.tv Did I miss anything this week in .TV land?

[localexperts]

Anyone got an questions, I'm more than happy to give you my two cents FWIW. Business Models, .TV, TRAFFIC, the future, etc. Its been a hard week, would love a good conversation.

Just don't ask about Channel Local or Local Experts. I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.


Allright, I will start it off.....ME.TV 2500 sites are growing about 100-200 week.

Look this is the age old issue: free or paid.

If Google charged site owners to spider their sites in 1999, you would have never heard of Google

If MySpace had charged people to build their personal page, you would say MySpace.who?

Using domains as a backdoor to indirectly charge folks for a personal page is an interesting idea. However, don't expect it will grow very fast. Not everyone is going to lay down $24, when someone else will give them the same thing for free.

Look at Angie's List for business referrals. Some people pay. Most don't. Angie's List is a good business.

 

[brainstormTV]

Yes. This is the most obvious conclusion (Occam's Razor).

I toyed with this idea, but the logistics make it impossible for us, so I'm going to throw it out there for DM.

Have a venue where people can use the tools and build a site for FREE. Make it a sub-domain, limit the videol, whatever. But make it where they can build the site and join the community for free. And if they want their own domain registration, they can get it.

So lots could have a site like www.homeless.tv/BritneyETeen.tv

When she want's more than 25 videos, or HER OWN DOMAIN NAME (WOW!) = $25

It can become a prestige issue for teens then (which is a VERY big deal), but only if there are other homeless teens in the community to impress.


Just an Idea.

~KC

 

[localexperts]

That is true, it is the vanity/prestige play.

The issue is that not everyone is willing to pay $25 to stroke their ego.

So you get 100-200 a week and eventually it will grow, but it would not hockey stick like it would had DM given away the tools for FREE

 

[antonis12]

That is true, it is the vanity/prestige play.

The issue is that not everyone is willing to pay $25 to stroke their ego.

So you get 100-200 a week and eventually it will grow, but it would not hockey stick like it would had DM given away the tools for FREE

He is completely right....

 

[brainstormTV]

Doesn't matter. They don't have to (buy a domain). Let them join the community for free. As long as they invest (time) in their site, they become a (somewhat) captive audience and a catalyst for others to join. As the number of these users grows, so does the momentum and value of dot.TV.

[Most/many would eventually opt to buy a domain, $25/yr is not beyond the means of most teens with home computers. But they have to become users of the platform FIRST]

 

[localexperts]

That is a hypothesis that has not been proven.

 

[TheBulldog]

Plus this particular club has a membership fee of $25.

Personally, I have no real expectations of Demand at this point, as they have failed to explain seemingly simple things without spreading even more confusion.

By the way, what you missed was a little anxiety, a couple of sales, and a few tantrums. Nothing new.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yes. This is the most obvious conclusion (Occam's Razor).

I toyed with this idea, but the logistics make it impossible for us, so I'm going to throw it out there for DM.

Have a venue where people can use the tools and build a site for FREE. Make it a sub-domain, limit the videol, whatever. But make it where they can build the site and join the community for free. And if they want their own domain registration, they can get it.

So lots could have a site like www.homeless.tv/BritneyETeen.tv

When she want's more than 25 videos, or HER OWN DOMAIN NAME (WOW!) = $25

It can become a prestige issue for teens then (which is a VERY big deal), but only if there are other homeless teens in the community to impress.


Just an Idea.

~KC

That is a great idea. Exactly what's needed. Offer a free 'lite' version but with the option to move up. Let's face it, most of us do move up eventually when given this scenario don't we?

 

[TheBulldog]

That is a great idea. Exactly what's needed. Offer a free 'lite' version but with the option to move up. Let's face it, most of us do move up eventually when given this scenario don't we?

Yes, we do.....


Perhaps a nice interview with the folks at DM is in order to see their roadmap?

 

[MrRhee]

That is a great idea. Exactly what's needed. Offer a free 'lite' version but with the option to move up. Let's face it, most of us do move up eventually when given this scenario don't we?

It's called the "FREE-MIUM" business model.
Free to a point, with option to upgrade to pay.
look at many web 2.0 and other sites.
imagebucket, flicker, etc.

search google for articles about FREEMIUM or FREE-MIUM

good luck.

That is true, it is the vanity/prestige play.

The issue is that not everyone is willing to pay $25 to stroke their ego.

So you get 100-200 a week and eventually it will grow, but it would not hockey stick like it would had DM given away the tools for FREE

So are you saying that you're working on a FREE version of the Me.tv tools? or free-mium version?

I know my team has done enough planning to figure out which is the quickest way to grow, and which is the smartest way to grow. Me.TV offers great tools, but there are many limitations/ceilings (and some obviously need to be set) and in the end you are only truly building ME.TV "flip-ability". But you also have to give them credit that they are working hard to roll out new features and for $25 a year, for many, those tools are more than worth it if you factor in paying a large development/programming team as I'm sure you are personally aware.

either, there will be plenty of ways to co-exist, some methods will make lots of money, some will only make a little, if any.

good luck to all.

 

[equity78]

I think there is a difference here ENOM is a registrar that gives free tools with a domain purchase, they are not charging $25 to join their social network which really is not that social anyway.

Very few comments about the videos, people cannot upload videos, blogs get no comments.

But if people go to a domain say Lance and I wet.tv why would someone typing that in to see wet women and wet sports want to go to allthings2.tv ( no offense) or vice versa someone going for quality web 2.0 info not going to wet. The network is really just in Demand Media's eyes so they can monetize one group of sites saying we have 6000 sites in our network and approach an advertiser or advertising network.

I do not think of these sites as mini myspaces I think they are a free tool given to a registrant that can employ some myspace like features to their .tv site.

Why would anyone want to join ME.tv as a social site the sites do not even go together on Myspace that is one site everyone knows the layout and what's going on and needs one User ID. I have to log in differently to use Wet.tv than I do Girlstv.tv because they are in two different enom accounts. I think the network is just for show for Demand Media to sell advertising.