New Concept For Trials

I´m working on a new paysite which will be a bit different than what´s
currently out there....I have decided to build a complete dynamic site
so that I can create a high level of interactivity for my members...

Some of the features will be....members can rate items in the site,
bookmark their favorite sets or videos, based on their preferences they
can create their own layout of the page.....for example selecting parts
they like and cutting out parts/items they´re not interested in voting
for new updates...etc, etc...I know most of the features aren´t new but
all together I think it will be very attractive and userfriendly....

Now I have been thinking about a "New" way of offering trial memberships
as I´m not a big fan of the currently know 3 day trials for X dollars that will
recur into monthly. I have come up with the following concept.

I will offer a free trial for confirmed email address. If a surfer signs up for
the free trial....and confirms by clicking a link in an email that will be sent
with a hash key in it....he will get access to the members area

He can move around...watch everything I have inside but.....I will only
give the first 5 thumbs of each photoset (Non hardcore) clickable to large
pics. The same for vids....he will only get the first part (non hardcore) clip.

I will have no time limit on this trial people can stay as long as they like..
being able to see update frequencies, new items, etc, etc.....
Of course at any time they can upgrade to full paid membership.

As I will be offering a good site..I have nothing to hide....people can watch
my site and see they´re getting value for money..

I think it could reduce chargebacks and I will be able to gather a lot of info
from the Free servers as I can track every user his surfing behaviour.
I would love to get some reactions on this.....

Thanks,

DynaMite



Last edited by DynaMite at Nov 15 2002, 11:44 AM

[Edd]

Interesting, DynaMite - sounds to me like your key is going to be in the upsell to the "full version" of the site and how appealing you can make it as a package...

let us know how it does.

[Mutt]

sounds like a very cool idea. it won't work for many of the big operators because the worst thing that could ever happen for them is for a surfer to see the members areas before the credit card is accepted.

For quality sites i think letting them roam around the members area but only allow them a very limited number of pix and movies is definitely worth trying.

good idea DynaMite

only sites with some high quality exclusive content can do this. MikeAI could try it.

Bonus is that even if the guy doesn't sign up you at least get the valid email which is worth according to the programs out there doing the '4 free' programs between a buck and a buck and a half.



Last edited by Mutt at Nov 15 2002, 01:54 PM

Thanks for the comments... yes the general idea is that people can
see everything I offer except in a limited version....so people will see all thumbs of a set but only the first 5 non hardcore thumbs are clickable
to the full size image.

Same for vids and other items....as I know I will offer value for money
I have nothing to hide....I hope it will actually make people feel comfortable
as they can see what $24.95 will give them.....even if they check it out
for 2 weeks in order so see my updates I don´t mind....

and I get a lot more usefull info on surfer behaviour because I can see
what people click and what not.....and hopefully extract info from that
in order to improve my site....

I even have hopes that it will contribute to member retention...as people
on forehand know what they get......there is very little....and no unpleasant
suprises......I hope....

DynaMite

Only major problem I can see is that you can't really use it with an affiliate program.

Another option would be to go with the College Fuck Fest strategy and create a seperate area with full access to all content in that particular area (could easily be all non-hardcore as you mentioned), make them sign up to get the rest. CFF has a paid trial and I believe they put in 45-60 minutes worth of their scenes. You could do much less for a confirmed address of course, and include upsells if you wished for additional income.

The non-hardcore idea is very good. Sounds a lot like some movie gallery posters who have the girls teasing in their clips, then push full page ads with more non-clickable scenes, etc. Bad analogy perhaps, but tease them to get them in.

C.

[wig]

DynaMite,

We have a system that does exactly what you are talking about as far as verifying the email address.

We will be happy to do your ACH processing and can offer you a few validation and verification tools to help screen out the bad checks on the front end.

Feel free to hit me up with any questions. I like your idea.

People are becoming more and more sceptical...there are so many sites
with excellent flashy tours that promise the world....and once a member
they discover a cookie cutter site with 85% of the same old plugins that
10000 other sites also offer.....this is having an effect on quality sites
aswel.....I think this might be a way to break that sceptism...

I can just see it with my paysite review site.....it converts 1:30 on
paysites....and sites that we have reviewed are doing well....
their is too much screwing going on.....and the surfer knows it.
´
I don´t have the power to create 50 different tours for the same
site......I don´t have 20000 affilliates to promote my sites...I need
to make money by offering quality.....and I need a way to show that
to the surfer.......

DynaMite

Originally posted by Cal@Nov 15 2002, 12:05 PM
Only major problem I can see is that you can't really use it with an affiliate program.

Another option would be to go with the College Fuck Fest strategy and create a seperate area with full access to all content in that particular area (could easily be all non-hardcore as you mentioned), make them sign up to get the rest. CFF has a paid trial and I believe they put in 45-60 minutes worth of their scenes. You could do much less for a confirmed address of course, and include upsells if you wished for additional income.

