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Macrobusiness labels contributors as FREELOADERS if they don't pay for a subscription; David Llewellyn-Smith and Leith van Onselen grow desperate for funds
Topic Started: 8 Mar 2017, 01:12 PM (7,499 Views)
Khaderbhai
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Wealthy Suburbanite

Seems David Llewellyn-Smith (Houses and Holes) and Leith van Onselen are on a mission to belittle and disparage their non-paying contributors...

http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2017/03/swamped-citi-slams-door-foreign-buyers/




Freddy FREELOADER
March 8, 2017 at 12:10 pm
I object to reusa being labelled a FREELOADER.

Malcolm FREELOADER
March 8, 2017 at 11:40 am
Why am I a freeloader? IMO all contributors, paid up members and non members alike bring value to the blog. The reality is that some people can afford a subscription and some can’t. The owners are entitled to paywall the site, but don’t put labels on people. All successful social media sites are free to use and completely funded by advertising or data gathering sales.
I won’t be posting on this site anymore if I’m going to carry a derogatory label.

Houses and Holes MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 11:47 am
Why don’t you just pay up instead?


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Freeloader FREELOADER
March 8, 2017 at 11:52 am
Because paying is optional.

fishbulb MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 11:54 am
Regardless of Malcolm’s opinion. Having Freeloader stamped next to peoples comments is a pretty bad look for the website, If you’re just having a quick joke that’s ok, but, otherwise it looks unprofessional. If you wish to identify members, perhaps just keep the member tag, but, for non-members have nothing.

Houses and Holes MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 11:56 am
Ya reckon? Seems to me that it’s a pretty poor look for folks to run around here without contributing jack. Entitlement anyone?


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fishbulb MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 12:00 pm
He is contributing by making comments, creating discussion. It’s possible he is also recommending your site to friends and co-workers, which could lead to subscriptions. I think you should consider these non-financial contributions in your analysis. Just have the member label, that’s all that is really needed.

Jonathan MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 12:06 pm
Makes the site look very amateurish IMO

Malcolm FREELOADER
March 8, 2017 at 12:10 pm
I can’t afford It David, but instead of what? “pay up instead of WHAT? For a self determined libertarian you seem to have a decidedly neoliberal view …… like, just pay up or I’ll demonise you …… umm .. or you can just fark off huh?
You own the site and you can do whatever you like, but I have the choice of not contributing if I’m going to carry a derogatory label, something which you personally should be acutely aware of enough to avoid at all costs.
At least the MSM crowd are upfront and paywall their sites, but they don’t shame people because of their inability to cough up the dollars. But fine. You don’t want a broad range of views and debate from all socio economic levels of society and that is entirely your right as owner of the site. Excuse me for thinking you had broader concepts of society rattling around in your consciousness, obviously I am sadly mistaken.
But don’t bother to rail against my objections to this appalling behaviour, there are plenty of other blogs that are free to contribute so like most nasty little strategies that usually backfire in spectacular fashion, you will find out too late that you have lost a chunk of your readership and contributor base. Humans are like that, they don’t like to be belittled and have very long memories.

Houses and Holes MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Good god man. Just pay. It’s crazy cheap. You think it has no costs or something?


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glissom FREELOADER
March 8, 2017 at 12:18 pm
I can tell you why I don’t pay up.
The pricing seems to be based on two factors 1) Authors gotta eat. 2) the analysis provided will be of financial value to the buyer.
I’m on a median income with a mortgage large enough that no investment worth making could be higher return than just paying off my debts. So I’m not in a position to take advantage of the kind of excellent analysis that’s behind the paywall.

RDOMEMBER FREELOADER
March 8, 2017 at 12:22 pm
I’m not too happy with the Freeloader tag either. In fact I found it very jarring. I can certainly see why you want to grow subscribers, but I think a tag of Member for subscribers and just blank for others would be better.

Houses and Holes MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 12:23 pm
Then paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!


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RMMEMBER FREELOADER
March 8, 2017 at 12:28 pm
If you’re still happy to have ongoing limited access for non-paying users, but then deride them with a “Freeloader” handle, then this seems like poor form.

