paid membership - would you?

[eFestivals]

The problem with that is not a lot of people actually use the current buy/sell tixs forums as it is, I have listed 5/6 times before and only have 1 person try to buy tixs and he didn't follow through with it (I said let's wait for the tixs to be dispacthed and when they were he didn't want them anymore) and I really doubt I'd pay for it when I can use Scarletmist/SwapMyTickets instead.

sellers having to pay wouldn't alter the number of potential buyers for any ticket that's for sale as buyers would have free access to that forum - and in fact it might well increase the likelihood of a seller selling their ticket, because...

1. it's likely that fewer tickets would be put up for sale, because some sellers wouldn't want to pay the one pound (or whatever amount I settled on - but a minimal amount) to list their ticket for sale, so each buyer would have less choice of (say) Reading tickets to chose from, making a sale more likely.

2. the small payment a seller would have to make would hugely lessen the chance of fraud, because of the extra trail back to the seller - so buyers would be able to buy with a much greater amount of confidence.

Those people who had taken paid membership wouldn't have to pay to list a ticket for sale, so if you were a paid member there wouldn't be an extra charge for selling anyway.

[eFestivals]

I'm not particularly interested in the benefits currently being looked at. Except the freebie prize draw thing a festival ticket for somewhere that i've not been before would be cool.

the VERY good thing with the freebie prize draw would be that people are likely to have a much greater chance of winning than for the other open-to-everyone competitions that efestivals runs (and would continue to run), as it's likely that there'd be fewer people who are paid members than the numbers who enter those other open-to-all competitions.

[ampersand]

2. the small payment a seller would have to make would hugely lessen the chance of fraud, because of the extra trail back to the seller - so buyers would be able to buy with a much greater amount of confidence.

[jump]

Could I do what I do most of the time and still post I want tixs in the buy/sell forum?

[eFestivals]

and say someone does get rip someone off. and you have their details. what are the consequences for both buyer and seller?

It'll be the same as things are currently - the buyer goes to the old bill, and the old bill come to me for any details I can give which helps trace the seller.

[eFestivals]

Could I do what I do most of the time and still post I want tixs in the buy/sell forum?

I'm not entirely sure - cos I've yet to work out the exact way things would operate.

The way I've been thinking of doing it is that only those who have paid in some manner (either via paid membership, or a separate payment to be able to post in that 'for sale' forum) would be able to post in the 'for sale' forum. The way I've been thinking about it is that buyers don't really post or need to post: they can see what's available for sale, and they'd be able to contact the seller via PM.

But perhaps that's not a great way of doing things with that, and it might be the case that once I've looked into the software add-on I'm planning on using (but might not use, I don't know) for the 'for sale' forum that another way is the best way to do things.

(I'm hoping that I'll be able to take a look at that add-on today).

[jump]

And a quick suggestion about the buy/sell forum, I will start a thread and someone will reply (despite me asking for a PM) with a post and I wont realise till a couple of days later as alot of people don't go in there in regularly so could an automatic notification be set up to let you know someone is posting in the thread?

[eFestivals]

And a quick suggestion about the buy/sell forum, I will start a thread and someone will reply (despite me asking for a PM) with a post and I wont realise till a couple of days later as alot of people don't go in there in regularly so could an automatic notification be set up to let you know someone is posting in the thread?

yes, you're able to set that up for yourself, and have been able to for years - just click on the "Watch Topic" button at the top of the page when in the topic you want to watch. It gives you a number of options for how you get alerted to any replies.

[ampersand]

i think you can already ask for notifications of replies to threads.

[mikeb]

I might be tempted to pay if I can say f**k without it being censored.

[omskus]

could you please explain a little more what you're meaning by "share option"?

[jump]

Similar to a proper share option say for £125 I could own 0.0001% of efests! I don't think you'd like to go down too formal a route with that so all the share would entitle someone to do is claim 0.0001% of the profits if you sold up or say made over £100,000 profit a year. I'm not suggesting a formal share option whereby we could buy em up and oust you!

