Guest Level Accounts

[james]

Title:
Guest Level Accounts

Area:
accounts

Summary:
Creating a cheaper, minimal-perk account which still supports DW.

Description:
I've heard interest from folks who would like to be able to support DW and participate in conversations on communities and journals here, but without having to maintain an entire "presence" here, but with more benefits than just a free-level account. Specifically, the ability to track comments and have replies to comments mailed to them.

$35 a year can be a lot for someone who sees themselves as just commenting on other journals, but a minimal amount of paid-account would enable them to comment and keep copies of their comments via email, and keep track of conversations. But even a $15 a year account could be bare bones, and yet let them interact with others on DW.

I have no idea of how the coding works, so I don't know if it's an easy thing to do, or hard, or if being emailed copies of comments is a high-burden sort of benefit.

Poll #7080 Guest Level Accounts

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 57

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
17 (29.8%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
5 (8.8%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
14 (24.6%)

(I have no opinion)
19 (33.3%)

(Other: please comment)
2 (3.5%)

Comments

[azurelunatic]

Some more random thoughts:

Is there a market for something that's very very clearly labeled "Pay $SMALL to create an account and enjoy paid benefits for $SHORT-TIME as well! (account with free feature set remains indefinitely once created!)" -- which is the same as the current process, if you don't have a code buy a paid account to create one, but that sounds like it might catch the attention of some of the people who want to participate beyond OpenID levels, but for whatever reason the psychological step of creating a paid account is a little too steep for them.

I wonder if a "allow journal entries to be displayed and made" toggle that is accessible to the user would be a good option, even though it's Yet Another Setting. I suspect it might be something that some people would be all about (the read-and-comment-only people might feel a little more secure with that turned off, to have an indication visible to others that they are not planning to make new entries) and some people would be entirely appalled by (the people who like to make personal connections and hope for entries in the accounts of people they encounter just to get a better idea of who they are and where they're coming from).