Unwanted complexity.

[Ed]

Now the structure of the new site is coming together, I’m working on the messages, help, instructions and descriptions necessary to explain everything to users. It’s becoming quite obvious that what I’ve got is too complicated and will cause not just a lot of confusion but much work for me answering questions.

I’ve spent a lot of time looking at this, but there just doesn’t seem to be any way to simplify it.

I must maintain the Patreon system, as that is the only regular income the site has. It also means that many members will not need to re-register.

So this means we have visitors (non-registered, not logged in), free members (registered but not paying patrons) and patrons (paid members via Patreon). This gives three levels of membership – reasonably straightforward.

The problem then is the new Ofcom rules. This means members who see forums with user-sourced content, or any nudity (this is open to debate as “adult content” is not defined), must be “robustly” age verified. This is not another level, but a separate system which exists beside the patron system.

So now we have visitors, free members, age-verified free members, patrons and age-verified patrons. Is that too complicated? Is it plain confusing??

Gary and ptHarry like this

[TheG]

I wonder how some sites manage to cope with numerous levels of patreon support. Maybe they have a team of technical, admin, marketing etc people behind the scenes. The new regulations could be most challenging to the smallest sites – yet another way that big corporates get more and more advantage over independent sites.

ptHarry likes this

[Ed]

Lots of them are closing down or blocking the UK. Even some mainstream sites are giving up on the UK. Ofcom is hugely undermanned for it, but they aim to go after every single site with user-sourced content (according to their website). Bitchute geoblocked the UK recently.

I’m seeing a lot of smaller sites closing down. One of NE’s leading competitors (in terms of being a nudity-themed forum) closed recently, and there are more pulling nude content from their pages.

The regulation changes are all done under the label of stopping minors accessing “harmful” content. The biggest change is that everything (except text posts) is assumed to be harmful unless published by the site owners.

Gary likes this

[Gary]

On the “plus” side.  If you can find a way of doing this you might be able to increase the Membership by “poaching” those from closed sites

[Ed]

Fingers crossed but I have no way of communicating with those people. We just have to hope they find this community while looking for a replacement.

[Gary]

For the different “Membership Types” have you setup a “truth table” (also know by many other names)?

Just create a small grid, with the different membership types down the side and what content or areas the site has available, then just put a tick or a cross at each interesction for whether that Membership can see that content.

You might find there is a lot of overlap, which you might be able to simplify further.  eg all the non-Patreon members can only see the same stuff, then all you hae to worry about is age-verification on Patreon Members.  So you have your main menu with 3 branches.  age-verified patreon, non-age-verified patreon, everyone else.
The only extra step is to block non-members commenting

Ed likes this

[Ed]

That might work.

[John]

Gary’s is a good suggestion. Once the new site beds in though, it will probably become apparent to you where you can make changes and simplify.

Sometimes you need to see things working before you can improve them.

Gary and Ed like this

[TheG]

This thread makes me think I’ve wandered into the IT department. It’s so long since I briefly worked in IT that, in those days, the computers were huge and needed arctic air conditioning. Not a good environment for being naked, though even then there were rumours of dares that had been carried out!!

Ed likes this

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