The shaming of non-premium users needs to stop!

[Robbie922004]

"Shaming"? You feel shame when a company offers you an optional service?

 

If you don't want to buy it, don't buy it. The pop-up and timer is a little annoying and fair to complain about, but still pretty tiny in the grand scheme of things when you consider just how much you get from the Nexus for absolutely nothing in return.

[Pasquale1223]

 

 

 

 

You folks need to stop and realize that this is a symbiotic relationship. Neither is going to continue to exist without the other.

Period.

 

 

Agreed. I'm not too sure anyone is saying otherwise though.

Appreciated :smile:

Nah, I don't think that anybody has either. Yet.

I was just trying to drive in the nail, that as much as we don't like freeloaders, leeches, and roaches... that we have to take the bad along with the good. And not to lump them all in together.

Because when it comes down to it, I have not yet once seen anybody say "Hey, it's a good thing that we have so many nonpaying members here on the site, because it helps the site grow."

I haven't seen anybody recognize that fact that the nonpaying members have any kind of merit.

I HAVE seen a lot of judgement and accusations against us tho.

And I've seen a bunch of "Oh you don't pay anything, so take what you get, and be happy about it, you haven't bought your right to complain."

 

Aye, there have been a fair amount of unpleasantries directed at non-paying members in this thread.

 

I'll take this opportunity to say that the value offered by the Nexus isn't just the mods, but the support community. There are a lot of knowledgeable folks around here, many of whom put a great deal of effort into helping other users work through various issues they're having with their systems, software, hardware, or mods.

 

I can't say I've ever paid much attention to member status in reading through support threads, but I'm pretty confident that a lot of the folks who provide a lot of help to other users around here probably haven't bought subscriptions.

[GaStuSage]

 

 

 

 

You folks need to stop and realize that this is a symbiotic relationship. Neither is going to continue to exist without the other.

Period.

 

 

Agreed. I'm not too sure anyone is saying otherwise though.

Appreciated :smile:

Nah, I don't think that anybody has either. Yet.

I was just trying to drive in the nail, that as much as we don't like freeloaders, leeches, and roaches... that we have to take the bad along with the good. And not to lump them all in together.

Because when it comes down to it, I have not yet once seen anybody say "Hey, it's a good thing that we have so many nonpaying members here on the site, because it helps the site grow."

I haven't seen anybody recognize that fact that the nonpaying members have any kind of merit.

I HAVE seen a lot of judgement and accusations against us tho.

 

Another statement that has a return. How many "freeloaders," as you call them, have lumped those of us who have paid for a membership to a site we enjoy into a group labeled as privileged, or ignorant of poverty, closed-minded or not willing to listen, etc. Evidently, if you read some of those posts, those of us who have paid must all think alike and be the scum of the earth, or at the very least just a bunch of wealthy a**holes that have never had to struggle... need I go on? Two sides of a coin, so let's not go down that rabbit hole.

 

As I've said before, the growth of a business does not always = extra capital, and even if it does it doesn't mean everyone is suddenly a millionaire overnight - or ever. If growth continues too rapidly without ways to pay for said growth - or the ways that pay for said growth are inhibited by an outside force - what do you think happens to that company? Sites, and businesses like this, have come and gone and will continue to so. While they exist, they struggle to grow and sometimes have to engage in behavior that may not make sense to those outside of the inner workings of said business. I've stated before that there is most likely a reason for the Nexus implementing this tacky screen. If you've trusted them in the past, why not now? If you like this business you should want to see it grow, and give good wishes to those on the front lines making it happen.

 

If a Lifetime membership here is too much for certain individuals to pay for then my heart goes out them; that's a level of poverty that I don't wish on anyone, and I assure you I am being sincere when I state that. But, I'm going to take a wild guess that there are many making some pretty extreme complaints about a free service that is still free (I'm beginning to feel like a broken record here) that could afford a membership, but now want more for their money, or simply wont for whatever reason... even when they collect DP... those types of arguments, well worded or not, I simply can't understand.

