For many years of my journey with the internet, I used various services for free. By ‘free’, I mean there were no cash charges for access to apps, messages, services, and so on.
The internet was designed in such a way that, back then, practically everything on it was simply accessible. Especially from the perspective of my country. It was only later that the first subscription models began to appear. I don’t know if that’s actually how it was, or if I’ve simply remembered it that way, but I think the first time I heard about subscription models on the Internet was in the context of access to information. I’m referring to paywalls.
Later on, I came across all sorts of tools more and more regularly that were available upon payment of a monthly or annual fee.
These days, we pay for more and more services online. I realise that this is simply the way things have evolved. Nothing comes for free. Every creator incurs costs and invests time in creating something, and so pays for the product they create. It is therefore only natural that they expect users and buyers to pay for it.
I, too, joined the ranks of those paying for various digital services many years ago. Initially, it was for news. I have a few favourite magazines and have been subscribing to them for a long time. Sometimes for longer periods (a year or two), other times just catching up sporadically. This allowed me to manage my budget a bit. I didn’t always opt for continuous access. That suited me fine. It probably didn’t suit the publishers, though, as I was an unpredictable customer.
It’s different with online services, because you can catch up on articles by purchasing access to the site again. But you use services practically every day. For example, an RSS reader, for which I pay a small monthly fee. I love it and don’t want to use any other tool for the time being.
But subscribing to various tools means I have to be consistent. Either I use them and pay, or I don’t use them and don’t pay. I can’t use them every other month or every fourth month.
This means I’m faced with fixed costs. I also have to expect that some of these services will become increasingly expensive. I have to expect price rises. Recently, Adam – the creator of a very nice collection of tools at omg.lol – announced a price increase for annual access. One of these tools is a Mastodon instance called social.lol. I’ve been using it for two years now. There’s a wonderful community there.
However, Adam’s announcement that he’s raising prices from $20 to $50 a year came as a bit of a surprise and saddened me, as that’s an increase of over 100%. Although we’re still talking about a relatively small amount (I think). $50 is $4.16 a month. Although in my country I have to multiply that amount by roughly 3.5 to 4 to see the actual cost.
However, I have no right to hold it against Adam that he decided to take this step. The price of $20 for what it offers is absurdly low. That’s why, on the one hand, I immediately wanted to stay on omg.lol (although I actually only use the Mastodon instance), whilst on the other hand I had to look at my subscriptions and expenses in a broader context, including possible future price rises, and factor all of this into my monthly budget.
I posted about my dilemma on Mastodon, mentioning that I was considering moving to another instance – one of the free ones. Several people replied, offering various suggestions to resolve my dilemma. Adam also replied, for which I’m very grateful. It’s lovely that he’s so committed to the community he’s built and wants to continue helping us in various ways.
I really appreciate Adam’s honesty and the fact that he made his position clear:
- The new pricing will keep omg.lol healthy and better position me to eventually work on it full-time (instead of just nights/weekends).
- Between now and August 1, you can still pre-pay for as much time as you’d like at the current $20/year price, just like with any domain.
- Even at $50/year ($4.17/month), omg.lol remains a ridiculous deal for all of the features.
I agree with everything he wrote. But there was something else that really struck me. These words:
I’m not going to lie and say “I wish I didn’t have to do this”; the reality is that I don’t have to do it. But doing this is how omg.lol can continue to expand and grow, to become more useful and more fun. Keeping the price at $20/year (which is a ridiculous $1.67/month) is the path to stagnation and boredom. And that’s not cool.
The omg.lol and social.lol sites are unique places. I’d never before paid for access to a site with any sort of community. And I was a bit apprehensive at first. But it soon became clear that there are some truly wonderful people there. This is the sort of internet I’ve been searching for for a long time and have been missing.
That’s why it would be with a heavy heart that I’d leave social.lol. The comments on my Mastodon post also gave me some comfort. They gave me food for thought, too. I decided to take a closer look at the list of services and websites I subscribe to. I’m the sort of person who doesn’t splash out on money and tries to spend it only on things that are necessary or important for some reason. I’m not stingy, but I realise just how hard I have to work to earn enough to cover all my bills and everyday living expenses. I know I’m not alone in this.
For some time now, I’ve been in the process of switching from one service to another. I try to make sensible decisions with a view to digital sovereignty and greater control over where my personal data is stored online. I take a similar approach to the services I pay for. That’s why I’ve recently cancelled two service subscriptions in favour of other technological solutions, which in this case have proved sufficient for me. This has allowed me to avoid overpaying and to have better control.
However, the prospect of a price rise for omg.lol and suggestions from my friends on Mastodon prompted me to take one more step. A step I’d been putting off for a long time – taking a closer look at which subscriptions I renew monthly and which annually, and how much I could save if I decided to pay for more of these services via an annual subscription.
It’s a one-off expense, but it also represents a tangible saving that could go a long way towards offsetting the price rise Adam has announced. For me, this is a solution that will allow me to avoid spending more on digital services, despite the price increase for one of them.
I’ve worked it all out and decided that, over the coming months, I’ll be switching from monthly to annual subscriptions for each service. This will allow me to spread these costs over time, so they won’t hit me all at once in a single month a year from now. At the same time, I’ll keep checking whether I really need all these services and platforms. Sometimes needs, priorities and goals change. You know how it is. That’s life.
Why have I only now decided to switch to annual subscriptions on a larger scale? Until now, I suppose I’ve been a bit too cautious about it. Or perhaps I treated these services as if they were simply news subscriptions. Monthly payments allowed me to retain greater autonomy and the option to cancel at any time. The decision to purchase a year’s access changes that perspective. It means I’ll be tied to a specific service for a year.
I was a bit apprehensive about this. But I suppose the time has come to make some important decisions and focus on a few – but the most important – services that I actually use and for which I’ll pay without regretting it. Plus, at a price I’m willing to accept (I only consider subscriptions like that). Perhaps this marks the beginning of a shift in my outlook on digital life. As it happens, this change was triggered by Adam’s announcement of the price rise. Perhaps, deep down, it’ll actually turn out to be a good thing for me?
At this point, I know for certain that I want to stay on social.lol and support Adam in developing omg.lol. Let’s make the internet fun and people-friendly again. I don’t regret a single dollar I spend on access to social.lol. I suppose that’s recommendation enough to myself to stay there for the long haul.
I realise that my thoughts might elicit a smile of pity or embarrassment from some people. However, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on spending money on various online services and keeping track of expenses. Perhaps this will inspire someone to take a closer look at their own situation. And if not, I hope that at least you won’t feel you’ve wasted your time reading these paragraphs. ;)