$5, same as in town: perks for signing up

November 18, 2004 10:45 AM

Are these new logins, having paid, getting to see the new ad-free MeFi?

Does the $5 fee come with an uptime guarantee?

Lastly, will Mathowie pay me $5 to rescind my login? Really lastly, what is the returns policy for those who have paid their $5?
posted by dayvin to MetaFilter-Related at 10:45 AM (73 comments total)

Are you really that unwilling to part with $5? Especially to finally join the cool club in the awesome treehouse? If you love something, set it free, man!
posted by jenovus at 10:49 AM on November 18, 2004

wow, the new guy is a load of fun
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 10:50 AM on November 18, 2004

. . . And that was quick. So I'm an idiot, and dayvin's been here for ages. But at least I give money to strangers!
posted by jenovus at 10:51 AM on November 18, 2004

Yes, No, No.
It's pretty obvious.
posted by seanyboy at 10:51 AM on November 18, 2004

Are you really concerned about your $5?

Although there are a few members I'd pay $5 to leave MetaFilter I don't really see anyone getting a refund to unjoin.

And I'm not sure (because I don't read fine print usually) but I don't think the $5 fee ever mentions an ad-free MetaFilter. Maybe I'm wrong.
posted by fenriq at 10:53 AM on November 18, 2004

Did you not read the damn signup page?
posted by keswick at 10:53 AM on November 18, 2004

Damn, you'd think instead of a $5 signup fee, people were being asked to submit their first born child.

For $5 you expect zero downtime? And you expect a refund if you are unsatisfied with the product?

Its five dollars. Five measly bucks. That's almost lunch. And you pay it one time. Besides, the sign up page says no refunds will be given.
posted by fenriq at 10:57 AM on November 18, 2004

Definitely not ad-free. I'm one of the new users that signed up and I still have text ads. I assume ad-free will come with the rollout of Premium memberships and will probably cost more than $5.

And I thought $5 was pretty darn fair.
posted by genial at 11:05 AM on November 18, 2004

I, for one, don't mind having a bit of my page soiled for google adwords. I never click on em, but at least they generate a bit of lucre for old #1. If my spare cpu cycles spent rendering html can give anyone anything other than a bandwidth fee, I'd like to help out.

That said, I'm new, paid my 5 bucks, and still see the ads. And it doesn't bother me a bit. In fact, I would probably prefer them on if i had the option. But that is just me.
posted by Freen at 11:08 AM on November 18, 2004

fenriq, but $5 in the US might be, like, ten kazillion dollars in Burninatistan. :)
posted by tracicle at 11:12 AM on November 18, 2004

Are these new logins, having paid, getting to see the new ad-free MeFi?

They'll get to avoid the graphical ads, yes.

Does the $5 fee come with an uptime guarantee?

Ha! As if! My hosting bill is hundreds of bucks a month, this was merely a ploy to help defray that (and yeah, so far this morning I've earned several months of hosting, so that's good).

I'm actually getting close to a day where I could either quit my job and work on this pile of crappy code I wrote, or I could actually hire someone to do it. I know some really savvy CF programmers that could rennovate and certainly get the uptime improved.

Lastly, will Mathowie pay me $5 to rescind my login?

Not in general, but if you really wanted to, maybe I would.

Really lastly, what is the returns policy for those who have paid their $5?

SOL is the official policy from headquarters. I had no say in it. Skippy was all over that decision.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:19 AM on November 18, 2004

I'll admit the $5 fee was unexpected, but it's hardly breaking the bank. I assume that the money will in one way or another contribute to uptime, and that's well worth it to me.

Just out of curiousity, is there a window of opportunity for new signups, or will they remain open for the forseeable future? I didn't see any info on that floating around.
posted by Miss Bitchy Pants at 11:19 AM on November 18, 2004

I just paid my $5 and was more than happy to do so. I would have paid a whole lot more to have the right to join.

Still looking at ads, but that's fine by me.
posted by BlzOfGlry at 11:20 AM on November 18, 2004

Skippy was all over that decision.

