Consider Purchasing a Premium, Why?

Guys, i dont want to sound like a sales or marketing person here. And im NOT suggesting at all that people only show support to this site by purchasing memberships. That is not what this post is directed towards.

However i really would like to encourage you to just look at the benefits of premium, it really opens up a whole new area  to the site, both on the main site and in Live Chess.

To list only some of the benefits, look at the purchase link here, it shows a comparison of all the premium accounts:

http://www.chess.com/membership.html?c=liveicon

Live Chess

Also in Live chess premium members get to speak in main without any time limit between sentences, currently free members get to speak in "main hall" every 60 secs, but this time limit is removed when premium, also you get a "premium interface" which makes much better use of space and windows, and is visually appealing in a big way. Here is an example :

I obviously have no main chat or friends tabs showing here so as not to give away any persoanl details, but it just shows the fantastic layout designed. Also you can detach any window or room you want and resize them and orgainse them in the way that you want or best suits your needs :)

Guys, i understand that some of you may be unable to purchase a membership for certain reasons, but i do emplore those of you who can, to really look into the benefits of "Premium".

When i upgraded to premium, it really enhanced my Game play by means of the extra tools that are made available, and it also improved my love of chess.com. Being a free member is like the "starter" of a meal, like "the soup", but Premium is like sinking your teeth into the "main course", a big steak :D **(or vegetarian Lasagne** for those of you vegetarians :D )

Also, every little bit of money that goes into chess.com, is an advantage, as we can see the way this site continously grows and adapts to meet the needs of us members. And the prices are very reasonable :)

Gold = £3 /month  £18 /year

Platnum = £4 /month  £30 /year

Diamond = £9 /month £61 /year

So for example, if you purchase a Gold membership for a year, thats the equivelent of paying less then 5p a day :)

This is something thats attainable for most people, of course there are much more benefits to platnum and Diamond memberships, and all of them are definetly worth the small fortune that they cost.

Some people may not have considered buying a premium casue its something they may never have thought about, but the point to this post is that if anything, i hope that you can just click the below link, to see what more chess.com has to offer you persoanlly.

This also would tie in well to our Appreciation to Staff witch there is  another forum post on:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/chesscom-staff-appreciation

Which shows our appreciation to staff.

Remeber, its how we contribute to this site that really helps it to grow and prosper, obviously its staff that do the work, but without the funds, there wouldnt be staff right?

So if anything else, please just direct yourselves to  the below link:

http://www.chess.com/membership.html?c=liveicon

And remember, you can always have a  trial by purchasing premium and if you do not like it there is a money back garuntee within the first 30 days:)

What have you go tto lose by trying? :)

Thank you Folks,  your continued support is necessary and im sure you will agree is what makes this such a tight knit community that we are all proud of :) Whatever way you can contribute any little way will be appreciated by both members and i persume Staff :)

Take Care Folks

Regards

Hydra

I wholeheartedly agree with this, and think what it comes down to sometimes, is having to pay in one lump sum. I'd love to see a payment play...say "Diamond" over 3 months or something.

Furthermore, I reckon the videos are worth the price of admission alone.

Reasonabledoubt, this is not spam, this is my persoanl feeling towards this site and bringing attention to others what benefits they can have, i respect your views too though bud

I don't consider this spamming. People don't HAVE to read it, nor are they forced to click on a link. And honestly, why wouldn't a company/site want to keep positive info that could possibly benefit them in the long run? Not to mention benefit the player who becomes a premium member? It's not like a commercial pushing you to buy Mc Donald's, soda (a.k.a. poison) or a race car---what premium members get for the amount of money they pay is SUCH a deal!

I agree with reasonable doubt... I don't feel quite as strongly as him e.g. : "I strong disagree with every aspect of your post" but he's right that chess.com reminds us of all these things enough on its own.

@Reasonabledoubt, bud i think you are misunderstanding me.

>All those adverts you say you get, those are from chess.com

>This post is by me, an individual member.

