FREE MEMBERS - now completely restricted

We are fairly new here so we are still learning the ins and outs. Its frustrating when you find a person you want to reach out to, but they are a free memeber. Now with the stricter profile monitoring, we can't even post an alternative way of communicating. Understanding that this truely is a business, we get it. But isn't the point of this site to get people together?

I agree that being a paid member shows initiative and commitment, but show be at least some limited access for communicating. Maybe a like button, or a few responses a day?

Becoming a paid member demonstrates investment. It helps weed out those just looking....and some of the rudeness.
And it's required on most personal sites.

I don't even consider non paid members. It's a layer of security.

Is the last post true ? there are a few free members that i would be interested in contacting and would probably convince to pay the site no matter how screwed up it is at times lol

LMAO, are you suggesting $5 is too much ask someone to pay to have access to see PAID members profiles, write to them or participate in the fora?

Every type of "play" involves pay. Hell, if you go to a local pick up joint, you are likely going to have to spring for a drink or two. Or is that too much to ask? Should women in bars or on swing sites just jump on your dick just because you show up as a free member? Or better yet, a free gumby with no pics?

SMDH

~S~

I LOVE IT !!!!! If You can't pAy , you get no pLaY ( DICK)

I agree Beast. Even if it’s just $5 for the trial period and you get to apply the $5 towards an annual or lifetime membership. That would go a long way towards eliminating the fakes and flakes out there

~S~

Just get rid of free members/memberships all together and no one will have this problem. Add a 2 week, paid, trial membership to the options available, then every profile on SLS will have the same abilities to contact and reply to others. Simple. -Beast

“Currently all they see is that they got a message and the subject line. They can not open the post.”

Say it as many ways as you want, it is still registering correctly each time. You are making contact, they must pay to continue the contact reply. Just because you pay to contact others, it doesn’t give you the entitlement to exempt others from their obligated TOS. There are a couple other sites we use that have been this way for years, it is a not so new business model. Hopefully the light will click on with others so they see it is a moot complaint.

I too am done beating this dead horse. Take care.

~Allen

888eatme888
You said"Free members, however, ARE NOT paid members and SHOULD NOT receive paid member benefits, like being able to reply to emails or IMs."

Then somehow you interpreted what I said to mean "So you don’t care that they cannot reply to your email, you just want them to receive it.....got it.
Now that’s a battle not worth fighting."

Just to be clear that is not what I had in mind at all.
Actually it is worse than you suggest. Currently all they see is that they got a message and the subject line. They can not open the post.

While I believe that treating free members this way will ultimately be bad for SLS, my main gripe is that I am not permitted to make contacts as I see fit. This is one of the things that I paid for with my membership fee.

This is getting old and as I doubt anyone in a decision making position on SLS really cares what I think, I am going to do something other than wasting my time with this.

If someone posts something interesting on this subject I may chime in again, but for now, I have said the same things in way to many different ways.

So you don’t care that they cannot reply to your email, you just want them to receive it.....got it.

Now that’s a battle not worth fighting.

"What we did not pay for was the inability to contact a free member who may be of interest and communicate with them. We also did not pay so that we could not be contacted by a free member who may find us interesting.”

Actually I misspoke as a Lifetime member I did evidently pay to have my communication ability thus limited. I should have said that I did not intentionally p[ay for this limitation on MY paid membership.

"You are absolutely correct, you should be able to email whoever and IM as much as you like, as a paid member."
Oh I can PM and email them. The messages just will not go through.

"Free members, however, ARE NOT paid members and SHOULD NOT receive paid member benefits, like being able to reply to emails or IMs."
Again it is not their rights that I am defending it is MY ability to communicate with them as I choose. Limiting them to one or two posts a day is sufficiently irritating that they will pay up if they get serious.

"Maybe paid members can offset this ability of a nonpaid member by being charged a premium for the free member to be able to reply........... "

We already DID pay to be able to communicate , now we should pay more? It is not like the electrons cost that much for SLS to pass on the message.

“What we did not pay for was the inability to contact a free member who may be of interest and communicate with them. We also did not pay so that we could not be contacted by a free member who may find us interesting.”

‘
What do I get as a PAID Member?

Some of the many benefits include:

• Couples will be more willing to talk to you if you are a paid member.

• You can upload an unlimited number of photos to ALL our picture types (Public, Private and Personal) which will allow you the liberty of picking and choosing which pictures go where and to who.

• You can message as many profiles as you want any time.

• You can view as many profiles as you like.