Skippy?
posted by Quartermass at 11:29 AM on November 18, 2004

I would have paid a whole lot more to have the right to join.

that's a very interesting point, actually. so many people willing to shell out five bucks in a matter of hours makes me think that demand was so high that Matt could have priced new accounts higher, and still make a profit. not as many users, but more money.

for the sake of the argument BlzOfGlry, 19.99 dollars would have been too much for you?
posted by matteo at 11:31 AM on November 18, 2004

Oh c'mon, Metafilter has some of the least intrusive adverts I've ever seen (the majority of advertising makes me grind my teeth, but Google textads strike me as just about the best way to dangle products in front of us, pay the bills and still not ruin the experience). I'd have been amazed if paying $5 made the ads go away. It's just, like... really not a lot of money for a lot of Metafilter.

Although maybe the option for an ad-free Mefi with a bigger donation would be nice... Matt! Obey meeee! I paid for... i dunno. A sandwich? A magazine? Porn?
posted by terpsichoria at 11:32 AM on November 18, 2004

Duh, Skippy is Matt's Evil Twin.
posted by keswick at 11:32 AM on November 18, 2004

Skippy was all over that decision.

Skippy?

Skippy.
posted by matteo at 11:33 AM on November 18, 2004

Matteo,

I realize the question was directed at BlzOfGlry, but as a fellow newbie, $10 would have been my break point. Up to and including 10, OK, otherwise, nah.
posted by Bugbread at 11:37 AM on November 18, 2004

So what do I get for my firstborn son?
posted by dayvin at 11:41 AM on November 18, 2004

matteo,

I definetely would have shelled out 19.99 to sign up. I'd say that that would be near my upper limit for the service ($20 is a BIG anchor for me). I think Matt could have priced it up higher no problem.
posted by BlzOfGlry at 11:44 AM on November 18, 2004

an uptime guarantee?

Not if I have anything to do with it!
posted by JRun at 11:45 AM on November 18, 2004

posted by JRun at 11:45 AM PST on November 18

Give this man a refund!
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:52 AM on November 18, 2004

So for the good news, I just hired someone I know (that has written a few CF programming books) to overhaul the main code that slows the server down. If all goes well, things should be quite zippy in a few days.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:53 AM on November 18, 2004

thank God for Skippy
posted by matteo at 11:56 AM on November 18, 2004

Only a few days to overhaul the code? Wow. I'm...well, I'm...uh, incredulous. But, hey, no looking gift horses in the mouth! Yay, Matt! And yay! CF-code-guru-person Matt's hired!
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 11:57 AM on November 18, 2004

Matt, I'll give you $15.00 if you install a "Quitcher Bitchin'!" button.
posted by bondcliff at 11:58 AM on November 18, 2004

Wow. MeFi has an employee!
posted by davehat at 12:00 PM on November 18, 2004

*applauds mathowie and his CF-ful friend*
posted by gleuschk at 12:01 PM on November 18, 2004

Jrun has my vote over any savage for best use of $5. Who else is in the running?
posted by DaShiv at 12:05 PM on November 18, 2004

I dunno. I like “any savage”. That was clever, and a pretty good nick in the long term, too.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:19 PM on November 18, 2004

yeah, Jrun's funny
posted by matteo at 12:20 PM on November 18, 2004

any savage was pure "spit my coffee all over my computer screen" gold.
posted by Quartermass at 12:40 PM on November 18, 2004

I think I am going to buy a few memberships with generic names and sell them on ebay to dumb kids when the gates are closed again.
posted by Quartermass at 12:41 PM on November 18, 2004

These are all valid questions. No need to circle the wagons, guys. No need to get defensive.

Money is now involved, and therefore a certain accountability. I think one of the expectations of being a paying subscriber to a website is that the guy you've paid will do everything possible to let you see that web site whenever you want. Zero downtime is impossible, but certainly the turnaround when something breaks down could be improved (I'm thinking of last year's debacle).

I've got a friend who runs a large online community, and he's got a lot of nasty things to say about the jrun errors, lag, and system hiccups we've come to expect. I think Matt does a pretty good job, but this ain't no hobby site, nor has it been for a long while, and so consideration must be given to this sort of shit beyond the community consensus in this thread of "Don't like it? Fuck off."
posted by Hildago at 12:44 PM on November 18, 2004

being a paying subscriber

I know, it's not a big deal in anyone's perception of things, but I must stress it's not a subscription. It's a one time shot, a cover charge, when you walk in, and never again.

