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Giant Bombcast - Let's Talk About Memberships!

TheFatOne said:
The problem with Weekend Confirmed is that they all agree with each other for the most part. They all the the same things which gets boring.
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I don't know, Jeff seems pretty contrary sometimes (not liking Just Cause 2?!).
 
vitaminwateryum said:
:lol :lol Glad someone said this.

If you get the yearly sub you could cut out $4.17 of fast food, beer, sweets or any other form of entertainment per month and be fine.
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You people are the reason why Microsoft gets to charge for online and publishers sell unlock codes for content already on the disc.
 
I think everyone is over reacting.

Its not as easy as get more ad revenue. I am sure if it was that easy it wont be done.

Anyways what is the big deal of waiting a week for content for all we know is not time specific like email and there useless but entertaining chatter in the second half. Most of the time i don't listen to the podcast a week or so later and it does not dim the experience of the podcast.
 
@LlamaNL If we get 5,000 subscribers by 10amPST on 9/10, the Bombcast goes free for everyone. Forever. Deal?

posted by Whiskey on twitter.
 
Rez said:
if Dave insists this is because most people just want to support them, why jade your audience that might have bought the subscription in the first place by doing something so clearly egregious?
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Problem is they've got their heads in their asses. They think anyone against this act is against paying/supporting them. I don't think they realize a lot of people are welling to support if they had originally stayed true to their word and not fuck with any existing feature on the site.
 
ultron87 said:
And if I pay will I even be able to download the Premium Half in my normal iTunes fashion?
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There shall be but four download options to pick and choose from:

1 Half Download (Tuesday - For Non Subscribers)
2 Full Download (Tuesday - For Subscribers)
3 Second Half Download (Later - For Non Subscribers)
4 Full Download (Later - For Non Subscribers)
 
Curufinwe said:
Making up figures like that really doesn't help.
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Making up facts is the cornerstone of Internet discussion.

I would be really interested to see the number of podcast downloaders vs. Active GB community members....it is a pretty niche site.
 
StuBurns said:
Just the way I gots'ta roll player...

Was I meant to read that as ghetto?
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I don't know. I just abbreviated 'why has' to why's and you assumed it was 'ghetto'

I think we should move on
 
Smarter idea stolen from someone on Giantbomb.
I think I agree with some of the sentiments here. I enjoy the full bombcast. I don't want only a portion of the bombcast and I really don't like the idea of waiting a week for the full bombcast. Most video game podcasts are out of date in a week. new announcements, interviews and news comes in a week's time. I think they could have come up with something new to offer instead of breaking up the podcast. Maybe offer a video of the podcast to paid subscribers, and unpaid just get audio. Again, it kind of sucks, the two hour podcast was perfect for my NYC commute. Damnit. "
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Would've been a much better option. People who don't subscribe don't feel like they're losing anything, subscribers get premium content.
 
Sir Lizardman said:
I think everyone is over reacting.

Its not as easy as get more ad revenue. I am sure if it was that easy it wont be done.

Anyways what is the big deal of waiting a week for content for all we know is not time specific like email and there useless but entertaining chatter in the second half. Most of the time i don't listen to the podcast a week or so later and it does not dim the experience of the podcast.
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The fact is, the podcast is recorded in one day (most of the time), which means they are usually making references to previously in the same cast.
Now they either have to change the format of the podcast to accommodate the split, or we get references that we may not remember/are stale.
Either way, it changes the flow of one of the better gaming podcasts currently available, which is more than half the reason people are outraged.
 
Well I donate regularly to a few podcasts, most recently to American Life and RadioLab, all they had to do was ask nicely, I didn't even get anything extra for it, perhaps I'm alone but had GiantBomb just added a few basic features, HD etc and said that they needed supporting that would of been enough for me.

Gaming sites like these that have great personality have very passionate followers, and people with little money are willing to support ventures like these but not in this manner, not by strong arming us into it by holding the Bombcast as ransom, if anything I feel betrayed by the fact that they didn't trust us, that they felt they needed to go this far to secure support when all they needed to do was ask for it and I would of sprang my CreditCard out of my wallet.
 
Gomu Gomu said:
Problem is they've got their heads in their asses. They think anyone against this act is against paying/supporting them. I don't think they realize a lot of people are welling to support if they had originally stayed true to their word and not fucking with any existing feature on the site.
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This. I will have to check out the CAGcast based on the recommendations here as well.
 
