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MEMBERSHIP SITE OWNERS: Do you allow members to download your videos - or only watch them online?

by magentawave
14 replies
For anyone that owns paid-for membership sites...

1) Do you allow your members to download your videos to their computer...or can they only watch them online from your site?

2) Assuming your content is drip-fed and a customer cancels after 4 months (for example), do you let them access the first 4 months of content that they paid for forever?

Thanks very much for participating.

Steve
#download #members #membership #online #owners #site #videos #watch
  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    1) If people want to download your video or make a copy they will do so regardless. There are plenty of programs that can be used for such a purpose. As a last resort they can just do a screencast of the video. Almost all membership sites that I have been in with streaming videos, I will also open up Safari, see the download urls for the videos, and download them straight to my computer. I much prefer to have them saved and watch them at my own leisure and be able to skip through the boring parts.
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    • Profile picture of the author magentawave
      This niche is for an offline business which means they aren't as tech-savvy as the IM crowd tends to be. Also, I'm using Digital Access Pass (DAP) which makes the code for that page/post invisible and inaccessable from downloading with certain Firefox addons (like DownloadHelper, etc.) too. I agree that they could use a screen recording program though, but protecting the videos isn't why I made this post anyway. I'm interested in knowing if those with membership sites: a) allow their paid members to download their videos? and... b) Do they continue to allow access to the content the member paid for even after the member unsubscribes?

      Thanks for your reply.

      Steve


      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      1) If people want to download your video or make a copy they will do so regardless. There are plenty of programs that can be used for such a purpose. As a last resort they can just do a screencast of the video. Almost all membership sites that I have been in with streaming videos, I will also open up Safari, see the download urls for the videos, and download them straight to my computer. I much prefer to have them saved and watch them at my own leisure and be able to skip through the boring parts.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zanti
    Hi Steve,

    Really good question, I'd be interested in hearing other replies.

    On my membership site I do allow downloading of videos.

    For your second question: Yes, they get it forever.

    My reasoning for both is, if you provide quality video content and after some time a member cancels their subscription, sooner or later they will rediscover the video on their hard driver or in a folder and make their way back to my site. At least I seem to do that. I found some old videos the other day, went back to the site and found a wealth of new information.

    Depending on how one sets up their membership site, I use DAP, it's no problem giving access to customers forever. There's a lot of flexibility within DAP so I could set it up for many different configurations.

    The other thing for me is that I see it as just a simple function of good customer service.

    Interested in other thoughts on this.

    Brian
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  • Profile picture of the author CyberSorcerer
    my members can download the videos, which is recommended, because when they stop paying they no longer get access.
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    • Profile picture of the author magentawave
      And how com you don't allow them access to what they paid for after they cancel? Is it because you allow access to ALL of your content from day one instead of having it drip-fed?


      Originally Posted by CyberSorcerer View Post

      my members can download the videos, which is recommended, because when they stop paying they no longer get access.
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      • Profile picture of the author CyberSorcerer
        Originally Posted by magentawave View Post

        And how com you don't allow them access to what they paid for after they cancel? Is it because you allow access to ALL of your content from day one instead of having it drip-fed?
        No my content is drip feed, lessons each week, and my target audience is strictly newbies. Plus there is over 400 hours of video in the complete 6 month course.
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  • Profile picture of the author Don Schenk
    A couple years ago Bill Bartmann had his membership site set up to be a $97 per month membership in which members would receive access to over 20 hours of downloadable video as well as downloadable audio files from the videos.

    Pretty soon folks were joining, downloading all the stuff, then quitting. He then changed the membership to $1,000. for a 1-year membership. Problem solved.

    As a side note, when he came out with his book about making a fortune from the present credit crisis, he wanted that book to get onto every "bestsellers" list possible. So he worked a JV with many owners of large lists, and offered a free 1-year membership to his $1,000. site to everyone who purchased the new book on a specific date. All you had to do was email a copy of your receipt from Amazon, Borders, or Barnes and Nobel to a special email he set up for this.

    I bought the book, and decided not to go into the "credit" business. But the business know-how, and business building techniqes in those 20+ hours of video/audio is priceless.

    :-Don
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    • Profile picture of the author enterpryzman
      I have had a membership with Bill since he began and he was a little ahead of the curve I would say. His video's are very interesting and he is quite obviously a smart guy. I have applied some of his suggestions to my main business ( not internet ) and have been very pleased.

      When I bought in it was about $200. yearly and then I did some things which gave me additional years for free. He is counting on back-end sales.

      Enterpryzman




      Originally Posted by Don Schenk View Post

      A couple years ago Bill Bartmann had his membership site set up to be a $97 per month membership in which members would receive access to over 20 hours of downloadable video as well as downloadable audio files from the videos.

      Pretty soon folks were joining, downloading all the stuff, then quitting. He then changed the membership to $1,000. for a 1-year membership. Problem solved.

      As a side note, when he came out with his book about making a fortune from the present credit crisis, he wanted that book to get onto every "bestsellers" list possible. So he worked a JV with many owners of large lists, and offered a free 1-year membership to his $1,000. site to everyone who purchased the new book on a specific date. All you had to do was email a copy of your receipt from Amazon, Borders, or Barnes and Nobel to a special email he set up for this.

      I bought the book, and decided not to go into the "credit" business. But the business know-how, and business building techniqes in those 20+ hours of video/audio is priceless.

      :-Don
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  • Profile picture of the author Alan Petersen
    Yes (but I also give them the option to watch online) and yes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rich Struck
    We only have streaming videos. Our movies are intended for members, not ex-members. We don't drip feed but we do add new content quite often.
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    • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
      Originally Posted by Rich Struck View Post

      We only have streaming videos. Our movies are intended for members, not ex-members.
      I agree with this sentence. Membership sites give you access to content as long as you're a member. The moment you quit is the moment you lose access to the content. Makes perfect sense to me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexander Sebastian
    Dap is great software for setting up membership websites, im trying to do it all myself at the moment without any help(apart from the support at digital access pass) and have got pretty far! I am setting up vbulletin with my site so im still working out how i should go about dealing with members that cancel their membership, should they still get access to the paid section of the forum? hard call...

    Has anyone else setup vbulletin with DAP?
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  • Profile picture of the author VOnline
    It should be yes to both questions.
    Good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author noangel
      I say yes to both questions too.

      If you have bought something you should be able
      to watch it on your own computer, whether you
      find yourself with an internet connection or not.

      Also, what you have paid for you should be able
      to keep.

      Angela
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