 

You yourself StormWolf01 have alluded to the fact that you know, and have worked with folks at the Nexus - unless I've misread your posts, or have mixed you up with someone else. Have you, a member that seems to trust these people, tried to reach out to them personally? If you have, have you asked them about what their intentions are, what their targeted goal for membership is? Would it be possible for someone to bargain with them by helping them to achieve an increase in membership, and once reached have them agree to take down that ever so offensive screen? And then, if they agree to it, help encourage more membership for a result everyone would be much happier with: no screen and screams for members, and extra membership for the Nexus... that would be a part of a symbiotic relationship, no? You could accomplish this with an online fund raiser - I've heard that suggested somewhere earlier... In other words, how many of those that seem to have the time to pitch complaints here, have actually been proactive about negotiating with the staff at the Nexus? Although, I believe I've read somewhere earlier in this thread that they are on vacation now - good for them, such is life - Happy Holidays to them.

 

If by chance some of you who read this do get a chance to speak with them, and they agree to negotiate, be professional about it, keep your head level, and check your anger at the door... no one wants to deal with someone frothing at the mouth (that certainly isn't directed at you StormWolf01 or anyone in particular - just friendly advice - trust me, orcs learn that the hard way), else you'll probably botch the whole thing and make matters worse for future negotiations and for all members of the Nexus - no pressure. Also, don't expect everything to go your way; that's why it's called a negotiation - you have to expect give and take. I'm not going to say that the change some of you want is possible, but you'll never know unless you try. Either that or we can all keep going around in circles in this thread.

 

Again - not directed at you personally StormWolf01, but you seem to be vocal about your support for those who are really upset about this change and you seem to be a reasonable human being as well. If you do have a connection with the Nexus that goes beyond the common member, maybe you, or someone you know, would be a perfect candidate to spearhead communications with them directly... just sayin'. If you have, or are willing to, keep everyone up to date on how it goes. I'm sure plenty of folk on both sides of this issue would be interested in hearing how things turn out.

[Glass1411]

For me this comes down to a matter of trust.

3yrs ago I paid "A one-off lifetime fee to become a Supporter of Nexus sites." I did this because Nexus (still) says: "Supporter membership gives you an ad-free experience on all Nexus sites, as well as increased Private message capacity and access to the Supporter's image share section."
(I purchased 1 month of Premium option, not just for myself but for 2 other users since I've joined.)

On 7/10/19 this announcement was made: Donation Points Stats and No Ads for Mod Authors

Today I'm presented with a full page add on every download page. Nexus and it's defenders can claim the words "Ad-Free" and "No-Ads" have a different meaning than the obvious definition, and I'm sure in some legal way they are correct.

But what this means me is that Nexus has betrayed my trust, and I've been played a fool for taking what "Nexus" wrote in black and white (light grey) at face value.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Glass1411

[Despy]

I guess their next step is to add a captcha for every download to prove that free users and supporters are human :rolleyes:

[minervamaga]

 

....

 

You yourself StormWolf01 have alluded to the fact that you know, and have worked with folks at the Nexus - unless I've misread your posts, or have mixed you up with someone else. Have you, a member that seems to trust these people, tried to reach out to them personally? If you have, have you asked them about what their intentions are, what their targeted goal for membership is? Would it be possible for someone to bargain with them by helping them to achieve an increase in membership, and once reached have them agree to take down that ever so offensive screen? And then, if they agree to it, help encourage more membership for a result everyone would be much happier with: no screen and screams for members, and extra membership for the Nexus... that would be a part of a symbiotic relationship, no? You could accomplish this with an online fund raiser - I've heard that suggested somewhere earlier... In other words, how many of those that seem to have the time to pitch complaints here, have actually been proactive about negotiating with the staff at the Nexus? Although, I believe I've read somewhere earlier in this thread that they are on vacation now - good for them, such is life - Happy Holidays to them.

 

If by chance some of you who read this do get a chance to speak with them, and they agree to negotiate, be professional about it, keep your head level, and check your anger at the door... no one wants to deal with someone frothing at the mouth (that certainly isn't directed at you StormWolf01 or anyone in particular - just friendly advice - trust me, orcs learn that the hard way), else you'll probably botch the whole thing and make matters worse for future negotiations and for all members of the Nexus - no pressure. Also, don't expect everything to go your way; that's why it's called a negotiation - you have to expect give and take. I'm not going to say that the change some of you want is possible, but you'll never know unless you try. Either that or we can all keep going around in circles in this thread.

