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Clarification on the upserge of VIP postings

  • Hey staff, I just want to get clarification on the upsurge of VIP postings. I have noticed that quite a few open threads on topics of public knowledge have been filled with VIP postings by the staff that in the past I am certain would have been open to all users. What is the new policy in place that has increased the amount of content that is excluded from non-suscriptions users like myself?

    I ask for a couple of reasons:

    - I would like to know the type of content I am missing so in future when I am in a position to purchase a subscription I am able to determine it's value to me.

    - I understand that the purpose of only having one board is to make Catspause an inclusive board to all users regardless of subscription status. However I have found that the more abundant use of VIP replys by the Catspause staff has prevented me from enjoying the entirety of discussion on a topic that did not begin as VIP or is on a matter stemming from publicly available content (as opposed to the research of the staff here).

    My intent here is not to stir the pot. The Catspause became my favorite destination for KY football discussion ever since the old KY INK crew took over here at 247. And I think you guys do a crackin job and I know your business model requires you all to create content that entices people to subscribe.

    It's just in a couple of instances I found myself frustrated by what I have come to expect is free and open discussion on this board. In one instance, two threads were created about the same subject. One began and remained VIP while the other was an open thread. The latter was shut down as a duplicate matter preventing me from partaking in the discussion. Another example is the Extended Forecast thread which began as an open discussion about the weather before being VIPed halfway through. I am having a hard time figuring out why discussion of the weather necessitates exclusivity to paying members.

    Again, I want to emphasize how much I enjoy Catspause and what it has become over the past two years. You guys create an abundance of great free content and foster a positive atmosphere for football discussion (no easy task considering us long-suffering fans). I am just concerned that your goal of creating inclusivity by having only one board is being threatened by the increase in VIP posts on matters based on non-original content.

    Thanks.

    This post was edited by BlueBloodBob on 8/28/2012 at 2:36 PM

    BlueBloodBob

  • Good post, I understand why they want the Wizard of Oz (VIP comments behind the curtain). But at the same time there should be a good balance of the two - totally open and VIP.

    Enjoying the site thus far!

    fbtimeblue

  • BlueBloodBob said...

    Hey staff, I just want to get clarification on the upsurge of VIP postings. I have noticed that quite a few open threads on topics of public knowledge have been filled with VIP postings by the staff that in the past I am certain would have been open to all users. What is the new policy in place that has increased the amount of content that is excluded from non-suscriptions users like myself?

    I ask for a couple of reasons:

    - I would like to know the type of content I am missing so in future when I am in a position to purchase a subscription I am able to determine it's value to me.

    - I understand that the purpose of only having one board is to make Catspause an inclusive board to all users regardless of subscription status. However I have found that the more abundant use of VIP replys by the Catspause staff has prevented me from enjoying the entirety of discussion on a topic that did not begin as VIP or is on a matter stemming from publicly available content (as opposed to the research of the staff here).

    My intent here is not to stir the pot. The Catspause became my favorite destination for KY football discussion ever since the old KY INK crew took over here at 247. And I think you guys do a crackin job and I know your business model requires you all to create content that entices people to subscribe.

    It's just in a couple of instances I found myself frustrated by what I have come to expect is free and open discussion on this board. In one instance, two threads were created about the same subject. One began and remained VIP while the other was an open thread. The latter was shut down as a duplicate matter preventing me from partaking in the discussion. Another example is the Extended Forecast thread which began as an open discussion about the weather before being VIPed halfway through. I am having a hard time figuring out why discussion of the weather necessitates exclusivity to paying members.

    Again, I want to emphasize how much I enjoy Catspause and what it has become over the past two years. You guys create an abundance of great free content and foster a positive atmosphere for football discussion (no easy task considering us long-suffering fans). I am just concerned that your goal of creating inclusivity by having only one board is being threatened by the increase in VIP posts on matters based on non-original content.

    Thanks.

    What i heard was VIP members were wondering why they needed to pay for VIP if everything was open.so the VIP material is to give incentive for people to pay money to get more material. It is a delicate balance bc the free and premium board merged, other sites don't have this problem bc of that.

    trueUKgamer

  • BlueBloodBob said...

    Hey staff, I just want to get clarification on the upsurge of VIP postings. I have noticed that quite a few open threads on topics of public knowledge have been filled with VIP postings by the staff that in the past I am certain would have been open to all users. What is the new policy in place that has increased the amount of content that is excluded from non-suscriptions users like myself?

    I ask for a couple of reasons:

    - I would like to know the type of content I am missing so in future when I am in a position to purchase a subscription I am able to determine it's value to me.

    - I understand that the purpose of only having one board is to make Catspause an inclusive board to all users regardless of subscription status. However I have found that the more abundant use of VIP replys by the Catspause staff has prevented me from enjoying the entirety of discussion on a topic that did not begin as VIP or is on a matter stemming from publicly available content (as opposed to the research of the staff here).

