Hello,

As discussed in a previous thread, this forum is going commercial, because we are intent on building a forum that is worth being paid for. Reading and participation on all public discussions will be 100% free, but if you want to:
[list][li]Interact with other members by private messaging, email or chat (for friendship, dating, or business).[/li]
[li]Participate in various contests in which cash prizes and gifts wirth thousands of Naira will be won.[/li][/list]
... then you will need to pay for at least a month.

The price for one month of full membership will be either 400 naira or 250 naira. Which price do you prefer, and why? Please take a moment to vote in the poll above.

Seun,
Site Administrator.

how does that work for say you sending me PM's and then needing me to responde?

If a paying member sends you a PM, you would be able to PM that person free of charge for up to X hours (currently 24) after recieving the PM.

I would say 250 for affordability. If we want to retain as many members as we have, then I say we aim for the lower price and see what happens rather than start from 400, lose more than half of the members and then hastily change it to 250 by which time it might be too late.

My persuasive opinion, not binding.

Why would I pay N250 in order to send PM's? I can just as easily send IM's to a member using their MSN or Yahoo messenger ID's. But then that's just me. I always see negatives in things. Except if these details would be hidden from non paying members.

Having said that, N250/month translates to about N3000/year. If my maths is not offbase. I think is a fair enuff price but can some one who pays to browse in a cyber cafe afford this? Dunno.But lets just try and cover all bases

Contact details will be hidden from registered guests, but registered members (those who have paid) will be able to see the contact details of everybody on the site in addition to the ability to receive on-site PMs.

In a short while, PM notification by email will be permanently disabled, and every user of the forum will recieve an announcement to that effect. This is to reduce the volume of mail the forum is generating as well as to encourage people to log on [I]regularly[/I] to check their private messages. This will be a great relief to those of us who recieve a lot of private messages!

400 Naira Please!

Thank you! Now someone is tallking

Na mi o.. why dint you just register that sentiment in the polls?

well. we '250' guys are winning
and if the voice of the people is the voice of God....we know what will happen!!
unless the voice of the internet doesnt obey the rules above

Notwithstanding, I echo Ra's sentiment of building from the base and not from the roof. change is inevitable and necessary but little changes may go a long way than a giant leap as starters. the little step may even become the giant leap. ask Neil armstrong

250 joo

Well I voted 250 naira for obvious reason. Its more affordable, but I still don't know whether these services mentioned I.e sending PMs etc are real services. But we'll see. Maybe in the future Nairaland will provide webmail access and storage capability and free webpage for paying members . Who knows.

So Seun how do we members outside Nigeria pay?

Brilliant question. Admin.......?

For those outside the country, $50 by Western Union for one year of membership seems just right. Considering the fact that Western union takes an additional $12, any further discounting of this price may be unwise.

250 Seun, considering the fact that we have students amongst us. We don't need to discourage them, u know.

"Vox populi, vox Dei" (the voice of the people is the voice of God)

As you can see, no body has voted NGN400 so far, so fix it @ 250. Majority wins.

Done. It's 250 naira per month for those who live in Nigeria and $50 per year for those living outside the country. What's left is for the forum be improved in ways that will make it worth 10 times the money you'll be paying .

I would pay $50 a year. Why not support our own? I'll tell you we will defiantly pay for what we want. $100 for cell phones and $50 for shoe's and purses. People with less money are the one's who actually pay their bills

fine but how do we pay?

Seun..

Sorry to jump in on the train a bit late.. but for some of us [I may not fall into this bracket, but I'm sure a lot of my brethren and sistren fall into this bracket] 3000 naira per annum may appear on the steep side.. we all appreciate the effort that goes into operating and maintaining a site of this magnitude, but has any thot gone into staggered membership fees?.. maybe something less for the less privledges.. [albeit with less features..].. some of us can barely find enough money to go to the cyber centers to "browze", talkless of subscribing to some top of the line, highly desired websites and discussion groups which may be the high point of our most highly stressed-out days..

Bottom line.. not all of us can afford $50, like some of our contributers above...

If people in NIg pay #250 and some pay $50,what of those with "£".How much will they pay?And what are your plans towards ensuring that it works well?

