Subconscious subscription level description issues? [LWN.net]

Subconscious subscription level description issues?

Posted Sep 29, 2005 8:42 UTC (Thu) by jag (subscriber, #3766)
Parent article: An LWN status update

I wonder if people associate with "professional hacker" and therefore pick that option instead of thinking "this is worth $10/mo., let me pick that"?

It also makes people feel it's ok to only pay $5 per month, after all, they are professional hackers (except for all y'all who aren't, but I'll come back to that), and that's the rate LWN.net deems appropriate, so of course it's ok. Also, "project leader" seems reserved for people who are helped by LWN.net in their position of responsibility and should feel obligated to pay a little more, as opposed to simply being able to afford it.

If you're not a hacker (and not a project leader, manager or similar where LWN.net helps you in your capacity), you'd probably still pick the "professional hacker" option, since you don't feel like calling yourself a "project leader" is appropriate.

As heretic as this may sound to some ("I don't wanna lose my LWN professional hacker status!"), I suggest switching to neutral descriptions, or perhaps no descriptions at all except for the $2.50 one. That you could call "starving linux enthusiast" or some such, and then simply have unnamed "you decide" subscription rates (e.g. $5, $10, $15, $20), maybe tied to some incentive to choose higher rather than lower.

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Subconscious subscription level description issues?

Posted Sep 29, 2005 10:50 UTC (Thu) by tibsnjoan (guest, #3800) [Link] (3 responses)

Hmm. I'd either forgotten, or not realised, that I could pay more
for my subscription. Duly done (I'm *not* a project leader, but
the subscription is definitely worth the greater payment).

It presumably would be simple to explore the possibility of offering
multiple payment options - with relatively neutral names, and maybe
emotive hints (so, "starving" hints that one *can* subscribe at that
level, but perhaps should consider a higher payment when better off!).

And T-shirts sound good - it's another way of advertising, after all.
A competition for good T-shirt designs is perhaps another means of
advertising, too - it presumably wouldn't need to be restricted to
subscribers, after all.

Subconscious subscription level description issues?

Posted Sep 29, 2005 11:47 UTC (Thu) by zmower (subscriber, #3005) [Link]

I subscribed at the Professional Hacker level because I don't regard myself as a project leader. It would have been bigheaded for me to do so. The $5 converts to £3 though and that seriously undervalues lwns worth to me.

I have advocated setting your own price before. Adding a minimum amount and suggesting standard levels (medium and high?) improves the idea.

I'd buy a T-shirt too!

Subconscious subscription level description issues?

Posted Sep 29, 2005 12:16 UTC (Thu) by pointwood (guest, #2814) [Link] (1 responses)

I think t-shirts (and other stuff like a nice coffee mug and such) would be a good idea. I know I would most likely buy a lwn.net t-shirt (especially if it is a quality t-shirt).

Since I'm a subscriber, I wouldn't really care about non-subscribers, but would it be an idea to make it possible to buy a single LWN edition? If you're not subscribing and notices something really interesting in this weeks LWN and there is a nice button/link that says "buy access to this weeks edition for $5", though I don't know what a resonable price would be?

Otherwise, I would just like to say thanks for providing the best Linux news site. Even though I'm currently totally broke, I will not give up my weekly dose of LWN!

Subconscious subscription level description issues?

Posted Oct 10, 2005 15:41 UTC (Mon) by Klavs (guest, #10563) [Link]

I'd buy a cool LWN t-shirt too - an easy way to do some advertisement for LWN, and ofcourse the T-shirt should be for "subscribers" only.. :)