A New Perspective

[kimkrichbaum2]

Online Strat is in trouble, I think we all know that. The combination of frequent service interruptions this season, with the economic downturn has resulted in decreased action - for leagues and especially on the boards.
The question I have been asking myself, and the question I bet many of you have been asking yourselves is, "What are Bernie and TSN going to do about it? After all we are the "customers" and they are the "business".

At this point I think that is the wring question. How would it be if Strat on TSN folded? How would we who enjoy the game feel? How would the folks in keeper leagues feel? I'm guessing not very good. we have a stake in this. It is not just Bernie's problem, it is OUR problem ( I am speaking fo experienced manager, not so much newbies, we have more of a sense of "ownership")

So, i would like this thread, and maybe other threads be about, how WE can increase the number of players, and the functionality of this game, not just what Bernie can do for us.

And replying to a comment in another thread about TSN and money. The original part of the Sporting News is a newspaper/magazine. Many print media outlets are going under. In this economic climate, the chance that they are making lots of money is very slight, and the chance that they are struggling to stay alive is greater. (as a Executive director of a small and sometimes struggling non-profit, I can identify with this)

So, now some of my ideas, on how WE make Stratomatic work. First of all,(and I hope TSN has the flexibility to take this perspective) this is a time that should not be about short term profits, but about retention and expansion of the customer base. Once the boards and the game are more stable, and you have revived the customer base, then I think that like all economic ventures, they can look at making money.

So for now, i would give away a couple more comp games, and decrease prices seriously (maybe $14.95, with 49.95 5-packs), until the all the computer problems are fixed. not because we deserve freebies, but because that is best for the survival of the game.

Once all the computer issues are handles, then I think it is time for a huge push to get a new customer base. I think the first season should be free for new players. nd along with that, at the time of this push, I think there should be a cheap online media blitz, that we, the "customers' can be a part of. make up an e-mail about the free first strat team, and have us all forward it to our friends, Put Strat posts and/or free or close to free ads on Facebook, and any sports online discussion where we can get away with it. some of us could post things about how we enjoy Strat on those boards, and hopefully pull in a lot of new "customers".

And I think one area that is key is the experience of first time managers. I think many make basic mistakes, end up with lousy teams and get discouraged. I know it took me a while to find the boards, it might be great to send some info on how to get on the boards, and what is available there. I also wonder of there could be a "mentor' program, where first time manager get the e-mail of an experienced manager who can answer their questions. And maybe after someone's first season, or if somebody buys a 5-pack, get them information about all the "special" leagues that exist on the forums. I have sort of lost interest in 80 mil leagues, it's keepers and 2 1/2 team leagues that keep me going. I want to make sure new players find out about those options.

it seems good to me to have some sort of promotion at the beginning of 2009 for new players, and another marketing idea, how about encouraging us to give "gift 5-packs" for Christmas, maybe creating an easy way to do that.

I am sure not all the ideas I have put forth are practical, I trust Bernie and the community to refine what is best. But hopefully I have started a discussion on how WE can all make this better

[LMBombers]

There are many good ideas put forth here by litangel. One idea that I don't agree would make TSN/SOM more profitable is the slashing the price in half of the teams. It is not like even if you only paid half price for a team and the system crashed for a week you would be saying "I don't mind because I paid less for this team".

The price should remain the same but the service needs to be as expected. If the service is reliable again enough people will play this game to make it profitable. Even at half price people won't stick around if the service keeps on crashing.

[GARYREININGER]

Great suggestions! My favorite is your idea for a "mentor" program. I remember how frustrating it was for my teams to succeed, and without a lot of help from the vets I might have given up. I'd gladly give up some time to help out the new guys. Count me in.

[visick]

If I recall correctly, in the 2003 game, if u referred a friend, u got a discount.

It would be wise to re-install that.

[visick]

Maybe even go with the free 21 game season as well...

[bernieh]

Litangel, wow, thanks for the incredibly constructive and thoughtful post. It's a refreshing perspective. Not that people don't have the right to be negative - they do, and I do my best to treat every complaint with the attention it deserves - but on a personal level it's nice for me to see, and you have some excellent ideas too.

