Super Premium: True’s Member Community

The “Super Premium” membership community was suggested by a long-term reader, and developed with ongoing discussion with existing Premium subscribers, followed by a formal survey that asked, What “sky is the limit” benefits would you want from a Super Premium membership, and what would you be willing to pay for what you asked for?

Naturally, not all of the suggestions made the final cut, but there were so many great ideas that there is more than one level. You can also get access included with your Patreon support, but I strongly prefer True’s similar program that avoids the added Patreon fees.

Benefit 1: a Private Forum

The vast majority of survey respondents made it clear they wanted a forum! Not just any forum, though: a completely private place where members could discuss issues of the day, and the stories in True, with other readers, and only with other readers — no outsiders. They only want to deal with other Premium edition subscribers who get all the stories so that they don’t have to deal with “trolls” (“a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.”) And, of course, they want other members to know what the stories are that they talk about — everyone needs to be able to start on the same foot.

The Forum is active, but not so busy as to be a burden. Perfect! The private, password-protected site hosts polite discourse: disagreement is fine, but rudeness is not. Forum access is available for all membership levels. Even if you don’t participate in the Forum, you’ll need a login there so that you can access the other benefits of the level you choose. It has no advertising on it to get in the way of your reading. That’s pretty much a Premium tradition, eh? 🙂

Benefit 2: Occasional In-Person Conferences

In addition, there was strong interest in in-person meetings where attendees could meet Randy (and sometimes his wife, Kit), and have discussions with other True community members. The first was held on November 7, 2015 in Portland, Ore., which was a lot of fun, and a smaller meeting was held in Seattle. However, no one was particularly interested in group meetings after that, but I’ve welcomed individual visitors from time to time for some one-on-one (or really, on-two with Kit) time together.

Benefit 3: Freebies and Discounts

Discounts on printed books (far beyond what’s available for regular Premium subscribers — up to 50 percent off, still with free USA shipping! Even some free Get Out of Hell Free items.

And More, Depending on Level

So what benefits are in the membership levels, anyway? Let’s get to the details. Naturally, the actual value is limitless — the more you take advantage of discounted prices, the more value you get from your membership. And I encourage you to “take advantage” — I want you to get superb value from your membership and support for This is True.