Slashdot Mirror
Announcing Slashdot Subscriptions
To understand why the system works like it does, you need to first understand that Slashdot is about to start accepting new ad formats. The large ads that you see on many other sites are coming here. We really don't have an option: these are what advertisers want, and if we don't provide them, we won't be around much longer. But we want to give you an option to see Slashdot without these ads. Second, you need to understand that Slashdot readers fall into a variety of types, and charging the same flat fee just isn't possible.
Slashdot subscriptions will essentially let you buy a thousand pages to be viewed without banner ads. And you will have some flexibility to decide what types of pages (Comments, Articles, The Homepage) you want ads removed from, and what types of pages you just want to see the ads.
The rates are currently set at $5 per 1000 pages. To put this into perspective, $20 (typical magazine subscription) will be enough pages for 82% of our readers to view Slashdot without ads for a year. Another 15% will need to spend $5 a month to accomplish the same thing. 3% of our readers would need to spend more than $5 a month- but they could choose to see ads on comments and in almost every case, still pay around $5 a month. (As an aside, it's also worth noting that more than half of all comment posters fall into this 3%)
We realize that this system is more complex, but Slashdot has a third of a million readers per day with different reading habits, and this is the best way to accomodate everyone fairly.
Currently we only accept payment via paypal. It was simply easy and fast. We intend to offer other options as time permits and readers request.
Eventually we intend to offer additional features to subscribers. Exactly what those plums are remains to be decided: Access to the rejected submissions bin? A 'Gold Star' in your comments header? Karma? (I think that would be hilarious) We really don't know. We'll decide and implement what makes sense as we have time to do it.
We are doing our best to learn from the mistakes made by other sites that have started charging for subscriptions. We won't create subscriber only features that cost more to maintain than they generate. But we do need support from you if we are to continue. So anyway, here's that link again if you forgot it ;)
A bucket of my waste.
"Methinks you should exercise whatever level reading capabilities you obtained in your educational persuits"
LOL
just a test
herk waz 0wn3d
Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
Do you understand the paradox of your reply? - it's priceless!
Heyuk Heyuk.
I like ice cream.
Rob, I have 50 karma and have never been asked to moderate. I love this site, but I'm very confused. Some people talk like they moderate every day. On use Perl; I get to moderate once a week. (Ask Pudge about me.)
Everything seems to be set up all right on this end. I've clicked "willing to moderate." How often do people usually get to moderate? Is it just that there's so many valid moderators that it's going to take forever and I should just be patient? Or is there something stopping me from moderating?
If you look into this, find there's a problem, fix it, and email me, I'll pay up immediately!
Secession is the right of all sentient beings.
guess what: he is nearly broke.
since we have a lot free tv stations (and even good ones mainly without advertising) he was doomed. so are you. there will be others. this community will scatter and reform somewhere else. PS: bad idea to charge per 1000views. baaad idea.
* Smile. People will wonder what you think. *
You never cease to amaze me with your ability to be so incredibly naive as to find the obvious to be an insightful observation...
it wasn't very hard to work out that while we may loose money on some users, everything will work out just fine on average.
If you are intending to run your site in the black, I would hope that you would not volutarily let loose or release money on some of your users. Of course, it is possible that you would involuntarily spend more money on some users than you earn back from them. I believe the word you were looking for is lose.
Congratulations! You have been participant #41 in my campaign to rid Slashdot of this error.
Proudly correcting Slashdot's most irritating linguistic error since 2002.