Paid Account Trial

[vickyblueeyez]

Title:
Paid Account Trial

Area:
paid time

Summary:
Give users the option to have paid time for a certain length of time so see if they like it.

Description:
LJ had a feature where for free, you get two weeks of paid time. I think this would be useful for DW. By having this, users can preview what it's like to have paid accounts and therefore, if they like it, they would be more inclined to buy it. I would like to preview what it's like myself but am hesitant because I do not want to end up wasting money if I don't like it.

Poll #8877 Paid Account Trial

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 87

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
21 (24.1%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
5 (5.7%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
34 (39.1%)

(I have no opinion)
25 (28.7%)

(Other: please comment)
2 (2.3%)

Comments

[jumpuphigh]

I chose shouldn't be implemented because we have the option to only buy a month for $3 and I just don't think, if someone is seriously considering buying paid time, that is too much. However, whatever Denise and Mark decide is fine with me. I don't really have a pony in this race.

[dancing_serpent]

Yes, this exactly.

[kerravonsen]

Agreed.

[ninetydegrees]

+1

[laitaine]

This. Absolutely this.

[denise]

$3 is more of a psychological barrier to people than 'free' is, though, and it's entirely possible that this would lead to an increase in paid accounts from people who want a trial first! On the other hand, it's a lot of coding for unknown reward -- none of LJ's payment system is open source and therefore we can't legally use it, so we'd have to code a system like this from scratch. (Also, there are apparently bugs with LJ's version that will let you game the trial and keep the paid benefits for free, or so I hear.)

So, I am officially on the fence about this (usually I will either move business suggestions straight to Bugzilla if they'll work for us, and reject them with an explanation out of the queue if they won't, but if I have no strong opinion or if I have strong opinions in both directions, I'll let it out for discussion) and can possibly be swayed with a strong argument in either direction.

(Also, I quote from a blog entry made by the guy who owns/operates Pinboard: "It was my experience that people approached an online purchase of six dollars with the same deliberation and thoughtfulness they might bring to bear when buying a new car. Prospective users would hand-wring for weeks on Twitter and send us closely-worded, punctilious lists of questions before creating an account." He is so, so very right.)

[azurelunatic]

I wound up convincing a friend to buy a Pinboard account with the phrase "It has been worth two frappucinos of entertainment."

[claire_chan]

Icon +1

[ceesoo]

Could bugs and things be avoided if to do the trial DW went through the checkout system rather than doing it as a button-click process that doesn't seem to go through checkout (at least on the user side) the way LJ has it?

Since DW already keeps track of payment history would it be possible to allow one payment of $0.00? :|a Hrm... I was thinking it could somehow be done like the money orders, but I guess you guys have to manually approve the paid time after you receive the money for it...

[vickyblueeyez]

Funny that you mentioned pinboard. I haven't purchased that either due to my same fears of buying it, then not liking it and not using it. Many swear up and down by it but I am still apprehensive. Yes DW is only 3 dollars (in ref to the argument that 'but its only 3 bucks') but it's 3 dollars in addition to the other stuff I'm paying for.

Someone gifted me paid time and I like what I see so far. If whoever did it is reading this, thank you.

[jumpuphigh]

Someone gifted me paid time and I like what I see so far. If whoever did it is reading this, thank you.

Users on Dreamwidth are very generous and we want everyone to love it as much as we do.

[amadi]

There's a comic at The Oatmeal that's also coming to mind: we gladly drop several hundreds of dollars on iPads, iPhones and various Android devices, then bug out about spending 99¢ on an app.

But having said that, how about a 99¢ one week trial?

[mc776]

I think $.01 is little different from $3 as a psychological barrier that $0.00 does not have.

For me the biggest psychological barrier is just setting up all the account information and then entrusting the vendor with my credit card info... which barrier seems even bigger in proportion to smaller transactions.

If there were a coin slot in the side of the monitor, I'd probably be buying stuff online far more than I do now.

(one great thing about Steam: you do this once, and can do transactions with any number of other vendors and let Valve, whom by this point you've already deemed to be worth giving your CC # to, handle the money bit.)

[archangelbeth]

Offer .99 cents for a week, and upgrade to a month (for an additional $2.01) if you like it?

[alexbayleaf]

There are overheads with the payment processor, though. I suspect that if you made the payments any smaller, nothing would be left for DW.

[archangelbeth]

Alas, that's true. O:(

Make it possible for other people to give 1-week subscriptions, with points, where you have to have bought a minimum of X points anyway? O:/

[jumpuphigh]

Good points. Thanks. That gave me something to think about. <3

Whatever you decide, I'll support that decision. Seriously, if you offer it, I'll completely talk it up. "AND! You can try it for a week for free!" Although, tbh, if I want someone to try DW and I think a paid account might be the thing that tips it for them, I just give them a month.

[arethinn]

+1

[montuos]

+1