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| | Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?Page 5 of 13 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) | In a perfect world Markus every person on this site would be serious, and if they followed through on paying for a upgrade so that every person had it, then........ the site actually would not be a free site as every person would have actually paid.
You yourself said the other day on the initial post that was taken down, that you wanted only 10% of the people to be gold badge members as to show they were unique and special. I don't take offense to the fact you might think many people are not serious, you don't know us as people only as faceless entity profiles and stats. If you did know me or many other friends I have on here you would know we are as serious if not more than you would ever think. Most of us joined the site because it was not only free but also unique with the forums and it did have a large membership. Just because I elect not to upgrade does not make me any less serious about meeting someone special than anyone that does upgrade. Here is hoping that when people do search or browse profiles they open their minds and eyes to everyones profiles and not just the gold members. Remember their does exist such a thing as fools gold as well. | |
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cols44
| | Joined: 2/25/2009
Msg: 102 | |
| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 2:33:50 PM | Well all i can now say about the yellow sticker is 1. The slogan Plentyoffish put away your credit card 100% free, Which clearly isnt the case, That is a breach of advertising rules,Is now gimmie your creditcard if you want to prove your serious about a relationship. He should look at changing that slogan. 2. Instead of charging advertisers to put there ads up, he'll be making more money off us instead, good business idea. Could be a downfall, there is now more completely free websites here in the UK maybe trying to copy pof.  | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 2:36:28 PM |
I have no interest in charging users for extra features, I want to only charge for things that show intent. Users who are dead set on showing they are serious will pay for that upgrade.
1. Talk is cheap, everyone says they are serious but how many actually are?
2. Everyone talks about how they are going to do this or that, but very few people follow through on what they say.
The site is free and it will stay free...
Everyone knows you are giving these away for free at random... nothing "dead set serious" about that.
1. Everyone who signs up to this site is serious enough to sign up. If someone uses their own pictures and takes the time to fill out a profile, then they are just as serious as everyone else on here. If money = serious, then they can go to a pay site. Your little star program just makes everyone not paying less serious.
2. What are you even talking about here? In what scenario is this even relevant? This just sounds like double-speak.
POF is a numbers game - 95% of the people on here aren't a match for me, but I come here because there are just so many people. If one isn't a match, I move on to the next. The star thing is just added mess. Nobody cares. Especially if people aren't even having to pay for them.
pay feature fail. *facepalm | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 2:43:19 PM |
I have no interest in charging users for extra features, I want to only charge for things that show intent. Users who are dead set on showing they are serious will pay for that upgrade.
1. Talk is cheap, everyone says they are serious but how many actually are?
2. Everyone talks about how they are going to do this or that, but very few people follow through on what they say.
The site is free and it will stay free...
Exactly, how many actually are Serious, that's my question about the people who Received a FREE "Paid" Upgrade... How many of them are serious???
Then why is it that I've talked to a few members who have this "Serious" Seal of approval that say they Did NOT pay for it???
What kind of intent does that show for them???
Who chooses that they are serious??? Because they obviously didn't, since they didn't pay...
There is a strong possibility that you are giving Free "Paid" Upgrades to Players or people just looking for an Ego Boost...
How does this prove anything over a Paid Membership being better???
I know I'm serious, but how can I prove that to you, besides paying for it??? So tell me how Member "Jane Doe" proved it to you since she didn't pay for it???
If you are going to do this Paid Upgrade thing, FINE, Do it, but don't give it to people for Free when you have no clue whether or not they are Serious... | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 3:49:24 PM |
Exactly, how many actually are Serious, that's my question about the people who Received a FREE "Paid" Upgrade... How many of them are serious???
As has been stated a number of times, those are the Free Serious Upgrades that have been assigned by admin so that he can determine the differences that occur with messaging patterns, frequency, and possibly even quality. It seems to have been random so that stats can be calculated on all different types of profiles.