    My intent here is not to stir the pot. The Catspause became my favorite destination for KY football discussion ever since the old KY INK crew took over here at 247. And I think you guys do a crackin job and I know your business model requires you all to create content that entices people to subscribe.

    It's just in a couple of instances I found myself frustrated by what I have come to expect is free and open discussion on this board. In one instance, two threads were created about the same subject. One began and remained VIP while the other was an open thread. The latter was shut down as a duplicate matter preventing me from partaking in the discussion. Another example is the Extended Forecast thread which began as an open discussion about the weather before being VIPed halfway through. I am having a hard time figuring out why discussion of the weather necessitates exclusivity to paying members.

    Again, I want to emphasize how much I enjoy Catspause and what it has become over the past two years. You guys create an abundance of great free content and foster a positive atmosphere for football discussion (no easy task considering us long-suffering fans). I am just concerned that your goal of creating inclusivity by having only one board is being threatened by the increase in VIP posts on matters based on non-original content.

    Thanks.

    Excellent post BlueBloodBob. Let me try and address everything as best I can, and if I leave anything out or if you have any further questions based on my response I'd be glad to continue the discussion in this thread.

    As you mentioned, we are unlike our competition in that our boards are both free and premium at the same time. One reason is we want all of the discussion to take place in one place - no reason to reinvent the wheel and have folks talking about the same thing on different boards. The posters get to choose if their post is free or premium, unless they respond and quote a VIP post - then the post has to stay VIP.

    The MAIN reason is to be more inclusive and allow free users to get a much better sense of what they would be paying for when they sign up for VIP content and posts. If a board is entirely premium and all you see are walls/windows to subscribe - you have no idea what you're getting. On the flip side, if everything is free then there is no reason to subscribe and sign up for the site.

    In analyzing the site over the last few months, it appears that we may have been giving away TOO MUCH for free. In fact, we have had folks cancel the site and tell us that they felt there was no reason to pay because they weren't getting anything that the non-paying folks were getting.

    At the end of the day, we need to find a happy medium between being inclusive enough for folks to enjoy the site, but EXCLUSIVE enough for folks to become VIP members and realize that there is a real value for their subscription.

    The stories/content will be much more premium than they have been in the past. The board balance is still a work in progress. This is how Darrell, Chris, Matt - and now Josh - make their money.

    Your example about the weather thread is a good one, but - without looking back at it right now - that thread could have turned and run a different course that led some folks to offer up some info that they wanted to keep on this site (and maybe not let some of the Louisville fans see, etc.).

    We don't want you to become frustrated with threads, we hope that those threads are interesting enough for folks to want to sign up.

    Hope this makes sense, and I hope you'll take us up on our "Free for the rest of the year" offer. Give us a test drive and see what's behind the wall. If you like it, great. If not, you've got nothing to lose.

    https://secure.247sports.com/Subscription/Annual/132

    Activate Your Account

    https://secure.247sports.com/Subscription/Annual/132

    secure.247sports.com

    Kevin Ryan ●

  • Thank you Kevin for your thorough answer. It is going to take some getting used to with the new discussion format moving forward. I by no means expect the proverbial free lunch but I wish you and the rest of the staff the best of luck finding that happy median. And thank you for pointing out the test subscription. I'll be giving it a look-see I'm sure.

    BlueBloodBob

  • BlueBloodBob said...

    Thank you Kevin for your thorough answer. It is going to take some getting used to with the new discussion format moving forward. I by no means expect the proverbial free lunch but I wish you and the rest of the staff the best of luck finding that happy median. And thank you for pointing out the test subscription. I'll be giving it a look-see I'm sure.

    Thanks, Bob.

    Essentially we're giving folks 4+ months free if they take advantage of the special offer and sign up for an annual VIP subscription. You'll be able to check out the site for the entire football season and part of the basketball season and make an informed decision on whether to be a VIP for the long haul.

    Hope this helps, hope a lot of folks take advantage of the offer and I hope they tell other UK fans about as well. It's open to anyone.

    Thanks again for your question, and let me know if I can answer anything else. If there is something you want to ask me "offline" you can send me a private message or an e-mail to kryan@247sports.com

    preciatecha

    Kevin Ryan ●

  • Those that don't pay - like me - have no basis for complaining what about what goes VIP. If you don't like it, pay or go elsewhere. Pretty straightforward.

    vhcat1970

  • I think the important thing to remember when a thread that is not VIP suddenly has a string of VIP posts inside is that while everyone is openly discussing a given topic someone may have something to add to the discussion that may be "VIP-type" inside info that doesn't need to be public knowledge. So, they'll mark it as VIP and provide the info to those of us paying with less fear of it being spread on the radio or wherever 15 minutes later. ALSO, there is the problem (especially for people who are typically posting from their phone) where you'll try to click on the checkbox to quote someone's post and accidentally fat-finger the screen and hit the VIP checkbox right below the quote box. Its easy to do and then once you do it, every time someone quotes your post their's is marked as VIP and the same happens for anyone who then quotes that person's post and so on. It can lead to a thread filled with "VIP" posts that really aren't VIP.

    mjdotson

  • Thanks much to everyone for the great questions and responses.

    preciatecha

    Kevin Ryan ●

  • mjdotson said...

