I'm afraid whining and complaining comes natural for most people . I love this site not because I can play chess for free , but because of the active community . It's one thing that makes it stand out from other websites , IMO
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Great site.....! I love it because I love the community that comes with it.
Well done Erik !!! BTW don't get to work up with some people, they need an outlet to let off some steam or are bored with their life.
I have seen plenty of appreciation for the chess.com team and all they do.
i see it this way:
75% of people are very appreciative (THANK YOU!)
22% of people give helpful feedback we use to improve the site
3% of people whine
maybe i'm just looking for the good :)
still, i agree. the internet is FREE! and what most people don't see behind the surface of most websites are the internet companies that are burning a lot of cash each month and struggling to survive. we're in the same boat. creating and running a website like this isn't done by one person as a part-time job - it's being built by 12 different people, 6 of which are fulltime!! and then there are all of the $3,000+ servers and thousands of dollars per month in hosting.
so, yeah, i never whine about stuff on the web :)
Erik, I think you and your team do a fantastic job. If I could recommend a way to improve this site I would but it has everything I need for playing chess. A board to play on, a wide range of players to play with and a place to chat. Everything else is a bonus. Ahhhh so simple are my needs 
Red
Be strict :) . No more than 10 active games if you didn't pay.No posible to see and analayse games from own archive if you didn't pay.When tournaments come,no possible to play in more than one tournament if you didn't pay.No possible to post in forum if you didn't pay.Chess mentor(click on MY HOME and find chess mentor),no possible more than 5 position for solving if you didn't pay.No possible to create photo album if you didn't pay.No possible to join in group if you didn't pay.Then you will see how we will almost all pay.I understand you this is not your hoby this is your job,you have wife and children,you must earn.All players who can pay for Chess Mentor they should be pay I think we all can pay because I think it is cheap for all.
yep - site memberships are coming in just a few weeks. but unlimited games are still free. only the things we have tagged as PREMIUM will be premium, and we have some other neat things coming ;)
"Then you will see how we will almost all pay."
Or leave.
i don't see why anyone would leave :) most stuff will stay free. the site won't change that much except for some cool new perks.
This free chess site,chess.com is much better than some chess sites which are not free.It is fact.
Erik, I was reacting to dalmatinac's "be strict" policy. (only 10 games, no forums.)
"if forums were part of the subscription package i would allow non-subscribers access to read the forums ( if admin decided to lock them out from posting ) as in reading the interesting forums they might decide to join the community."
Yes.True.
I'm a new user....but, have loved the game for 35 years.....great site....
Steve
I love this site.
Great work, Erik.
I think the site is great... very well constructed. I'm also rather fond of the community... although that may just be a result of most people here being on the mature side (as Chess tends to be a mature game... and does not tolerate weaker minds.) There will always be people who start trouble or attempt to bred dissent. But, as Erik pointed out, this is the minority.
Personally, as one of the poorer members of the site I'd hate to see "everything" become a pay feature as seems to be favored by Dalmatinac (and perhaps others.) Yes, more than your last ten games available for analysis as a premium feature (which I believe you already have earmarked.) I'd even support closing down a majority of the forums... but I would leave, at the very least, a "Non-Member" forum... so that people who may not be able to afford premium services can still seek advice from other players. Having a limited voice provides hope and a desire for a greater voice. Having no voice breeds discouragement and would, in my humble opinion, drive more people away than it would inspire to join. As the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar... so leave them a bit of honey...
I would assume the same strategy with tournament play... I am also a member of a free poker site... which also has pay to play poker... (Full Tilt Poker, if you want to check it out for ideas.) Basically you can enter small table games or full tournaments with other "non-paying" players. The benefit of the tournanments is that you can win a spot in a pay to play tournament... there is also an account which you can add funds to to play in pay to play games...
At any rate, my point is this... people may be more likely to pay to join tournaments if there is some sort of prize structure involved... for instance... a tournament with 2500 players (time limits strictly enforced, of course) at $20 per head yields $50,000. now, pay out the top 10 spots... 1= 4,000 2= 2,500 3= 1,000 4= 800 and 6&7= 400 8-10 = 300 (total of $10,000) and you've just cleared $40,000... tournaments every weekend and you're looking at $160,000 per month strictly in tournament revenue.
And that's if you just do tournaments on weekends... Full Tilt runs poker tournaments of 2500 people every couple of hours... bust out of one get right into another...
Then, as a hook, offer free tournaments as well where people can win a shot at the prize bearing tournaments...
Anyway, just spit balling here and throwing some ides out there...
Although the ominous "PREMIUM" changes may be coming soon (gotta put food on the table somehow), I didn't play nearly as much as I have since I've found chess.com. It's been good to me, and I've found no reason to complain, except: people complain too much in the forums about frivolous stuff, and then people actually take the time to acknowledge them. It's frustrating to see human nature play itself out sometimes.... I think I'll go play some chess. Sound good?
Kudos to Erik. I enjoy the site immensely.
Wheeldog wrote: I enjoy the site immensely.
Who doesen't? Besides complainers, of course.
I'm sure many people thank Erik and the team privately - but it is really positive to have a thread wherein it can be made public also. The discrepancy you're noting is simply due to a skewed representation - the people who are whiney, whine, and the people who are really happy just carry on for the most part. A site is only as strong as it's contributors and community, and I think that there are really cool people involved.. I guess it's a matter of just being a positive contributor, really. If you feel that there is an overabundance of an additude, you can set the counter example, right? Which, in a way, you have.
I'd like to throw in my gratitude to the team as well - I can't believe they can keepup, really, what with the large work of maintenance let alone the zeal with which they're committed to improving the site and rolling out new stuff for us. Good work guys! Chess.com is my internet home, I'm very happy to be involved.
I have noticed a lot of whining about chess.com lately in the forums. Think about the fact that you are complaining about a FREE site. I wonder if anyone is keen enough to send Erik any amount of gratitude for this wonderful place. It's like I was telling my friend today, we take the internet for granted. I am playing chess with people all around the world!!! I am chatting and sharing chess ideas with all sorts of great people from all walks of life. If people don't like this site, then leave!! Seriously, are we so spoiled that we are just going to nitpick at something positive that someone has created? Enjoy the site for all the wonderful things it has to offer you. If you don't like the site, if things are so unfair, if you hate chess, if you can't stand the crazy antics of your fellow web users..... then go away and go program your own little website bubble to hang out in! Play chess, chat, be happy