As I understand it, they are temporary. If some of the members that were assigned the Upgrade do find a difference, then they might find it worth their while to pony up & pay the nominal monthly fee. It also creates a buzz for the new feature, so as a marketing strategy, it's typical.
It does mean that for the next while (few months) the feature won't be as accurate as it is meant to be, so people need to be patient, and let the feature find some roots.
It will be a little while before the true intended benefits can be seen by both the
member base and Admin's bottom line.
Until then, we can continue using this site the same way as we have been, which is that we've NEVER been able to tell if someone on here is serious, but at least soon I'll be able to tell that he has a credit card to his name and that he's not afraid to have a dating website appear on his statement. That should cull quite a few of the married jerks/jerkettes on here from the Serious pool of daters.
~mizz | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 4:09:33 PM |
As I understand it, they are temporary.
Don't think so maybe Markus can remark on this ?
"You have been a member with a great reputation and you have been seriously looking for someone. As thanks for supporting the site for so long I am going to give you a free serious member profile upgrade for a year!
Markus
Above is E-mail sent to those who recieved "Free Serious Memberships" | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 4:36:09 PM | Are you on people on dope? By all means, he deserves all of it......
But isn't the ad revenue enough?
Google his name, you'll see. I guess it just seems a little like extortion when it was free and he was getting his cut as well.
And the free serious member thing, is suspect. But maybe it's a way of keeping some women on here. There's a lot of f-ing idiots here scaring the women off. | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 4:53:52 PM | I can't wait to see "POF" ad's on TV. You know with all that extra money!!! 13 months "PofHarmony" hahhha, mark my words.
If members "are" getting this upgrade for free, can one supporter explain to me the ethical decision in that?
Thank you. | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 5:53:02 PM | Are there any Men receiving this Upgrade???
Why is it that only Women are getting this???
Not relevant, but why is it that sometimes my posts show up and sometimes they don't...
It's not that they are being deleted, there isn't enough time for that, as soon as I hit the Post button, it kicks me out to the main Forum instead of back into the Topic that I was posting to...
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 5:55:04 PM | What's the point of getting these dots anyway? It's not anyone really likes to talk to other people on here (in PM's and IM) except for the forums (though I do understand why). If only people would stop looking at you 50,000 times a day w/o saying anything (or not responding to messages), the "Serious Member" badge will actually mean something.
Then again, I can't knock Markus' hustle. He did have the best intentions when he created this site in the beginning and he may have something good planned with this "Serious Member" badge stuff. We'll see how this turns out.... | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 5:58:35 PM | All good and valid points, no question about it. Heck, if the projected benefits-to-the-user from this new optional policy are to be believed, I might just consider canceling the couple subscriptions remaining with other sites, where the results haven't been anything to write home about.
But this being America, my thoughts on the subject keep returning to what is more than most the motivating factor of any decision we as consumers may make, "What's In It For Me?"
Having read some of the suggestions by others here, I'd like to chime in with my 2¢ worth...
If a gold dot would mean more meaningful, significant predictions for potential partners, then that'd be something I'd be interested in. Not being a math whiz by any stretch of the imagination, I can't help but laugh at the results of the system algorithms when it comes to women I might share more than one or two commonalities with, if that. I can't see me striking up conversation with someone who lives in a different time zone, or whose profile preferences are dissimilar to mine. | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 6:02:08 PM |
Are there any Men receiving this Upgrade???
Why is it that only Women are getting this???
It might be a trial period based on gender.
Markus is probably trying this on the women for a week or two (maybe more), then us fellas for the same amount of time to see how things calculate. I don't think he'll be all one-sided. | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 6:14:16 PM | That would be fine and dandy, but it should be done at the same time... That way you can see if Gold Members start socializing with only other Gold Members...
If you have Male and Female gold members, if they are serious, then they should show signs of messaging each other more than messaging the blue members...