Mining Bogan MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 12:34 pm
We all understand your need for paying members but even I, someone who has been shrouded in common, find freeloader a bit pushy.

fishbulb MEMBER
March 8, 2017 at 12:36 pm
H&H, what is cheap for some could be expensive for others, you can’t make that determination unless you know all the facts of the persons financial situation. However in my opinion, having the label just gives the site a bad look. I don’t want that, I want the site to grow and increase it’s readership, so that policy can be influenced for the better.
Maybe I’m wrong, but just in case, having no label or “guest” would still illustrate your point. I really don’t think having Freeloader as a name will shame people into buying a subscription.
Also, consider someone who just stumbles upon your site, they’re very unlikely to pay for a subscription straight away, probably want to test the waters for a bit, I took a little bit of time to become a member myself. This potential new member may consider the “freeloader” label to be offensive/childish, and therfore, may dismiss the site out of hand, or simply not become a member of it.
Honestly, I don’t know, but business wise wouldn’t it be best to play it safe. By having freeloader as a label you gain nothing, but with it risk readership.

Malcolm FREELOADER
March 8, 2017 at 1:08 pm
What disappoints me is that you choose to label me with a name I find despicable. I am not a freeloader I give around a quarter of my time as a volunteer to help elderly people who have difficulty in making ends meet and assist elderly parents who have adult children with disability in institutional care. I am considered age related unemployable and too qualified for the local servo desk which would displace a young person anyway, so I’m trapped. I’ve been discarded from the workforce and live on the meagre age pension – I challenge anyone in this place to make ends meet on that pathetic sum.
From yours and others responses I’ve got it. This is a site where those that can afford it can waffle their heads off about the system without really doing too much within the system itself. And those who can’t (or won’t pay) are jumbled together and called a name so the people who can afford your sub can look down their noses at them. That you don’t see this through your name calling is so tragic at a human level that I’m lost for words. The paradox is that in seeking to shame me you have shamed yourself. You are entitled to make a living as you see fit, but that doesn’t include embarrassing me because I haven’t got the ready money to remove the label you’ve given me. To you and those who say this site is not free are absolutely correct. The price for me is embarrassment and that is not a price I’m unwilling to pay.
Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to contribute here over a couple of years – I’m sad to part on such poor terms, but I’m more distressed that you and others can’t see the travesty of your action and comments this day.
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Edited by Khaderbhai, 8 Mar 2017, 02:03 PM.
Banks can't repossess your home simply because the market value falls. Australia's Consumer Credit Code says consumers aren't liable for things ordinarily outside their control and can't be held to obligations that could only be met by selling their home. Click for details.

"The truth is that there are no good men, or bad men. It is the deeds that have goodness or badness in them. There are good deeds, and bad deeds. Men are just men."
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b_b
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They have more front than a David Jones.

Most of the articles are copy and paste anyway. As for their advice, I reckon your would getter a better financial outcome if you used on of these instead.
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(S – I) + (T - G) + (M - X) = 0
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herbie
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F*** me, imagine havin' a pair of evil cnts like that as ya landlord or ya pollie or ya priest? - LOL

But hey, they'd dearly luv ta be ya PAID financial advisor ... Not that they actually do provide 'advice' I assume? ... :)
Edited by herbie, 8 Mar 2017, 01:33 PM.
A Professional Demographer to an amateur demographer: "negative natural increase will never outweigh the positive net migration"
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b_b
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Just paid them a visit. It looks like they removed the “freeloader” tag, and just identifying members now.

I also notice they posted some Credit Suisse research today. I wonder, did they pay for that?
Edited by b_b, 8 Mar 2017, 01:33 PM.
(S – I) + (T - G) + (M - X) = 0
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Khaderbhai
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Wealthy Suburbanite

It sounds like David Llewellyn-Smith and Leith van Onselen are struggling to make money from the site. Blogging is their full time job, and after the costs of running the site they're probably earning a pittance. Meanwhile all the 'dumb Sydney property investors' they've been laughing at for the past five years are rolling in money. Sydney house prices have doubled since Macrobusiness started.

In 2010, Leith van Onselen (Unconventional Economist) said an Australian housing crash is inevitable and cannot be avoided. David Llewellyn-Smith (Houses and Holes) said Australian property values would fall in real and nominal terms for the next decade. This is the sort of disastrous advice they've been handing out for seven years. What a pair of muppets. Anyone who followed their advice would be in a financial black hole by now. I can't believe some members actually do pay to read their dribble. :lol

Posted Image
Edited by Khaderbhai, 8 Mar 2017, 01:37 PM.
Banks can't repossess your home simply because the market value falls. Australia's Consumer Credit Code says consumers aren't liable for things ordinarily outside their control and can't be held to obligations that could only be met by selling their home. Click for details.

