WARNING: You going the wrong way!

Bug Biitch · Post by **Bug Biitch** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 10:24 am

WARNING: You going the wrong way!

Some webmasters are great designs, programmers, but very poor business managers...

We all know ad banners will not pay the bills the next months or even years... so we need to play smart.

Losing some money is no problem... and nothing is wrong about that... no risk business are no business at all. People who can't live without paying every months bills are already broken... if they don’t have (nor can't find) the needed money to invest on a business, better not run the business at all. Amazon.com is the largest online store and it's still loosing money after all these years... people buy Amazon stocks thinking on the future, not the present. Any Internet business for immediate profit is either a big scam, or a big misunderstanding of how things are.

Most gaming web sites running today started with no risk at all (Internet advertising was something for sure if they get the traffic). That is no way to manage a business... not anymore. I believe this is the true point. Most webmasters don’t want to take any chances. Some don’t even want to run a business... but do make a few bucks and forget... money for sure, no risks! That lack or business perspective will decide soon who will survive in the next decade on the Internet.

Internet is just starting... the crazy competition will not last forever... and there will be no room for the weak. If you want to run a site for a few months/years, just forget it... close it... you losing time and money. However, if you plan for long term (5 years, 10 years...) you betting on a secure future.

The same webmasters forget the most precious thing they have is NOT the so called "premium contents"... the most precious thing is to have a brand known by a lot of people. Imagine a good known brand selling out to cheap crap merchandize... what would happen? First, a lot of money, but soon all is gone since the brand is no longer good. So, we can make it trusted again? No, once spoiled, it’s done. What is happening here is not selling to cheap products, but to make it less known... some people will leave, but the worst is not that... the worst is that you will not get the new users (an example of short view business). This is especially bad in a market target like computer games, because people grow up fast and start playing less... without new users, you are history in a few years.

Paying contents web sites are suitable for Wall Street Papers, Medical magazines, info for Lawyers... active people with much money to spend. They are not for kids, with limited budget, no credit card, and who prefer to spend the money in another game than on a site with tips for games... There is a big difference between busy Lawyers who want to get info immediately, no time to lose searching it for free (so they pay), and school boys with lots of free time, no problem to spend 20 minutes or more on Google to find the good stuff for free.

The golden rule to pay sites is: Membership fee should NOT be low! Yes, that's right... With a low pay you can't hire the staff, not make the site really better that it was before. Now comes the second gold rule: The pay site should be different that before! The same stuff is not ok. And the third rule says: contents must be really premium quality. You can’t do that with a low membership pay out (that only pays your bills).

Gamebanshee does this all in the wrong way... Low membership, same stuff, no premium quality. Take a look at the walkthroughs, for example. They are quite good for a free site. But if I pay I would expect much more... How about some videos, so you can actually see the tips in action? How about some Flash movies? How about some colour, easy to print, nice PDF documents? What about a premium forum with guaranteed answers to any question? What about new ideas, hum? Things that other sites don’t have yet... I have some ideas… you can’t imagine anything?

So what is the solution?