TheFatOne said:
The problem with Weekend Confirmed is that they all agree with each other for the most part. They all the the same things which gets boring.
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I'm a fan of Weekend Confirmed, but I think the problem is more than none of them are actually funny, and when they try to be funny is the worst parts of the show. I listen because of their informative and thoughtful discussion of issues in videogames. That makes it dry, but that's really what I want from WC.
 
EmCeeGramr said:
Well if they have data and are a company, then I'm sure it will be a success. No company with data ever fails, ever! Like Sony! People laughed at $600, but I'm sure Sony had tons of data about how people would love to spend that amount of money on a premium experience. But they forgot that Sony was a huge company with more money, and more money = better than (especially when it comes to business decisions).
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Heh, you just compared a $600 out of pocket immediate investment vs $50 - $60 a year one which has already given us hours of entertainment for free. It's fun comparing massive corporations to start up companies.
 
I'm curious as to the reasoning behind the podcast cut. If podcast content is so important to the site's fan base, doesn't it make just as much sense to leave the current bombcast as is and record a second one (presumably ~1 hour and more focused on a singular topic) later in the week. This creates a greater value in a category that the fanbase values, and in turn entices members to sign up for the premium membership to experience more of something that they enjoy. It also wouldn't incur any additional equipment/space costs as it's all there already for the original podcast - but would create value for the premium membership besides the token features (t-shirt, HD quick looks, etc.).

This just seems like the most obvious answer considering that they're leveraging a podcast to push memberships, though I think there's also additional opportunities for membership perks (forum/chat privileges, special events, etc.).
 
So uh what's stopping people from ripping the podcast mp3 and uploading it somewhere else for everyone? :P
 
There's a lot of anger here. I was shocked by the splitting of the Bombcast as well, but these guys have always listened to their fans, I'm sure they'll get this right.

Right?

That video for premium members idea is great.


jett said:
So uh what's stopping people from ripping the podcast mp3 and uploading it somewhere else for everyone? :P
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Pirated Podcasts. What a crazy world we live in.
 
Neuromancer said:
I don't know, Jeff seems pretty contrary sometimes (not liking Just Cause 2?!).
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Yea but they share the same opinions for most stuff. Also Leahy is like clock work. That man is entirely predictable. They also seriously need to stop with the penis /sex jokes. That shit wasn't funny in middle school why is it funny now.? Not only are the jokes not funny but it completely destroys the flow of the podcast.
 
AcridMeat said:
@LlamaNL If we get 5,000 subscribers by 10amPST on 9/10, the Bombcast goes free for everyone. Forever. Deal?

posted by Whiskey on twitter.
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Not sure what numbers they do, but what's more likely for them to achieve

5000 users at $50/year
10000 users at $25/year
 
it seems like they did all of their financial calculations to see how much annually they would need in order to:

-make the improvements/changes they are planning
-stay in business
-deal with their unique (i guess) ad policies where they approve each of them, etc.

THEN they established that $50 per year price point, and started deciding what to give users in exchange for it. they eventually couldn't come up with enough to justify that $50 they NEEDED, so decided to take a little from what was already free.

this is what everyone was afraid sony was doing with PS+. i can see how sure, a lot of these upgrades apply to everyone paid or not, but paying for podcasts? c'mon... waiting a week to hear the other half is like getting that month-old GI issue immediately when renewing your gamestop card. game news moves fast and a week old is pretty damn old to most people. (unless the second hour is just them sitting around chatting about nothing special, and doesn't relate to games at all... begging the question as to why it's on there, and for paid users, in the first place. waste of money?)
 
I don't buy the whole "there are no advertisers" defense. Look at 1up, there are clearly companies that want to plaster shit all over sites. And if there were more good content at 1up, I wouldn't really mind.

I also don't get why GB thinks that people will care about a live show? Why would that be entertaining?
 
GodfatherX said:
Not sure what numbers they do, but what's more likely for them to achieve

5000 users at $50/year
10000 users at $25/year
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Looking at the pitiful numbers for the $20 that goes to charity for the Great Adventure Bundle? Probably not as many as you'd hope.
 
bearcatjosh said:
Cool, Garnett seems like a smart dude based on his appearances on the Bonus Round. Hopefully he's like that in the podcast too.
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he is

OT: 49.99 fuck that shit i was willing to pay 20 p/yr but not as much as PSN+ and XBL for a year
 
Setreal said:
I'm curious as to the reasoning behind the podcast cut. If podcast content is so important to the site's fan base, doesn't it make just as much sense to leave the current bombcast as is and record a second one (presumably ~1 hour and more focused on a singular topic) later in the week. This creates a greater value in a category that the fanbase values, and in turn entices members to sign up for the premium membership to experience more of something that they enjoy. It also wouldn't incur any additional equipment/space costs as it's all there already for the original podcast - but would create value for the premium membership besides the token features (t-shirt, HD quick looks, etc.).

