posted 09-07-2004 17:51               

1. Attracting New Members: TUG basically has 2 items that a person new to TUG is going to shell out $15 for: The reviews and the ratings board. You can declare that everyone should be magnamimous and be willing to pay $15 for TUG without these two items, but that ignores human nature. Most people are not diehard "TUGGERS". I would bet that most non-Tug members monitor the BBS for a few months and their curiousity about the ratings board and the review board finally get them to shell out the $15. After a year of being around TUG - they get hooked and keep donating $15/year to TUG. The ratings board is 1/2 (well maybe a 1/3 of the way) that new paying members are attracted.

2. Finding Resorts: The ratings board is tied into review board and if you want to see where all of the Marriotts, DVC, etc properties are in the world, it is a great way to find out. You just sort by name, look up the Brand Name and then you can then link over to the appropriate review. Likewise, you can sort alphabetically and find a resort that you know the name of, but you are unsure of where it is.

3. A First Pass: It is a great first pass on resorts. I agree that it is a flawed system and doesn't explain the fine details of the resorts, but I would bet 90% of you would look further into a resort with a "9" rating and ignore one with a "2" rating.

posted 09-07-2004 18:49               

A new person does not even know about some of them (Sightings, Search, for instance) and they can get what information they need from the bbs and then move on. If someone wants to know about Branson resorts, as an example, all they do is ask on the Central Board and a half-dozen of us are there to do everything but check them in!

You very seldom see a post asking about a particular resort that doesn't get replies.

I have seen posts asking non-members to spring for the $15 so they can use the Search feature, when it has just been pruned and has nothing to offer, or to be able to read Reviews when there were no decent reviews for the resort in question. That doesn't seem very fair.

For my own purposes, the members-only features have little value, but it's nice to know the content is there, for those who want it.

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JLB

Credentials: >15 years timesharing/>75 exchanges/multiple weeks/long-time independent TUG contributor/Branson-Table Rock Lake boat rides

Areas of Knowledge and Interest:
Timesharing:Buying/Selling/Renting/Donating/Exchanging/Searching/Resort Management/Newbies/Florida(>30years)/Kauai/SOCAL/Colorado/Missouri/Arkansas/ Iowa/Ohio/Florida

posted 09-08-2004 00:09               

I think it does have the ability to attract new members as it did me, but some of the ratings are skewed, and I would imagine that’s because it’s so subjective. What I think is a 10, might be a 7.5 to someone else, and there-in lays the problem. Some have said just get rid of the #ing scale, but with a quick glance I can determine if I want to even bother looking farther. On the other side of the coin some resorts have gone thru extensive changes since some of the ratings have been given, and therefore very out dated and really don’t apply. What once was a 6 three to four years ago might now be an 8.

Owners of Disney properties, Marriott’s, Hyatt’s, etc, might tend to really down grade a resort that isn’t that bad, and owners of poor quality resorts might give too high of scores for properties that are just average.

Not sure if there’s a perfect solution, but what might help is creating a template that is more standard for all of us to use when filling out a review. For example: For reviews make it standard that we talk about certain areas of the resort accommodations (bdrm size, kitchen amenities, views, etc.), resort, local area, etc. Then create some kind of standard that gives a resort a numerical rating for Exterior features, interior features, Resort features, area attractions, Over all rating, etc, but also why you gave it that rating. For example:
•Interior Features: 8 - not as plush as some I’ve seen or stayed at like Four Season’s Aviara, and St. James Place.
•Resort Features: 4 - great place just not much for resort activities. I was hoping for more water aerobics.
•Over all: 8 - could have been a 9 if there were more things to do at the resort, but understand this was my first TSing experience. Etc, etc.

This way it gives us a basis of why it rates only a 6.5, or a 10. So the reviews page could start out with verbiage like it already has, then at the bottom give us some #’s and the reason for the ratings. If the ratings page is kept like it is, maybe it can be purged. Keep the past 2 to 3 years ratings unless there’s a resort that hasn’t had a review/rating in that time frame.

posted 09-08-2004 01:15               

Think of it this way: When you listen to NPR during donation week, they always say that "Only 15% of those of you listening pay for NPR! The rest of you are freeloading and should pay your fairshair." Does it work? Probably a little, but the local NPR channels throws in a few carrots like, "Send in $100 and we will send you the video, the mug, AND the Tee shirt". They know from experience that they have to throw in stuff like this to get people to donate to NPR. The Databases are like the free video, but (at least to me) at lot more useful.

posted 09-08-2004 06:38               

Bill Rogers, TUG's founder and owner, wanted the bbs, online advice, etc. to be free to everyone, both as a service to the community and as an enticement to join the organization.

posted 09-13-2004 16:44            

Nevertheless, I joined specifically for the reviews. They provide me with a database of information about the resorts I see on eBay. When something is listed, I check the reviews to see how it compares to neighboring resorts. The forum generally lets me know if they are in trouble, but the reviews provide the inside info on the day to day value of a property. It has been very useful to me (and well worth $15) to find out why nobody bids on a particular resort for $50, while a dozen people fight over one three miles down the road.

posted 09-17-2004 13:47               

quote:

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Originally posted by Makai Guy:
TUG started as ONLY reviews and ratings. The bbs and other additions were just add-ons to enhance the value of the total package.

Bill Rogers, TUG's founder and owner, wanted the bbs, online advice, etc. to be free to everyone, both as a service to the community and as an enticement to join the organization.

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Doug,

Your excellent post reviewed the past, but mentioned nothing about the future. Do you have any insights on the future of the rankings database? As a TUG Administrator, I think that your comments are particularly valuable.

You don't have to be specific and give away any TUG state secrets - just general comments like, "hang in there" or "stay tuned to this channel", or "don't hold your breath - you'll turn blue", or "beats me" would be nice.

Thanks.