The non-hardcore idea is very good. Sounds a lot like some movie gallery posters who have the girls teasing in their clips, then push full page ads with more non-clickable scenes, etc. Bad analogy perhaps, but tease them to get them in.

C.

why can´t I use an affilliate program with this.....I know which people
signed up for a trial....I have their email address and I know where they
came from....

I agree webmasters that will have to promote me would have to get used
to this system but also they can see I´m offering value for money...which
in the end will make them money.....

Besided that I´m a small player.....for now I think 75% of my members
would be aqcuired by my own effort.....as I said I´m not ARS or Oxcash
Once my site proofs to be a success I´m sure webmasters will follow...
allthough I realise that it might take some time....with this system.

DynaMite

The thing about a seperate area is that it´s not what the surfer will get....
or at least he won´t believe it.....when he can see my members area I think
that´s more credible....a seperate area is more like an extended tour....

I want them to see the real thing.....the amount of content...the diversity
my updates, the quality of the pics/vids... I want them to see the real
members rating and voting for updates....since that´s the real power
of my site.....

DynaMite

Originally posted by wig@Nov 15 2002, 12:06 PM
DynaMite,

We have a system that does exactly what you are talking about as far as verifying the email address.

We will be happy to do your ACH processing and can offer you a few validation and verification tools to help screen out the bad checks on the front end.

Feel free to hit me up with any questions. I like your idea.

Thanks wig...I really appreciate it....I will make sure to get in touch....right
now I´m building the thing...I´m not ready to open yet...

gimme a couple of weeks....and I´ll be knocking your door.

DynaMite

[Vick]

I think it's a great idea
You have some logistics to work out but it could be the best innovation of 2003!

[Vick]

When building the system for the user to preference and etcetera it will have to be very robust and ......

can you build a version that can be sold or leased? (Do I get a deep discount for coming up with that idea? )

Basically allowing a user to access a DB of content according to preference, and allowing users to vote on new material and so on



Last edited by Vick at Nov 15 2002, 04:17 PM

[Mutt]

Vick you are on the right track.

The company that comes up with a state of the art paysite members area content management and display system with bells and whistles galore will have a hit product on its hands. Lots of different modules you can add or take out.

i know there are a few out there now but they aren't what I envision.

DynaMite's idea is also solid, he can track affiliate referrals with a system like this, webmasters might be pleasantly surprised when they see new signups turn up a month after the customer first gave out his email for the
'trial'.

Originally posted by Vick@Nov 15 2002, 01:16 PM
When building the system for the user to preference and etcetera it will have to be very robust and ......

can you build a version that can be sold or leased? (Do I get a deep discount for coming up with that idea? )

Basically allowing a user to access a DB of content according to preference, and allowing users to vote on new material and so on

Hi first off all thanks for the encouraging comments....

Technically there are very few difficulties....storing member preferences
is easy and won´t take any serious system resources at all. Actually
the complete system I have already built and tested....

It comes with a complete Content Management System...so managing
the site, content and all options can be done by anyone who knows how
to use a browser.....

It has batch import functions for adding large chuncks of content....content
can be scheduled for adding to the site....creating thumbs and resizing
picture functions are present....stats, member functions, mailinglist,
everything is template based so customising layouts is very easy....it
has skins so you can create multiple skins for members to choose from
users can set preferences for amount of thumbs per page, etc, etc.
This I already have completed...

I´m now putting all the pieces together into a real site.....
I will consider selling the system allthough I have to see what it will mean
for me todo....because if I´m selling it will mean I have to offer support,
deliver updates, new features, etc, but most likely I will release some
version that will be available to people who are interested.

again once it´s completely ready I´ll post it on the boards so you can all
check it out....I strongly believe in sharing information and resources I´m
sure for people who are interested we can work something out.

DynaMite

edit: It also comes with language files so your site can be available for
members in multiple languages aswell.....



Last edited by DynaMite at Nov 15 2002, 01:41 PM

Don't sell anything you make custom. The short term gain will end in long term loss, since you will be saturating the market with sites similar to yours. The key is to TEAM UP with others, and hold the rights to your product at all times. That way if MaxCash says hey Dyna we don't like the direction our site is going, you yank your CMS and say have a nice day.

Even if there is a limited market, I'd never sell it off. No offense, but programmers think that way. They design something cool and want to sell it, but if it's really that cool you can cut deals that make you long term money with any webmaster of decent intelligence.

C.

Actually Vick's solution is a decent compromise. LEASE, do not SELL. Sorry if I was a little unclear. Always opt for the monthly if your product is worth it. Hold the rights, hold the rights!

C.

