Different Types of Internet Membership Sites (Part 2 of the Internet Membership Site Series)
Mary Lanphier
September 30, 2006
There are basically two types of membership sites. There are free sites and there are paid for sites. The two types of membership sites have one thing is common. Their memberships are made up of people who share a common interest or have a common need.
You can, of course, buy a domain, set up a website and not charge for memberships but choose who to admit and who not to admit. This is done when the profit is intended to come from sales to members after they join the site. There are free network sites that might be used for your purposes.
Two examples of free membership sites are Group sites on MSN and groups on Yahoo. It costs nothing to set these sites up and there is no charge at all for a person to join. There are no paid administrators or moderators.
Each site sets its own rules for how to join and the code of conduct for the site. The site topics are many and varied. There are many “support” sites for those with health problems or concerns and for those who have suffered the loss of loved ones. There are sites for those who are passionate about crafts like quilting or woodworking. There are sites for those who love to travel. There are sites for different age groups from teens to seniors.
The sites often include chat software and a limited amount of space for posting pictures, documents and links per member. The free sites do not have such things as access to specialized data or lists. They don’t give access to such things as music lessons.
Paid for membership sites are set up by businesses or individuals with the objective of making money by supplying hard to find information, access to specialized data or lists, or instruction in various fields.
Membership sites are owned and operated by people who either own the sites or who are hired by the site owners to monitor and administer them.
The topics for paid for membership sites are even more varied than the free sites and certainly more specialized.
The model you decide upon for your membership site is of the utmost importance and the one you choose depends upon your objectives. There are basically two types of membership sites.
There are free sites, which were discussed earlier, and there are paid for sites. The two types of membership sites have one thing is common. Their memberships are made up of people who share a common need or have a common interest.
When you are deciding on the theme for your membership site, it is best if you can choose a theme that concerns something you are really interested in…even passionate about.
Remember that you will be spending a lot of time keeping your membership informed, keeping your website interesting and keeping relevant and timely content on your website and in your ezine that you send out regularly.
If you choose to start a membership site about…say….dogs. Just dogs in general won’t attract many members. You will need to choose a specific breed….and possibly even narrow it down further.
Instead of Poodles, your theme should be; Tiny Toy Poodles, Miniature Poodles, or Standard Poodles, for example. Millions of people are dog lovers and the theme of a specific breed of dog should do well.
If you are really into video or computer games, start a membership site devoted to one specific game… not just video games or computer games in general. People all over the world and from every walk of life get really involved with a specific video or computer game and love to talk to others about the game and give each other hints.
There are thousands…maybe millions…of people who love certain crafts and hobbies. However, those who love to quilt aren’t interested in wood working so your membership site should be about a specific craft or hobby.
Professionals like to talk to other professionals in the same field. Each professional field speaks their own language and find the same things to be interesting, informative or funny. So if you start a membership site for professionals, you should get a good response.
A membership website with the theme, ‘Resell Rights’, should do well, also. This kind of site will need to be kept updated on a regular basis.
Regardless of what "theme" or model you choose, if you are providing a for-profit membership site, your visitors expect to get their money's worth. They want something they can't get for free. Something they can enjoy and benefit from; something they are willing to pay for in order to enhance themselves in some way.
You can, of course, buy a domain, set up a website and not charge for memberships but choose who to admit and who not to admit. This is done when the profit is intended to come from sales to members after they join the site. There are free network sites that might be used for your purposes.
Two examples of free membership sites are Group sites on MSN and groups on Yahoo. It costs nothing to set these sites up and there is no charge at all for a person to join. There are no paid administrators or moderators.
Each site sets its own rules for how to join and the code of conduct for the site. The site topics are many and varied. There are many “support” sites for those with health problems or concerns and for those who have suffered the loss of loved ones. There are sites for those who are passionate about crafts like quilting or woodworking. There are sites for those who love to travel. There are sites for different age groups from teens to seniors.
The sites often include chat software and a limited amount of space for posting pictures, documents and links per member. The free sites do not have such things as access to specialized data or lists. They don’t give access to such things as music lessons.
Paid for membership sites are set up by businesses or individuals with the objective of making money by supplying hard to find information, access to specialized data or lists, or instruction in various fields.
Membership sites are owned and operated by people who either own the sites or who are hired by the site owners to monitor and administer them.
The topics for paid for membership sites are even more varied than the free sites and certainly more specialized.
The model you decide upon for your membership site is of the utmost importance and the one you choose depends upon your objectives. There are basically two types of membership sites.
There are free sites, which were discussed earlier, and there are paid for sites. The two types of membership sites have one thing is common. Their memberships are made up of people who share a common need or have a common interest.
When you are deciding on the theme for your membership site, it is best if you can choose a theme that concerns something you are really interested in…even passionate about.
Remember that you will be spending a lot of time keeping your membership informed, keeping your website interesting and keeping relevant and timely content on your website and in your ezine that you send out regularly.
If you choose to start a membership site about…say….dogs. Just dogs in general won’t attract many members. You will need to choose a specific breed….and possibly even narrow it down further.
Instead of Poodles, your theme should be; Tiny Toy Poodles, Miniature Poodles, or Standard Poodles, for example. Millions of people are dog lovers and the theme of a specific breed of dog should do well.
If you are really into video or computer games, start a membership site devoted to one specific game… not just video games or computer games in general. People all over the world and from every walk of life get really involved with a specific video or computer game and love to talk to others about the game and give each other hints.
There are thousands…maybe millions…of people who love certain crafts and hobbies. However, those who love to quilt aren’t interested in wood working so your membership site should be about a specific craft or hobby.
Professionals like to talk to other professionals in the same field. Each professional field speaks their own language and find the same things to be interesting, informative or funny. So if you start a membership site for professionals, you should get a good response.
A membership website with the theme, ‘Resell Rights’, should do well, also. This kind of site will need to be kept updated on a regular basis.
Regardless of what "theme" or model you choose, if you are providing a for-profit membership site, your visitors expect to get their money's worth. They want something they can't get for free. Something they can enjoy and benefit from; something they are willing to pay for in order to enhance themselves in some way.
Print
Email
