When you say only 0.2% are using this now,there may be 2 reasons-
1.genuinely,some members do not even know this feature exists now.
2. Some of us know it exists,yes,but how often do we need to use it is the question here.Most of the things we discuss in the open forum,but some,we don't wish to discuss there,so we use private messaging facility.That is why the number is 0.2% only.
If it is the 1st reason,those members will come to know of this facility either now or sometime after.I doubt whether anyone will want to pay and use this facility even then.
If it is the 2nd reason,I am sure many existing members will find alternate ways to communicate instead of using the paid service.In todays virtual world,nothing is impossible.Why would anyone want to pay just to send ,lets say,about 25 max mesgs a yr(as in my case) when they can very well do without it?
I have one question... most ilite meets are arranged via PM (please point me if i'm wrong here..). and i don't know if all awaiting a meet-up so eagerly would want to subscribe to the paid service. will this not affect the close community feel that we all like most about IL?
As always, a direct feedback gets a direct response. As I mentioned, neither am I happy with this decision. But the alternative is a stagnating site without investment and growth.
1. Yes, a few members might not know about private messages. The challenge for us over time is to make pm visible and desirable.
2. Totally agree with you. If members can very well do without paid private messages, I am totally fine with that, right. Just like any purchase decision, the member makes a choice. Is the price I am paying worth what I am getting in return. If the answer is no, I walk away. If the answer is yes, I make the purchase. I am totally cool with individuals making the decision with a majority walking away and minority paying. I can't ask for more.
I do not welcome the decision.
Reason: I am among the 98% who do not use the PMs extensively, but that does not mean that I do not use it at all. In all I must have sent and received about 25 messages. For me the PM facility is an useful one, given that we cannot share our email IDs, but not one that I would be willing to pay for, because I will not be utilizing it completely.
I now cannot communicate to one member if I do wish to. Even if I need to communicate to a particular member I will have to post the message in the forum. This will more or less amount to spamming the forum.
Lathaa,
While private messages help in the meet-up process, majority of the roll-calling and co-ordinating happens in a single thread in the appropriate local forum. But to be sure, there is going to be a transition phase where members are going to adjust to this new environment. I am not going to minimize that impact.
Will it impact the close community/family feel of IL? This is one of the questions that I pondered the deepest in the past 2 years. After breaking my head for very long, the answer is "I don't know". But my view is something broader. The current situation is absolutely not sustainable. If we don't generate enough revenue to make this a viable site, decline is inevitable. At that time, even a family/community site would become a question mark.
I realize that this is a jolt to our members. I realize that it is a change that none of us like. Every member who gives feedback in this thread, do so with the utmost interest of the community. I want to be honest and open in fielding these questions so the members here get a clean view of the situation that necessitated this decision. Thank you.
I am also not happy. As Latha (Traveller) said here after Get to gather will be difficult. We are meeting through personal messages. We are sharing our phone nos., place where to meet all through pm only. Here after it restricts our meet. Very very difficult. We all are so curious to meet each other but it is not easy after 28th.
For me the PM facility is an useful one, given that we cannot share our email IDs, but not one that I would be willing to pay for, because I will not be utilizing it completely.
Hi Yamuna, Here again, you have a choice and decision to make. Is the contact information of the other member valuable enough for you to pay for private messages? If yes, you will pay for private messages. If no, you will stick to public participation. You make that decision and I respect whatever decision you make.
We make these decisions every day. I pay $25 to get Sun TV at my home. And I watch one serial. Yes, just one. And no other soul in my home even comes close to switching the TV on. For me, the entertainment in watching that one serial is worth $25. Just because I don't watch Sun TV 4-6 hours a day, doesn't mean I can expect Sun TV to be free. Can I?
Quote:
Originally Posted by yamusarna
I now cannot communicate to one member if I do wish to. Even if I need to communicate to a particular member I will have to post the message in the forum. This will more or less amount to spamming the forum.
Here is where I expect the community to play fair. You made a decision to either buy or forgo private messages. You can't circumvent that decision by spamming the forum with contact information or 1x1 discussions. It isn't fair to the paying members.
Every member is bound by the forum etiquette and as per FE, public exchange of contact information is prohibited. I expect this to be followed and as necessary, enforced. Just to be clear, the rules still remains the same. No exchange of contact information or 1x1 discussions in the public forum. Members who exchange contact information in public won't be able to participate in the forum for 3 months. We have to protect the integrity of the system.
I am also not happy. As Latha (Traveller) said here after Get to gather will be difficult. We are meeting through personal messages. We are sharing our phone nos., place where to meet all through pm only. Here after it restricts our meet. Very very difficult. We all are so curious to meet each other but it is not easy after 28th.
Vidhu, I had already responded to Latha's messages.
Lets step back for a second here. It is $10 for a whole year, 365 days. It is less than Rs.1.50 per day. If the meet up is that enjoyable, doesn't that pass even the Rs.1.50 hurdle? We all do many many other things that costs a lot lot more and creates a lot less pleasure. Don't we? Think about it.
Effective Monday 28th September, we are making private messages as a paid feature in Indusladies.com. Less than 0.2% of our members actively use private messages and hence this change doesn’t impact 99.8% of our members.
Please ask below if you have any questions. Thank you.
Hello
i read somewhere that we have more than 60,000 members in this forum.
.2% is = 60,000 * (.2/100) = 120 members.
I do not agree that only 120 members are using this facility...
may be at any given poiint of time, 120 members are PMming each other....
just my thought....
i am sorry if this is a wrong info...
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