Originally posted by Cal@Nov 15 2002, 02:04 PM
Actually Vick's solution is a decent compromise. LEASE, do not SELL. Sorry if I was a little unclear. Always opt for the monthly if your product is worth it. Hold the rights, hold the rights!

C.

Thanks I hadn´t thought about it that way.....what I did figure is selling
would mean hassle as I would have to provide support, etc, etc...for a
few I could do this........but yes it would never be my intention to start
selling software large scale.....I left software programming for porn years
ago......and I´m quite happy I did :P

DynaMite

[Vick]

Hey DynaMite you didn't answer , do I get a discount on it? he he he

Please let me know when you have it up and running, I'd be interested in seeing it ... and then possibly being a beta tester for a lease/sale version he he

[cj]

I want them to see the real thing.....the amount of content...the diversity
my updates, the quality of the pics/vids... I want them to see the real
members rating and voting for updates....since that´s the real power
of my site.....
------

if you can get enough members to participate in the voting & surveys etc, i'll be very surprised ...

Its a great idea, we've been working towards this with our purve members areas in stages over the last 6 months, doing 1 section at a time ... trying to get it perfect first go means longer before you can start sending traffic to it. The thing with interactivity is you have to have a LOT of members to start getting them involved.

As for leasing it, you may find there's more money in this side of it, unless you are confident you can generate enough traffic to justify the time spent on this paysite idea ;-)

Our main goal for moving to a dynamic system is updates with the press of a button. As we are a magazine as well as a porn site, we update features every month and its time consuming doing it the old way. We have some parts of this working such as surveys ... you enter a survey at a central admin page and click 'publish' and off it goes and adds itself to the all the paysites and archives everything else & displays the categories etc. Eventually our writers will be able to submit articles into their own templates and I will click 'publish' from somewhere in the carribean ;-)))

Anything that saves you time can potentially make you money ... or at least save you time. LOL

Originally posted by cj@Nov 15 2002, 03:05 PM
I want them to see the real thing.....the amount of content...the diversity
my updates, the quality of the pics/vids... I want them to see the real
members rating and voting for updates....since that´s the real power
of my site.....
------

if you can get enough members to participate in the voting & surveys etc, i'll be very surprised ...

Its a great idea, we've been working towards this with our purve members areas in stages over the last 6 months, doing 1 section at a time ... trying to get it perfect first go means longer before you can start sending traffic to it. The thing with interactivity is you have to have a LOT of members to start getting them involved.

As for leasing it, you may find there's more money in this side of it, unless you are confident you can generate enough traffic to justify the time spent on this paysite idea ;-)

Our main goal for moving to a dynamic system is updates with the press of a button. As we are a magazine as well as a porn site, we update features every month and its time consuming doing it the old way. We have some parts of this working such as surveys ... you enter a survey at a central admin page and click 'publish' and off it goes and adds itself to the all the paysites and archives everything else & displays the categories etc. Eventually our writers will be able to submit articles into their own templates and I will click 'publish' from somewhere in the carribean ;-)))

Anything that saves you time can potentially make you money ... or at least save you time. LOL

All the features are allready there....as I have been building content
management systems for quite some time....the voting/survey stuff
is will benefit surfers.....I won´t be asking them for advice....it will
be presented for example like this....

Tomorrow´s updates....I´ll show 3 different girls/couples.... the members
decides which one will make it.....just by clicking the pics.... the same for
rating...each set or vid will have a rating function in the interface....no
difficult options....whenever they see something they like...they can rate.
Also I will have toplists of items/categories/etc based on hits/views...

So it´s slightly different than running regular polls....I guess you´ll see
when I release it...hehehe...I´ll put some screenshots up soon of the admin
and the frontend....I have quite a bit experience in building this kind of stuff
the tech part is the part I don´t worry about.....

I´m currently adding a feature to create static pages at the push of a button.....
for example for galleries....it´s no use pulling all that info from the
database at every request.....and also a caching layer for image files....

damn things always turn out to get bigger than I innitially planned...that´s
so great about these boards....a few know a lot more than 1 and I get
suggestions I would initialy have never thought of....

Thanks again everybody for your input......I´ll setup a board discount for
interested people once it´s ready....

Vick we´ll work out your special discount.....hehehe let´s first see if you
really like it once it´s done...

DynaMite





Last edited by DynaMite at Nov 15 2002, 03:42 PM

Dyno Miiiiiite!

I can't help but laugh thinking of JJ and your name, sorry.

C.

[cj]

dynamite, I understand what you are describing, it just doesn't mean much until i see it in action ;-)

Please show us a demo as soon as its ready, we are all keen to see ;-)

[Vick]

I've been wrong before but .....

