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General Discussion

Posted by Julio Tocadiscos
Julio Tocadiscos
2,732 Points

Bonus Content

Paying double for "alleged" bonus content is not very cool. Why not just have a flat rate that incorporates all resources? Why discriminate against learners on a budget? If the goal of Treehouse is affordable education for all, why create these unnecessary tiers?

4 Answers

Rick Rakin
Rick Rakin
6,531 Points
Rick Rakin
Rick Rakin
6,531 Points

I went with gold for my first month. I found myself overwhelmed by just the non-bonus content and dropped the membership down to regular after that. I figure once I'm up to speed on the fundamentals and am creating an income from web design, I'll go back to a gold subscription. All the stuff was available for download during that month and I did download a few videos. Like I mentioned, no time to really even watch them yet anyway.

Sharon Walls
Sharon Walls
9,234 Points
Sharon Walls
Sharon Walls
9,234 Points

It's not discrimination, it's an acknowledgement of the varying wants and needs of consumers.

It's the same reason there are 16GB, 32GB and 64GB iPads, and some with wi-fi only and some with cellular service. Different features at different prices for different needs. By offering tiered pricing, it's more likely that one of the product options will suit you.

(I'm not actually a fan of the Bonus Content. I don't think it's worth it for me personally, but plenty do find it useful. Even at $49/month, the Gold Plan is still way cheaper than university, and some other online coding schools too.)

Julio Tocadiscos
Julio Tocadiscos
2,732 Points

You make very good points! Discrimination is probably a bad word choice on my part, but why have the tier system at all? I don't see it as providing more options based on the needs of consumers, rather it makes it seem like people who may have less disposable income for this kind of stuff aren't worthy of the juicy bonus content. The Treehouse mission is affordable education for all ... so why split us into two groups rather than just charging one fair price for all the content?

Sharon Walls
Sharon Walls
9,234 Points

I see your point and if it feels that way, that sucks. I can't speak for Team Treehouse but I don't think they would do that on purpose; there are students from so many diverse backgrounds here, I think they are honestly trying to reach as many people as possible. But it's a new business model (online code schools, that is) so your input is valuable in pointing out how it feels to be "only" Silver. If it makes anyone feel bad, it's worth discussing.

I'm totally speculating, but if they did get rid of the tiers then wouldn't it be $49 for all of the content, and no other options? Doesn't the Silver Plan allows more people to access Treehouse content?

Just trying to figure out how it might work without tiers. I hope it doesn't come off as an argument. :-/

Julio Tocadiscos
Julio Tocadiscos
2,732 Points

I really appreciate your thoughtful responses Sharon. When I reread my posts I find they can come off as overly negative, but my goal was to spark this exact type of discussion and not to have a silly argument!

I completely agree that there is no ill intent on the part of Treehouse and I understand that this new model is subject to growing pains. Richard's comment above was really illuminating in that he signed on initially as a gold member and then was unable to make use of the bonus content as there was simply too much good stuff to learn before he could get there. What if there was a free trial for your first month where you could at least explore the bonus content and then decide if it is worth it going forward? Richard could have saved himself 25$ in that case.

I took the view that trying it out on the lower tier was the best bet at first and I have been very happy with what I have been able to learn in just over 2 weeks. Something about the tiers just started rubbing me the wrong way and I think it may have to do with the fact that they are asking for twice the amount of money. If it was 5 or 10 dollars more I doubt I would care so much! This is a good system and I am sure it will continue to improve as Treehouse seems really willing to take feedback and implement it.

Thanks again for giving your point of view.

Kevin Ohlsson
Kevin Ohlsson
4,559 Points
Kevin Ohlsson
Kevin Ohlsson
4,559 Points

I agree that the price for the bonus plan is still unjustified for what students get in return for the extra (near double) fee. If it's a symbolic gesture to pay extra for courses then sure, be content-wise it's not a worthwhile upgrade for my needs at this moment. If there were regular updates to trends within the each industry that is listed on the bonus-page, programming, VR, etc.. then the upgrade might just be worthwhile, it seems as if 'news' updates are spaced to far apart to justify the price now though.

Adding a live-chat, or getting access to something like that could be a feature to the upgrade package. However that could very likely also result in segmenting the userbase and ultimately leaving the 'live chat' to become a desert. However a chat could also be a way for people to get to know each other, discuss trends and share what they are up to. Asking question should still be exclusive to the 'ask a question' section of teamtreehouse IMHO. There could also be a weekly Q&A with developers on the site to spark some more interest for the upgraded plan too (if that's not already a thing?).

Right now though, the $49 price tag tier remains hard to justify IMHO.

mersadajan
mersadajan
21,307 Points
mersadajan
mersadajan
21,307 Points

I chose the lowest plan because the upper plans are a bit intransparent regarding their content. The pro account says:

Watch talks from industry leaders --> who? A few examples would be nice and the amount of videos available already. Enjoy exclusive bonus content --> What does the content look like? How much more is it? Numbers would be great and a look at whats available. How else am I able to justify an upgrade? Nobody would go shopping blindly. Download videos for offline learning --> this is one valid point but so far just one.

I wish someone from Treehouse would take a look at this and respond.

Michel Joanisse
Michel Joanisse
14,860 Points

I feel the same about these points. It's hard to justify upgrading for "more content" not knowing at least to some degree what exactly that content is. For example, I find the material on Vue.js nominal. Knowing there was more content on that subject having a "Pro" subscription, I would without question upgrade my account.