IPVM annual subscription?

bug99

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I have wondered for quite a while why the IPVM forum site is so expensive at its lowest price tier. I would think that many times as many people would subscribe to a forum that had person service prices that were a fraction as high. Who can justify $200/year besides a successful multi-person AV business?
 

looney2ns

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I have wondered for quite a while why the IPVM forum site is so expensive at its lowest price tier. I would think that many times as many people would subscribe to a forum that had person service prices that were a fraction as high. Who can justify $200/year besides a successful multi-person AV business?
That is it's audience.
 

bug99

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i suppose so. It is a shame in my opinion. I see the value, but not at that level for me. It is around the same price as IEEE, but at <1/10,000 of the user base.
 

fenderman

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i suppose so. It is a shame in my opinion. I see the value, but not at that level for me. It is around the same price as IEEE, but at <1/10,000 of the user base.
There is a 30 day refund...try it..
 
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john-ipvm

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@bug99 thanks for the question. I am the founder of IPVM. Yes, our member focus for IPVM is integration companies that do ongoing video surveillance projects. For companies that do tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of video surveillance projects annually, it is generally easy to justify the cost / value.

If we could do better overall financially by cutting the price in half, I'd be happy to do that but I don't believe that we would, e.g., double our membership. It's a very niche market so, by definition, most people are not going to be interested, regardless of the price. For example, the IEEE is completely different, they offer great benefits broadly but, for someone doing video surveillance professionally, we offer a lot more value since we cover video surveillance far more in depth.

Btw, you refer to IPVM as a 'forum site'. While it is true we have a forum, our main value (as well as costs incurred) is our 575+ tests, our Calculator design software, our statistics and our news reporting. Again, for most people, it is simply not applicable, but for video surveillance professionals, it generally provides strong value.

If I can answer any questions or respond to any feedback, let me know, thanks.
 

Fastb

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John, thanks for the thoughtful response, and insight.

My first thoughts to the initial posting:
- Professionals can justify the cost. And benefit from the in-depth reports, saving their firm's money.
- IPVM-wide, the pro-to-pro threads are probably desirable, without non-pros chiming in and diluting the content.
- The range of discussion on this ipcamtalk site runs the gamut, from very basic to advanced. if IPVM became cheaper, would the level of IPVM forum-like technical discussion degrade?

John, when IPVM has an report that's germane to this ipcamtalk audience, you provide us with temporary access to the article. I, and we, appreciate that.

Since we're not IPVM members, we can't post comments on the article. That's fine, and so the comments are from pros, not hobbyists.

Me, I'd enjoy reading the pro's replies to IPVM articles (even if I can't post a comment). My thought: Seeing the pro's replies, and the (assumed) thoughtful discussion/interaction, would demonstrate the value of joining IPVM. Seeing comments isn't the same as getting access to the secret sauce of IPVM reports and IPVM analysis....

Just my thoughts....

Fastb
 
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fenderman

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@Fastb, try it for 30 days..he will provide a free refund...im willing to be you dont ask for it...
You are correct, the site is not geared towards amateurs...for any installer/integrator 200 dollars is chump change...its 16 a month....and that is before the tax deduction...however, for folks who are not pros but enjoy the hobby, its a great read as well...basically for the cost of your netflix subscription..
 

EMPIRETECANDY

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@bug99 thanks for the question. I am the founder of IPVM. Yes, our member focus for IPVM is integration companies that do ongoing video surveillance projects. For companies that do tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of video surveillance projects annually, it is generally easy to justify the cost / value.

If we could do better overall financially by cutting the price in half, I'd be happy to do that but I don't believe that we would, e.g., double our membership. It's a very niche market so, by definition, most people are not going to be interested, regardless of the price. For example, the IEEE is completely different, they offer great benefits broadly but, for someone doing video surveillance professionally, we offer a lot more value since we cover video surveillance far more in depth.

Btw, you refer to IPVM as a 'forum site'. While it is true we have a forum, our main value (as well as costs incurred) is our 575+ tests, our Calculator design software, our statistics and our news reporting. Again, for most people, it is simply not applicable, but for video surveillance professionals, it generally provides strong value.

If I can answer any questions or respond to any feedback, let me know, thanks.
Great to know you are the founder of the IPVM,it's a great place.
 

john-ipvm

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@Fastb thanks for the feedback.

I think there's a lot of high-quality discussions here. IPVM tends to talk more about business issues, (1) because it's primarily people in the business and (2) most technical queries tend to go directly to the manufacturer since our members generally are authorized dealers who have immediate access to an RSM and systems engineer etc at each of their lines. You all do a great job providing each other technical support especially in cases where no technical support is provided.

Thanks for the suggestion about showing comments when we unlock a post. I've queued that up. I actually did not realize that we obscured comments but showed the report (i.e., because I am logged so I don't see that state normally). Going forward, when we unlock posts, the comments will be unlocked too.

Related, there was a long recent discussion on IPVM you might find interesting - Should I Sell Camera Systems To The Residential Market? It's how dealers look at selling to residential customers. You might find their concerns funny or interesting.

Thanks again. Other questions or suggestions, please let me know. I appreciate it.
 

Fastb

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@john-ipvm ,

I wanted to update and confirm that now when we unlock posts, the comments are displayed in full
John, I can confirm the article and comments are both viewable to me. The comments were insightful, and added some breadth & depth to the topic. Thanks for making the change!

Regards,
Fastb
 
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