 

Again - not directed at you personally StormWolf01, but you seem to be vocal about your support for those who are really upset about this change and you seem to be a reasonable human being as well. If you do have a connection with the Nexus that goes beyond the common member, maybe you, or someone you know, would be a perfect candidate to spearhead communications with them directly... just sayin'. If you have, or are willing to, keep everyone up to date on how it goes. I'm sure plenty of folk on both sides of this issue would be interested in hearing how things turn out.

 

A couple points to address:

 

A) each time I've attempted to reach out to the community manager for SDV in the past few months, I've been left with either no response or resistance to suggestions. While this obviously doesn't represent the entire staff, the staff is also small enough that it doesn't imbue trust. We now also have a moderator for the SDV section, who we attempt to route contact through, only to be redirected to here (which, frankly, I have yet to see a staff member comment on these changes).

 

B) That last comment leads on to this: why on earth would a company make a (relatively) major change to their system and then go on vacation??? That implies to me a lack of concern over their userbase and the reaction to these changes, let alone if it caused bigger issues like server crashes. Not to mention it was an unannounced change, after a lot of talk and hype over the new UI a few months back. That had a opt-in beta and plenty of info spread around about it before implementation, so why not this change? Why make themselves unavailable immediately after the change? It leaves a very bad taste in my mouth, to be honest. At the very least, a warning in the form of an announcement would have allayed some of the shock and outrage, though probably not the protests about the system itself.

[minervamaga]

accidental double post

Edited December 17, 2019 by minervamaga

[GaStuSage]

 

 

....

 

You yourself StormWolf01 have alluded to the fact that you know, and have worked with folks at the Nexus - unless I've misread your posts, or have mixed you up with someone else. Have you, a member that seems to trust these people, tried to reach out to them personally? If you have, have you asked them about what their intentions are, what their targeted goal for membership is? Would it be possible for someone to bargain with them by helping them to achieve an increase in membership, and once reached have them agree to take down that ever so offensive screen? And then, if they agree to it, help encourage more membership for a result everyone would be much happier with: no screen and screams for members, and extra membership for the Nexus... that would be a part of a symbiotic relationship, no? You could accomplish this with an online fund raiser - I've heard that suggested somewhere earlier... In other words, how many of those that seem to have the time to pitch complaints here, have actually been proactive about negotiating with the staff at the Nexus? Although, I believe I've read somewhere earlier in this thread that they are on vacation now - good for them, such is life - Happy Holidays to them.

 

If by chance some of you who read this do get a chance to speak with them, and they agree to negotiate, be professional about it, keep your head level, and check your anger at the door... no one wants to deal with someone frothing at the mouth (that certainly isn't directed at you StormWolf01 or anyone in particular - just friendly advice - trust me, orcs learn that the hard way), else you'll probably botch the whole thing and make matters worse for future negotiations and for all members of the Nexus - no pressure. Also, don't expect everything to go your way; that's why it's called a negotiation - you have to expect give and take. I'm not going to say that the change some of you want is possible, but you'll never know unless you try. Either that or we can all keep going around in circles in this thread.

 

Again - not directed at you personally StormWolf01, but you seem to be vocal about your support for those who are really upset about this change and you seem to be a reasonable human being as well. If you do have a connection with the Nexus that goes beyond the common member, maybe you, or someone you know, would be a perfect candidate to spearhead communications with them directly... just sayin'. If you have, or are willing to, keep everyone up to date on how it goes. I'm sure plenty of folk on both sides of this issue would be interested in hearing how things turn out.

 

A couple points to address:

 

A) each time I've attempted to reach out to the community manager for SDV in the past few months, I've been left with either no response or resistance to suggestions. While this obviously doesn't represent the entire staff, the staff is also small enough that it doesn't imbue trust. We now also have a moderator for the SDV section, who we attempt to route contact through, only to be redirected to here (which, frankly, I have yet to see a staff member comment on these changes).

 

B) That last comment leads on to this: why on earth would a company make a (relatively) major change to their system and then go on vacation??? That implies to me a lack of concern over their userbase and the reaction to these changes, let alone if it caused bigger issues like server crashes. Not to mention it was an unannounced change, after a lot of talk and hype over the new UI a few months back. That had a opt-in beta and plenty of info spread around about it before implementation, so why not this change? Why make themselves unavailable immediately after the change? It leaves a very bad taste in my mouth, to be honest. At the very least, a warning in the form of an announcement would have allayed some of the shock and outrage, though probably not the protests about the system itself.

