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README.TXT
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1993-03-03
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A Message to a Pay Sysop
I want to share something with you that I think you will
find quite interesting. If you are reading this you are
probably at least interested in running a pay oriented
BBS. If you already run a pay BBS then you realize that
the most important, and unfortunately most difficult,
function of that BBS is to get the user to pay. It gets a
little easier if they have already paid once or twice.
However the real difficulty comes with getting that
caller the pay the very first time.
If I may digress for just a moment, I would like to share
something else with you. In the last twelve years many of
the billion-dollar enterprises have become so due to a
particular group of people and a particular strategy. The
group: people between the age of 12 and 35. The strategy:
low cost, high volume entertainment products. Think about
it. What is the most successful new product in the last
12 years? Home entertainment systems, i.e., Nintendo(TM)
and Sega Genesis(TM), to name just a couple. Now, what
was the precursor to the home entertainment system...
arcade video games. These alluring and quite remarkable
machines draw you to them and ask only a quarter to see
the rest of what it has in store. Let's say that you come
across a video game with some of the most awesome
graphics around and multi-player so you and your buds can
play against one another. You've decided to play, but in
order to you must first mail in a check to the company
who own the video game and keep coming back until you
know that they've received the check at which time you
receive a limited amount of time to play. Would you be so
inclined to pay much attention to that game? Maybe so,
now think of everyone else who would read this senerio...
would they? Who knows? The fact of the matter is this, it
would take so long to be able to play that you could
quickly lose interest, or if you have already mailed in
checks for your favorite video game, who's to say that
you will want to go through to whole process for yet
another great new game that you have come across?
If you think about it, this is what your callers face
each and every time they come across a great new BBS.
They may like it, and they will easily pay for it, but it
just takes too much time and trouble to get on-line. It
may also be easier to just stick with the one they are
already paying for even if it may be a long-distance
call.
I run a BBS and think that I have solved that problem in
much the same way arcade video games entices you to play.
I use a 900 number. This allows the caller to quickly pay
a small amount of money for a reasonable amount of time
on-line. What happens is when a caller connects for the
first time they get enough time to become interested.
Once they are interested in the BBS I give them my 900
number so they can call and get instant time on-line. The
process is much like paying for an arcade video game! The
process is simple. They simply call the 900 number and
receive a code. The caller then calls the BBS back and
enters that code. He receives instant Membership! I know
that they have paid for the code because they could only
get it by calling the 900 number and thereby charging
their phone. The 900 number makes a flat charge to their
phone of $10.00. That gives them $10.00 worth of on-line
time once that code is redeemed. The response is
phenomenal! My paid user-ship had gone up nearly 600% in
just a few months.
I am offering BBS Sysops the opportunity to connect a
900 number to their BBS for just $250.00. It is called
The Connect 900 Service. There are no hidden connect
fees. I ask that you call around and ask. Most people
will tell you that there is a catch, but there is none.
For only $250.00 you can offer your callers the ease and
simplicity of paying for your BBS on the fly. You would
effectively remove the time barrier. And, you also reduce
the number of checks and credit card orders to process.
In conversations with other BBS Sysops running pay-for-
play systems we would often get on the topic of making
more money with the system or at least making it pay for
itself. Usually, before the Connect 900 Service was
available, we would get on the subject of instant pay.
That would inevitably lead to the discussion of credit
card acceptance and then to 900 numbers and would quickly
end with sighs and groans about the expense and
complications of each step. Credit cards offer instant
pay, but, if you are smart, not instant play. Fear of
fraud and misuse generally tend to only shorten the time
between paying and playing. It still takes awhile. Also,
some people, namely myself, are a bit wary of leaving
that valuable 12 to 14 digit number in the hands of a
stranger. That problem is no more.