looking for a little input...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Jul 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

azuremariposa	10 Jul 2003
hiya! as some of you may know, i have a site where i offer tarot readings...my best friend's husband came to me recently w/an offer to help me out (get more business) in exchange for a "cut" of the profit... so, i jump through all the hoops he's set up (redesign my site, build extra pages, blah blah blah)...i even came up w/a bunch of extra readings to offer, made a few spreads i thought might be helpful, etc., etc. the thing is, we'd be charging more for the readings...but the "querent" would be getting more than your average reading...they'd get to see the spread and the cards drawn for them (via video) and hear me give the reading (via audio) in their own private area...so, here's my question...what i need input on... as i know most of us have probably gotten a paid reading at some point, do you think it is worth it to charge more for such a service? do you think the average "querent" would even WANT such a service? i ask, b/c i think my rates are quite reasonable as they are and i don't know if i want to charge people more...but then there's bandwidth (for the video feed) and other things to consider that add cost to my end... i'm at the point where all i need to do is edit a few pages and i could go live tomorrow w/the changes in the site...but i'm not sure if people would think it's worth it or not...(the prices would not be exorbitant, in fact they would still be lower than the majority of my "competitors") when i first created a site for myself (not this one, another one) i had two prices, one for email and the other for phone readings...the phone readings were a bit more b/c there's more feedback, a bigger chance to ask questions, etc....everyone went for the email readings v. the phone readings...(i.e., the cheaper price) which i don't blame them for, since most are skeptics, and w/all the fraudulent "psychics" out there, it's no wonder...but i'm just concerned people might be put off by higher prices...(i've made arrangements for previous customers to have access to the "old" prices as well, figuring that would be most fair)... so, what's the concensus view? would you pay more to see your spread/reading in action? to hear it being done, versus just reading it in an email? any thoughts/views/opinions would be greatly appreciated!! many blessings, ~azure

divinerguy	10 Jul 2003
Hi Azure, Why not compromise and do the readings as an audio file. They could download it and listen with their media player. It would save you bandwidth, while still keeping you ahead of the competition.

DarkElectric	10 Jul 2003
Yeah, I definitely would, to see it being done. I think people really like to see what they're getting. I haven't done any pro-online stuff yet, all my readings so far (except for our Reading Exchange!) have been face to face with the people. But networld can be wonkyworld, and I think it'd give me added confidence in the reader by seeing what I was getting. There are a LOT of shucksters out there. Best of Luck, Blue Lady :)

azuremariposa	10 Jul 2003
actually, that was part of the plan as well...to offer audio at a lesser price...i don't know if it would be worth it considering the guy's cut though...that's the tough part, ya know? but thanks divinerguy...i want to definitely offer just audio for those who may not be able to access a video feed...:) many blessings, ~azure

azuremariposa	10 Jul 2003
thanks DarkElectric...i hadn't thought about that aspect before (kinda "seeing is believing", eh?)...thanks for the good luck wishes...if this takes off the way this guy is telling me it will, i'm gonna need the luck just to keep up w/everything!! LOL... many blessings, ~azure

skysilver	10 Jul 2003
I think that is a cool idea. Very original. I never thought about that before. I hope it works out for you. Let me know the address of your website.... Maybe I can pass it around to a couple of people that I know. :) Wishing you lots of luck on your new website, Skysilver :CL :CL :CL

azuremariposa	10 Jul 2003
thanks skysilver! geez, now i'm getting all encouraged to work on the pages...hehe...thanks for the input!! many blessings, ~azure

wavebreaker	11 Jul 2003
Can't you offer several options with different prices? That way people can decide for themselves whether they think it's worth to pay a bit more for the video and/or audio option.

azuremariposa	11 Jul 2003
that's what i was hoping to do, tarotlady...i was hoping to offer a lower price for "just audio", but then, as i said, i don't know if it would be worth it w/my "partner's" cut...i mean, it would probably still be worth it, b/c recording a reading versus typing it out takes much less time...but still...thanks for the input...i appreciate it!! many blessings, ~azure

DarkElectric	11 Jul 2003
Oh, I so hope it takes off and is a success for you! I think this is a good idea. It's encouraging to see somebody else make it. It reaffirms the power of Idea, which can benefit everyone. You GO girl :)

skysilver	11 Jul 2003
You're welcome Azure, Don't be afraid to Private Message me to let me know about the website. :)

Trogon	12 Jul 2003
Hi Azure... It does sound like a very interesting option. Depending on the cut he's asking, it might be worth it. But, I would think that you would want to continue to offer a text-only option too. There are still people "out there" who don't have broad-band connections, there are even people who don't have sound on their computers (as primitive as that may seem). I'd guess you wouldn't want to leave them behind because they can't afford, or don't desire to keep up with the latest technology? No matter which way you go, wishing you all the readings and success you can handle. :D

Myrrha	12 Jul 2003
Azure, I do think seeing the cards would help people understand the readings, did you mean that the video would whow the cards actually being drawn? That would eliminate any suspicion that the querant might have that the reader just put together whichever cards would make a good reading. Anyway, I can't see why you should have to pay this fellow an ongoing cut of your profits. If this video/audio thing can be done surely someone can be found who will do it for a flat rate, which is how most web developers are paid. Even if you had to borrow the money to have the work done it might be better than having to fork over a cut of your profits. Myrrha

azuremariposa	12 Jul 2003
Trogon, I'm looking into Dragon's Naturally Speaking to be able to provide text only readings (at the same rate as the audio ones)...the technology has come a long way and i think that it would be helpful for me to be able to talk out the reading and have it converted for me :) (especially considering how my carpal tunnel's been acting up lately)...thanks for the input! i definitely wouldn't want to leave anyone behind (even though i can't imagine being on dial-up anymore! lol)... Myrrha, yes, they would see the cards as they are being drawn as well as closeups of the cards as i describe what's going on in the reading...i can't imagine putting the forethought of "what would make a good reading" into a reading, do people do that? that's crazy and much more work than simply shuffling and cutting the cards!! LOL...as for the "partner", that's the part that kinda bugs me...i think i've dragged my feet enough w/this to make him lose interest, which is fine by me, really as i kind of like my site the way it is...i don't know, maybe i'm just not ready for it, or having a partner...who knows...i still need to upgrade my OS to keep my puter from freezing 3-4 times a day b/c of the camera...so, we shall see what happens... thank you all so much for your input and support!! now i know why i missed it here so much!! :D much love to you all, and thanks again! ~azure

The looking for a little input... thread was originally posted on 10 Jul 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.