Do they think it's advantageous to deny their customer base tantalizing morsels of information like they used to?
Does it seem to anyone else that much of the preview content of Dragon is the same sorts of things that were available for free before DDI? It seems to me that with an imminent release of two big-time books like Arcane Power and PHB2, I would know a little more about what's in them. However, all the previews are subscriber-only, and I refuse to subscribe until there is Mac support for the apps (read: never).
Do they think it's advantageous to deny their customer base tantalizing morsels of information like they used to?
To your 1st question - No not really
To your 2nd question - They provide you a means by which to get these "tantalizing morsels" you just choose to not take advantage of these means.
So, I speculate they are intended as a bonus. Fine by me, as long as the previews don't become too intrusive and take up the same *space* that ads once did in the print mags.
That being said, I think previews should be free for all to see. Making them 'subscriber only" simply puts them behind a virtual wall. This kinda defeats the purpose of a 'sneak peek' doesn't it ;)? The idea should be to get as many people to see it and entice them to buy actual product. Excerpts are free, so why not previews?
IMHO unless you're a D&D Insider, there's very little to draw you to the WotC/DnD site. I still see nice, recurring features like 'Vicious Venues' but those seem few and far between now-- an afterthought at best.
I'd like to see the site strike a balance between free and subscriber only content. WotC is making money on the site now. That's an advantage for both sides I think; the free site could benefit just as well as D&D Insider.
I'll still buy it when it's out, so WotC wins in the end, but it still seems bad business practice to charge for what essentially amounts to advertisement. A movie producer that charged a subscription fee for people to view trailers wouldn't make it very far.
Apparently, WotC believes that the preview-heavy advertising tactics that worked so wonderfully for 4E won't work for supplementary 4E products. Rumors, screenshots, bits and pieces were rampant immediately before the release of 4E, and that, I think, is why it sold so well. Now, they're being pretty tight-lipped to non-subscribers, and I don't understand the logic of it.
In the month leading up to its release they will have free previews of content on the site.
In this case the sky is not falling.
I run Mac, and I get use and value out of the insider information and input, as well as the e-zines and the flash tools. Yes, I have to duel boot to use the character builder. It is annoying? Yes. Very much. Is it enough to make me not want to be an insider? No. Not even close. For $5 a month, I get both e-zines, insights into design and development, and some handy flash tools. So what if the CB doesn't work. It's good value already.
Is it a mistake for them to not support Mac? Yes. But that has been beaten to death in other threads. Either they will correct the error by developing the rest of the tools to work for both operating systems, or we'll have to wait for 5th edition.
I got to thinking about this yesterday when I looked around online in various places for information regarding PHB2. I wanted to read something about it that I hadn't read before, because I like getting excited about an upcoming product. However, because even ENworld doesn't talk about subscriber-only content, I couldn't get any new information, and I became less enthusiastic about PHB2.
Forum Users on EnWorld talk about subscriber content all over the place. What EnWorld doesn't do is actually re-print the material. But the posters? They start a thread with a link (that you need to be a subscriber to use properly), just like as is done over here, and they talk merrily about it at great length. Heck, they dive right into the crunch.
Apparently, WotC believes that the preview-heavy advertising tactics that worked so wonderfully for 4E won't work for supplementary 4E products. Rumors, screenshots, bits and pieces were rampant immediately before the release of 4E, and that, I think, is why it sold so well. Now, they're being pretty tight-lipped to non-subscribers, and I don't understand the logic of it.
Throughout the month they have free previews of upcoming products. Hell, I almost got sick of the Draconomicon previews. Likewise Open Grave had a lot of previews that were available to the public.
I do agree that there was a different level of excitement prior to the release of the Core Books... But that is almost to be expected. It was a whole new system and nobody knew very much about it. I think there is excitement about the sourcebooks, but that it isn't as fever-pitched is only natural.
Here is a preview: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20090216
You can open that PDF link and get more.
And on Friday you'll get another one.
I also think the number of people who are paying for DDI membership specifically so that they can get extracted bits of information from books they're going to buy anyway is probably pretty small.
There exists the possibility that you are not the target for their marketing.
this calander shows 3 more free privews this month...kinda like the old free ones and the new freeones...THE SAME
As for the previous free things, its almost all useless columns like "Fiction: Black Crusader" (which had nothing to do with D&D and very little you could 'port across to your game) & Wallpapers of Bane. Rarely is there ever any interesting free stuff.
A majority of the free stuff, is WotC telling you what you missed because you didn't have DDI (even though it rarely has anything to do with DDI, if you don't believe me look at the list of things being released per day on the editorial page, under Digital Insider).
So to the OP: You a correct. This is a poor fiscal plan & hopefully it will become apparent to the PTB sooner, rather then later.
-M
Or are you and the OP complaining that there have been previews available to DDI subscribers already?
If so.. ah tough cookies.. really.. Print products used to have previews that were unavailable to people that didn't get the print products, this is hardly any different.
Could WotC be advertising better... maybe... probably. But that's a different issue.
Now, while I know there is some free stuff in a variety of places, it's just too darn hard to find. I say, put it ALL under the "features" tab. As it is, there's just not enough draw to bother going there to possibly find the (I don't know if this is an exaggeration or not, but I don't think it is a large one) once or twice a month smattering of content.
I simply come to the forums now to find out what is going on.
Again, I do think they release previews, maps, and other free stuff...but I'm not going to dig through dungeon or dragon to find it. I would think that the pay mag tabs would only have pay stuff under it and the free stuff would be in other locations, such as the "Features" tab on their website. In the last few times I have checked, that hasn't been the case.
i would like to see some new stuff & possibly some contests... like we use to have. Also i have come to dislike with a passion "confessions." This dislike had nothing much to do with the rest of this thread, but i felt a need to say it anyway. :P
Again, I do think they release previews, maps, and other free stuff...but I'm not going to dig through dungeon or dragon to find it.
So don't.
Drop in each Friday and go to the Editorial Calendar and see what the clearly labeled free stuff was for the week. Its actually not that hard.