You're Invited...
...To Invite Other People
Today we're turning on Vox's invitation feature. We figured that the Vox community knows how to expand better that we do, so every current Vox member will see a new "Invite friends to Vox" button on the Vox home page. Clicking on that link will lead to a page that offers a simple form with two options. You can invite an unlimited number of friends, family, and beloved contacts to become "Starter" level members of Vox. You can also invite a fixed number of people to become "Standard" level members of Vox.
What's the Difference?
The Starter level is a streamlined Vox experience that includes member profile, all "neighborhood" features including contacts, friends, and family, as well as the ability to comment on any Vox blog.
The Standard level is a Vox experience that includes blog posting, blog design, and collecting and organizing audio, video, photos, and books. It's the level that most current Vox members are familiar with.
For more on invitations and the different levels, check out our knowledge base article .
Why the Distinction?
Right now, we're limiting the number of Standard accounts in order to manage server load and make sure we keep the user experience up to our standards as we add features and functionality. That said, we believe that the Starter level may be the right permanent choice for many members. Hopefully, we'll move quickly to the point where new members can choose the level that's right for them. Until then, we'll be handing out additional invitations to current members, as well as offering the choice to upgrade to selected Starter members, as space becomes available.
Thank You
-- Team Vox
Comments
So if the only option is to invite people to starter accounts, is there something wrong, or is that just part of limiting Standard accounts?
A friend of mine knew about the invite feature before I did - and she didn't even have a Vox account! I sent her a Starter account right away; if I ever get Standard invitations, should I send one to her or can she upgrade by herself?
I don't have the option of giving people 'standard' invitations. I would like to though...
Same as the folks above -- I can only invite Starters. Can Starters be upgraded to Standards eventually?
Man, so THAT's what's up. I spent about 10 minutes looking for a way to post to my blog before I found this post and figured out that I had no blog to start with. I see now that it mentions the starter level at the bottom of the welcome email, but really, who reads those things all the way through? It would be nice to have an explanation somewhere on the dashboard for n00bs, so they don't get frustrated.
Starter accounts can be upgraded to standard accounts. All you need to do is send a standard invitation to the email address of someone with a starter account and they will be upgraded as part of the invite process.
I'd like to second Tom's suggestion. I know it says in the confirmation e-mail that we have comment-only accounts to start with, but something indicating that on an account page would be handy for those of us too excited to actually, you know, read e-mail.
I just sent in feedback (before reading this post) about what I now know are Starter vs. Standard accounts. After the initial e-mail, there's nothing available on Vox itself to explain the different levels. (All I know is that I can comment. Can I customize or do anything else?)
I searched Help, but I didn't remember/know the "Starter" account name wording. I thought it was "Commenter", so I tried "commenter" and all other "comment"-related words, and came up empty. I see now that the "Inviting people to Vox" KB topic spells this out a little.
AA, I just received a standard account invite and already have an active starter account. I went through the registration process using the HANDLE I signed up with and received an error message that said, "THAT ACCOUNT IS ALREADY IN USE." Does this mean that I lose my original handle and have to sign up with another account?! Please tell me how I can register and KEEP my existing handle. THANKS!
Apologies, the exact message was, "THAT *DOMAIN* IS ALREADY IN USE." Thank you!
I'm having the same problem. I originally signed up with a starter account and now I have a standard account invitation but I simply want to upgrade. I made sure to use the same domain and password, but the invitation was sent to a different address... could that be the problem?
Erik and hustler, I also received my upgrade invite to a different e-mail address. I just changed the e-mail address on my Vox account to the one where I received the upgrade invite, then clicked on the link in the invite. Everything when swimmingly.
Don't you want to expand Vox or not? Never heard a web company had worried about too much server load (= traffic) if they want to attract users and increase pageviews.
Another usability issue - why only add the 'invite' link on www.vox.com? It should be one most prominent link in my Vox home page. Most of the time, I (assuming most other external users as well) go to myname.vox.com directly. No wonder I can't find how to 'invite' a friend until reading this post.
Hi aa. Great service and I love using it. This is the first time I've ever blogged and I find it something I like doing. I also am confused about starter v. standard. I seemed to have been given a few standard invites to use, but I held on to those in case someone I gave a starter invite asked. However, though I haven't used ny, I seem to have lost the ability to send them out. My page now says I have 0 standard account invites available. I sent about 10 starter account invites. Did that somehow wipe out my standard account invites?
Thanks, David. That worked.
I'm also not seeing an invite box on www.vox.com (as a Starter member). I presume this is one of those features that are actually only available for Standard members? If so, you may want to amend this post.
I'll third what Tom said - took me ages to figure out why I couldn't post anything. A big explanation message on the dashboard would have cleared things up - naturally, I didn't read to the bottom of the e-mail :)
i guess there is no other choice but to wait
It will be nice when we can get our own blogs and invites. There are many anxiously awaiting their invites and I know a few.
*patiently waiting*
I disagree Ni Jan. I find the vox homepage quite useful and often start there. Why would I want to start on my own posts?
Folks... sorry about the silence but we are giving invites out slowly, please be patient. It's a bit late tonight, but I will try to write another post on the whole invite policy thing some time this weekend.
The short answer is, we'll be giving out invites slowly at first while we watch things scale and add new features and will ramp up more quickly as the summer progresses. Believe me, we want to let you invite others in as quickly as we can. It's in our interest too. :)
Not having invites to give I don't mind so much, but my "starter" account is making me feel like the ugly stepkid. A few days as a Starter is great, but as time drags on and all I get to do is watch the cool kids, bitterness is sinking in.
I have to agree with frykitty.... I know that there is a lot that needs to be done, so inviting others is kinda of hard, it's just the sitting and waiting to be able to do your own blogging that bites.
Well, according the the next post, we'll all be real girls and boys on Monday. *bounces*
Rolling out like this is actually a very smart move. I am at the starter level right now and although I would rather be at the standard level, I can see many benefits to going this route for a beta. Like you guys mentioned before, it helps with server load. I also think that a lot of times, you invite people into a beta and they never use it. This method will let you see how much community interaction a user will have before allowing them to have the blogging and other resource hogging extras. I am always impressed with the way you guys do business. Thanks for the invite Anil!!
The problem is, of course, that when I have a starter account like I do now, I want to get started and check it out. Wait too long and interest wanes... Pre-launch hype can be a bit of a curse sometimes too.
What do I have to do to get a standard account? 100 pushups?
Help an old lady across the street? I need to knoooooooow!