    I think the important thing to remember when a thread that is not VIP suddenly has a string of VIP posts inside is that while everyone is openly discussing a given topic someone may have something to add to the discussion that may be "VIP-type" inside info that doesn't need to be public knowledge. So, they'll mark it as VIP and provide the info to those of us paying with less fear of it being spread on the radio or wherever 15 minutes later. ALSO, there is the problem (especially for people who are typically posting from their phone) where you'll try to click on the checkbox to quote someone's post and accidentally fat-finger the screen and hit the VIP checkbox right below the quote box. Its easy to do and then once you do it, every time someone quotes your post their's is marked as VIP and the same happens for anyone who then quotes that person's post and so on. It can lead to a thread filled with "VIP" posts that really aren't VIP.

    this happens a lot. It's hard for us VIP to realize a thread has inadvertently gone VIP and if that happens just ask and one of us can correct it if needed.

    signature image

    Stoopified!

    cobbycobb

  • Kevin Ryan said...

    Excellent post BlueBloodBob. Let me try and address everything as best I can, and if I leave anything out or if you have any further questions based on my response I'd be glad to continue the discussion in this thread.

    As you mentioned, we are unlike our competition in that our boards are both free and premium at the same time. One reason is we want all of the discussion to take place in one place - no reason to reinvent the wheel and have folks talking about the same thing on different boards. The posters get to choose if their post is free or premium, unless they respond and quote a VIP post - then the post has to stay VIP.

    The MAIN reason is to be more inclusive and allow free users to get a much better sense of what they would be paying for when they sign up for VIP content and posts. If a board is entirely premium and all you see are walls/windows to subscribe - you have no idea what you're getting. On the flip side, if everything is free then there is no reason to subscribe and sign up for the site.

    In analyzing the site over the last few months, it appears that we may have been giving away TOO MUCH for free. In fact, we have had folks cancel the site and tell us that they felt there was no reason to pay because they weren't getting anything that the non-paying folks were getting.

    At the end of the day, we need to find a happy medium between being inclusive enough for folks to enjoy the site, but EXCLUSIVE enough for folks to become VIP members and realize that there is a real value for their subscription.

    The stories/content will be much more premium than they have been in the past. The board balance is still a work in progress. This is how Darrell, Chris, Matt - and now Josh - make their money.

    Your example about the weather thread is a good one, but - without looking back at it right now - that thread could have turned and run a different course that led some folks to offer up some info that they wanted to keep on this site (and maybe not let some of the Louisville fans see, etc.).

    We don't want you to become frustrated with threads, we hope that those threads are interesting enough for folks to want to sign up.

    Hope this makes sense, and I hope you'll take us up on our "Free for the rest of the year" offer. Give us a test drive and see what's behind the wall. If you like it, great. If not, you've got nothing to lose.

    https://secure.247sports.com/Subscription/Annual/132

    Kevin, I understand the need to develop a viable business model to encourage subscriptions in order to make the site profitable (I guess the ads all over my screen don't do the job). But your stated reason for combining the subscription and non-subscription boards (to facilitate good discussion) is undermined when that discussion (in a non-VIP thread) is derailed by post after post blocked to non-VIP members. It effectively turns an open thread into a VIP thread.

    I understand that you want to let non-VIPers to know what they are missing but all it really does is remove them from the discussion. A better method to faciltate open discussion while protecting sensitive information would be to open a VIP thread when such information becomes relevent to a particular open thread. The poster of that information could refer VIP members to that other thread. This will leave the open thread open to all -- and allow non-VIPers to remain involved in the entire discussion of a particular thread -- while protecting sensitive information AND still letting non-VIPers know some of what they could gain with a membership.

    This comes from a long-time paying member who recently had to choose between paying for this membership and paying for diapers and formula.

    I am not asking to be privy to the information that the Catspause crew have gained through their hard work but, rather, that non-VIPers be able to remain engaged in the threads that they have started.

    ukcat15

  • ukcat15, that would just make it harder and upset the VIP members. Gotta cater to the paying members first and foremost.

    The non members get to participate in a thread that is VIP. If info is not VIP then it's shared if it is VIP it isn't but the discussion can continue for both parties.

    signature image

    Stoopified!

    cobbycobb

  • If a non-VIP starts the thread as open, it should mostly stay that way. As simple as that JIMO.

    Class warfare! lol

    This post was edited by fbtimeblue on 8/30/2012 at 7:33 AM

    fbtimeblue

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