 

 

A) It's good to hear that some of you are trying to reach out and be proactive about your complaints. I completely support those kinds of efforts, whether I agree with the complaint or not. Out of curiosity though, objectively, if you think back on your communications with Stardew Valley's community manager, did you come off as indignant and aggressive as some parts of your posts read? If so, wouldn't that lead most people to react with resistance, or even silence? How does one communicate with someone that is already bristling and doesn't seem to want to hear anything but what they want to hear? It's also good to hear you all have delegated communications to some form of mediator. Good luck with those efforts! I wouldn't mind reading updates on how things work out.

 

B) Because vacation time at any business is scheduled, people make plans, and good companies who want to keep their workforce happy, or keep their workforce period, don't screw that up. In some places, there are laws that protect those sorts of things. I'm not sure if there are any laws in the UK about such things but I wouldn't be surprised if there were. But, it's the holidays - or at least some form of holiday vacation (redundant?) - and I'm sure most of those that are enjoying the time that they have earned are taking a well deserved break from this part of their reality. Would you yourself want to deal with a group of angry consumers over the holidays, or any time of year, over something you may not have had much of a choice in, or take some time to breath, time you have worked for and planned on? I think this thread should answer some of your questions; just try to think of it from the shoes of those implementing this change - especially if you want others to understand where your own two feet are planted.

 

If you're asking me (maybe you're not, but here's my answer anyway seeing how we're discussing these matters) they knew, from experience, that regardless of how they implemented this change, or any change, there were bound to be a slew of complaints from people who don't seem to want to see things any other way than the way they want things to be. Nearing their vacation time, or well before, they probably had one fashion of meeting or another at which leadership said something like: "we can deal with this change when we return, and handle what backlash we know we'll receive as it comes, or, we can push things through before the holidays, take off, let things cool down for a spell while we're gone, let those in the community that can form a coherent complaint hit us with some suggestions, and deal with everything with fresh minds," or something similar... just a guess, and potentially a bad one. Some may say that's cowardly, and maybe there is some point to be made there. But, if you can think outside of your own aggravation for a moment, and realize these folk knew full well there would be backlash, can't you see the wisdom in going about it the way they did? Maybe they'll be more responsive and open to suggestion when they return from a spell of potential relaxation. Maybe the community will calm down, realize what their complaints really are and calmly present them to the staff. Then again, maybe not. In any case, the reality is that in whatever way they decided to deal with this, they were bound to deal with backlash. Damned if you do, damned if you don't kinda thing. Personally, I'd want some time to relax before handling anyone's outrage, in hopes they had enough time to calm their initial emotional outbursts, and form reasonable complaints - else I'd go full orc myself, lol.

 

About the claim that this shows disregard about their user base, I feel that's a big stretch of either ego, imagination, or both. Their user base encompasses how many people, from how many locations? It seems some think they speak for everyone here - or at least jump to the conclusion that they represent the vast majority. Maybe that's true, maybe it's not. My point there is, their user base is an extremely diverse group - just the mods here should show you that - and I don't think 30 pages of posts here, and who knows how many elsewhere, from a small fraction of their user base is enough to assume that one person here speaks for the majority. I know there are quite a lot of people who don't seem to care about this flag for membership one way or another. I know I don't. If anything, as I've stated before, it got me to realize how much I've taken this site for granted, and, not without pulling a few teeth (orc teeth too... ouch), I decided it was high time to pay for membership; something I've been thinking about doing for a long time now. I know my opinions are probably fairly unpopular right now among some of you.. maybe the majority. I'll live with that. I'm just sharing what I see and read along with the rest of you and mean no individual here ill will. So, happy gaming, modding, or turd slinging if that's your jam! :laugh:

[keno360]

Classism huh lol.......

 

 

It's alright I understand boys we Megaupload now when this site gets worse( inevitable) I will be looking forward to what utter garbage the defense force will spew out next time.

[GaStuSage]

Classism huh lol.......

 

 

It's alright I understand boys we Megaupload now when this site gets worse( inevitable) I will be looking forward to what utter garbage the defense force will spew out next time.

Not sure where you're coming from friend (the classism part). Care to elaborate on your statement?