i read the site. i have a cable bill and i pay for a wired, nytimes, and other print subscriptions and i sure don't seem to have a problem with paying for those, so why the hell should i not pay to support something i really enjoy. even if i didn't use it, it's worth it.
can't wait jason! looking forward to it.
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07-06-2002, 12:19 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 400
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Well Jason, I have no need for a mobile version of the site just yet, so it really doesn't matter to me. However I would hate to see a us/them site as well. ALOT.
Anyway, how about putting a PayPal button on the site so that people could toss you a couple of bucks a month to show their support? I would be willing to donate a couple of bucks a month to help keep this site open to everyone and delivering excellent content to all comers.
This is one of the sites I use at work to convert the Heathen Palm loyalists and would hate to lose any of the advantages I have :wink: I have almost converted em all from Palm but now I need to get them up to PPC 2002 :lol:
Hey it all self-interest, the more people with the same gear as me the more stuff OEMs will make for me!
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07-06-2002, 12:54 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 255
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I need to clarify my vote. I voted that it is worth $2 a month for me. However I have no current need for a mobile edition of the site. I do most of my web surfing at the moment using my wirelessly (802.11b) connected laptop while sitting in my 'easy chair'. And while I could do the same with my WLAN connected Pocket PC, when given the choice of viewing the site at 240 x 320 versus 1024 x 768 I will always go for the higher resolution.
Yes, Jason, I will pay for your content (perhaps we'd still have Wes at PDA Buzz if we had been given a chance to pay for that content). However, I'd like the option to pay for that content in a format that I find most useful. So I guess, I'd like to see an option for a premium version of the "desktop" version of the site.
Give it some thought.
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07-06-2002, 01:34 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 278
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I would pay
I too do not have any need just now for a mobile version as I access the site many times (way too many times) from my work computer, in the evenings from my home computer and when I sync with Avantgo.
Having said all that, I would be happy to contribute some monetary amount, either on a regular basis and be entitled to "additional content" (which practically does not seem to work well) or, and perhaps, preferably, a periodic contribution to keep the site going.
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07-06-2002, 01:42 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,329
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I can't say. I would need more specifics on just what is included in that $1-$5. As long as there's a "you get what you pay for mentality" I personally wouldn't mind spending a few buck.
Can we get some specifics on what is planned? Is it purely just optimized for mobile user?
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07-06-2002, 02:18 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 37
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My thoughts...
I've voted that I would pay, but I would rather pay for early/exclusive content rather than mobile forums. After all, this is a Pocket PC centric site, surely it should natively support Pocket PCs rather than as a 'extra'.
Keep the news, thoughts and forums free and PPC-friendly, and produce some subscription content - maybe those articles you mentioned, reviews or the guest columnists.
--
Schwuk
__________________
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
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07-06-2002, 02:55 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,213
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Bring it on!
I voted for $5/month. Why? Because I spend almost that much on a freakin' combo meal at Wendy's more than once a month.  Thoughts is certainly more useful to me than an artery-clogging cheeseburger and a Dr. Pepper! Besides, as often as I visit the site, and as many times as I read the forums, $60 a year seems perfectly reasonable to me to keep a site I love alive and well.
I can't count the number of times that I've been laying in bed or sitting on the patio reading the site on my E-200 (wireless LANs rock! 8) ); I'll come across a "[More]" link on the main page and don't even bother tapping it since the forum is so hard to read right now. If I had access to a Pocket PC-optimized version of the Forums, that would be awesome!
I do want to strongly vote for not having different "news" or "thought" items for the desktop and PPC versions of the site. Additional content such as guest columnists, in-depth articles, etc. could be reserved for subscribers, but I don't think you'd be serving the general public by showing non-subscribers only a subset of the news that subscribers get.
I do have three questions, though:- When I go to the Thoughts site, will it automatically load the version of the site that's appropriate for the device I'm using?
- Login info is stored in a cookie. How are read messages tracked? Is that also with a cookie or are read message counts stored as part of my profile on the Thoughts server? I ask because it would be nice to not have to think about what topics I've read and which I haven't when switching from Pocket PC to PC. Will subscribed topics be available on both versions of the site?
- Do you have any idea how payment will be handled? Can I prepay for a year or will I have to renew each month? Would I be notified a few days before my subscription is set to expire?
I know some of that will get worked out as you develop your idea, but if you have any info now, that would be great. Keep up the great work!
Dave
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07-06-2002, 03:23 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 125
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re:Site evolution & a true mobile version
I really don't have a need for the mobile version, always get on a million times a day via desktop or laptop. I have learned an extreme amount of information here, and don't want to lose the edge it gives me. I subscribe to much less important (to me) things pertaining to my job, when I learn more here, so I have no issue with supporting it. :mrgreen:
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07-06-2002, 04:14 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 179
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Re: My thoughts...
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Schwuk
I've voted that I would pay, but I would rather pay for early/exclusive content rather than mobile forums.
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I would agree with this. While a mobile friendly edition would be nice, I doubt that you will have enough people who will pay for this to make it worthwhile on its own.
How about extra value stuff for subscribers? Many journals that I access (medical) are using this model - you can get the old stuff for free or abstracts of articles...but if you want the full article with all the graphics, tables, full detail or if you want stuff from the latest issue then you have to pay (I'm not however happy with what they think that immediate access is worth - a bit too pricy in most cases - but I digress)
Suggest that you keep news free but when you have extra content, commentary, details on fix-its etc, put them on the subscriber site at first and then on the general site a week to a month later, depending on the timeliness and intrinsic value of the information. (Have to be careful not to be scooped by other sites, which may limit the amount of stuff that you can do this with.)
I agree with the comments of another poster (sorry, on a previous screen so can't properly attribute who wrote it!) that $5 per month is less than we spend at Starbucks in a week...but that's the problem with the information age - we still are not very good at paying for information and tend to treat it as if it should be free to everybody. Sorta like the Netscape phenomenon - users are happy to use Netscape while it is free but baulk when asked to pay for it .
BTW, between us Canucks, was that $1-5 US or Can? Not that it makes much difference <groan>
Hope you can work something out but I doubt if you're gonna get rich with this.
David Topps
www.pocketprof.org
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