Think along the lines of token shares you can own in Disneyland or say Cadburys.

Edited November 24, 2010 by jump

[eFestivals]

Similar to a proper share option say for £125 I could own 0.0001% of efests! I don't think you'd like to go down too formal a route with that so all the share would entitle someone to do is claim 0.0001% of the profits if you sold up or say made over £100,000 profit a year. I'm not suggesting a formal share option whereby we could buy em up and oust you!

Think along the lines of token shares you can own in Disneyland or say Cadburys.

ahh, OK.

There's quite a few problems with that idea, the most obvious being:-

1. what is 'profit' is easy for any owner to manipulate - for example (as a general comment), if I put my wages up by the amount of current profit that there is, then there's no profit at all. And further to that - referring to how the finances here are managed in reality (all within accountancy rules, just to make that clear) - the profit is kept high and my wages very low, as that's the most efficient way to do things with regard to tax liabilities, as well as ensuring that the company remains solvent ... if I paid myself a wage at a not-excessive rate of around the mean average wage, then those extra tax liabilities along with the extra wages would mean it couldn't be afforded. Until such time as the company is doing well enough to be able to afford to pay me a reasonable wage (if it ever happens ), I wouldn't want to have to justify what I paid myself (about £15k last year, and this year, from both official wage and company dividend) or how I worked the finances to others (those 'shareholders') as it merely adds a layer of hassle to everything that I do, without any real purpose because there is no real profit (other than on paper, the paper which is the company accounts).

2. the second problem is knowing what efestivals is actually worth to have a fair deal for those who took up that 'share option'. Like all these things, its worth only ever really becomes clear if it's sold.

Thanks for the idea, but I can't see how it would be worth pursuing w3ith things as they stand.

[omskus]

For £125 you'd getter better investment else where and I think Neil wants more of a regular revenue stream rather than an 1 off payment.

[omskus]

ahh, OK.

There's quite a few problems with that idea, the most obvious being:-

1. what is 'profit' is easy for any owner to manipulate - for example (as a general comment), if I put my wages up by the amount of current profit that there is, then there's no profit at all. And further to that - referring to how the finances here are managed in reality (all within accountancy rules, just to make that clear) - the profit is kept high and my wages very low, as that's the most efficient way to do things with regard to tax liabilities, as well as ensuring that the company remains solvent ... if I paid myself a wage at a not-excessive rate of around the mean average wage, then those extra tax liabilities along with the extra wages would mean it couldn't be afforded. Until such time as the company is doing well enough to be able to afford to pay me a reasonable wage (if it ever happens ), I wouldn't want to have to justify what I paid myself (about £15k last year, and this year, from both official wage and company dividend) or how I worked the finances to others (those 'shareholders') as it merely adds a layer of hassle to everything that I do, without any real purpose because there is no real profit (other than on paper, the paper which is the company accounts).

2. the second problem is knowing what efestivals is actually worth to have a fair deal for those who took up that 'share option'. Like all these things, its worth only ever really becomes clear if it's sold.

Thanks for the idea, but I can't see how it would be worth pursuing w3ith things as they stand.

[gratedenini]

I think as soon as you start charging people for what was once a free service ( without sunstantially offering a better service)... footfall/fingerfall drops.

I worked for a very succesfull freepaper..been going for years and was a pillar of local news. It was decided from some outside bigwigs to charge a nominal 20p (at the time).

Result? Went down the pan.

Now, I not suggesting Efests will go down the pan, but--if I`m right in thinking that you will be able to post on here and read about what fests are on... who is going to actually consider paying money?

Like Mike... I`m not really a want summat fer nowt sort of person..but you are, No1 , selling here--you are pitching and based on that I`m sure if you were on The Apprentice tonight, you`d be called back into the Boardroom

(oooo I can feel juices flowin for a new thread..).

All that said, I haven`t a clue about how you could increase revenue.

A retro question... and maybe naive... but why do you need to get (more) money in?

If its because of rising costs, salaries or whatever, maybe look like everybody else is having to do in business..and look from within.

