SitePoint.com

I, Brian · Sep 9, 2005, 02:43

I have non-commercial reference site that really needs a degree of financial independence, to help protect it over the long term, not least for when I plan register it as a charity next year.

As part of the proposed business model, I'm looking at allowing visitors to see the first few paragraphs of content - but then require a login to see the rest of the content (wih paid users automatically seeing the content).

I'm sure most of us have seen this somewhere online with online publications - however, how difficult is this going to be to implement?

What should I really need to account for in terms of costs, resources, and general overheads?

Replies much appreciated.

vgarcia · Sep 9, 2005, 04:16

Two database fields: article_content and excerpt.

Show excerpt to all customers, but only article_content to paid subscribers.

This is the easiest part really. The whole payment system and user database will probably be far more work if you don't already have that stuff set up.

LucidSurf · Sep 10, 2005, 22:25

Absolutely. I have just set up a subscription site and getting the payment gateway plus member database and access control working smoothly was by far (and still is, to a degree) the hardest part. I ended up using a system called aMember to manage access and subscriptions but even that required a lot of modification to suit my client's needs.

Another way to show just a part of the article could be to extract the article contents from the DB and parse it at a certain point so you only display 100 characters (or whatever) of the text string.

I, Brian · Sep 11, 2005, 04:09

Many thanks for the heads up - it does sound like I'm going to have to take on some custom programming and db development work (unless I finally start reading Kevin Yank's book!) and that I should prepare for some challenges.

The aMember software looks like a great potential platform to start from - I'll look into that further.

tested · Sep 11, 2005, 10:49

I think you could easily do it with vBulletin...

Hajduk · Sep 27, 2005, 12:22

I am selling one of the copies with liscence I have of Amember pro for halve the price, so contact me if you want it.

Sep 9, 2005, 02:43	#1
I, Brian SEO Link Building Master Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 1,285	How to set up a site subscription model? I have non-commercial reference site that really needs a degree of financial independence, to help protect it over the long term, not least for when I plan register it as a charity next year. As part of the proposed business model, I'm looking at allowing visitors to see the first few paragraphs of content - but then require a login to see the rest of the content (wih paid users automatically seeing the content). I'm sure most of us have seen this somewhere online with online publications - however, how difficult is this going to be to implement? What should I really need to account for in terms of costs, resources, and general overheads? Replies much appreciated. __________________ Internet Business Forums - free business help & advice

Sep 11, 2005, 04:09	#4
I, Brian SEO Link Building Master Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 1,285	Many thanks for the heads up - it does sound like I'm going to have to take on some custom programming and db development work (unless I finally start reading Kevin Yank's book!) and that I should prepare for some challenges. The aMember software looks like a great potential platform to start from - I'll look into that further. __________________ Internet Business Forums - free business help & advice

Sep 11, 2005, 10:49	#5
tested SitePoint Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 10	I think you could easily do it with vBulletin... __________________ dealdump.com - hidetext.net - persian-carpet

Sep 27, 2005, 12:22	#6
Hajduk SitePoint Addict Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Behind you Posts: 357	I am selling one of the copies with liscence I have of Amember pro for halve the price, so contact me if you want it. __________________ Template Bin

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Sep 9, 2005, 04:16	#2
vgarcia ☆★☆★ Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: in transition Posts: 21,423	Two database fields: article_content and excerpt. Show excerpt to all customers, but only article_content to paid subscribers. This is the easiest part really. The whole payment system and user database will probably be far more work if you don't already have that stuff set up.

Sep 10, 2005, 22:25	#3
LucidSurf SitePoint Zealot Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 115	Absolutely. I have just set up a subscription site and getting the payment gateway plus member database and access control working smoothly was by far (and still is, to a degree) the hardest part. I ended up using a system called aMember to manage access and subscriptions but even that required a lot of modification to suit my client's needs. Another way to show just a part of the article could be to extract the article contents from the DB and parse it at a certain point so you only display 100 characters (or whatever) of the text string.