Tony Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 I am very proud to say that WIM is where it is today because of the mutual support and assistance between myself, the Sponsors, and more importantly the WIM community. The last year or so has seen substantial and tangible improvements that would not have been otherwise possible. Even taking my time out of the equation, the establishment and continuation of the infrastructure is quite expensive so I have had to consider ways of making it pay in what I hope is a fair and transparent way. I hope the introduction of the Gold and Platinum Member status will provide a real value to you, and will help to pay for WIM. If you are interested in what the different levels offer and cost, please take a look at your [control panel.] They are however also listed below : Gold Membership Free technical advice. Image Uploads. Email to members from/via board. 10MB Image Upload Space. Ability to Store 100 PM’s. Restricted Arcade use. Use Image Gallery. Cost = £14.95 per year. Platinum Membership Discounts on parts and labour. Free technical advice. Image Uploads. Email to members from/via board. 50MB Image Upload Space. Ability to Store 500 PM’s. Unrestricted Arcade use. Use Image Gallery. Avoid Forum Flood Control. Cost = £49.95 per year. I do rely on your feedback so please let me have your thoughts on this, especially if you don’t agree with me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Couple of comments, 1) I don't appreciate the £14.95/£49.95 thing...it's the same as store pricing in conning shoppers into believing £99.99 is a whole lot cheaper sounding than £100.00. 2) Do you need a Gold and Platinum? Wouldn't it be better to raise the Gold price to £25.00? It may generate more income in the long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted April 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 The .95 is polite marketing. Our suggestion for Gold opens all doors in wim, whereas the Platinum opens doors for discounts in tdi/wim/shop. this discount for those who need development far exceeds the fee. This is our commitment to Platinum members. Your opinion of the .95p is a valid observation as is the suggest £25 fee for Gold membership but our intention is to ensure members are in a position to enjoy the club with as little cost as possible. Thank you for your thoughts Tango, they are taken on board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Always willing to help the WIM team so i will go Platinum....not yet though coz my outgoings are pretty steep at the mo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 I have to agree with Tango, a single flat fee of around £25-35 will probably convert more in the long run. Gold buys you nothing you don't get free and platinum is a little over priced for such a small community. Remember most of use are used to £5 per club per year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted April 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 I have to agree with Tango, a single flat fee of around £25-35 will probably convert more in the long run. Gold buys you nothing you don't get free and platinum is a little over priced for such a small community. Remember most of use are used to £5 per club per year! There are quit a few restrictions between free and Gold. And some distinct benefits from Gold to Platinum. We decided to offer this now rather than later so that the immediate community can absorb this offer... As for the value? it depends on the club.. I pay between £25 and £40 per club willingly and i don't even drive a car? Thank you for your thoughts jon, this is valuable to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H. Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 What is restricted arcade use? Will i lose all my trophys . What kind of discounts will be on offer for parts and labour. And can you open the WIM shop up north so you are nearer. I dont have a car either , i'd really like one though . Maybe found a '98 mk4 LS400, just need to find the dealer that did the servicing to check what it has had done as there is no service history with the car. Need to check the cambelt has been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahmet Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 What is restricted arcade use? Will i lose all my trophys .The arcade is restricted to Gold members (only 10 plays) a day - Platinum get unlimited Plays. Maybe tony can answer the rest ........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Gold Membership Free technical advice. Good, but you'll get that somehow from knowledgable members Image Uploads. STD on club forums Email to members from/via board. STD 10MB Image Upload Space. Thats enough for me. Ability to Store 100 PM’s. Thats plenty for anyone Restricted Arcade use. This is a bummer Use Image Gallery. STD Cost = £14.95 per year. Platinum Membership Discounts on parts and labour. What percentage of discount Free technical advice. As above Image Uploads. As above Email to members from/via board. Huh 50MB Image Upload Space. Who needs that much Ability to Store 500 PM’s. Why would i need to store that many Unrestricted Arcade use. Thats good Use Image Gallery. As above Avoid Forum Flood Control. What is that?....i'll just log in later! Cost = £49.95 per year. I do rely on your feedback so please let me have your thoughts on this, especially if you don’t agree with me!! I will pay a sub as i said b4 but breaking it down what do you actually get in the difference between Gold and Platinum?....dont say read above either I do have another issue with the subs but i will discuss that with you on Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Maybe found a '98 mk4 LS400, just need to find the dealer that did the servicing to check what it has had done as there is no service history with the car. Need to check the cambelt has been done. sorry. Mark you can go into any Lexus dealer and ask them to check the history on the LS to see what/if any servicing has been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Agree that Tony should be paid for the help he gives, but fear that restrictions will drive members away, there's about a dozen core members who regularly post new threads.... lose these people and WIM forum could become very quite indeed... Arcade was good fun, but not something i would pay for, sorry Anyway Tony, good luck and wish you all the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H. Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Maybe found a '98 mk4 LS400, just need to find the dealer that did the servicing to check what it has had done as there is no service history with the car. Need to check the cambelt has been done. sorry. Mark you can go into any Lexus dealer and ask them to check the history on the LS to see what/if any servicing has been done. I read somewhere that they can all check history. Do they have to send all servicing details to a main lexus database or something along those lines, as the franchises seem to be owned by different companies. Is this just on the LS's. Its not on autotrader at the moment as i think the 2 weeks advertising may be over, but i saved a copy of the page the day before luckily so i may give them a ring. I rang the lexus dealer and someone was looking into when the cambelt should be changed, then when i was on hold the cordless phone battery went flat. When i rang back the service phone line was busy and didnt get back to me . Just to add something to turn the post usefull, the flood control stops you searching too frequently so it stops excess load from all the members on the server. A forum i go on is very large and they have rules for certain areas, these include a minimum time and post limit to get access to the arcade and for sale/wanted sections, this is a) to stop people signing up just to sell something, and to stop people joining up to play games, (i think they have 500 or so) without participating on the forum first. Maybe you could add some restrictions time wise and post wise so people who do contribute alot to the forum now and in the future can have a go without having to join up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted April 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Thank you for your thoughts so far. The opinions will decide a better future wim for us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Control those that want to play the arcade.....only when they reach "dedicated club poster" can they access it. As i am a DCP turn the games on for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adie Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 Done and done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Well seems there's been a few changes while I've been away! Here's my opinions... I agree that Tony needs help with the cost of running the forum so I have no problem with paying a subscription fee. As said above there are only a dozen or so members who regularly post and the majority of new members just want some advice, which is why they come here for help but don't stay once they have an answer. I can't see many people wanting to pay £15 if they have no intention of regularly posting as they could most likely get the advice from other forums or even post in the unlocked sections, which I'm sure would get answered anyway as we're a friendly lot Forum wise I think both gold and platinum members should be given the same access rights. It seems abit unfair to charge for a gold membership but still restrict arcade use to 10 plays a day. If a fee has been paid then why restrict it? As for the discount I feel this is aimed more at the members who have high powered jap motors etc. My car wouldn't have/need the kind of work done that TDI supplies or what the WIM shop offers. I'm assuming it won't include work carried out at STS? I wouldn't benefit from the discount and can't justify spending that much on a subscription fee for a forum. The majority of other forums I've joined charge between £10-£15 so I think you need to offer something else to get people to join. If they get something for their money that they can actually own I think it will entice more people to join. One club I was with gave new members a welcome pack. This included a keyring, pen and URL sticker all with the club details on. Might have been cheap stuff but it was still good to receive it. I know this is more cost but even a URL sticker would give you more 'free' advertising and you can charge for additional ones. Have any of these ever been made before? If WIM is going to grow then promoting the club more will probably regenerate more attention and as it's a specialist topic to the majority of people I think it will need it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted April 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Some valid points ER, certainly regarding Gold accessibility. The Platinum position is available for those who desire the discounted promise accompanied with it, admittedly the choice is limited but offers the best of the best. Shortly many other companies will add volume to the platinum services. As things stand the suggested fees seem fair and reasonably solid. The intention to include these options even though the total member content is low is so that everybody now or future has the option to decide what route to take without any future surprises. In addition over the last year wim has compiled many valuable Geometry related explanations, encompassing most domestic problems. All of these are free and exclusive to wim. These exclusive explanations exceed most other forums members suggestions however well intended by the poster. Thank you for your thoughts these are welcomed and taken on board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahmet Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Tony, Something to consider maybe, but I think the discounts previously negotiated with LOC could be scrapped, so that only platinum members here get that discount, and no members of other forums ? I think that would encourage people to go for the platinum, as it's more ... what's the word ..... desirable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star a Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 i really think that you need to drastically increase your forum members before you think about charging, as it will stay at around 240 for a long time otherwise. e.g. scoobynet has over 68,000 members and is free. A forum dedicated to a model of car has a pretty much captive audience, but for a niche subject (relatively speaking), you could only turn potential members and customers away, (i really don't think you should use the arcade as an enticement) People looking for this type of forum will have some sort of geometry issue and this forum is a good advertisment for WIM and the more people that join, and are aware of this forum, the better for WIM as a real world business (i.e. the actual geometry checks and adjustments at the WIM premises or approved centers) . I presume this proposed fee is to cover internet costs, well the only way i could see this being taken up without question is to offer a discount on a geom check for say the face value of the membership for a limited period of 3 or 6 months, i.e. a gold member gets £14.95 discount voucher off a geometry check if used within 3 or 6 months or even £10 off and a sticker pack (as suggested by ER). The platinum member gets a similar discount of £49.95 if used within the voucher period, and/or a similar sticker pack offer. This may sound like it is a lossmaker, but the amount of people who would take up the voucher offer would be relatively small (how many of the total members here have been in for a geom?), conversely, any geometry customers could get free or discounted membership to the WIM forum which could potentially promote the WIM brand further to their friends and family especially if sticker packs displaying the WIM web address are given out. Anyway, good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Star a.....you make some very valid points there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted April 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Quote: star a Thank you for your thoughts. First i must explain that due to a catalogue of circumstances wim has been let down on opening our first 'stand alone' centre several times over the last six months.... utterly frustrating since our position is compromised by our success limiting services we thought would be operational. The forum fee rebate is a good idea for wim services and this can be converted to a % discount in the Powertuning arena like tdi south/north. Thank you again and please keep those ideas flowing so that the final structure suits everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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