Those are 2 completely different things, thats like saying, "McDonalds advertises there company everywhere"

Then i say, "i like McDonalds and my reasons are ......"

Does that mean i am spamming about McDonalds, >> NO

I am simply giving my opinion and am a paying member that wants to share why i find it beneficial, so that others may too enjoy the benefits, do Not get that confused with advertising or spamming please

@ Reasonabledoubt

I don think were getting anywhere here, if staff feel this post is in the wrong place then they are free to move or delete this post, i have no problem with that, and would respect there decision.

However, you feel this is spamming and advertising and are not happy with this post, yet you continue to contribute your comments to this post thus getting it more views and comments.. Logic?

Anyway, i do not wish to get into any ardumentitve discussions that would bring down the tone. Lets just leave it be, and if staff wish to move or delete it then, it will be done.

Meantime, i stand by my decision to give my opionion of my 3 years experience here by means of this post the appreciation that goes along with it.

have a good day sir:)

I find it all a bit nit-picky, honestly. I've never had an issue with superfluous ads about membership; it hasn't been my experience. But I have no problem with it anyway. It's no different than other venues where it's the ones "paying" are the ones upholding the whole site and affording the vast majority all the things they get for free. In the publishing industry, it is actually the relatively VERY few "bestsellers" that carry the ENTIRE industry and keep it afloat.

Anyway, I agree that if it's a real issue as far as going against site policy as to WHICH area this is posted in, moving it is a minor detail. If anyone wants it taken care of or changed, write to the STAFF and point it out. If they agree and want to move it, they will. It's really very simple. I personally don't find it offensive. There ARE other things I DO find offensive, though, but many things come down to opinion.

We should maintain the illusion that fairness and equality exists in the world and that there are not double-standards everywhere.

Why premiun members trump basic members in opinion:

1. Premium members have something invested into the site that where comments and opinions about the site have weight behind them.

2. No advertisements or spam. **This definitely is one of the best perks.**

3. They don't look at a gift horse in the mouth, unlike many basic members.

4. They tend to have legitimate profiles; proud

5. Correspondence chess is backed with vacation time

Basic members can spell and form coherent and logical statements.

+1 

I miss the funny pop-up adds. That's the biggest downside to a premium membership. I got hit with Barbie Doll adds and other girly stuff, I think because my daughter and I share this computer.

I will admit that all the reminders about premium memberships (like the little link at the top of the page etc.) are a bit annoying but for me that's actually because I want a premium membership and can't afford it. I love chess and I love this site; I'd love to help support it but money's a bit tight for me since I'm heading back to college. For me, the premium feature I covet the most is computer analyses of more than just one game a week. In the past I've learned a lot from them and I'd like to hand over more of my games for analyzing. 

socket2me, that's quite the list. I have no comment on #3, #s 4 & 5 aren't things that concern me (though I do love playing with the graphics for my home page), but
#s 1 is definitely a point made (if someone gets something for free, they have no right to complain, but should make suggestions if there are any), and I completely forgot about # 2! THAT's why pop-up ads, etc. aren't an issue for me :) It's a VERY nice perk, now that you mention it. I was a basic member for a relatively short period of time, and it's been many months since then, so I completely forgot about that aspect! lol

And Asche, I wish I could help you out :( The truth is, I couldn't afford premium membership either, but it came down to priorities for me. I don't go the movies or do lots of other stuff for fun and entertainment, so I reasoned it out that way. Also, it just made sense.

RookedOnChess, I'm touched. Thank you :) It's the thought that counts, right? If I have any money left over after tuition and textbooks, this is on the top of my list of things to spend it on. That and investing some in a low risk market so I'll (maybe) have something to fall back on once I have my degree.

Asche, I hope you can do it if you really love chess that much :) And good luck with school. That's SO important :)

RookedOnChess, thank you again. Last time I was in school I messed it up because I didn't understand how important it is. I'm not going to make that mistake again :)

Then this >>

Good job with keeping to your word :P