Our lass could increase costs of consults,ops, products etc etc--but you`ve got nothing really tangible to flog as such and if for instance you said, Right--to use the forums or anything on Efests, you have to register and pay £3 a month... well you know the outcome of that..you wouldn`t even be a No2 would you?

The Million Dollar Question for you is... What can you offer over and above which would get an up-take of punters on here.Very difficult.

den

[jump]

Very off topics (Den said increase revenue, so my mind went to sell more merchendise, which went to this) but Neil is there any chance you could make/sell bobble head dancing efest man?

[eFestivals]

Very off topics (Den said increase revenue, so my mind went to sell more merchendise, which went to this) but Neil is there any chance you could make/sell bobble head dancing efest man?

I don't get what you're meaning.

[jump]

I don't get what you're meaning.

[eFestivals]

I think as soon as you start charging people for what was once a free service ( without sunstantially offering a better service)... footfall/fingerfall drops.

I worked for a very succesfull freepaper..been going for years and was a pillar of local news. It was decided from some outside bigwigs to charge a nominal 20p (at the time).

Result? Went down the pan.

as nothing like that is what I'm thinking of doing, the above is completely irrelevant.

Now, I not suggesting Efests will go down the pan, but--if I`m right in thinking that you will be able to post on here and read about what fests are on... who is going to actually consider paying money?

those who wish to.

Like Mike... I`m not really a want summat fer nowt sort of person..but you are, No1 , selling here--you are pitching and based on that I`m sure if you were on The Apprentice tonight, you`d be called back into the Boardroom

(oooo I can feel juices flowin for a new thread..).

A retro question... and maybe naive... but why do you need to get (more) money in?

a number of people moaned that at the times when these forums are most useful, they're likely to be as good as unusable for some people, because the numbers trying to log on slow everything down.

Extra spending on beefier or more servers can't be justified within the turnover levels that the company has to work to for the small number of occasions that the high traffic causes the problems. When this was explained to those who were moaning, a few people took the time to suggest a paid membership scheme with added benefits along the lines I've given here, so I'm investigating how good an idea it is in reality.

It's called 'listening to your customers' - at least, the ones with the brain power to think a little beyond what you've managed with your instant dismissal.

but you`ve got nothing really tangible to flog

your presence here proves you wrong.

The Million Dollar Question for you is... What can you offer over and above which would get an up-take of punters on here.Very difficult.

It's a question I answered when starting this thread.

Just because you might have no interest yourself in wet fish doesn't mean there's no market for wet fish.

[eFestivals]

You sell official efests merch like t-shirts, calanders etc. is there any chance in the future you could make a bobble head (like the churchill dog ad) of the efest dancing man (like your avatar) as I would definitely want one for myself?

there's already efests hats.

http://www.efestivals.co.uk/shop/beenies.shtml

Edited November 24, 2010 by eFestivals

[ampersand]

i'm guessing you're referring to the moaners above as the people on glastonbury ticket day?

would subscribers have any better chance of getting on than a non-subscriber or would it just be as we were but with beefier servers?

[eFestivals]

i'm guessing you're referring to the moaners above as the people on glastonbury ticket day?

would subscribers have any better chance of getting on than a non-subscriber or would it just be as we were but with beefier servers?

Yep, the suggestions came about because of the Glasto ticket day moans.

And yes, if there's a method via which those deserving of better forum access can be identified - which a paid membership scheme achieves - then it's very easy to give those people that better access. That's a part of the reasons why I'm giving this idea the consideration that I am.

But however, would I give that better access to those who were only paying month by month? Perhaps not (tho the decision one way or the other is likely to be made after seeing how paid membership panned out), because otherwise a number of people would probably sign up for just one month to get that improved access which wouldn't contribute much towards the all-year-round costs of the better servers.

[ampersand]

there's already efests hats.

http://www.efestivals.co.uk/shop/beenies.shtml

[jump]

he means something like this for the car or desk

Edited November 24, 2010 by jump