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... ack!
... AAACK!!!
Well... I'm hopping on a plane shortly, and just stepped out to get coffee before coming home to pack and do dishes... and had an interesting conversation with a tribe.net employee. Evidentally, they've re-structured at the executive level, and just completed a boatload of user research for their target demographic (read: all the icky new ads we're seeing pop-up).
I'm in the biz, so can wholly appreciate the need to make money thru advertising... and have honestly been wondering how Tribe makes money, all this time. Tribe however, is one of the rare instances of mature internet content that is not predatory, not swarmy, and is truely celebratory- and generally celebrated by pretty smart people! No, none of us fit that ever so golden demographic of teenagers who steal from their parents' purses to go to the mall and spend hundreds at Hot Topic and make the advertisers of the world cum in their pants just watching the digits spin- but that was half the beauty of Tribe to me- that it was rising to the challenge of making money, without stooping to all of the LCD tricks of the trade.
Please, please- before Tribe yanks all of it's Mature content, please write- intelligently of course- and make your voices heard!
We have an incredibly unique community here, and it would kill me to see it go.
Hopping on a plane... trying not to bite my nails to a nub...
- nina
... AAACK!!!
Well... I'm hopping on a plane shortly, and just stepped out to get coffee before coming home to pack and do dishes... and had an interesting conversation with a tribe.net employee. Evidentally, they've re-structured at the executive level, and just completed a boatload of user research for their target demographic (read: all the icky new ads we're seeing pop-up).
I'm in the biz, so can wholly appreciate the need to make money thru advertising... and have honestly been wondering how Tribe makes money, all this time. Tribe however, is one of the rare instances of mature internet content that is not predatory, not swarmy, and is truely celebratory- and generally celebrated by pretty smart people! No, none of us fit that ever so golden demographic of teenagers who steal from their parents' purses to go to the mall and spend hundreds at Hot Topic and make the advertisers of the world cum in their pants just watching the digits spin- but that was half the beauty of Tribe to me- that it was rising to the challenge of making money, without stooping to all of the LCD tricks of the trade.
Please, please- before Tribe yanks all of it's Mature content, please write- intelligently of course- and make your voices heard!
We have an incredibly unique community here, and it would kill me to see it go.
Hopping on a plane... trying not to bite my nails to a nub...
- nina
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SF Bay Area
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Sun, October 2, 2005 - 11:10 AMDid that tribe employee hint that they may start yanking mature content off tribe?
I've heard from a tribe employee that only 25% of tribe users belong to "mature" "Alternative" lifestyles..
but um...I think Marketing's wrong...How many Burning Men folks on tribe and LGBT tribes?...
IF they decide to restrict/yank mature topics...Expect to see a lot of users go elsewhere...
Btw...Speaking of anti mature--During the week I've had to log into the internet from kinkos and I cannot go this tribe from one of their computers at all..their filter catches it...whoa... -
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Sun, October 2, 2005 - 11:20 AMBurning-Man folks are only maybe .5% of the total US population- if that. Additionally, they don't have anywhere near the same aggressive spending habits of young mainstream adults.
Mainstream markets are far more profitable- and that's where the trick is.
The tribe employee noted that in one of the user studies, a question was "what do you think of when you think of Burning Man?" and the majority of folks didn't know what it was- and one teenage girl just said "icky smelly hippies."
While these aren't the bulk of current Tribe users, it is who tribe wants to migrate it's marketing efforts and user-base to.
If enough user-kickback can happen, perhaps they'll re-consider or challenge themselves to pursue outside the box advertising methods.
So please write, folks! -
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Wed, October 5, 2005 - 8:08 PMHasn't Tribe.net figured out that MySpace has a corner on the icky predatory Hot Topic lovin' teenage base market out there? Why reinvent that wheel?
To whom should we address the 'why can't we all just get along' email?
And if they DO yank 'mature' content, mayhap our fair leader violet will have an idea about where to take this little discussion forum that seems to exsist no where else on the net.
de-lurking at last,
Anneke
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Fri, December 30, 2005 - 4:49 PMWaitwaitwaitwait...
I don't think this "flagging mature blah blah blah" stuff is a marketing plan. It's actually because of the government targeting pornography.
Where are you hearing that it's some marketing ploy? I mean, I've talked to a couple Tribe employees about it and heard a lot of various philosophies from Tribe members about it... It seems like there are a lot of low-level conspiracy theories, but very little proof.
Want to know who to write to? Write to the White House. Vote. Get socially liberal people in office so they stop infringing on the freedom of speech. Support the ACLU.
xoxoxo,
Normal -
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Sat, December 31, 2005 - 10:00 AMwhat i have heard from tribe.net employees (hearsay yes!) is that they never wanted the mature audience/content and the mature tribes from the get go. And their funders have never been excited about it ever.
so this new law really allows for them to remove/flag/hide away what they never wanted in the first place.
I think that they have really underestimated their fan base and will probably suffer incredibly from some of their more rash decision making process'.
But I agree, these laws are absolutely in effect and we do have to take it to more constructive governmental levels. -
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Sat, December 31, 2005 - 4:35 PMHmm, that's interesting and totally plausible... but not what I've heard.
So I straight up asked my friend who works for Tribe. I mean, hell, this is one of the best tribes here. I asked her about the motivations in general and whether mature-themed tribes (like this one) are going to be removed. When I was talking with her about it over coffee the other morning, it sounded like it was entirely about covering their asses against increasing government pressure, but usually these things have a lot of factors and it's totally likely that investors have a say as well.
That said, I notice that Tribe is having some success with their advertising. Hopefully, they'll get to shake off the watchful weight of the investors and be supported by advertisers who love Tribe for the market they are. I know my internet radio station is going to shell out the buck-o's for some advertising both because we want more listeners and because we want to support Tribe.
I'll report back next week. -
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Sat, December 31, 2005 - 4:36 PMI mean, I asked her in email just now about our conversation we had the other day. Sorry, that wasn't entirely clear... I'm suffering under the yoke of Benadryl.
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Thu, October 6, 2005 - 6:04 AMI'm a bit unclear on what exactly is being threatened, by whom, and how.
Is tribe.net fixin' to eliminate the content that is now labeled "mature"? Or commercialize it in some different way?
Or do they feel they have to get rid of content that is likely to cost resources to defend in the current anti-"porn" climate so tghat they can devote more resources to the underage shopping hobbyists?
I'm baffled. Please 'splain?
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Tue, October 11, 2005 - 8:18 PMwho do we write to . -
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Re: Send Tribe.net your voice- save our Mature tribes!!!
Wed, October 12, 2005 - 11:53 AMthere is a tribe called TribeIdeas that is a good place to let tribe staff and users know how you feel about all things tribe.
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