When I start doing pro accounts for a couple bucks a month in exchange for more features, those folks I will treat as customers and make sure things are rock solid before then.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 12:47 PM on November 18, 2004

I don't mind the ads - some of them are amusingly bizzare.
posted by troutfishing at 12:50 PM on November 18, 2004

in exchange for more features,

you are such a tease, Number One...
posted by matteo at 12:51 PM on November 18, 2004

Also, another teaser: I'm gonna launch another new *Filter section this weekend. For reals, yo.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:01 PM on November 18, 2004

Sis fell down the well.
It kilt her.
Now we have
to use a *Filter.
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:13 PM on November 18, 2004

I'm gonna launch another new *Filter section this weekend.

Is that why this works? http://kos.metafilter.com/
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 1:14 PM on November 18, 2004

i was GRATEFUL to pay 5 bux just to get back in. i joined MeFi in 1999, had a computer problem, and when i finally got back online many months later, my info was gone and i couldn't log in. i never got it resolved, emailing Mathowie didn't help (i understood and didn't feel resentful).

reading and wishing since then, and never getting another chance to sign up was frustrating.

this plan helped me... even though i had to go find someone who would use a credit card online to make the five dollar donation for me.

thank you.


oh ..

and... hi y'all.
posted by reflecked at 1:16 PM on November 18, 2004

JRun being a user complicates my plan to do a shoutout to "JRun" at any future meetup I might attend.

(On preview: Yes, Steve.)
posted by kenko at 1:17 PM on November 18, 2004

By "any" I meant "some arbitrary", not "each and every".
posted by kenko at 1:18 PM on November 18, 2004

posted by Miss Bitchy Pants at 11:19 AM PST on November 18

heh, this is definitely my favourite new username so far... btw MBP, have you met our LittleMissCranky yet...?
posted by t r a c y at 1:20 PM on November 18, 2004

I always love people who demand things from webmasters just for donating money. To any who seriously assumes they'll get 100% uptime and backrubs from #1 himself, I say:

"Are you new to the internet?"
posted by Kleptophoria! at 1:23 PM on November 18, 2004

No S@L, it's http://touchstevesnuts.metafilter.com
posted by eyeballkid at 1:31 PM on November 18, 2004

HOLY SHIT, THX MATTT!

pony.metafilter.com
posted by Kleptophoria! at 1:40 PM on November 18, 2004

Right. I can't believe the shitstorm is starting already regarding $5 and wah wah you owe me wah wah wah. I understood it innately to be a cover charge. Kind of like the SA forums. Sorry I don't have a "better" example.

I can understand when the /. kids whine and bitch about their premium membership, but you know what, those Free-as-in-everything guys will bitch at anything that involves the transfer of green paper away from them. Like others have said, I would have gone up to $10 here, $15 would have requird a free lunch, and $20 a massage afterwords. $5 was perfectly chewable.
posted by cavalier at 1:49 PM on November 18, 2004

i heart mathowie.
posted by contessa at 1:52 PM on November 18, 2004

Sure there'll be refunds!*

* - Refunds charged a $5 administration + additional s&h fee.
posted by shepd at 1:54 PM on November 18, 2004

Let me just say to any advertisers who are reading this: through years of study under the training of Sufi mystics coupled with drug therapy of a specialized and illegal nature I am unable to see any advertisements of any kind.

I am part of every demographic, especially the desirable ones. My annual disposable income is monstrous. Your schemes have no effect on me.
posted by solid-one-love at 1:56 PM on November 18, 2004

http://wahwahyouoweme.metafilter.com
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 2:03 PM on November 18, 2004

I'm gonna launch another new *Filter section this weekend.

Finally, red-hot-anal-sluts.metafilter.com.

Seriously, Matt, you've been doing a lotta *filter schtuff lately. I was beginning to think you didn't love us anymore. Glad to be wrong.
posted by keswick at 2:03 PM on November 18, 2004

solid-one-love's got a good name to him as well.
posted by kenko at 2:25 PM on November 18, 2004

I had something similar happen to me, reflecked... I had my l33t 5xxx account and everything, and then I not only managed to lose my password (the one I had written down didn't work,) but the email address I had signed up with didn't work, as the company had gone under rather unceremoniously, and I, with my fetchmail script aggregating several mailboxes, didn't notice :(

It was funny, because around the whole 'login' incident someone posted in AskMe about losing your password, and I remember responding as login to his question :) I also paid out $5 in the aftermath to, you know, say sorry...

I'm glad I finally have an account again... I obviously like MeFi enough to have contributed TWICE the sign up price to it (oh my) but given that I never once posted with my first account, I'm not sure how much it really means to me.

