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 Akoma Blackstar
I always love the I s insightfull reasonings. Please do link I up when possible, i wanted to discuss some things wit the I
Bless

[Elizabeth]

yeh, free membership with limited access and then the option of all out accessfor a small subscription fee

[Kalcha Queen]

overstand fully, Its a pity because most of ini wont be able to pay and Its such a great Website.
15 minutes left to edit your comment.

[Ras Marco]

cnt the amount be paid monthly, and be based on how much or how many times the Is access the site?

[Menace II Babylon]

I believe it should be a paid subscription. I dont work nowhere. I am broker than broke as i had a run in with her majesties courts and they punished me financially. More for the queen coffers. I believe that for a service as fine as this you should pay a small pennace.

They believe that WOJ is free. RASTA bun obeah and magic but we have the assumption that there is a lickle genie in WOJ making everything right and fixing everything. When things aint working right they line up to complain, oh this not right, can you put this back, i like the old one better etc These things cost money ever wonder who pays and for sure it aint no tooth fairy or their beloved easter bunny. The ads and what not are fantastic but the members need to be be part of the WOJ family instead of bystanders. Sells some shares are something :)

People like too much free things. Human nature. any time you have a product and you want it sold just say satisfaction guranteed or money back. They love it.

Get on a bus you have to pay, get on a train you have to pay, you cant go in no market place or supermarket and take up people things and haggle on price. You cant contact your internet service provider and haggle on price. You pay it or you lose it. No big money but sometthing to make sure the daily upkeep is covered and room for advancements.

I am not one for forcing the younger ones out of WOJ but it is a family freindly site and their mum or dad can pay. Them in here complaining yet no one complaints to the services or the goods and commodities you consume as FARI daily.

Nothing is free so why you come to WOJ expecting the marvelous works to be done for free. Not into the profit margin but it needs help. I have no problem paying whatever you designate it to be. I would find it. Ning aint cheap....

Weed aint free and a poll on the smokers on WOJ and you would jump. They have to pay for that....

The ones in africa cant pay this and that is rubbish. They dont pay in pounds or Euro or us dollars but in their currency. Good deals that you aint got to worry. Yearly subscriptions, six monthly and monthly with gentle reminders being sent out when the time for renewal is due or let it be automatic

It should be small enough to cover the daily running and upkeep of the fabulous WOJ. Go any other internet rastafarian site. Where will you find this? I dare you to go and come back with a site to match this. None of them. Cant come close, brilliant topics, excellent debates, fabulous pictures and a chat to die for still prefered the old school with the camera chat from back in the days with the elders ravin -I and negus.

Something so advanced and in here has seen its fair changes in chat, reasoning boards and no one ever has asked themselves who pays. Is it the genie in the lamp? Probably magic....

I believe it should be a small pennace as if you are on internet you pay for that. Dont pay you get no internet.

Then why should we be all the time. I am broke. Flat broke and if my man charges i would find the pennace and pay as something needs to be done to elivate the strain from the boss man and the daily upkeep. Charity sucks not working. Voluntary is not working as we cant be enjoying the fantastic reasonings every now and again and dont expect to pay a penny. Then when it crashes we all twiddle our thumbs and wait on admin or the big boss man to fix it like it works on every ready that keeps going and going and going.

I admire you as being in UNI and still find time and money for this your are a boss, who said men cant mulit task?

I feel it should be subscription and all the talk they would find it or move on. Something small so that they dont feel it. No way should we be enjoying the fabulous works of HIM for free and no cant donate or offer a lickle berry. I was on the run and would peep and see the lickle thing about voluntary upkeep of the site. Never once has it reached.

Paid subscription would make the general upkeep uptight and ificial and leave the voluntary payments still payable.

I never make sense as so told. But you have to start weighing the pros and cons of such a brilliant site with no help apart from a few members who have donated (excluding myself).

Payment is fine by me. You a reasonable man so I know you aint going kill nobody with price but you cant do this on goodwil and charity and for the new one maybe you will make some changes as paying for the site should be out of your hands completly and left to the members. Advancements are a must as foward ever backward never.

I say to pay

Menace II Babylon

[Ras Kamenwati]

To be truthful most of us in the struggle don't have much money. A good number of brother and sister I meet don't have much money myself included. But we still want to do some thing for the cause. So i think donations would be a great idea that way it wouldn't be forced. And most of can give what we can.

[Lydiah]

i think its better to let it be free, maybe if people have to pay the site would lose some members...
or partly free..

[Soundjata]

Greetings DJ Kultjah,
the I mentioned "other ways to go bout it". Can the I possibly details these options? InI find all the suggestions put forward here really helpful, and would love to hear some more. Also the I mentioned something about the format? please enlighten I..
Give thanks

[Papa Fz]

I think that a move to a subscription would adversely effect the growth of the site. Every attempt to do this by other publications results in a short time where a small % of users are willing to pay, but the growth usually stops after a time, as new users are less likely to pay for a subscription.

I would suggest that ones focus on continuing to grow the site, and get the page views up on the site. This could be accomplished through adding more features, interviews (with elders or artists), and in general growing the 'stickiness' of the site giving us all more reason to come forward more often to check the site.

Once certain traffic levels have been reached I would suggest checking with some of the Rastafari owned clothing labels and other businesses about sponsoring the site for a set fee each month. There could even be multiple sponsors. Same way, if ones wanted to do a 'funds drive' to help certain elders etc this could be setup and ones could voluntarily donate to the cause. Keeping it free lets that get in front of more eyes, which means more potential contributors.

The nice thing about how this is setup with Ning, is that if everyone that is a member focused on doing this - adding events, pics, content, interviews with Ras that influence them etc, InI could all do this without it being any one person responsibility or relying on any one specifically to manage this all. As a collective InI can still accomplish said goals of generating some ends for the site owners as well as put a money towards helping elders.

Blessed more love

Selassie I

- Papa Fz aka Philip Gad

[Menace II Babylon]

So if everybody against assiting and paying i suppose the voluntary payments will be up in the air?

[Soundjata]

Powerful words Bredren,
U seem to be really knowledgeable regarding this question. I will message the I privately regarding this and many other things. Lets keep the link up
Give thanks

[SetAnbesa]

Haile I....
First, I would like to give so many thanks to Soundjata and Hailemah for their devotion to this site.

Many of us are struggling to pay the rent, bills and keep food on the table, but I don't think that $1 a month is a lot to ask. Personally, I would be more than happy to pay for a subscription to this sight, especially knowing that the money would be going right back into the Rasta community. I think it is crucial for we to seize any opportunity to support each other, and this is one small way that we can.

Personally, I am against the advertisement route. Nuff things flooding our senses these days wanting us to spend spend spend. But if that is the road that must be traveled, I used to work for Rastaroots.com and it's very possible that the bredren who owns it would be interested in advertising.

My one little vote is YES make this a subscription sight!!!
Majesty guide and protect.