Anyone who knows anything about electronic payment processing knows that it is only the processor, in this case Paypal, who has any kind of access to private financial information. It is just as secure paying for a Lush membership as it is buying anything anywhere else using the same method. Even your connection to Lush is now TLS encrypted thanks to Gav (That padlock symbol in your browser).
I am not authorised to speak on behalf of the site regarding privacy concerns, but if anyone has any generic queries they would like to discuss I would be happy to oblige either on-forum or in private.
Liz
Will we still get a notice for all stories for members we follow when freemium comes into effect.....thats my main use of the messaging, to know what new stories are up for my fav readers
and if they are paying members, as a free member will i no longer be able to read the stories?
Yes, I have a question!
I think it would be beneficial for all involved if the site gave us idea of how much revenue it needs to generate via membership subscription in order to balance the books.
Having already established (on a different thread) that the online member numbers on the site are frightfully low and are set to decline further once freemium comes into effect, are the sites targets for generating sufficient income realistic?
For example, if, say, a couple of hundred gold memberships p.a would suffice, then this target would be achievable. However, if the target revenue requires, say, a couple of thousand memberships in order to stay afloat, then I don't it's fair that people invest money in a sunken ship that has no realistic possibility of salvation.
I really don't know why people are complaining to be honest. While this has always been classed as a free site - it never has been as there has always been someone who has to pay for it somewhere along the line. Now due to the sheer rate of it's membership growth it's unfortunate that the costs of running the site have gone up considerably too. I believe that parts of the site are also programmed and maintained by third parties who also require paying so why are any of the members here really complaining particularly as th Bronze and Silver memberships are very affordable.
If you look at it another way, over the past years those who are using the site for free were getting 97% of the site while Gold Premium members were paying $50 for the other 3%.
As Nicola stated to me awhile back - "there is not much to be gained in having a Gold Premium membership - really it's to say thank you to the Moderators for their efforts and time keeping the site running smoothly and to help with the running costs".
I have tried many of these sites over the last 3 years and I have to say that there is only this site and one other that I can view as having any real quality to it and even then Lush is still by far the best. My suspicions here makes me wonder if the people who are kicking up the most fuss are the trolls who now realise that they may have to pay for more than one account if they are to continue to abuse the site and it's members!
For those people who come on here without their partners knowledge - I suggest you open a bank account of your own to pay for things that you wish to keep private.
Considering that a good portion of the member base I've seen is of college age, and they either don't have a steady income or whatever income they do have goes straight towards food, textbooks and other school supplies, gas and whatever other necessities are needed just to get through day to day, $10 is A LOT of money, especially if its not going to those necessities.
I think many of the people stating that its not are forgetting that fact, or maybe they just simply haven't had little to no money before? Either way, I think some of the responses have been a bit harsh from this view point.
And considering that Free members will be able to receive friend requests, but not have the ability to actually communicate with those friends directly without paying, I find a bit confusing. If anything I would have expected chat rooms and perhaps part or most of the forums to be restricted, and I can understand image posting restrictions. But ALL forms of one on one communication? To me that's my biggest hang up, because if I were a new author and had a free membership, I wouldn't be able to directly thank the people that took the time to comment on my stories, or collaborate with someone else directly on a story for ideas or anything of that sort. But maybe that's just me?
Here is yet another aspect to consider. As it is now, this site is a majority of men or men posting as women. So, how many women do you really think will pay for a sex site? All notice that simply offering the other side of this issue has brought out all the GOLD SHIELDS in defense of high membership fees. Why? If its no big deal you should not have to convince anyone at all. Just like the Patriot Act does not offer any patriotism or freedom and like the Affordable Care Act is neither care or affordable, yet we are told how badly we need them. I suspect that this site will have a few paid subscribers. It will be a huge majority of MEN or MEN posing as women. And why is it the we are free to discuss inserting foreign objects into multiple places on the human body, but not discuss these 'fees?" hmmmm.........
Big-haired Bitch/Personality Hire
It's all quite simple:
If you want to pay, pay. If you don't, don't.
If we can no longer afford to keep the site running, then we'll simply shut it down. That's our problem to deal with.
We understand that some people can't afford it. So don't buy it.
We understand that some people feel that they're entitled to what this website offers for free. So don't buy it.
We understand that there are other sites out there and you'll piss out of your left eye before you pay for any access. So don't buy it.
We understand that many of you think this is the final nail in our coffin and you wanna teach us a lesson by not buying it. So don't buy it.
We understand that there's a constitution and you have rights according to that constitution and because of that constitution, you shouldn't have to purchase a Premium subscription. So don't buy it.
We appreciate everyone's support, monetarily or otherwise. You guys keep this place going, whether you're a continued supporter or a new supporter. Genuinely, thank you. You all make this place worthwhile.
Now, anything more about tin-foil hats and the FBI inserting tracking devices in our contact lenses for purchasing a membership will be removed.
This thread is about QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS. This means how it works, what it entails, what you have access to, etc.
If you want to piss and moan/spout conspiracy theories, you're free to do so elsewhere.
"What is the quality of your intent?" - Thurgood Marshall
Dani Dani you do amuse, luv the answer.
( LOL - laughing out loud .... tears )
For me there is nothing to debate. I like Lush, so I am staying and paying.
Does this mean that anyone who has a published story on the site is a bronze member?
I do have a few questions, some may have already been asked, but perhaps Nicola could clarify it in the announcement thread. Some may seem silly, but perhaps if they are spelled out, it might resolve some peoples concerns. there still seems to be a lot of misconceptions and confusion about what is doing to happen.
1. If a premium member sends a free member a PM (email) will they be able to respond? (if it works like most other sites that charge for the feature, they should be able to)
2. Same question for OM's (black box IM's) (I assume the same ability to reply would probably apply. just can't initiate one)
3. Same question for private chat requests (no real guess on this, though it may be the same, can accept and chat, just can't initiate one)
4. Same question for Friend requests (assume here that free members can still accept)
5. If someone sets up a user created chat room, that is not locked (therefore still a public room) will free members be able to enter it?
6. If someone sets up a user created room that IS locked (so a private room) but invites a free member to it, will the free member be able to enter it?
7. If a free member has an uploaded image as their avatar already, will it disappear after the free gifted period? (for existing or new members)
8. What about other images already uploaded or uploaded during the free gifted period? (like image gallery & photo albums... perhaps a small compromise here allowing a limited amount of space like 10mb for image gallery pics might ease some of the negative feelings.)
9. Same question for videos and playlists.
10. Will the current size limitations for uploads still apply with the Bronze memberships?
=d>
