Other members subsidizing paid memberships?

This option was brought up to me by another member who asked about offering a paid membership "bonus" to this site to customers when they purchased items from them. I can see where there could be opinions on this practice that will be both pro and con, and figured it was worth discussing to see what people thought about it.

I think it sounds like a great idea~
But maybe those paying for the membership for thier customers should include a short paragraph in their "gift" that explains that while it would be lovely if customers chose to leave positive feedback on the gift giver~ it is not obligatory (is that a word?)

I think people love to get "bonuses" with their purchases.

There is a Cajun expression "lagniappe" meaning 'a little something extra' and is a tradition in Louisiana for certain businesses to add in a little gift of appreciation.

I think it is a terrific idea, and I think the vendors here would see that this might make a lasting positive impression on their customers. It might be gifted for items of some expense, as it might not be practical for items costing only a few dollars.

I believe it would be money well spent. A discount of $10 off a $200 snake might be forgotten fairly quickly; but an entire year of Fauna is a gift that will remind the customer of what a good vendor he chose for an entire year.

Would it be practical, or possible, to set the system up so that if a vendor does offer this bonus, the purchaser could be automatically notified by email? Perhaps with a paragraph like Cheryl explained, above?

Obligatory... yep, that's a word..

and hmmm... I can see that there are different takes on this issue...

Mr. SuperDooper (good guy by all accounts) offers this up as an incentive... figures that the more people who are members of fauna, the more well-educated people are, the less people the scammers out there are able to maneuver. This is a good thing for all concerned, and when the one year membership is paid up, hopefully you have a member for life... or at least you have someone who will probably pay up if/when they want to use the site.

Mr. SuperSCAMMER (bad guy by all accounts) offers this up as an incentive... figures that if he gets a bunch of people to say that their two-bit transaction went well, those other fifteen-gazillion bad guy threads/posts will be buried and they might be able to get some more fodder-for-scamming.

In the first case, all is well for the BOI. In the second case.... I still think all is well for the BOI... because most people with any brain cells will start to get a feel for the BOI, and eventually the BOI will teach them a thing or two about good and bad deals. More bad guy posts will abound, and more people will end up learning about fauna.

I see this as increasing the membership of fauna (good AND bad) and in the end things will work the way they are supposed to.

Just my RAW thoughts on the matter.

Bad guys will *always* find a way to twist something positive in a way that benefits them, even if that's a negative way. (Clear as mud?) Yet, it's a risky proposition for them. If they're going to scam, there's an outside chance their victim won't pony up the $10 to tell the world about it. If they pay it for them....well, that would take some cajones.

I think it's a great idea, and another opportunity for the good guys to outshine the bad. I'm all about that!

In regards to people paying their customers to post Good Guy posts, Who cares. If they earned it, They deserve it. How can you tell (when the Paid Membership is in place) if I pay for someone's membership to post in my favor? Ya can't, So this idea can only have minimal negative effects, if any at all, because they'll already be present.

After that, they'd still have a membership and can post experiences with other people they do business with. And to be honest, You couldn't pay me 50$ to post a good guy post if I feel that I've been taken advantage of, or a persons business ethics leave something to be desired.

I think that the sales pitch is, they get the membership, not that the experience will be a pleasurable one. The seller has to earn that assessment from the buyer. The intention shouldn't be to hand out memberships after the fact (if the deal went good), and not give them out if it goes bad. That would be wrong, one-sided and definitely wouldn't benefit the BOI. People that stack the cards in their favor will eventually be exposed for their dishonesty anyway.

I would definitely support this is if went into effect. I think we're on the same page Sasheena on this one.

As far as increasing the membership of Fauna, I can only see it as good. Because

1. It still generates revenue for this site.
2. The accountability standards will increase.
3. You're bringing new people to the table and with new people comes new Ideas.
4. Last but most important, this site will still be here to serve our community.

There will always be bad seeds, but those seeds are going to be just a little more expensive now.

Here's my Vote

Paul B.

Sounds like a good idea to me. It has the potential of bringing new members to the site who, after a year will see what Fauna has to offer, and chances are they will renew their membership when the time comes.

Originally Posted by lucille

I think people love to get "bonuses" with their purchases.

There is a Cajun expression "lagniappe" meaning 'a little something extra' and is a tradition in Louisiana for certain businesses to add in a little gift of appreciation.

Sure doesn't happen in arms deals, strip clubs, and importing illegal aliens to work in the fields.....

So say I buy a product from X vendor. That vendor pays a membership fee for this site? Does X vendor get a price break in membership prices? Is X vendor adding the price in their product as "Hidden costs"?

[quote=bcfos]Sure doesn't happen in arms deals, strip clubs, and importing illegal aliens to work in the fields.....

QUOTE]


I couldn't tell ya, Brian; those are all beyond my experience, lol.....

Well it does happen in arms deals every now and again. I've had people throw in ammunition, extra clips, holsters, and what not. Usually this only happens in private sales and not from dealers, however.

And no, the vendor is not being subsidized to offer those memberships. Perhaps some people are just interested in helping promote this site, hard as it may be for some people to believe.