Paying to post

[fLIP]

SCREAMING EAGLES
Screaming Eagles Membership is a new supporter based membership for 2008. All Season Ticket Members, Ultimate Screaming Eagles, Bird of Prey, Eagles Angels and Junior Screaming Eagles Members will receive a standard set of Screaming Eagles Membership benefits that include:

• 2008 Members Sticker – New
• Weekly e-Newsletter
• Access to post on the Sea Eagles Website forum
• Access to exclusive ‘Members’ Only’ website section, containing exclusive information and offers
• 10% Discount off Merchandise
• Exclusive Members only areas at post-match functions
• Exclusive access to Members only Special Sponsor Offers
• Exclusive access to Members only Events and Functions


On an even funnier note, the membership also includes:

• 2 Free one hour Maths or English tuition lessons at NumberWorks’nWords Brookvale for the card holder or family member, valid until 30th September 2008, valued at over $70. :yeah:

 

[byso]

Looks like this place will get busy then.

 

[Dan]

ha ha. Still using our proposal as a template I see. I wonder what else we can teach them?

Will be good to converse in more than grunts and groans

 

[byso]

I've also heard a "rumour" that Alan Webster is leaving and Markie is taking over.

 

[Dan]

one foot in the grave

 

[ManlyBacker]

I've also heard a \"rumour\" that Alan Webster is leaving and Markie is taking over.

No rumour. Webster finished this last weekend and I am pretty sure Aaron is taking over.

 

[Ryan]

Only the dole bludgers will complain...it's a user pays world we live in...people need to get used to it.

They pay Aaron. I'm sure they pay others who contribute to the site. Why not reduce the margins and do what most other clubs do...

 

[byso]

I wonder how many other club sites charge $40- or whatever to post on the club site?

 

[fLIP]

Think about it Ryan, there are hundreds of football websites that people can post on for free.

The only people who will be fooled by offering something in a membership that you can get for free are idiots.

I think it says more about the lack of features in membership packages.

 

[Ryan]

Other free sites don't have to cover paying Aaron's salary to monitor/upgrade/update their websites.

Why is it ok for the club to spend money employing Aaron (for example), yet when they ask its users to absorb some of the cost (reduce the margin), all hell breaks loose?

 

[byso]

Has hell broken loose?

The site is not just a forum, it advertises the sponsors products as well as selling merchandise and helps create interest to entice supporters to go to games. Done properly it should more than pay for a forum.

 

[Canteen Worker]

People will pay to support the club - other independent sites will suit the rest!

 

[byso]

and Ryan, how do you know if other clubs don’t pay someone to administer there site?

 

[Corso_Pete]

I wonder how many other club sites charge $40- or whatever to post on the club site?

I visited the Souths website during the week & you need to be a member before you can post, Cost $60.00.

I have read lots of complaints but the cost of a basic membership is now reduced. I can't believe the number of people crying foul because of the cost. The club provide a product that is useful to a large number. IF they don't want to pay for that service that is fine, their needs can be taken care of elsewhere.

 

[Ryan]

Has hell broken loose?

The site is not just a forum, it advertises the sponsors products as well as selling merchandise and helps create interest to entice supporters to go to games. Done properly it should more than pay for a forum.

Have you seen MSE? It's like the club have personally attacked some people. It's ludicrous.
Think about it as a business model Byso.

The club pays Aaron.
The club pays a server. (I'd assume)
The Club pays their payroll to action Aaron's wage.
The Club pays whomever has input on the site.
The Club pays their payroll to action those other's wage.

Every $$$ in revenue, has a catered for expense (so it seems based on the P&L's released in the papers).
Manly have been making a loss.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Put it this way either Byso.

You decide on starting a photo business, as everyone loves your snaps and what you do. You want to be on the road, doing what you do best, taking photo's.

You decide to employ someone part time to create a website, update the photo's, monitor and upgrade your site consistently, and keep people postes as to where you are up to with their photo's they have wanted etc.

You have to pay this guy.

Do you as a business owner say, yeah, my margin is slim, and I am making a loss. I might then outlay MORE expenses, without increasing margin at all?

You'd be speaking to a liquidator within 12 months !!!

 

[Garts]

I have no issue with it, is another incentive to become a member. The football clubs are a business and need to make money to survive, some people seem to forget that.

 

[fLIP]

We also live in a consumers world.

People want something for their money. Fair enough the club needs to make profits from memberships but when someone offers me the use of a 'forum' in my membership package I just laugh.

Its like one of the perks of the membership being given oxagen. Its just stupid to give someone what that can get for free.

If the club is so desperate that they need to offer a subsciption type forum then how can they then offer 10% Discount off Merchandise?

This makes the idea look more like a 'members only' type section which is much better. I won't like to see all the forums for members only though.

 

[ads]

But to make money to survive the football club has to attract new supporters - either from kids who are growing up in the area, people who have never been interested or people sick of their club.

If every service from the club becomes paid member only then what is there to attract new people. Someone isn't going to think - i might support Manly therefore I will become a member - the more features available to future supporters and members free the better - the better incentive for people to join the club - come to games, buy merchandise etc.

This, especially considering how many internet forums are free, just in my view makes the club look like a tight money grabbing entity.

 

[Ryan]

Dan should charge everybody $20- to post on this site !!! That's a bargain !!!

 

[Dan]

Exactly the right point ads.

I am an existing supporter, but I see no value add in that for me, and can get the same benefits pretty much for free from this site. I see no way that a child will pay to join simply to be part of a supporters group.

A supporters group should be free, it should not cost you to support your team, knock along effect would then come in the way of merhcandise and maybe further memberships.

They started with an OK concept there but essentially the way I see it is more traffic for this site, and a better model.

They pay someone to do what we do for free simply out of passion, the club could have leveredged that a long time ago for free, but it seems they just are not business savvy enough,