Poll Results: Site Sponsorships
Talk about a close one...
Monday, December 10, 2007 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
Wow, last week's poll was a lively one! And the results at the end were far and away different from how things were looking near the start of the week. To recap, the discussion was around additional ways to support the site in the future. One possibility that had been presented to us by our ad rep was a Site Sponsorship, a graphic that would be placed somewhere on the site for the duration of the sponsorship. The catch is that the image would be visible to everyone, even subscribers.
Here's how the voting came out:
The surprise for me by the end of the week was how much the "I might leave" option grew. For most of the week, the response seemed to be more or less receptive to the idea. But it ended out the week with a third of the vote. With the voting over, those in favor came out with 57% of the vote, while those opposed had 41%. With the voting coming so close, it's an issue we'll have to continue to debate before making any decisions.
The discussion on the topic went well over 100 posts, and remained entirely civil and constructive. It's probably one of the best discussions on site policy I've seen here in a long time. Thank you to everyone who tossed in their $0.02 and helped me get a better idea of where the community stood on the issue.
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Reply #2 Monday, December 10, 2007 1:52 PM
I don't know that very many people would actually leave . . where else could they go? They might not renew though.
I wonder . . if you let a subscription lapse . . do you get 500MB as a freeloader going forward?
Reply #3 Monday, December 10, 2007 2:00 PM
Wouldn't someone have to reset their download figure for that to happen?
Reply #4 Monday, December 10, 2007 2:09 PM
ditto, especially since last I looked at the poll, only very few people had chosen this option. Weird...
Reply #6 Monday, December 10, 2007 2:18 PM
Reply #7 Monday, December 10, 2007 2:30 PM
.. need a bottle from that vine..
Reply #9 Monday, December 10, 2007 2:58 PM
Reply #10 Monday, December 10, 2007 3:02 PM
I think maybe people got confused over the difference between a static sponsorship logo and an ad - the type you see when logged out.
Perhaps a full mock up of what WC would look like with a logo might have helped 
Reply #11 Monday, December 10, 2007 3:11 PM
Reply #12 Monday, December 10, 2007 4:06 PM
Reply #13 Monday, December 10, 2007 4:14 PM
Damn Zu, is that a kid burning in that pic? Didn't realize the subject was THAT serious....jeez.....
Reply #14 Monday, December 10, 2007 4:14 PM
I believe it was stated in Wom's thread (and I tend to agree) that many of those people would probably would have checked off "I will not resubscribe" versus "I will leave" The point was being made that as long as you keep up your ODNT you still have unlimited downloads with the only difference being the ads.
Reply #15 Monday, December 10, 2007 4:38 PM
Yep, that's the conclusion some might have come to indeed. By "leave" I think they might have meant as a subscriber and not really stop coming to the sight at all.
Reply #17 Monday, December 10, 2007 4:47 PM
I would rather pay the sub. price and deal with one or two ads, as opposed to paying nothing and getting swamped with ads. Plus, as Zoomba stated, some of the revenue generated by these STATIC ads will go towards giving perks to the subscribers.
And people need to understand that the promise wasn't no ads period. It was:
"removing banners and other ads from the website that may hinder your surfing experience".
Static ads don't hinder your surfing experience do they? Hell, there's an ad for the WC store that we all see! What's the difference???
Reply #18 Monday, December 10, 2007 5:01 PM
Yes, I think what's needed is a working example of the Sponsorship in action....the 'impact' of which can be seen for/by both subscribers and non-subscribers.
Combine that with a clearer indicator of what actual benefits it will bring [specifically FOR the Subscribers] and my bet is that 33% will diminish significantly.
Too much of the discussion was about what defines advertising and not about how it can/will benefit the Subscriber.
Ultimately there is always those who will play the cautious card and go for the 'no' vote which equates with 'no change is good'.
The problem with polls is that typically one 'side' or another engenders more angst or ire and thus attracts more respondents who want to be 'heard'. The ambivalent are by definition less likely to want to have an input hence that 2%.
It's a fair bet that were the vote a compulsory one the 'don't care' portion would be bigger and thus the results would differ even more....
Reply #19 Monday, December 10, 2007 5:06 PM
Reply #20 Monday, December 10, 2007 6:00 PM
I voted I don't care but I'll play Devil's advocate..
A small percentage of people will resort to extremes to make their case stronger.
There is a small percentage of people that will take their ball and go home.
There is a small percentage that feels subscriptions should not be necessary and Stardock should be fully sponsoring the site.
When the carrot is dangled that we may get some premium skins in the future for a trade off, some won't bite. Promises are generally empty when it comes to business.
I personally think that it is a road to failure. Without knowing specific numbers involved I can only assume that subscriptions will never be enough to support the site. As the site grows, so does the overhead. This means the site gets more in the hole as time goes. When sponsors aren't enough to support the site, then what? I sort of feel like we are being asked to get aboard a sinking ship.
Actual subscription numbers have never been shared with the public so we have no way to gauge just how much freeloading is going on out there. Some will start new accounts over and over to get around the download cap. It would be interesting to know so we could base our opinions on something with more substance.
I think the silent ones or "lurkers" are the ones to listne to becuase the mopre time I spend in forums around the web, the more I am assuered that people that feel the need to offer their opinion in a forum are most likely uneductaed and shooting from the hip and not the brain. The smart stay silent and laugh at all us morons.
Windowblind reviews haven't been all that great when it comes to the quality of skins in the libraries. I have no clue how to correct that image problem but it will hamper subscription sales if people believe the libraries aren't worth subscribing for.
I have gone way out of my way in the past to support this site and will continue to do so in whatever way I can but I can understand the hesitation some have with changes. Especially when it targets the people that have supported the site for years and years to come.
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Reply #1 Monday, December 10, 2007 1:40 PM