Introducing Bike Hub Plus

[Matt]

Sorry but I may be missing something. Help a dommetjie out.

 

Why must a pay?

I do not have an issue with Ads.

I am happy to pay a % of sale price to advertise an item for sale.

I will not pay a subscription to a forum and/or a sales platform.

I understand ad spend is going to drop over the near to medium term. But rather get the advertisers to pay a % of sales revenue. This way you get to see how effective your sales platform is.

 

My 2c's. 

It just does not make sense to me as a forum user.

The key point is that you don't have to pay.

 

If you don't have an issue with ads and don't see value in other plus benefits you don't need to sign up.

 

A premium subscription is just one piece of a bigger puzzle in terms of a scalable, sustainable revenue model for Bike Hub. It's by no means a silver bullet.

 

I won't go into all the details, but a major part of the strategy is around offering a secure payment mechanism for Classifieds where we do take a small % of a successful sale. This will offer added convenience and safety to transactions for both buyers and sellers. It will also be optional.

 

For us, any paid elements, be it a membership or once-off / success based fee, are all about added-value.

 

We have to provide a solid base product which is freely available. If we fail to do that and push too much behind paywalls we break something that works and open the gates for competitors.

 

[Dicky DQ]

I can understand the concerns and there is merit in some of what you're saying, however it's important to look at what we've communicated in full context and I'm happy to give transparency.

 

In December we did launch the update and explain some of the shifts. This is the full version of the excerpt you quoted:

 

Community is at the core and even with the increased focus on Classifieds, community underpins everything we do. The Bike Hub community grew within the the forums, but it extends to all areas of the site. There is a community within Classifieds, community in the Forums, and some overlap. 

 

Covid 19 impacts

It's no surprise that Covid 19 impacted Bike Hub as it has most people and businesses. As you've rightly pointed out, Classifieds activity declined significantly in April. And advertising revenue was hit hard. Thankfully both began recovering in May and we're seeing a continuation of that trend in June.

 

The impact of lockdown was not the driving force behind Bike Hub Plus. It was obviously a factor in the timing and frankly in that regard we felt it's not an ideal time to launch a paid offering or to ask people to part with money. Ultimately we went ahead with the confidence that it is 100% optional and we're not taking features away from those who don't sign up. 

 

Advertising

You're quite right that there's a risk that advertisers see less benefit in advertising on Bike Hub in a scenario where a significant percentage of our users are blocking ads. Even without Bike Hub Plus blocking ads is a risk to us. Although we've always leaned in favour of user experience over advertising revenue, we are already impacted by freely available ad blocking thanks to the proliferation of intrusive advertising across the web.

 

We work with some fantastic brands in the local bike industry and will continue to do so. We firmly believe that a less cluttered and more refined advertising environment on Bike Hub can offer more value to advertising clients, while still respecting the choices of Plus users. 

 

In May 2020 Bike Hub had 238 650 Unique Visitors. If 10% of that number were Bike Hub Plus members (which would be VERY optimistic in our view), even if they all blocked all advertising there remains a compelling case to advertise on Bike Hub based on the audience reach. Sure, even at low percentages perceptions will matter, and it's our job to ensure we communicate effectively with the market around that.

 

 

 

I still do not see what the PLUS gets me?

 

Edit OK Matt explained above. But I believe for the average user it is Mhe. Good luck with this though. I have no issues. 

 

Same as with STRAVA. Initially, years ago, I used the paid for version. But I never really saw the value so I never renewed. 

 

Same with the new iteration where they remove value, I never begrudge them theta what they are doing, I just don't see the value.

 

To each their own. 

Edited June 4, 2020 by TDFN

[Matt]

I still do not see what the PLUS gets me?

Did you read the intro article or the Bike Hub Plus page?

 

Asking that sincerely to know whether you've read the details and just don't see the value or haven't actually seen the benefits.

 

A recap:

 

 

Plus as it stands is in a very early stage and the benefits will improve & expand over time. With that we expect it will appeal to a broader set of users (and give even more value to the early adopters).

[Frosty]

Feature request for "Plus" users...

 

When I block someone in the forums, their posts should also be blocked when said poster is quoted by others, otherwise it just negates the whole post blocking theme.

That shouldn't just be a paid feature, it's a standard forum feature on most forums.

Very difficult to follow a flow of a website if replies are blocked too. I find the hiding of those users I've blocked suitable

Where does one block a user? Not that I have anyone in mind, but I never knew that was possible.

[Stretch]

Where does one block a user? Not that I have anyone in mind, but I never knew that was possible.

It's in their profile. If I go into your profile in Tapatalk there's an option to ignore you in the elipsis menu

[BaGearA]

Okay so many times has it been expressly said that people Don't have to pay?

 

5/6 times?

 

Some people on here

[IceCreamMan]

Good luck with the venture, may it be a roaring success. 

 

Monetising anything that was previously free is always a challenge. Once people have been conditioned to a free service its very difficult to ask them to pay for it. Good luck.

[Frosty]

It's in their profile. If I go into your profile in Tapatalk there's an option to ignore you in the elipsis menu

is this it?

[Stretch]

is this it?

Yup

[nathrix]

So basically pay so you don’t get bombarded by ads or install ad blocker.

[Patchelicious]

So basically pay so you don’t get bombarded by ads or install ad blocker.

And you get to give back ????????

[The Ouzo]

And you get to give back ????????

The only reason I’m willing to pay.

The current benefits won’t benefit me.

[nathrix]

And you get to give back ????????

Give back what?

[Jewbacca]

hahahahaha this is gold!

[JRN89]

''Give back what?'' - amazing!     

Edited June 4, 2020 by JRN

[nathrix]

Absolutely “amazing“!