Ezboard

MBA 734 students, please address the following questions in a blog post before the start of next week’s class. Thanks!
1. How should Ezboard update their business model to reach their revenue goals?
In order to double their current revenue each year, Ezboard will need to make some changes to their current business model. If Ezboard can limit the access capabilities of each type of user, they will add to their revenue potential by enlarging their registered user base. Over the years, Ezboard has struggled to realize revenues from their customer base because most of the message board posters are non-paying unregistered users. By limiting the access of unregistered users to just viewing the message boards, Ezboard will force more people register and possibly pay for a subscription. By increasing the number of registered users and subscribers, Ezboard can increase their revenue potential in several ways.
The first way to increase revenue is through more effective advertising. When people register with Ezboard, important demographic information, such as age, gender, and zip code, are obtained. This information then can be used to better direct advertising to suit the needs of their customers. These changes will enable Ezboard to do more direct sales advertising, allowing them to keep a 100 percent of revenue. Once people become registered users, they will have a sense of belonging to a community of people with similar interests and values. This will make it easier for Ezboard to not only increase subscriptions but also increase donations to the community chest.
Another change Ezboard can make is to allow their customers to personally customize their subscription service. By charging for each feature individually, people can pick and pay for the features they want. This customization will accomplish two objectives for Ezboard. First, I think that they will be able to charge a higher fee because people tend to pay more when they get what they want. Secondly, it will help Ezboard to recognize trends in their customer preferences and change their software to meet these needs.
2. What services should they consider offering with the new Version 8.0 software?
Since the demographics of the board have changed so much over the last four years, Ezboard needs to change their software to better fit the needs of their customers. In a recent survey, most of the respondents indicated that they would like to see more social enhancements. These services should include; chatting capabilities, social networking, photo sharing, and blogging. Some other services that Ezboard could easily offer are web hosting, personal web storage space, and personal web pages. I think these features would make the subscription service more attractive and easier to sell.