A One Sided trail isn't really going to do anything... Especially for people who have been here longer than a couple of weeks, because most of us have already likely messaged everyone that was of interest to us and are either talking with some of those people or just waiting for new members to come on that strike our interests...
I try not to message people more than once or twice unless they've contacted me back... Because you aren't going to accomplish anything by being a prick... | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 6:18:45 PM | Mmmm.... Interesting...
For what it's worth, I hope those that sign up get what they are paying for.
I've been on this site for almost a year and a half now, not 'seriously' looking, exchanging the odd email here and there and submitting to these forums occasionally. And being someone who has already done the ‘pay site thing’ (Match.com), which resulted in a totally pointless, but thankfully short, relationship with a VERY unbalanced woman, I personally won't be signing up to become a 'serious' member.
But I can (at least initially) kinda see the logic behind it. On Match I found that potential dates, relative to POF, were pretty easy to find (although finding the RIGHT person is of course another matter entirely).
So one could jump to the conclusion that if you PAY for something, you're more likely to put some EFFORT into it.
And let's face it... POF maybe free but its wide open to abuse, which in turn gives the impression that people don't take this site seriously, which in turn would, I guess, lead to the situation we have right now.
So perhaps we only have ourselves, collectively, to blame. And remember, at the end of the day, some people here ARE actually looking for Love (and all that jazz), so this move is clearly aimed at them.
Well, all I can say to the team running this site is Good Luck!
I hope we can continue to enjoy free emails, 'cos if that goes then POF will simply be 'just another dating site'. But saying that, I have a bad feeling that even with the free emails, 'serious' members will start to completely ignore us 'non-serious' members, thus creating a two tier system. That may in turn just force the jokers and players amongst us to 'go serious' in a bid to catch fresh game, thus defeating the entire purpose of this endeavour... Save one of course...
POF, just like any other business, partially survives on advertising, and last I checked, advertising revenues are hitting new record lows thanks to the Credit Crunch. So perhaps ultimately, this IS simply an economic decision pertaining to POF’s survival. | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 6:28:07 PM | So could some one clear one thing up for me? If you were one of the lucky/unlucky members to receive a "gold star" without asking. What denotes you as a "more eligible dater" then moi?
Personally, I think its a great way to distinguish normal people that would give this site a shot to HOPELESS/desperate people that have to pay for a "gold star". In hopes that money will change there life! | |
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| Is serious member the best name for this feature?
Posted: 3/11/2009 6:31:04 PM | Fine if this site wants to recognized PAID members in some way, but I believe that the name chosen to identify this "feature" is a misnomer. Just because someone hasn't paid (either they are unaware, chose not to, or can't afford to) doesn't mean that they are "not serious" in trying to find a relationship. I think that a different name for this recognition is in order. Unless someone can suggest a better name that everyone likes, I put forward a simple one: "Paid member."
(Although I changed the title of my posting, the topic remains the same -- so I kept it in the thread.)
RE #63:
This site is still a couple steps above the Craigs List personals, because ... Everything is above CL, the sewer of the Internet. | |
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| Are we a tad spoiled by POF and a bit ungrateful for its services?
Posted: 3/11/2009 7:27:50 PM | From a Moderator: A service here, has been provided that will be perceived by some as beneficial for their purposes, and to the ones that don’t, what’s the beef, they haven’t been affected one way or another. "
I have been affected because I didn't ask for something I now have and didn't want - I didn't want to be invited to the gold star party and yet somebody dragged me kicking and screaming and the only way they'll let me leave is if I cut my own arms off (apparently the ONLY way to get rid of the gold star is to delete my profile)
And by the way - just because I disagree with you - does not make me unintelligent or a troll - it just means I don't like what POF did-
Your case is different than what is referred to as a "troll", understand the difference - unfortunately I have no control over your case - solution once again is to - Delete Your Profile Here and create a new one if you wish or contact Admin. One can disagree, site rules permit that, if it's done in a civil manner within the contructs of the rules. Read this Trolling vs Civil debate, again!  | |
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| My guess is the yellow dot will turn out to be a flop
Posted: 3/11/2009 8:09:01 PM | No offense, I hope my post will not be deleted and I hope it meets PoF forum posting rules.
