Unusual Christmas gifts: Subscriptions to "Members Only" or "Subscription" websites are HOT Christmas gifts this year. Here's why.

Everyone is interested in something. A "Members-Only" or "Subscription" website gives people the opportunity to learn and interact with other people who are interested in the same subject. People are finding that giving subscriptions to Members-Only Subscription websites this Christmas is the easy way to do their shopping while making sure they are giving gifts that people will really use and enjoy. There are hundreds of topics to choose from and in every price range.

(PRWEB) November 18, 2003 --Everyone is interested in something. A "Members Only" or "Subscription" website gives people the opportunity to learn and interact with other people who are interested in the same subject.

A Subscription website or Members-Only website (as they are also called) is a website with detailed, inside information about a particular subject available only to people who subscribe. Most of the subscription websites post new articles several times a week, have a lively discussion group and are run by, hosted by and/or moderated by a real dedicated expert on the subject.

As the name implies, these sites are only open to members.

Members log in day or night with their username and password and then they can read articles, read discussion posts, ask questions and put their two-cents worth in on the discussion board. They enjoy their time with people who have the same interests they do.

Why subscribers are ready to pay.

The Internet has enabled people with similar interests to find each other and form online communities. Whether your interest is in politics, gardening, or model railroading, the Internet enables you to connect to others who share your enthusiasms and values.

But in the current political and social climate, there is heightened anxiety and concern about privacy. If you previously contributed to public online discussion forums, you may now be feeling vulnerable. You never know who is lurking and reading your comments, or gathering information about you. One frequent concern is that spammers could be harvesting your email address from public forums?

However, in the seclusion of a subscription-only website, you feel more protected. You can share ideas with an affinity group of like-minded people with less fear of ridicule or repercussions. The publisher moderates the forum and honors your privacy.

These concerns are not diminishing over time; they are intensifying as people perceive the world -- and cyberspace -- as an increasingly dangerous place. The result has been a proliferation of private, members-only, subscription websites and online newsletters covering literally hundreds of diverse and specialized topics.

Here's a link to a site that has a list and description of several hundred of the top subscription websites. http://www.SubscriptionConnection.com

Subscription websites cover every subject you can imagine:

Hobbies (Golf, fishing and everything else.)
Health and Fitness
Diets (A different site for every diet you can imagine.)
Business (There is a different site for every kind of business you can think of.)
Investing
Cars (A different site for each model.)
Boats (A different site for each model.)
Trains
Travel
How to (You name the subject.)
Adventure
Computer games
Computer programs
Dating
Children
Finance
Sports

There's even a subscription website that tells you how to start and run your own subscription website. It's called, "Subscription Website Publisher's Association." Here's a link to it. http://www.SWEPA.com.

Subscription websites are priced from free to over $5,000 a year -- most falling in the $25 to $100 price range. You can work the price into almost any budget by subscribing for one month, three months or one year.

Here are some of the reasons shoppers say they like to give subscriptions to Members-Only websites as Christmas gifts:

·   You can find something for everyone on your list. (Everyone is interested in something.)

·   You can find a price that fits into almost any budget.

·   It's something the person will enjoy every day for a long time.

·   You're almost sure they don't have it.

·   You can do all of your shopping sitting at your computer.

You might even want to give Santa a hint about your favorite subject and how nice it would be to have a subscription of your own to a certain Members Only website.

Here are a few representative sites to show you what a subscription website looks like:

http://www.BMyers.com (How to develop information products.)
http://www.SWEPA.com (How to start and run your own Subscription Website.)
http://www.SmallBusinessWebsite.com (Showing small businesses how to really make use of their websites.)
http://www.TheBahamasReport.com (Retire in the Bahamas.)
http://www.SearchEngineU.com (Search Engines for Beginners -- How to get top rankings with minimum effort.)

Celebrities and TV and Radio personalities have their own subscription websites such as:

Oprah Winfrey, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Mike Reagan and many others now have subscription websites that allow you to join and pay a fee to get their inside information.

Junk information on the Internet is free, but the really good stuff now requires you to pay a modest fee.

A lot of people realize this and are glad to pay for information that is NOT available to the general public. That's why subscription websites are growing in popularity.

If you have someone on your Christmas list who is hard to buy for, consider giving him/her a subscription to a Members-Only Subscription Website.

They will think you are the most creative and thoughtful person on earth.

Even if you have someone on your Christmas list who is not really into computers, you might find that they will get hooked on their Subscription Website like they would to an afternoon soap opera.

Last year Subscriptions to "Members-Only" websites as Christmas gifts was an almost unknown thing. This year they are really HOT.
###