The following are my crib notes on upcoming features for Subscription Tools and a change in design from the core implementation.

Feel free to comment on various features and the proposed implementation; I’m still deciding if belonging to multiple subscriptions at the same time is important? (It isn’t for my site, but maybe for yours it is)

Change in Subscription Features

Currently, this site uses PayPal subscriptions, something which DotNetNuke supports out of the box (kind of).

The main problem with PayPal subscriptions is that it’s auto-billing, as a consumer I hate this model! I don’t like to be auto-billed when my subscription is runs out (you can mark your subscription as active or non-active), but people sometimes forget to do that and billing becomes a nightmare.

The right model is a pay as you go system. When someone pays for access to your site, they gain access to your site for the specified period (e.g. 3 months, 1 year). By default, the subscription is not auto-renewing and the user will be given the option to renew their membership (either close to expiration or after expiration).

I like this method because the user remains completely control. Payment processor’s such as paypal, 2checkout, etc remain just a payment processor (so it is easier to add more).

A good example of this method is www.clipart.com.

Subscription Tools Design

There is one theme that I want to keep in all my modules (some don’t adhere to this theme) is that it should be simple to use. So when designing these extensions I had to keep this theme in mind.

An additional module, subscription module will be added to the subscription tools package.

Subscription Module (View Control)

This module will prompt the user with information about there subscription. Each bullet point is a separate area in the module.

If a user is anonymous:-

• You must login message. (later will have an integration registration module)

If a user is not a subscriber:-

• Signup Options
• Select a Plan – Radio Button (Plans, e.g. 1 year for $35)
• Select a Payment Processor – (PayPal, 2Checkout, etc)
• Previous Payments (if applicable, invisible if not)
• Lists Date/Processor/Plan/Status (Status includes such things as if the payment is uncleared, expecting clearance on XXX date)

If a user is a subscriber:-

• Renew Options
• Message on when current plans the user belongs to and when it expires (or if it has expired)
• Select a Current (or expired) Plan to renew/extend
• Change Plan Option?
• Select a Payment Processor – (PayPal, 2Checkout, etc)
• Previous Payments (if applicable, invisible if not)
• Lists Date/Processor/Plan/Status (Status includes such things as if the payment is uncleared, expecting clearance on XXX date)

Edit Subscriptions (Edit Control)

• Grid to allow the administrator to create new subscriptions.

Edit Processors (Edit Control)

• Grid to add new processors (will be populated from a list of providers). The admin will enable what processors they want to support. (just paypal to begin with)

Subscription View Options (Edit Control)

• Ability to change admin options as “Use Development Paypal Server”

So, these are the next range of enhancements, feel free to ask questions and offer suggestions on what might be changed (and what you use it for).

Sounds perfect..   what is the time schedule for this?

Should also be easy to add in an additional feature..  to create a new portal (parent or child, etc.).  

If you are interested.. I would be willing to subsidize this project to get in done asap. 

I would vote for having the multiple subscription options.  We would like to have multiple categories that people could subscribe to at one time.  Basically, a main subscription with additional opt-in packages.

Just my two cents worth
Joe Brazell

• Trial time before payment request

• Edit Packages to sell (Edit Control)

  • Grid to allow the administrator to manage subscription offer trades them, with the price.

•  Administrative check on the subscriptions in expiration.

Alessio

is the racers a superset of a club? e.g. a user would most likely be either a club or racer?

My scenario for this site is that you can be silver or gold, the only difference is the duration. I see the need to support both scenario's though, maybe a config switch because I want to make the module easy to understand for people signing up.

The trial time sounds good, as well as the admin check. Actually there will be a procedure to email users that have subscriptions expiring in X days.

What do you mean by edit packages to sell?

I'm referring to the choice of the plan.

Remaining with a one-to-one association between roles and plan, with a edit control the administrator can manage the plans: Destription, Fee and Trial price, Duration.

It's only an idea ...

Bye

Alessio

Excuse my butting in..   I had a question about the subscription tools ability to set dates.
For example is the tool smart enough to know that if a registered member decides to subscribe for 1 year, 2 months, 6 months, 30 days, or 16 days will the module automatically set the expiration date?

Thanks

Any update on when this might be ready?

Thanks,
Rion

Some of these features wouldn't be available in the first release (e.g. required fields on upgrading)

Reminder emails will likely be a scheduled job in the scheduler, so you can schedule it whenever it send out the emails.

I'll take a look at your site, I might get some ideas