I think the new yellow dot concept will turn out to be a flop. The primary reason why PoF stood out among other dating sites in the past was because it was FREE. Other paid sites have feature upgrades for paying members. Some sites had more features for more $$$. Why would someone pay for something and receive nothing in return? The paid sites have LOTS of paid employees. My understanding is this site has 1 owner and 0 paid staff and just a handful of unpaid moderators?
Getting the idea out by passing it out free to unsuspecting female members is the first indicator that this idea won't work. If it had any value, we all would be rushing to purchase the dots and there would have been people clamoring for this feature. Handing them out for free won't provide valuable data. The website might have to hire analysts and marketers to accurately ascertain if there is any value to him or the paying members in creating this sort of class level within his website.
Marketing a revenue-generating maneuver like this during a economic recession possibly becoming a depression seems ill-timed.
I don't see the logic that paying for something that essentially is free brings one "value". It's actually the exact opposite.
Most people think PoF's original intent was to function as a dating website in the internet dating market. That was NOT its intent. It seems strange that this site's originator stated in this thread that he wants to compete fully in that market. Obviously I'm not speaking for the creator, maybe his mindset has changed, or maybe his mindset was that all along--like I said, I dare not speak for the creator.
Anyone remember the fervor, when was it last year?, when females could post "Don't Date Him"-like comments for males, but males didn't have that option for females? This plan sounds like that failed site enhancement--especially the way it has been rolled out with females randomly receiving yellow dots indicating they are a "serious" dater, and have done NOTHING to earn that distinction, with some recipients requesting that they do not have this distinction?
Please don't offer me a yellow dot.
Perfect example of how to post within the forum rules. Voicing your reasons for not liking the feature, without "trolling" or insulting any particular group of people. Thank You | |
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| How do we remove upgrade status?
Posted: 3/11/2009 8:17:13 PM | Can someone please help me and let me know how to 'remove' my serious member status? I did not ask for it - POF automatically upgraded me for free. I do not wish to have my profile stick out like a sore thumb....please help!! Thank you
Unfortunately you can't - the only option at this point is to copy the contents of your profile to Word or Notepad, - Delete Your Profile Here and create a new one if you wish, copy the saved profile contents to your new one. Or, you could email Admin - Click Here | |
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| How do we remove upgrade status?
Posted: 3/11/2009 8:31:33 PM | Personally, as a more "savvy" PoF user, I went to forums today to figure out just what in the Blue Hell this yellow dot meant. Now that I know that it's being randomly assigned in its rollout, primarily to women if not entirely to women, I'll just look at now and see it has no value. If I were to contact a yellow-dotted female, I'd ask in the e-mail "you know you have been yellow-dotted"? If she said "no", or "yeah I wish PoF would get the damn dot off me", I'd keep corresponding. If she said "yeah I want to be a serious member", likely I'd stop corresponding.
An unsavvy PoF member isn't going to go to forums to figure out what the yellow dot means. They'll ask the female member what it means, the lady might not even know she's been dotted, or she'll tell the dude she didn't pay for it. Then the guy will know the dots either don't mean anything, or the woman isn't very wise since she likely paid for a foolish distinction.
Can't see guys targeting yellow dotted females as being more desirable partner options.
Lots of paying sites have male players on it--women know this, so I'm not sure why women would think yellow-dotted guys are any more "serious" than those undotted males.
All the dots are going to indicate is you paid to have a "distinction" that won't make a difference one way or the other, and that the member made an unnecessary purchase.
I've seen these dots on female profiles without photos. Can't see how a member without photos is more "serious" than a member with posted photos. Just punctutates the point that the yellow dot doesn't discern a "serious" member. | |
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