I've managed to survive this long without one. I don't think a money-back guarantee will be necessary.
posted by maledictory at 2:47 PM on November 18, 2004

I'm gonna launch another new *Filter section this weekend.

indeed
posted by matteo at 3:09 PM on November 18, 2004

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious .... c'mon, someone has to make a username with it. maybe space out each letter like t r a c y just for fun. or is that too many letters/spaces? c'mon, someone try it!
posted by bargle at 3:11 PM on November 18, 2004

http://www.hopeyougot5buckslol.metafilter.com
posted by darukaru at 3:12 PM on November 18, 2004

any savage can come up with $5 just by ransacking your grandma's purse. HATERS STEP OFF!
posted by any savage at 3:30 PM on November 18, 2004

I think I am going to buy a few memberships with generic names and sell them on ebay to dumb kids when the gates are closed again.

Now, this man, he's thinkin'.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:47 PM on November 18, 2004

Funny. I saw that it was a PayPal for signup, and I was amazed that it was *only* five dollars.

That's only 250 days of me not putting in my 2 cents elsewhere.

I know a few people who run some high-traffic sites, and it ain't cheap. I think it's pretty amazing how unobtrusively Matt has gone about trying to recoup even some of his costs. I'd be amazed if Mefi was actually paying for itself, even with the ad revenue.
posted by icey at 4:07 PM on November 18, 2004

I like it! That $4000 plasma TV is only 547 years of me not putting my 2 cents elsewhere!

[whips out credit card]
posted by scarabic at 4:27 PM on November 18, 2004

Ability to comment, $1000.
Adwords, -$200.
Wankers, -$500.
Server Downtime, -$150.
Having to ignore Merik Politics, -$145.
Losing my $5.
Priceless.
posted by Jerub at 8:46 PM on November 18, 2004

I really don't see the problem - I (and how many others?) were more than willing to fork over five (5) dollar bills in exchange for participation here. I mean, really... it's not a monthly fee.

Maybe it has to do with expectations... if I had been asked to pay $5 to do what I had already been doing (just reading the site), I probably wouldn't have done it. But to pay to get more, that was no question. Does that make sense?
posted by deliquescent at 10:07 PM on November 18, 2004

I don't know, the "I'd pay double and still be happy just to have a user account" argument just doesn't hit the right note. Maybe I'll bring it up again once all the new folks start complaining about stuff like everybody else and we can take another shot at it.
posted by Hildago at 10:46 PM on November 18, 2004

I think this thread should be referred to in future when people post "$5 is too much."

A week ago, I would have paid $50-100 for a mefi account on ebay. ;)
posted by Jerub at 11:08 PM on November 18, 2004

I don't really care about the adds as long as I can use unicode characters.

????????????????????????????
posted by mexican at 1:03 AM on November 19, 2004

Or not use unicode characters. Damned preview!
posted by mexican at 1:04 AM on November 19, 2004

No, you can't use unicode...it's not utf-8 or whatever all the way through. You can ask Matt's new CF code guru for that pony, though.

Meanwhile, use html entities. Apparently the numbered ones are more widely supported, though that means the most common ones methinks. Here's the first link I use for reference. Here's the second. 'Course I remember the ones I normally use. Here's the important part: when you preview, it replaces the entities with extended character. Then, when you post, it tries to post the extended character which almost never will work. So, what you need to do is to either copy the text from the text box before you preview, or just back your browser and copy and then forward and paste. Or whatever. Also, If you want to do anything fancy and you have some other way of entering unicode characters, you might try using something like "tidy", some version will replace extended characters with the html entities. On XP, which I use, I found a command-line version of tidy that I then added a context menu for htm and html files that "tidy this", which is handy.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:01 AM on November 19, 2004

They'll get to avoid the graphical ads, yes.

Until I read this, I hadn't even realized that the graphical ads had disappeared after signing up. I think over the years I have just tuned my brain to ignore the distractions coming in from the right.

Now that one ad with woman with the low cleavage that's been showing up recently. That one caught my eye.......
posted by mach at 8:29 AM on November 19, 2004

Let's try this again:

餃子焼売北京火鴨龍烏茶
posted by mexican at 1:24 AM on November 25, 2004

I get it now. The ampersand parser only goes to 4 digits. How bout one more?
posted by mexican at 1:29 AM on November 25, 2004