Computers are supposed to help mine data effectively. With a wealth of knowledge of how users use the control panel, what features they use, how they visit their sites ... I'm supposed to effectively be able to custom-tailor the Tabulas experience for each user.

The most emotionally draining issue for me of the last month has been dealing with two opposing viewpoints: free users should not be excluded from the featuresets and paid users should have a reason to continue their paid subscriptions.

I realize a lot of free users are not of the age where they can pay for services; I was lucky enough persuade my parents to pay $20/month in server fees a long time ago when I was younger and did not have a CC, but not everyone has access to these types of finances. Especially those in foreign nations ... payment to Tabulas is long and requires a lot of work (snailmail ... most likely through Western Union, then air-posting it).

I've come to terms with these problems: most users will _not_ be able to pay for their accounts. However, some of these users are a subgroup I refer to as the "Entitled." The "Entitled" users feel entitled to every free account in the world; they believe that everything on the Internet should be free. They move from free service to free service, knowing that they can demand everything in the world, cause if they don't get what they want, they'll get huffy and leave for the next service.

I feel no pity for the Entitled subgroup. Granted, most of them don't know better (they are usually the younger kids who just don't get the finances of running sites) ... and if I could have my way, I'd just delete them and ban them from Tabulas for life (but such would not be the right thing to do!).

At the same time, I feel a deep obligation to my paid users to improve the service and give them a reason to PAY. Simply enjoying a service is not a good enough reason to pay for a service; you have to feel like it's adding value to your life - which is what I'm trying to deal with. I OWE it to the paid users to continue developing new features for their sake - and this is the path I have taken. I will, in all likehood, never add another new feature for the free users.

The balance between the economics and what the users want is quite hard to balance. I have to figure out whether a demand is coming from an Entitled. If it is, I usually just ignore it; but that doesn't mean I can simply ignore all requests and suggestions from free users ... some of them are legitimate concerns.

At one time, I was thinking of using a 'points' system to help free users "buy" certain features. But the scripting in managing that would be such a pain ...

So what's the solution? I see it as a multiple-attack program:

• Continue developing FOR the paid users - the free users should be happy with the current featureset - it's more features than any other personal data publishing on the web
• I need to stabilize the free accounts - I don't want to continue creeping away free features; I'd like to eventually draw a line somewhere and say, "OK, this is what I'm taking for free users. The other features are all guaranteed!" Insecurity about what the platform can take you from is a real concern for me - the recent move to lock out archives for free users was not a decision I took lightly. To that end, I'm going to figure out exactly what free users will have and publish that list online so people don't have to keep wondering if they'll wake up one day and find their custom templates gone.
• For those who cannot pay but LOVE Tabulas, I need to offer them a way to get free paid accounts. I don't want to lock out users because they can't pay - I do believe that people who truly love Tabulas but cannot afford or pay for an account should be entitled to a free paid account. To that end, I'm going to start running the "Invite a Friend" program. Invite six of your friends to use Tabulas for a set time period; if the system believes they are legitimate users ... even if they don't pay, you will be granted a full free paid account. It's in essence trading money for you spreading the program to your friends.

So thus marks my short, but interesting experiment in catering to the free users ... now is the time to kiss ass to my paid users :)