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Crag has a point
US$6 is about what I'd expect to pay for an inexpensive trade paperback at Borders. That's a book written by someone expecting to make royalties off his work, with a professional copyeditor and content editor standing by at the ready to clean up his copy, and an agent to negotiate the best possible royalties for the author. In other words, a book written by a professional should cost at least US$6, and that's in the inexpensive trade-paper area of the bookstore.
We don't have nearly the same percentage of professionals at BN as we did when I joined, so I can't see how BN can justify that US$6 monthly fee. Much of what I've read is by people who are just in it to write the same word X number of times just to make the money - the very type of people Epinions.com used to attract in 1999 when it was funded by venture capital. (MHW, Dreah, Whim, Jemmie and other long-term people are exceptions, so please don't take offense about that.)
posted by
kidnykid
on June 9, 2003 at 7:28 AM
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Jemmie
BN said it will lead to more money for writers. I did the maths in BLOGGING NETWORK DEBATE. It seems as if we would get more money.
posted by
chris2303
on May 29, 2003 at 1:38 PM
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Writer earnings
To clarify, half of each reader's subscription fee still goes to the writers they read. This has not changed.
That is why we expect this change to "significantly increase the money available to writers," as stated in the post. As always, BN is successful only if the writers on BN are successful.
posted by
BlogitStaff
on May 29, 2003 at 1:21 PM
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Chris
Have they said we'll get paid more? I think you are assuming we will, which may not be the case, unless I didn't see something in the original post!
And, honestly, given that I have only one part time job, I'd be hard pressed to remain a member after my current annual subscription is up.
posted by
Jemmie211
on May 29, 2003 at 12:51 PM
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Yearly and 6-month subscription pricing
The yearly subscription is $49.95 (three months free) and the 6-month subscription is $29.95 (one month free).
posted by
BlogitStaff
on May 29, 2003 at 12:36 PM
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pay to play
this reminds me of the days (still here) when an unknown band had to pay to play at a club. you have to ask yourself, as you pay more, what is it that you really get out of this and when does it cost too much. btw, don't give up your day job, at least not yet. one area where this increase may hurt is in new writers who really are good who can't afford it. of course one could switch over to blog-city or blog-spot. at least they have different levels of payment from free to $5 (with different levels of capabilities). hks
posted by
harryKstammer
on May 29, 2003 at 7:08 AM
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BN staff
So this will make me really popular but I think it's a good idea. More money for us. Oh come on, it's only $60 a year ( assuming we still get two months free on a year's subscription?)
BN STAFF - you do whatever it takes to make us rich and retired early. I won't have any problems paying that kind of money.
Well think about it people, it's relative innit? You pay more money for the subscription but you'll be getting PAID more money for your posts. Damn straight.
posted by
chris2303
on May 28, 2003 at 11:20 PM
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Not such a bad idea, but...
I have to ask why we cant just have a nice, round dollar amount. Is there some law against charging $5 or $6 ... or is there some actually rational reason for charging $5.95? I always feel like someone is trying to put on over on me when I see .95 or .99 in the price. Does anyone really think this is not another dollar?
Anyway, I think a rate increase is a good idea. I think that if it costs a bit more, some of the fluff and dreck will disappear. And I think $6 is fair, though it's rather a steep jump to double the fee.
posted by
editormum
on May 28, 2003 at 8:09 PM
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It Costs Money to Make Money
Does this mean we get a raise? 
Seriously, I am surprised you have been able to keep the cost down as long as you have. If this, in the long run, means an increase in the subscriber base, go for it.
posted by
Whim
on May 28, 2003 at 7:16 PM
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Good Move...NOT!
Doubling your fee??!!!! 
From what I've seen so far, this site is little more than a complex newsgroup. You want to charge six bucks a month now for people to read whatever sort of chaotic blather that falls straight from their brains onto the keyboard with little more forethought than goes into 15-year-old Judy's secret diary? That's the price of a paperback book! By professional authors! Anyone with half a brain who thinks about it will realize they would rather spend their reading dollars on a novel, a magazine, the newspaper... hell, a decent porn site charges about six bucks a month, for that matter.
If you expect people to start ponying up that level of coin, you had better find some way to feature the more professional "blogs" on the home page to lure 'em in. And you need to encourage the more promising talent to stick around as well. If all the truly pro or near-pro level blogs are "buried" deep in the site, most readers will not pay for a second month. I know I won't, and I got in at the $2.99 rate. I'm not against anyone's right to pay their three or six bucks and then have a place to post their art, poetry, thoughts, old jokes, whatever... but there's a reason the seasoned writers get the front page and the rookies have to write ad copy in real world publishing... BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY'D NEVER SELL! ~ Crag
posted by
Crag_Antler
on May 28, 2003 at 7:10 PM
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Good Move...NOT!
Doubling your fee??!!!! From what I've seen so far, this site is little more than a complex newsgroup. You want to charge six bucks a month now for people to read whatever sort of chaotic blather that falls straight from their brains onto the keyboard with little more forethought than goes into 15-year-old Judy's secret diary? That's the price of a paperback book! By professional authors! Anyone with half a brain who thinks about it will realize they would rather spend their reading dollars on a novel, a magazine, the newspaper... hell, a decent porn site charges about six bucks a month, for that matter.
If you expect people to start ponying up that level of coin, you had better find some way to feature the more professional "blogs" on the home page to lure 'em in. And you need to encourage the more promising talent to stick around as well. If all the truly pro or near-pro level blogs are "buried" deep in the site, most readers will not pay for a second month. I know I won't, and I got in at the $2.99 rate. I'm not against anyone's right to pay their three or six bucks and then have a place to post their art, poetry, thoughts, old jokes, whatever... but there's a reason the seasoned writers get the front page and the rookies have to write ad copy in real world publishing... BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY'D NEVER SELL! ~ Crag
posted by
Crag_Antler
on May 28, 2003 at 7:09 PM
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This should be fun.
We haven't had a good public outcry dealing with an administrative change around here in almost a week.
It's your world, I'm just blogging in it.
posted by
workinprogress
on May 28, 2003 at 7:05 PM
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How did You arrive at that amount?
posted by
maralite
on May 28, 2003 at 7:01 PM
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Ouch.
Same here. The only reason I joined was because I was thinking, "WOW, only three bucks!" I hope the price increase doesn't slow the influx of new members too much.
posted by
Vomit_On
on May 28, 2003 at 6:46 PM
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$5.95 may sound reasonable...
But it's an increase of nearly 100%!!! That's really brutal.
Quite honestly, if the price had been $5.95 when I joined in January, I never would have signed up.
posted by
Jemmie211
on May 28, 2003 at 6:33 PM
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