1. Keep the site open for free. Ads allowed, but no annoying full screen pop-ups, exit consoles or **** like that.
2. Reduce costs in the long run. Buy your own server (even better, build your own server)... that saves a lot of money. If you can’t see that, you really have no eye to the business. No outsourcing! That is for rich companies! Verio is a good provider but is expensive... so you can’t afford it... give up. Find a good ISP, host the server at home, office.
3. Don’t pay for software licences! All stuff you are paying for can be created by you based on Open Source / GNU solutions. If you don’t know programming find people who can help, or learn programming yourself.
4. Dont have your own hired staff! Find voluntears... Many of your users can help you. Dont use them just for forum moderators, tips providers... waste some time knowing them better, and then comit them deeper in the site design/programing/content creation. Give them some power to manage some sections at their will... that is required to have interested people. Reward the best, expell the others.
5. Revamp your site marketing... a news section is not ok. You need special campaings, contests, prizes to users. Surprise users everytime they come back. Tell them about new features coming soon... but waste the surprise. The design is kinda old too... for a long time I see the same.
6. Consider building an online store, to sell games, books, toys, merchandise. People will buy much more easly stuff that they will really get on the mail, rather than web site contents. Again, no outsource state of art pro shopping cart. Keep costs as low. No affiliates mumbo-jumbo.
7. Expand your site to new games... all the time! The key to some business with cost problems (like this) is to expand forever. Games industry is perfect because there is always new games coming out. There is a risk of getting things out of control if you dont plan well and don’t know what you doing.
8. Bet on foreign markets. Localize your site. Most americans think the world is the US... well, guess what... it isn't! You don’t know Chinese language? Ok, don’t need to learn. Find people who can translate. The same with European Countries, and Brazil. Currently, there are already more internet users in Europe than US. But in a few years, China, India, Indonesia, etc. will make us even smaller in the global world.
9. Start positioning yourself to partner with a large network. You can live alone. Please don’t read this wrong... Not that 'partner' you got now! You do all the work and they got 50% just for processing the credit card! What a deal! Major portals, ISP providers, web hosting, online stores, are looking for traffic. But not that dumb traffic for the past years (that's what ruined Internet ads)... people wanted any kind of traffic because they were paid CPM for banners. Want to brand teen sports wear? Want to sell new 3D cards? These businesses will pay you if you provide them the right traffic. Maybe they don’t pay you the traditional way, i.e. per banner impression/click/lead... maybe you all create a large network and share the profits. But not a network of games sites!!! You know what that reminds me? AdultCheck porno crap network. AdultCheck is rich, the sites are broken. You don’t want to join your direct competitors! You want to partner with complementary business, or even completely different areas (why not movies? why not magazines?...).

If you go for the pay mistake, at least, do it right... follow the golden rules, or else watch your dream sinking.

Any way, good luck... I will not pay for your contents, of course. :-(

Best regards
[[]]

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 1:43 pm

Well well:
Ideas are always welcome I would think, but you have so many wrong asumptions.

Generally it all boils down to this:
Many sites are movining towards "pay to use" people will get used to the fact that, like anywhere else, you have to pay for the services you recive.
Not many newspapers are given away for free, you can't watch TV for free, ride the buss for free - why should the services on the internet be any different?
I am sure that when busses started charging for riding it, people cried out for the unjustice of it. As with newspapers etc.
And tried to get the trip for free.

Many of us are willing to support GB cause we have found a friendly mature community wich we haven't seen anywhere else on the internet. Maturity is a keyword here, it is so nice to be rid of all the "l337 r0x0r gamerz that 0wns j00".
Tossers are out numbered by sensible mature people.

Gamebanshee is much much more than simply game content, it is a community.

I salute Buck for creating this place on the internet, and would support it as long as I can, in anyway I can.
I haven't used another site for infomation I could have gotten here on Gamebanshee, since I found this site, 2 years ago - *that* spells quality to me.

*Go Buck*

Bug Biiitch · Post by **Bug Biiitch** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 6:21 pm

I'm afraid you got it wrong....

I'm afraid you got it wrong....

There is nothing wrong about making money, nor selling services online. However, not all kind of services are suitable to be sold on a subscription membership. That was the most important thing I said. And that for business reasons, not moral. Because it is not profitable in the long run... just that simple.

Dont take my word... look arround what is happening! We will see if the new paid Napster will lead again. We will see if the most famous games site (gamespot.com) will survive the next 3 years with the paying membership they started this year.

You can't compare Internet services to a bus, nor any traditional market services. That's mistake number one! Internet is different. Business rules are different. People repeat over and over the same, and keep failing because dont understand that.
Just try to sell bus tickets in a city where 6 other companies offer them for free (even if they are bluffing... i.e. they are losing money too)... you dont sell one! If you advertise your bus is more confortable, you may sell one or two... but you will be the first to get out of the business... you know why? Simple, because if you dont have the people, investors will not bet on you the money needed for the battle for branding.

Any way, best wishes.

Esco · Post by **Esco** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 6:54 pm

N64cc.com was the BEST website for n64 info cheats walkthorughs, and it was free, know why? It was all user sent information with good editing. They had 2 people who owned it, and let a few trusted people run more or less of it. It depended on users to submint info, and when they did, they got their name next to the codes, and that was motavation to make the site better.

