QUICK POLL: SHOULD THE WOJ BECOME A SUBSCRIPTION BASED WEBSITE? (UPDATED)

[Soundjata]

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NEW:

Poll Results are out and can be viewed here


The WOJ will remain FREE. Give thanks for all the rasponses, it has been proven to be really useful for InI working on the back-end of the website.

Nuff Love!

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Thanks for taking some time to answer this poll. This is a question and an invitation to reflect on the nature and the potential of the woj. InI thought that I could learn a great deal with the input from the Is, and I hope this reasoning would lead us to higher heights.

InI at the woj have been quietly working a lot on creating a brand new platform for the woj (surprise launch is scheduled for next month!), with potentially far more features than the current one. However our past 2 years experience has shown us that managing such a large website does require funds and serious time commitment and therefore InI have been thinking about ways to deal with these for the next 2 years to come. In fact, the current woj site has been built without much planning, due to I personal flaws. But for the years to come InI is trying to be more focused and organised regarding the running of this platform.

While we enjoy working for the works, InI believe that by stimulating the Rastafari economy we could allow for much greater works to be accomplished. In this light, InI wanted to reason about the following suggestion: moving the site to a paying platform for this summer's massive relaunch.

Please note that in any case, people who could not afford it would b given free access to the site given their circumstances. In fact InI perfectly overstand that many of InI r struggling.

The subscription based platform would have all the features of the current one, and even more. A few of the new features members will have access to include:

-a Rasta blog irated by paid rasta writers
-a monthly Rasta magazine
-live and recorded video reports of concerts, audio books, etc.

Furthermore if the subscription model was proven to be a success we could potentially offer one ticket to Shashamane everytime we reach an extra 1000 members.

Such a model would allow the woj to do so much for the works, still building on the first steps taken with the woj foundation we would livicate 40% of revenue towards helping the elders, sistrens and youths of the global Rastafari family.

InI is now considering this option, nothing is decided yet, but these are things that needs to be reasoned upon at times. HIM instructed InI to organise, and therefore InI is trying to think ahead and striving to do something far greater than what we might think is possible, or "to be more than we could ever be". The needs are great and the works are plenty. InI will be looking forward for the Is rasponses, it will help us greatly to forecast, plan for the months and the years ahead and reflect on these works.

PLEASE VOTE HERE

and comment if u wish. (suggestions are more than welcomed!)

This post will be opened until wednesday, by then we should have gathered enough feedback to come up wit an informed decision.

Give thanks in advance.

Soundjata

[Soundjata]

Give thanks Empress Beverley
This is a really good suggestion and currently one of the potential options. Will surely look into enabling a better marketplace system.

Ras Andrew Wonders
Askin for donations is really not easy for I and while I give 1million thanks to all the Sis and Bredrens who itributed so far, after 4months of fundraising InI feel it is not a sustainable solution. Still the link can b found in the woj foundation blog for now (the early may report should b out soon btw)

Nuff love

[Nikki Athlyian]

Most definitely W.O.J needs to be kept FREE. By limiting access to members based on money will Alienate W.O.J members who are in countries that cannot afford to pay for subscriptions‘.
Subscription is like a an obligation, a tie down.

Furthermore we are but humble people n we constantly give to those who we interact with daily, our pockets r more holy than Holy Ghost.
Perhaps if W.O.J could use the network of member to produce a product or products that can be sold, for example t-shirts cups, books moreover what about opening the site to limited advertisement, selling tickets to events for Rastafari Artist. Then profits from that can be used to fund projects and pay administrators.
What about doing regular fund raisers and asking member to donate to the maintenance of the site.
Heart A love

[WILLIAM DEREK ANDERSON]

ONCE AGAIN WE R FACED WITH THE OPPRESSORS VALUES EVEN IN A BEAUTIFUL TING AS WOJ, WE MUST BE FREE N ALL WE DO,EVEN WORLD WIDE WEB.
REPECT

[Thedred09]

ya about the subcription, ini think woj can forge a solution to keep the community free for example asking advertisers to pay for their adds, facebook, twitter,hotmail, and other sites have managed to keep their services free. The whole point of the site attracting the farai around the world would lose its potency if u charged the brethren and sistren for their imput u might as well charge for wisdom and every body knos that the best wisdom in the world to keep it moving forward is free...nuff said

[Soundjata]

Powerful words bredren, give thanks.

[EmpressV]

yes, to help keep the site up even if its five US dollars a year, its a minimal amount and it will give a surity that the site a guh keep on running for us all to enjoy.

[Soundjata]

Sis Tan,
Give thanks again for helpin InI in these days. If this system was to be reality, i would work on the new site to allow more payment options so that ones without this plastic card can itribute too. Still I overstand ur due concerns and feel sorry that better systems are not currently in place.
Give thanks again for the support
Soundjata

[Sauda]

Greetings,
I don't think a fee per se should be charged. But have a system setup that members could donate if funds are available.

[Dion Peoples]

Blessings Soundjata:

Those who donate - just give them something like "Star Status" for supporting the website... keep the website free, but then you can recognize those that help...

Again there are other reasons why some people just can't pay...

I guess many Rastas will migrate from this website - read more books, get involved with a physical community rather than a mental community.

Thoughts are free... information & knowledge must be free... maybe sell t-shirts, hoodies, turbans... profits go towards the upliftment of the website...

Raspects:

-Dion

[JAH LoveIrit]

I completely overstand that it is becoming a financial weight upon the administrators - which is why I have tried to donate a little when i can. It does not seem fair that you should bear all the burden. However in a discussion with a bredren who is Ghanaian, he said exactly the same as I was feeling - that those who will be most adversely affected are the African members, who are limited in funds - in fact just being on the internet is a cost in itself as its is often from an internet cafe - and who have limited ability to make a payment to an organization based in another country. It seems upside down that those who represent the core of Rastafari should be so excluded from participating in a 'worldwide' Rasta forum. I am guessing that very few who are members of this site who do have any great wealth - as wealth does not normally go hand-in-hand with Rastafari. But there are some whose means more limited than most. However I cannot in good conscience tell you to leave it as a free site, knowing that u then have to burden the burden of cost. The $1.00 a month suggestion seems feasible - I guess if enough members were able to go this route, it could raise a goodly amount. Bless

[Soundjata]

Greetings Sis
Give thanks for the support everytime. I overstand the limitations of such a system, and of course we would have it set up so that it is totally free for Bredrens and Sistrens in Africa and for ones who are not able to afford it. All of us here are going through our own struggles and I could not wish to alienate any I from this platform. Still the need for InI to plan ahead prompted I to launch this poll. I happen to be at a turning point of I life too and im faced wit some uncertainties and decisions that iman need to front and share wit the Is. Sometimes i feel that the woj has failed in its mission to inite and more importantly strenghten the Rastafari imunity, and I do not wish to repeat the same mistakes wit the new platform, but rather build upon dem and try to aim for something bigger
Thanks again for the words, and wishin the Sis and family a blessed day
Blessings

[Tafari Mikael Holassie]

Keep it free Iya. Use advertisers to make money if that is the goal. If it does not remain free many will no longer use the site. Selamta