Poll : 29 December - 11 January 2011

Analysis

Firstly, we'll clarify that we have no intention of charging LVA subscribers for a feature like QoD and if we do switch to some kind of subscription model, access to QoD and the Archives would certainly be included in the annual membership fee, so this would become an added value to membership. We realize this wasn’t specified in the poll and want to make it very clear how much we appreciate and value our loyal subscribers, some of whom have been supporting LVA since its inception. Without you, we wouldn’t be here.

The Internet's created a climate in which we all expect to be able to access information at our fingertips, for free, but many people on the receiving end seem unaware that all this content, design, bandwidth, etc. has to be paid for. If you think you can find the same caliber of info we provide daily in QoD, Today’s News, etc. on another site, we'd truly love to know where, because we simply don’t believe it. But in spite of or because of this, our site has been a net cost to our business since we launched it. That's a fact and that's not sustainable.

There’s a lot more we could say, but instead we’ll let a cross-section of your responses do the talking for us and allow you to draw your own conclusions:

• "First, let me say that I love the QOD and I read it every day. Some of the questions are a little specific and probably only appeal to a very small segment of the QOD readership, but most of the answers not only just answer a question but also give the reader insight and history as well. I've been a paid subscriber to LVA for about the past 7 or 8 years and In the event you should decide to start charging for it, I think that just a buck a month is more than reasonable to charge for people that are just QOD subscribers and not LVA subscribers."
  
  
• "Please do not go to QoD as a premium service. I read it daily. I have been unemployed for more than eight months and do not know if I can come up with the $1 / month. Please do not go to this at this time."
  
  
• "I am outraged that you would even think of charging money. Does this mean you are just like the airlines and casinos and must get that extra dollar of income? Is money everything? How about just earning a fair return on your investment and offer something without expecting it to be a new profit center?"
  
  
• "I get far more than $3.00 per month in valuable info. In simple English, ‘Hell yes!’"
  
  
• "I selected Item #1, because it most closely fit my thoughts on the QOD. I don't read every answer if the question is something that doesn't interest me. On the other hand, I've learned a lot about Las Vegas through the QOD, and have planned my trips around some of the information provided by the QOD, so I would most like subscribe for a nominal fee.
  
  "However, there's another option that you didn't include, and that's to bump up the cost of membership slightly. To add a fee for $1 a month is most like the airlines charging fees for every little add-on when I'd rather just pay slightly more for total service. You could also ‘downgrade’ to a Question of the Week. However, to continue with daily QODs, I'd opt to pay slightly more for my membership."
  
  
• "I read your Question of the Day every day. I find it informative and entertaining. I would pay a nominal sum to keep reading it. This is the cost of doing business nowadays."
  
  
• "I probably wouldn't pay $1 a month just for the QOD, but adding access to the archives makes this a great value. I'm in if this is the solution to your problems."
  
  
• "I really enjoy QoD and read it on a daily basis, particularly as a trip to Vegas approaches. I am averse to paying for Internet content period, especially something like QoD, which is simply a guilty pleasure. I would certainly miss it because checking the day's question is part of my daily routine, but I doubt I would pay for it, even though $12/year is a trivial amount (comparable to a hand of blackjack)."
  
  
• " I understand your expense. Cut the cost by making it view only. NO daily delivery. I look every day by clicking it. Get these lazy people off their As$%'& and make them look. I think you are bearing more of the expense then you should. Don't put their cost on me. I like your answers."
  
  
• "I love the QoD, read it almost daily, and think it should come free with the purchase of the LVA/MRB membership, which I purchase every year. Let those who do not subscribe pay to read the QoD. I think that's fair. It's a great feature and I would hate to see it go. Keep up the good work and keep 'em coming.