"The truth is that there are no good men, or bad men. It is the deeds that have goodness or badness in them. There are good deeds, and bad deeds. Men are just men."
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zaph
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Khaderbhai
8 Mar 2017, 01:34 PM
It sounds like David Llewellyn-Smith and Leith van Onselen are struggling to make money from the site. Blogging is their full time job, and after the costs of running the site they're probably earning a pittance. Meanwhile all the 'dumb Sydney property investors' they've been laughing at for the past five years are rolling in money. Sydney house prices have doubled since Macrobusiness started.

In 2010, Leith van Onselen (Unconventional Economist) said an Australian housing crash is inevitable and cannot be avoided. David Llewellyn-Smith (Houses and Holes) said Australian property values would fall in real and nominal terms for the next decade. This is the sort of disastrous advice they've been handing out for seven years. What a pair of muppets. Anyone who followed their advice would be in a financial black hole by now. I can't believe some members actually do pay to read their dribble. :lol

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All these years and you're still bitter they kicked you out...

How much does this site earn you?
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herbie
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Khaderbhai
8 Mar 2017, 01:34 PM
It sounds like David Llewellyn-Smith and Leith van Onselen are struggling to make money from the site.
Well, I've heard it said that "Every dark cloud has a silver lining" - So I 'spose tha good news is that despite tha fact they've bin wrong about housing prices, they do at least (personally) have increased home equity ta draw down on ta keep tha site running ... :)

Shame about 'tha faithful' tho hey? - LOL

Oh I knows, I'm a cnt - But at least I's a 'hedge ya bets' type a cnt!
Edited by herbie, 8 Mar 2017, 01:49 PM.
A Professional Demographer to an amateur demographer: "negative natural increase will never outweigh the positive net migration"
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Houses and Holes
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Houses and Holes
Piss off trolls! Look, I'm under a lot of stress. You're right that the money we make from blogging barely pays the bills and after five years my wife is starting to get the shits. She wants me to go out and get a proper job instead of relying on her income to tide us over. Leith is in the same situation. Sometimes I think he goes to his kickboxing classes because it's better than the hiding he gets from his wife for being such a loser.

Why doesn't blogging pay more? We get up every day, log on in our PJs, and copy/paste articles from other websites. Not everyone can do a job like that, so why can't people see the value in what we do and pay us more money for it? Google advertising revenue has dropped off a cliff so we're desperate for paying subscribers. How can I keep a roof over my head if f***ing freeloaders run rampant around my website?

If you want to read the articles we copy from other sites then you should pay us for the privilege, it's as simple as that!
MacroBusiness SuperBlog and David Llewellyn-Smith Retrospective
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zaph
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Houses and Holes
8 Mar 2017, 01:53 PM
Piss off trolls! Look, I'm under a lot of stress. You're right that the money we make from blogging barely pays the bills and after five years my wife is starting to get the shits. She wants me to go out and get a proper job instead of relying on her income to tide us over. Leith is in the same situation. Sometimes I think he goes to his kickboxing classes because it's better than the hiding he gets from his wife for being such a loser.

Why doesn't blogging pay more? We get up every day, log on in our PJs, and copy/paste articles from other websites. Not everyone can do a job like that, so why can't people see the value in what we do and pay us more money for it? Google advertising revenue has dropped off a cliff so we're desperate for paying subscribers. How can I keep a roof over my head if f***ing freeloaders run rampant around my website?

If you want to read the articles we copy from other sites then you should pay us for the privilege, it's as simple as that!
Very amusing Shadow. I'll contribute 10 cents to your mortgage for such a fantastic post.
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Khaderbhai
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Wealthy Suburbanite

zaph
8 Mar 2017, 01:47 PM
All these years and you're still bitter they kicked you out...
Being kicked off websites is like a badge of honour for me. :lol

Quote:
 
How much does this site earn you?
$1 per post (hence the endless debates with Roddy... they're very lucrative).
Banks can't repossess your home simply because the market value falls. Australia's Consumer Credit Code says consumers aren't liable for things ordinarily outside their control and can't be held to obligations that could only be met by selling their home. Click for details.

"The truth is that there are no good men, or bad men. It is the deeds that have goodness or badness in them. There are good deeds, and bad deeds. Men are just men."
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