• You can initiate IMs

• You can join more groups/events if you are a paid member.

• You can create your own group on SLS; creation of groups require that you remain a paid member at all times.

• You can post on Forums.

• More people are open to communicate with you via Chat Rooms.

• You can certify other profiles

You are absolutely correct, you should be able to email whoever and IM as much as you like, as a paid member.

Free members, however, ARE NOT paid members and SHOULD NOT receive paid member benefits, like being able to reply to emails or IMs.

Maybe paid members can offset this ability of a nonpaid member by being charged a premium for the free member to be able to reply...........

We gladly paid for unlimited emailing, the ability to participate, not just read the forums, the ability to create and regulate our own galleries. All of these options were not available to us as free members.

What we did not pay for was the inability to contact a free member who may be of interest and communicate with them. We also did not pay so that we could not be contacted by a free member who may find us interesting.

There are plenty enough perks on the paid side to make it worth the money once one decides to play for real. There is also the ability for anyone who does not wish to be bothered by free members to block them en masse.

“What are we pay for then?”

The ability to interact with members who pay for the same level of access as yourself.

They should let Paid members at least be able to contact a free member What are we pay for then?

As far as the pictures go. One does not need to post public pics at all. That is what we do.

Rudeness is a sliding scale from clueless to just plain of the charts impolite. The latter can be blocked. The former , depending on our mood can be educated, refused, ignored or blocked. All in all it is a much more efficient process than getting rid of the occasional pesky hangabout at a party.

The most annoying ones we ever received came from a long standing, lifetime members with a really predatory attitude. After several no thanks and one "LEAVE US ALONE" we blocked them.

For us we have had too many instances where free single males, who have absolutely no idea of the Lifestyle, speak rudely ...and just think this is some kind of hardcore porn site that can talk to our wife's.. like their in a pornographic movie.

Like many who have answered on this subject, coming up with different ways to be fair to free members I think is very easy to do,,, try to think of what to do with rude unpaid, anonymous single males is much more difficult.

Well maybe I do have an answer.. Do just what you did ..If they haven't paid, then they are probably looking at or copying our pictures.

NO PAY NO ACCESS !

b&g

It is possible to make restrictions on free members that would encourage them to stick around and become paying members. I would suggest email access at being able to read incoming mail and make two posts a day either in reply or as a new post, with perhaps an additional limit of a maximum 6-8 posts a week.
This is just enough while testing the waters, but totally inadequate for any real conversation.

We want the free members, mostly newbies, to stick around or this list will shortly be populated with us "senior" folks only.

They should be able to read profiles.

I would probably not allow IM. I would allow only posting one public profile pic, and no gallery access as far as setting up their own gallery.

Free members should get a one week access to 5 email, IM, ...Then restrict them.

Why pay for a site if you can get everything for free? I’ve often suggested a free trial or better, a small fee to try out the site but to allow free members full access indefinitely makes no business sense.

Seriously, how much is a monthly membership? Pay for a month to see if it’s worth it then decide to quit or pay for an annual or lifetime membership.

~S~

Instead of me reading this entire thread because I’m late to the show,lol, what is the advantage of being a free member? We are lifetime members, but would love to contact a free member and it appears I can’t.

Let me see.
There is a product. Someone wishes to sell this product. Seller refuses to let potential customer sample the product and constrains the use if a sale should ever be made. Oh by the way no refunds if the product is unsatisfactory.

Cars... No
Clothes..,. No
Milkshakes ...No Sounds like good business to me.

BTW conforming to FOSTA is just a smoke screen. So you can add insulting the reason of existing customers into the mix.

I'd say let free members unlock the same old free member restrictions by verifying a phone number so theres a degree of accountability.

"This restriction has caused us to seek contacts on another site."

If you pick the correct one, they limit free users to not replying as well, until they pay for use of that resource. Good luck!

For all others:

This is social to members, yet at the same time, this is a business behind this website and a business model most social websites currently follow and some successful ones make you pay before you enter; paid members don't pay to interact with those who don't contribute and no where in the TOS does it state such service, paid members pay to use the site's resources that are offered as a privilege of being a paid member that you otherwise cannot use.

Beach time! Have a nice and safe weekend!

~Allen

This current limit on free members is very discouraging to those of us who have met many new members through the free initial contacts. We, paid members, should at the least, be able to initiate contact and receive a reply. Limit it to one or two a day a day, but don't totally eliminate the ability to communicate. This restriction has caused us to seek contacts on another site.
This is a bad, maybe fatal, business practice!