KidD01 · Post by **KidD01** » Sat Aug 24, 2002 1:46 am

Just a quick reminder here Bug B#####, either you're just trying to push your luck like others who try Buck's patience or you are enjoying this senseless thing

I remind you to discuss with Buck personally about your banning incident rather making another IDs

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Sat Aug 24, 2002 1:52 am

That was the most important thing I said. And that for business reasons, not moral. Because it is not profitable in the long run... just that simple.

So it is more profitable to loose money on the long run, then trying to keep a comunity alive?

We will see if the new paid Napster will lead again

You can't compare a severice that generally trives on peoples will to steal with a legit severice on the internet.

You can't compare Internet services to a bus, nor any traditional market services. That's mistake number one! Internet is different. Business rules are different. People repeat over and over the same, and keep failing because dont understand that.

actually you can and actually you will sell tickets.
That is the reason for Brands and loyality from consumers towards the prodruct. One of the first rules in economy.
Many people pay that little extra to get a product they trust and like, and where they have felt they were treated good before.
It only cost 20% to get a customer to shop again, it cost 80% to attract new customers.

And btw - the internet services are excatly like any other severices in the world - people are just used to them being free, but as a number of sites goes down or become highly advetiersment driven (full screen adds, several popups) I am sure people will move towards the lesser annoying sites.

I will pay for quality - especially on the internet where most is uncertain.

But btw - I shouldn't be discussing this with you, because you are actually banned.

ruined letters · Post by **ruined letters** » Thu Oct 03, 2002 10:10 pm

As I'm new I might not really understand what happened here, but why exactly was this member banned? I read through the rules, I respect the fact that the admin has the right to do what he wishes, maybe he could send me a PM or something. Also, I don't mean to be a jerk or anything, but has anybody actually subscribed to the pay site? For those of you that have, is it worth it? Would you advise me to sign up?

Minerva · Post by **Minerva** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 9:53 am

Originally posted by ruined letters
As I don't mean to be a jerk or anything, but has anybody actually subscribed to the pay site? For those of you that have, is it worth it? Would you advise me to sign up?

I subscribe the FlashLink. I've been here since the early days of this site, so I know exactly what to expect from Buck &co. It's worth it. The walkthrough is done nicely, and data of weapons, spells, NPCs are all really thorough. Unless you need an odd questions once in two month or something, I strongly recommend. It's cheaper than buying the strategy guide book for each games.

Also, as a regular visitor to the SYM (Speak Your Mind), I am willing to pay for this site, not just for the game guide. I'm having fun there and made a few good friends. Considering paying entrance fee to a nightclub for less enjoyable nightout (I'm a grown up

), it's definitely worth every penny.

I would rather pay straight to Buck himself than "including service charge of FlashLink", though.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 10:37 am

I to have registred at FlashLink as soon as it was announced that GB went that way.
I mostly do it to support Buck and GB and not so much for the walkthroughs and stuff (allthough I have used them loads when I played BG/BG2 and also some for DaoC).

I would rather have kept paying to Buck himself instead of FlashLink also, but since not enough went that way and this was neasecary, I wanted to support anyway I can.

I've been here for almost 2 years and would hate it if it dissapeared.

I would hope for all that enjoy it here and have the means to do so, to support GB though FlashLinks. (or any other way they can.)

Post by **BuckGB** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 3:25 pm

Originally posted by ruined letters
As I'm new I might not really understand what happened here, but why exactly was this member banned? I read through the rules, I respect the fact that the admin has the right to do what he wishes, maybe he could send me a PM or something. Also, I don't mean to be a jerk or anything, but has anybody actually subscribed to the pay site? For those of you that have, is it worth it? Would you advise me to sign up?

The member was banned due to a post I was forced to delete (of which the contents I won't discuss), along with the fact that he/she continued to create several other accounts to continue using the forum.

Although I'm obviously biased, I agree with Minerva and Xandax that the subscription is worth it, simply because the information contained here is the compilation of over two years of very hard work. Some of the information can be found elsewhere, but a vast majority of it cannot. If you'd consider buying a strategy guide or two for any of the games we cover, then a subscription to Flashlink is the cheaper route (not to mention it gets you access to other sites).