I think the industry will be forced to produce better quality sites as time progresses due to payout structure, competetion and the CC regs
(so the consumer gains and we have to work smarter)

and this could be something that make the user feel more involved while still allowing them a degree of anonymity
It really doesn't matter if the user is very active with these tools, it's more about the perception and something new

[Dianna Vesta]

Originally posted by DynaMite@Nov 15 2002, 03:08 PM
People are becoming more and more sceptical...there are so many sites
with excellent flashy tours that promise the world....and once a member
they discover a cookie cutter site with 85% of the same old plugins that
10000 other sites also offer.....this is having an effect on quality sites
aswel.....I think this might be a way to break that sceptism...

I can just see it with my paysite review site.....it converts 1:30 on
paysites....and sites that we have reviewed are doing well....
their is too much screwing going on.....and the surfer knows it.
´
I don´t have the power to create 50 different tours for the same
site......I don´t have 20000 affilliates to promote my sites...I need
to make money by offering quality.....and I need a way to show that
to the surfer.......

DynaMite

I've been saying this for months.

I agree and think several things will happen:

1) more niche sites
2) more sunscriber interaction
3) let them see what you have, always upselling but never turning away.

I'm doing it. Everyone thinks I;m crazy but I got a feeling about it.

[cj]

I'm doing it. Everyone thinks I;m crazy but I got a feeling about it.
-----

I don't think your crazy, but this is the longer road ;-)

[Dianna Vesta]

Originally posted by cj@Nov 16 2002, 10:17 AM
I'm doing it. Everyone thinks I;m crazy but I got a feeling about it.
-----

I don't think your crazy, but this is the longer road ;-)

That's ok. I'm in it for the long haul. Whatever that's gonna mean.

We're working on solutions I can't discuss but it will be very innovative.

But hey, thanks guys for the additional ideas! lol

[Almighty Colin]

Dynamite - excellent thread. Worthy of a pearl!

In 1999, the company I ran at the time built a completely dynamic paysite with many features similar to those you mention. One thing I remember is that the cooler we thought a feature was, the less often it was used. Now, we didn't stick with it and maybe we should have. We went a different direction in the end. The summary of my opinion would be to give it a try but keep in mind that simple is often better - and really cool features sometimes are more liked by the mastermind behind them than the surfer.

[Almighty Colin]

Originally posted by cj@Nov 16 2002, 10:17 AM

I don't think your crazy, but this is the longer road ;-)

Thanks for taking my words before I thought of them.

[Naughty]

Great Idea DynaMite!!

Then again, you have plenty good ideas

[Almighty Colin]

Hey Naughty - how the HELL ya doin'?

[Mike AI]

The idea is a good one, the execution of the idea is going to be very tough. It will take a lot of good programing, and a clever way to educate the surfers.

IT can be done, but it will not be easy.... I am curious to see how it will work. Please keep us informed, and if you develop this kind of script to handle all of this, let me know - I would love to buy a copy!


Oh and Dyna, are you trying to win Pearl of the week again? Great post!

[Naughty]

Originally posted by Colin@Nov 19 2002, 07:51 AM
Hey Naughty - how the HELL ya doin'?

Doing well, thanks

I wandered in yer home here, didn't I
I'm looking around for some other cool boards to hang out, so please make sure Amanda is wearing clothes when I wander in here h34r:



Last edited by Naughty at Nov 19 2002, 11:58 AM

[art]

Originally posted by cj@Nov 15 2002, 06:05 PM
Eventually our writers will be able to submit articles into their own templates and I will click 'publish' from somewhere in the carribean ;-)))

That is how my story site has been running for years. The aspiring authors on my site upload their stories (and have give their own title, description and pick the category) and upload the story in text format so that I can process it automatically.

All I do is a quick check on the story for illegal content and press "publish". For the lazy (like myself), this is a godsend. I have new stories every day and it just takes a few clicks.

Then I let the readers vote on them, so that I can let the system decide which stories to drop after a while (the one with low votes, or low views). And you are right: that's hard, I get only 0.07 votes per login on average.

Still, it makes the good stuff stand out from the poor stuff, so it's still suitable for me to use and drop stories automatically. Plus the authors are motivated to get high votes, or submit another story that scores better on the "top stories" list.

I'll program anything that saves me from having to read all those stories!

Greetings,

Art

I'll keep everybody posted on this....like I said the programming is already
done....I'm now fitting it into a slick and ergonomic design.....About the
features.....I work according the KISS principle....Keep It Simple Stupid....
I know that whenever you make something idiot proof someone comes
up with a better idiot......everything will be very functional very easy to use
and all features will have a benefit to surfing pleasure....not just because
it's a nice feature...

I have stress tested the system on a very high load and no problems here
I have build much more complex systems that have proven themselfes so
this is something I don't worry about at all.....

As soon as I have a working version ready I will let you all know....I hope
somewhere next week I will have a system operational that's good enough
to show.......so sit tight.....I'm busting my balls on it as I post this :P

DynaMite