Lurkers...any way to require log in? [Archive]

View Full Version : Lurkers...any way to require log in?

Dandy2668

11-19-2005, 01:56 PM

I really love this site and appreciate the work that goes into finding and posting the great deals here. Some are so limited that by the time you get to them they are oos or dead. It kills me to know that there are twice as many people at any given time reading the boards then are logged on. I think it would greatly improve everyones (meaning actual "members") odds of getting the deals if they had to log on to see the message boards. Just a thought, don't know if it's possible, feasable whatever...
Also, just another random thought, I would be willing to pay a small membership fee in order to keep the message boards private.
Thanks for a great site.:wave:

markadark

11-19-2005, 05:41 PM

Yeah, I know it sounds a bit awkward, but I think SD should implement a system allowing only slickdeals members to access some freebie deals. Many times, I see excellent freebies that turn out to go cold after a few hours because there are so many people grabbing it.

Some freebies even end early to save money. The limitation would allow the more active slick dealers to obtain the freebies.

:)

arjunsr

11-19-2005, 05:50 PM

been proposed many times, won't happen. sd is open for everyone.

creating a spam account really doesn't solve anything.

XXnarg

11-19-2005, 06:12 PM

Gotta think of the flipside - the more people viewing the site, the more freebies and deals will get posted...

Dandy2668

11-19-2005, 08:20 PM

Gotta think of the flipside - the more people viewing the site, the more freebies and deals will get posted...

Only if they registered. Other wise they just take advantage of everyone else's work and don't contribute.

Aluvus

11-19-2005, 08:56 PM

Most people are not willing to join a forum (especially if it costs money), until after they lurk for a while.

Forums that do charge to post (like Something Awful) generally let everyone read but insert extra ads for non-members. Somewhat like SD does.

kel_be

11-19-2005, 10:24 PM

Most people are not willing to join a forum (especially if it costs money), until after they lurk for a while.

I lurked for a few months before becomming a member. If a site doesn't permit someone to lurk prior to signing up, well I don't give that backspace key a second thought. See Ya!

twodaparty

11-19-2005, 11:41 PM

been proposed many times, won't happen. sd is open for everyone.

creating a spam account really doesn't solve anything.

True, but there are some people who are just too lazy (or dumb) to create an account and would go away. Hopefully these would be the people who just come to slickdeals to find out about the deals, order them out of stock, and then ebay the crap out of them. Also, these are the people who don't put forth any effor to post deals and/or assist fellow slickdealers with other things pertaining to deals. Besides, this would increase membership for slickdeals (assuming there would still be no charge to be a member). I post on sports message boards that require you to become a member to read. It's free and it keeps the lurkers away for the most part.

arjunsr

11-20-2005, 07:21 AM

there are many members here who've never posted a deal in their stay, or at max 1 or 2. do they really bring all that much to the table compared to a lurker?

we aren't hurting for membership.

when i posted deals when i first got here... i did it to help others. not to help a select few. i didn't care who got in on the deal. if it was 50 lurkers and no members or 50 members and no lurkers, really doesn't matter... 50 people got in on the deal i posted.

XXnarg

11-20-2005, 07:53 AM

Only if they registered. Other wise they just take advantage of everyone else's work and don't contribute.Yes, but that's just part of the way it works. Some percentage of the lurkers will convert into participants.

Also, lurkers do click ad links, so Slickdeals gets funding from advertisers, which benefits members by ensuring that resources get allocated to the site and it's adequately maintained and developed.

Optophobia

11-20-2005, 07:58 AM

well I can't believe there are nearly 68,000 members !!!

jorberg

11-20-2005, 12:18 PM

60,000 members. Holy Crap. At first I agreed with the OP that only people who were logged in could view the deals, but then I thought to myself "I lurked before joining" Now I agree with kel_be, if I had to join without being able to lurk, I wouldn't have hit that back button pretty quick

XXnarg

11-20-2005, 01:21 PM

Of the more than 68,000 members:
41% have never posted.
Another 41% have posted ten times or fewer.The remaining 18% of the members are doing the majority of the posting. This suggests that just requiring membership does not make people contribute significantly.

If too many people point out the obvious similarity between this situation and the federal tax structure, where half the people pay no taxes and a small percent of the people pay the majority of taxes, this thread may get moved to the Podium :D :D :D :D

djstanz

11-27-2005, 07:38 AM

i lurked on this site for a few years before joining

whitetrash

11-27-2005, 04:09 PM

i lurked for a couple years before joining and also would have hit that backspace key pretty fast if membership was required upfront-- no one is going to get in on every deal every time, lurkers or not

tribalwind

11-27-2005, 05:15 PM

theres easier ways of getting members than forcing it...
other boards have scripts that hide key-details of an OP till you reply to the thread(only members can reply) saying thanks or soemthing...

though i agree. members can be lurkers just as much as non-members...
im recently more active here..but havent posted any Deals..i would if i found something worthwhile~

mmathis

11-28-2005, 07:05 PM

That's why I have people PM me if they want a coupon I'm giving away...that way only SD members can get it. But preventing lurkers from viewing deals wouldn't work so well, as mentioned above

xcgames

11-28-2005, 07:55 PM