Those outside the country will pay by Western Union or Moneygram. The reason I can't ask them to pay for maybe 3 months or 6 months is because Western Union will take a minimum fee of $12 or so regardless of how little money you are spending.

For those outside the country who can't afford $50, ... I could charge just $30 for 6 months but then the total payment will still be $42!

For those in Nigeria who are concerned that 250 per month amounts to 3000 naira per annum, I want to assure you that you won't feel it. It will be nothing compared to what you spend on browsing. I will consider introducing a discount for those who are ready to pay for the whole year at once.

Thanks, everybody, for being so supportive!

Sade, I promise answer your question by Monday when i have the answer.

sade:

  If people in NIg pay #250 and some pay $50,what of those with "£".How much will they pay?And what are your plans towards ensuring that it works well?

Convert $50 to £ = £27 or approx. up = £30 or approx. down = £25

Plus 17.5% VAT = £35 just kidding.

It would be a good idea to let everyone know exactly what they're signing up for, right now it sounds vague. You have to prove to your users that the services provided are woth paying for.

An easy means of payment would also be necessary to make this work... and, you immediately fragment your userbase to a particular demographic when things are "pay-to-play."

you'll probably need to change your about section :

Joining Nairaland is like joining a club, minus the membership dues.

Whatever the amount's going to be, like naijajams said, let's know what we are getting then furnish us with how to make our payments. I really have high hopes for the forum I just feel it in my bones it's going to be waow!

'Guys, ki le feel'?

Am not aware that participants actually pay in order to be post or reply post in a forum. This is new to me. The board as I see it is a forum for interaction; a forum to exchange idea.

The idea of money (at 250, 400, etc) may help to salvage the cost of hosting this forum, at the same time the inconvenience that may be associated with payment may prevent some pple from participating for a long time.

How will the months be counted (31 days cycles, the month of soso), or number days one visited).

The administrator can think of other methods of raising funds. How about advertising; trading links, etc.

Am staying out of the vote.

Am not aware that participants actually pay in order to be post or reply post in a forum.

'General Ojukwu', I want to refer you to the first post which clearly states that reading and participation on all public discussions will be 100% free.

the inconvenience that may be associated with payment may prevent some pple from participating for a long time.

Payment will be very simple - just buy an extra GSM recharge voucher next time you're buying call credit for your phone and send it to me. That's all!

How will the months be counted (31 days cycles, the month of soso), or number days one visited).

A month will be counted as a 30 day cycle.

The administrator can think of other methods of raising funds. How about advertising; trading links, etc.

This issue has been covered in a previous post which you should read. TV is free yet people are willing to pay for DSTV simply because the programming is better. This shows that people are willing to pay for quality entertainment.

Am staying out of the vote.

I guess this means you're going to wait for a few weeks after we go commercial before paying up. I appreciate your honesty. For now, I guess we only need a few hundred subscribers.

Not so fast Seun,

I think I posted in a hurry (a common feature of free service ). I did not actually get the true picture of the topic. Now that I get the drift, I believe that even at N400, it will remain the cheapest "connection" site in the www (whole wide world).

Least, I forget I've voted. I voted N250 (you can call it bandwagon effect but am actually getting ready for possible inflationary trend.

Am in.

Cheers bros

NB. Pls remove the title "General" from my name or at least wait for the NPRC to conclude. It may hamper my political ambitions. .

Do you know what I feel!Premium service is what people will expect when they pay for something like this, so Seun, have you done your ground works?

I think you are a fast thinking Nigerian Entrepeneur,....do what you love doing anyway and with a stroke of creativity........(getting us addicted to the "stuff", get paid for it. I want more Nigerians like you.....I see hope,........(no be OBJ kind of hope though)!

When a fee is decided upon, let us know......inugo?

seun, 250 naira will be o.k. since it is payable monthly, I also think we should let interested people know how to pay this money.

Special note to people viewing this thread for the first time: This discussion has expired. I'm currently attempting to monetize the forum without imposing any subscription fee. The issue is suspended, but not necessarily closed.

aye, aye skipper