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You’re kidding right? Charging 50 euro for access to basically a Discord, Slack, etc. channel.
by calculated 3y ago
You’re kidding right? Charging 50 euro for access to basically a Discord, Slack, etc. channel.
- theshrike79 3y agoAlso: Spaces are limited to 30 spots. I can create a free Discord for this right now and it'll cost me (and the people joining it) exactly 0€
- miguelbemartin 3y agoWe want to initially limit only to 30 spots to see how we could manage the community and the online events. We will evaluate if it makes sense to open more spots in the future. The idea is to create "online coffee chats" where everyone is able to participate. I have used Circle with other communities and I can say that the experience is much better than using slack or discord.
- pessimizer 3y ago> I can create a free Discord for this right now and it'll cost me (and the people joining it) exactly 0€ But the reality is that you haven't.
- aaron695 3y ago[dead]
- maccard 3y agoGreat, where's your discord link?
- miguelbemartin 3y agoThe concept of paying to be part of a community is not new, you can find many communities that charge more than 5€/month. You can find some examples here: https://community.circle.so/c/showcase/ https://community.circle.so/c/showcase/ We are using Circle for organising it and it costs us money, additionally, it will also take time to organise and moderate the community. I also believe that paying for something brings more commitment, so this is why we have decided to introduce a small fee for joining the community.
- mattgreenrocks 3y ago> I also believe that paying for something brings more commitment, so this is why we have decided to introduce a small fee for joining the community. Absolutely. People that are willing to pay are more serious and generally more likely to positively contribute. Paying is a way to signal that to oneself, even.
- mtlynch 3y agoIt takes a lot of work to manage an online community well. 50 EUR/year is probably lower than the true cost.
- miguelbemartin 3y agoAgree, I have been organising local Meetups in the past and I know how much time it takes.
- jacurtis 3y agoThis group is limited to 30 people. It's not a subreddit with tens of thousands of users. It is 30 people. If someone's an asshole you ban them. It's hardly a fulltime job. The fact that you took their money could actually complicate your ability to ban them if they really get upset. I have discord servers of gaming friends that have as many people. I've also managed game servers (like Ark servers) with hundreds of strangers. It's not that bad. Bad people venture in sometimes and you just kick them out. Small communities like this mostly self-regulate because they are so small, people's individual reputation actually means something.
- jacobrussell 3y agoThe best book clubs I've been in are ones where the members had to pay something to be in it. I think everything should be done to get the people who sign up to actually show up and participate, and part of that equation is usually charging everyone a little bit, especially if the people in the group aren't already friends.
- gppeixoto 3y agoThere are actual people working to curate the content, manage the community, etc. And as such, they charge an amount for the work they're doing. If you think the price does not meet the value, then you can... just not pay it.
- leglock 3y agoAre people actually curating the content? The website sounds like the members are the ones suggesting books. It is unclear to me what managing needs to be done if the members are pairing up on their own.
- mysterydip 3y agoSomeone has to manage the membership fees, naturally.
- mattgreenrocks 3y agoThis is the business version of, "well actually I could do this in a weekend." The potential for one decent connection for future jobs/coworkers (referral bonuses!)/cofounders is very high with something like this. 50 euro is fine. If it's too high, the market will signal that. If it isn't, it will fill up.
- pessimizer 3y agoIf we ever get proper privacy legislation, or harsher penalties for companies that get hacked and lose customer data, or anything that blocks widespread data collection and monetization, you'll be paying 50 bucks a year for your favorite chatrooms and messageboards and be happy about the bargain you're getting. There's no motivation without the surveillance to give away all of this work for free. When you do stuff peer-to-peer, it always costs money if you want it to be sustainable. Like for example, a book club. Either everyone is going to take a turn hosting, or everyone is going to give the host a few bucks/bring snacks/wine/etc. (or you're going to go to some commercial space that sells food and drink, and buy food and drink.) None of the options are free. Peer-to-peer (as opposed to sponsor/consumer) will never be free. We should support models like this, not act like we somehow deserve better.
- arunkant 3y agoLol no
- bombcar 3y ago[flagged]
- pc86 3y agoWhy not? Using the in-person book club example, I'm having a hard time imagining a scenario where 1) nobody pays anything to anyone, 2) the same person hosts every meeting, 3) food and/or drink is provided and not pot luck style. If you're in an in-person book club you'll be paying money either directly or indirectly. Small sums absolutely, but still something. This seems comparable in cost.
- schainks 3y agoThis. And if you're really lucky, a large corporate enterprise will let you have hosting space for _free_ at _very specific times_. Otherwise, you must find local community resources who usually: 1. Charge a fee 2. Request you do something for them in exchange (run some publicity, sweeping floors, etc.)
- stocknoob 3y agoCharging money (and seeing who balks) is a good way to filter out people who don’t value their time highly. $5/m for good conversation is a steal.