This just seems like the most obvious answer considering that they're leveraging a podcast to push memberships, though I think there's also additional opportunities for membership perks (forum/chat privileges, special events, etc.).
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That's what I assumed they were doing before I read the details.
 
jett said:
So uh what's stopping people from ripping the podcast mp3 and uploading it somewhere else for everyone? :P
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Nothing. Actually they know people are gonna pirate the podcast if they do this. Which makes this even more confusing. If you know people are going to do so anyway, why do you insist on pissing off a large number of potential subscribers by changing the format and fucking up with podcast?
 
Clearly we're not in a recession anymore. Otherwise, why would video game websites charge for podcasts? Clearly.......batmanbatmanbatman
 
I know neogaf is blind with rage right now, but if this is what they have to do, this is what they have to do. I rather see them do this than shut down. I don't think they are trying to be malicious like some people are suggesting.
 
vitaminwateryum said:
:lol :lol Glad someone said this.

If you get the yearly sub you could cut out $4.17 of fast food, beer, sweets or any other form of entertainment per month and be fine.
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Well shit you can break down anything you buy like this. You eventually run out of money though unless you are a baller.

iwhls3.gif


BigAssRamp said:
I know neogaf is blind with rage right now, but if this is what they have to do, this is what they have to do. I rather see them do this than shut down. I don't think they are trying to be malicious like some people are suggesting.
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Honestly, if this is what they have to do to survive right now it probably isn't worth investing as it will be a wasted investment since the website won't be around in a year.
 
Shalashaska said:
Smarter idea stolen from someone on Giantbomb.

Would've been a much better option. People who don't subscribe don't feel like they're losing anything, subscribers get premium content.
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yeah that is a good idea, to bad they didn't do that :(
 
For people seeking a surrogate podcast, I'd suggest checking out Jumping the Shark. It's not laughing-out-loud funny, but it's charming, adult and incredibly listenable. Give it a few episodes and decide. I think it's a better choice than Weekend Confirmed, which still lacks chemistry.
 
Gomu Gomu said:
Nothing. Actually they know people are gonna pirate the podcast if they do this. Which makes this even more confusing.
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In the chat Dave was even asked and he said he can't speak for the legal guys but he doesn't see any point in trying to police mp3s.
 
vitaminwateryum said:
:lol :lol Glad someone said this.

If you get the yearly sub you could cut out $4.17 of fast food, beer, sweets or any other form of entertainment per month and be fine.
Click to expand...

You people really love taking a one-time fee and breaking it down monthly. Why not go even further and break it down daily? Hey! It's only $0.14 a day! Only $0.06 an hour! So cheap! Ignore the fact that you are paying a lump sum of $50. Debating whether or not to buy a sandwich for lunch that costs $10? Don't fret, if you break it down over a year, you're only paying around 3 cents a day! How cheap!

How many times are you willing to pile on subscription services to your monthly expenses? How many of these "x dollars per second/hour/day/month/year" payment plans are you willing to keep track of? When do you say enough is enough?
 
Mrbob said:
Well shit you can break down anything you buy like this. You eventually run out of money though unless you are a baller.

iwhls3.gif




Honestly, if this is what they have to do to survive right now it probably isn't worth investing as it will be a wasted investment since the website won't be around in a year.
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Stop SPAMMING the thread with these gifs
 
Big Ass Ramp said:
I think I'm in shock. I can't believe they would do that to the podcast. Wow. They must be in pretty huge financial trouble.

EDIT: if Ryan's twitter is anything to go by, they may actually be in financial trouble.

http://twitter.com/taswell/status/23967198880

http://twitter.com/taswell/status/23970014145
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Tch, damn. I really want these guys to succeed but I'm very against them splitting the bombcast. It'll be like paying for a business practice I don't support.
 
See, this actually pisses me off more than anything else they've done today. You're LITERALLY holding your content hostage! What the fuck!?!?!
 
The show will be up on every single file sharing site 1 hour after it goes up, just ask Revision3 you know the guys that make podcasts for a living.
 
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