I just wanted to chime in with 2 points quickly while I can:

1. I want it to be clear that SN does not expect you, our paying customer, to do [i:960c48714b]anything[/i:960c48714b] beyond giving us your business and enjoying the game. I've heard a comment or two before asking why should you do anything extra for us... well, you shouldn't, if you don't want to. That being said, there are certain people who feel they'd be helping themselves and the community by putting in some extra effort - there are many of you out there who have already done so [i:960c48714b]and we are extremely grateful[/i:960c48714b] - ... Litangel is talking about them.

2. Your mentor idea is dead on, and we are actually embarking on that initiative. Tonight one of the things I'm working on is cleaning up that Contact Us link to get rid of all the extraneous junk, and I'll eventually include directions to a special upcoming section of the forums where beginners can seek help from volunteer experts.

[kimkrichbaum2]

I got another couple of ideas on how to give newbies the best chance of a positive experience. First of all, have beginner leagues, that are suggested, maybe even required for first time managers, So they can compete with one another, and have a reasonable chance of winning rather than just being fodder for skilled veterans.

And here is the real brainstorm - add a setting for 0% FA drop penalty, and make it default for beginner leagues. This accomplishes two important things, First of all, if the manager has a poor team when the season begins, they are not doomed for the rest of the season, which they pretty much are now. And secondly, newbies generally like to tinker !Do you remember back to your first league? I remember mine, and it was such a downer to draft this team, and then not be able to make any moves and improve my team, basically just having to wait 8 weeks and see what happens. Now as a vet with multiple teams, I appreciate simplicity, picking a team and letting it go, but not while I was learning, Beginner leagues for wither just beginners, or maybe anyone with a manager level or less than 200, would way improve the game for newbies.
The only important thing, will be letting managers who graduate to leagues with normal add/drop penalties, will ave to be informed, that a lot of in season moves will be detrimental.

[Jerlins]

I think the mentor idea is fantastic. My first ever SOM experience ever (never played the actual board game) had myself in the same division with etdefender and bigmahon, and had Cristano in the league as well. Lol, welcome to SOM!!! But I held my own and was in contention for a playoff spot until the last day. I had NO clue what I was actually doing.

It wasn't until I discovered the old forums and read EVERYTHING everyone had to offer including someone whose name escapes me that put out a real nice ratings list on the board. But those guys who constantly wrote ideas, strategies, etc on the boards kept my interest and competitiveness up to snuff. Guys like J-Pav, Coffeeholic, Visick..I can go on and on were a daily read. THANK YOU guys!!! I miss those old forums, and sadly, few ideas are ever posted on the current boards, at least not how they once did.

I've actually helped out a few folks in leagues where my ideas were solicited, but few people actually bother to ask, most likely figuring I'd have little interest in helping someone in the same league as myself. Those that did, well, hopefully, I've helped them avoid the beginner mistakes.

[RICHARDMILTER]

The problems have been minor in my opinion. and when they have been more than minor Bernie and TSN have come through (big time) with many free credits. As long as I have been around they have always made things right.

I have brought several new players into the fold here(at least six). However, few of them stick around either because of the price, or they just get frustrated never having a competitive team.

I often think; what if TSN canceled these Strat leagues due to lack of interest, or lack of profits. And frankly, it scares the you know what out of me. So before we complain too much remember; Bernie does his best, we have received free credits when big problems arose, and what would life be like without TSN strat? It may not be the end of the World, but it would not be as fun a World. So let us try to be positive. Keep the good ideas flowing. And enjoy it while we are here, and we have it. Happy gaming.

[Eddie E]

I was one who regularly played the TSN Football leagues which have disappeared off of the site. I love baseball and play these leagues although only one or two teams at a time but you cant imagine how fun it was to build a football team as well. The football game had tons of issues primarily around not understanding how to set up the sliders to get your team to do the things you wanted it to do but it was still fun to play. Yes, if we lose baseball too, I will be extremely bummed.