You may think some these ideas are crazy. This Paid Content article, that uses World of Warcraft as a case study for how to attract users to subscribe to a service, has some interesting observations on why people pay to use a game or an online service. I found this idea particularly interesting:
—Reader rewards: The addictive quality of WoW comes from “leveling”, the process whereby players earn points and progress a series of ranks to gain new skills. News sites should consider whether they can drive usage, loyalty and payments by similarly encouraging readers to unlock different “levels” of membership, each with its own unique rewards.
Food for thought, isn’t it?
(Hat tip to Mathew Ingram http://twitter.com/mathewi for sharing this on Google Reader.)
