Two observations: Order processing is instantaneous and I'm far more verbose than I'd realized.
I Can't Afford Not To...
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Last summer I received a private message with an inquiry as to why I hadn't purchased a membership. I don't think it was intended as gentle persuasion for me to purchase one (although I'm sure it would have been welcomed), but rather as a means of gathering of market information for chess.com to understand how to better target prospective customers. Being an avid user of the site (and for free I might add), I was more than happy to provide some feedback as a way to at least try to give something of value back.
At that time, my response was that I thought chess.com simply gave too much away for free for me to be incentivized to purchase a membership. The parts of the site I used were freely available, and the membership benefits were largely focused in areas I didn't see myself spending a lot of time using.
In addition, it was summer and the amount of free time I had to commit to chess.com was largely -- I was in fact, at that time, in the progress of ramping down my game load significantly in recognition of this. As a result, I just didn't see myself being in a position to utilize a membership even if it did provide added functionality that I would utilize at least until my social commitments began to wane as summer wrapped up.
There was some back and forth that followed, and I provided some thoughts on what kinds of features I'd be interested in paying for, and pledged to reassess my situation come fall.
Well a couple of months passed, and I saw a number of the key features that I'd suggested would entice me to purchase a membership implemented. Unfortunately, in the interim, I'd made an ill timed move to an investment bank and found myself a victim of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown and abruptly and quite rudely out of work for the first time in my life. Suddenly I had all of the time in the world for chess.com, but the good sense to continue to eschew a Chess.com membership in light of my situation. Not wanting to ramp up my turn-based game load lest I find myself overwhelmed when I did eventually find employment again, I wiled away my time in Live Chess and kept my turn based games to a minimum.
By early December, I had managed to land another gig and found that my situation was once again again reversed -- coming up to speed in a new job left little time for me to use all of the features of chess.com regardless of my renewed ability to afford a membership. Alas, my decision to take the plunge would again have to wait.
Today all of that changed. It's not that I've suddenly found more time for Chess.com, but rather Chess.com has found more time for me. I've long hoped for access to Chess.com via a mobile device -- in my case a work issued Blackberry. This would allow me to sneak moves in at what had previously been times that I was simply unable to access Chess.com. As a result, I will be able to ramp my game load back up. Couple this with the new membership structures, and all of the new features from the last six months or so that I've been unable to use but am interested in and it's an offer I can't refuse. I'm spend so much time on this site, I just don't see how I can continue to afford to not purchase a membership. As a result, I have my credit card in hand and am opting for the Platinum membership.
As for the incredible story of Chess.com, I have to say to Erik and staff: congratulations on becoming the top chess site and reaching a point where you are comfortable removing the BETA. It's a testament to all of the hard work that you guys have clearly put into the site and I'm amazed at your ability to maintain the level of customer focus (prospective or otherwise) that you have.
Even moreso than for the functional acheivements, though, I really have to say congratulations on turning Chess.com into a viable business model. There are lots of great ideas out there that just aren't realistic commercially. Recognizing when a great functional idea isn't going to fly as a business is something that a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with. You guys seem to have found one that is, and as a bonus seem to have a passion for what you do that allows you to have fun along the way. Of that I am truly envious.