The first 10 Ebooks are geared towards the beginner, intermediate AV Enthusiast. We will specialize as this grows. The potential is unlimited. 60% of our traffic from Google is new readers and we will be focusing primarily on that audience during the initial launch.
Gene how many of the new members stick around? Most of the time its "which subwoofer should I buy for under $11.80?" or "How do I get my remote control to do backflips and change the litter box?" they get their answers and are gone, if they even come back for the answer... There is only a handful of us that post regularly and answer the questions, I would think that if there was no one here to give advice and create the tag lines that people are searching for, there would be a lot less traffic... I have to admit, out of most of the av sites, we have the best advice, most on top of sales, new gear, and actually have heard it. People that come here and give bad advice seem to get weeded out pretty quickly... I love listening to music, if I could do it with out the gear, I would, but its really hard to get a band to follow you around and then the looks you get when you go into the library or a funeral are attrocious. So inturn I love the gear by association, if it didn't play music I can think of much more useful furniture than a pair of towers. SO I go around and listen to new stuff when I hear about it, as do a few of the guys in my family, If I am interested enough I will buy them, {just bought a pair of jbl 530's, not sure why, but hopefully that will be answered when they get here}...
Anyway, I think more people will visit the more regulars you get, and charging to be a regular seems to be a little "iffy", don't get me wrong, I love your articles, and get a lot of my gear ideas from them, but I think the google search traffic is from someone googling "best home theater receiver for $500", I can't count how many times people have told me they bought a certain piece of equipment because of Cnet, and I am not really impressed with what I read on there....
So here is what I would pay for.... Discounts {of course} being in the business you may be able to rig some member only coupon codes, access to new gear -your reviews of everything new comparisons charts of new and old models to take out the guess work out of the updates, gear shootouts with real data like blind tests between Ascend sierras, Philharmonitors, and wow1's, and free stuff {I won't be a member if I don't get a hat}
.... I have been a member or forums that tried to charge before {hayabusa.org, 1911.something, ect} and it never really panned out, if new members visit to get information and then are asked to pay for it they will NOT, you end up getting some existing members that join just because, but thats about all I ever see happen... I know the reviews and articles take time and doing it for "free" must suck, but instead of charging to be a member just charge for the individual ebook. So if I don't need the info in that book I wont buy it but if there is another that I want access to I will....
Sorry for the long post and jumbled ideas its just how I think, all jumbled up... and please don't take it as I am trying to criticize what you are trying to do, you are in this business not me, I wouldn't expect you to come to my office and tell me how to run my businesses, my father tries all the time and it makes me want to drown him...
