Where’s the change?

We have changed hosts already…

We are adding new departments to make it easier for people to find quality homes, we will adding a FaceBook style member profile section so that our new members can make friends even before they come to Costa Rica, we’re upgrading the Discussion Forum and adding a ‘Your Comments” section where all “Buenos Amigos” Members can add their personal comments to articles posted and we’re adding a ton of good stuff to the Download Library, some of which you can see at:

[ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/programs/opendownloads.cfm ]…

There is hundreds of dollars worth of stuff just in the Download Library…

You have not seen any changes yet but I have at least 60 hours into this already and before all that is activated and people can download that information we will also be changing the site to a paid subscription site.

All existing VIP members who have been with us for a long time – like you editer who have been a loyal VIP Member for over five years – will be given the opportunity to upgrade their membership at an enormous discount to what we will charge new VIP Members ‘probably’ at the beginning of October …

Why am I changing it to a subscription site?

WeLoveCostaRica.com offers an enormous amount of extremely valuable information that simply can not be found anywhere else.

I do not want advertising where scam artists can easily target our VIP members (we’ve tried it and it does not work) so we’re hoping that the subscription takes care of all the website’s basic expenses so we can focus more time on producing more quality articles and videos for our VIP Members.

As always, your comments and constructive criticism are appreciated…

Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com

Why ‘costaricafinca’?

As an example, we have 89 online videos on the site.

Each of those videos cost a minimum of $200 in editing plus time and travel which has often doubled that cost…

89 x $200 = US$17,800 for the videos alone…

Scott

PS. In case you’re wondering ‘costaricafinca’, when I say “subscription” I am referring to a one time payment of $97 for a one year membership however, existing VIP Members will be able to upgrade their membership for a fraction of that amount.

Sorry Scott, I’m with CRF. I’ve been following CR forums for years, and on WLCR, I don’t think I’ve watched any of your videos and doubt I will. I periodically check the forum for topics posted, and a few times I’ve looked at the WLCR real estate section, but if it were a subscription I wouldn’t be here.

I know that the economy, and current real estate crater, has hit you as well as so many of my friends and associates here in Costa Rica, but I don’t think that charging for marketing information (sorry, that’s what it is) is the answer.

Hope you find a way to keep the community going without charging admission.
CD

Scott,
I lived here 35 years ago, and have only moved back in the last year. Still looking for the right house to buy or build, so I don’t count as “lived here for years” but I’ve been actively involved in Costa Rica for years. So I’m probably more your demographic than the “gee, I think I’ll move” sort, and my comments and contributions on other boards help others as well.

And no, I wouldn’t be interested in a paid membership. I truly believe that move would be the death knell for your site. Not immediately, but it sure would reduce the traffic and visibility. You’re currently one of three or four most popular C.R. sites. If you make it paid membership (call if VIP or anything else) I’d guess you’ll see a 95% or more drop in traffic, and I’m not sure the remainder would justify what you’re actually selling.

Just my opinion. I enjoy much of what you publish and would be sorry to see it go dark.
CD

I’d have to say I agree with most of the other respondents. I likely wouldn’t pay a subscription or membership fee or whatever else it might be called, especially if the forum isn’t free (I can get the same information on other sites for free!) as people who post here oftentimes post on other sites such as Costa Rica Living. I also agree on the videos. If most people don’t find value in them, just stop making them or if they are from service providers, charge them a fee to have them on the site, just like the commissions received from real estate agents. Sure, we all understand that the business is probably taking a hit in terms of commission revenue at the moment and in the past offering a lot of free stuff was easier when substantial revenue was coming in the door from other sources, however others have tried this including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and all of them failed. My guess is that even if the site is targeted to people in other countries who may be considering Costa Rica, and not current residents, you’ll like see a huge drop-off in new VIP member sign-ups, and even lose a chunk of existing VIP members. When I see these types of sites, I’m very hesitant about paying unless I’m pretty darn sure I’ll be a regular visitor. People who may be considering Costa Rica but are not sure would likely look at other free sites first. Maybe before making the change, you should query existing VIP members via email and see how much of an impact the fee might have, even at a reduced rate? It might also be a proxy for estimating what attrition rate you’ll have and what to expect for new members signing up. Just my dos colones!

Edited on Sep 16, 2009 03:51

Edited on Sep 16, 2009 03:54

Thank you gentlemen & women…

This has been a bit of a complicated discussion for you since none of you know what parts of the site were to remain totally free and what parts would be for paying members only but I very much appreciate your feedback and will be having a “good long think” – again – about how to move forward.

Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com

What is a PM?

One of the man concerns of people moving to a new country is: “Will we be able to make friends easily? And this feature will certainly help people make friends before they even arrive …

Scott