Fellow Guitar Friends,

my opinion is just that, nothing more ...

I have no affiliation with the company beyond being a subscriber like many of you.

[br]First a candid disclaimer : I have NOT personally used the BETA messaging system as of yet, therefore I will focus my commentary and observations more broadly with emphasis on the social aspect that I feel might enhance the "stickiness" to this product.

[br][br]< Apply Flame retardant suit 🔥 = ON >

I personally have to applaud GT attempts at innovation, and hope they are ultimately successful at deeper social interaction in our community.

like many of us, I am not immune to information from other educational sources and competing sites before we landed here on our respective journeys.

I find learning to play this instrument an absolute joy. I can't help but want to share my experience with others, while learning from you my peers.

3 sources of social interaction that GT could leverage come to mind (likely amid several more that I'm unaware of)

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1. JamPlay, competing online video-based platform, offers interactive chat rooms on a variety of topics. While on trial subscription I found an immediately available and responsive online guitar instructor daily from morning until evening, with a variety of chat rooms on various topics.

it was not uncommon to befriend another random user and splinter to another room where a user might demonstrate them playing riffs, songs, or technique.

I'll admit my return to GT felt like an isolated ghost town, excellent video instruction, but not nearly as productive as when multiple live resources were available.

[br]2. Ultimate Guitar iPad app, tech-based front-end tool to user submitted guitar tablature. Last year they implemented a "Shots" feature, for players to record up to 60-second video clips, complete with +Follow buttons and immediate community comments, with a #FeatureMe tag for submission to a moderated global publication, intended to increase popularity within the network.

like JamPlay's liveliness, users are worldwide and you can expect helpful and constructive criticisms on an off the cuff short video upload anytime day or night.

[br]3. YouTube, based on the aggressive advertising campaign and active recruitment of learners, GT seems to be doing a good job adding to its subscribers numbers.

GT lessons are 1000% more accurate, and require much more focus and time investment to properly learn a song down to the complete structure -- most excellent for those gigging in cover bands and thorough students. I feel I'm not alone periodically venturing back to YouTube to learn just a main riff or a solo, or songs not fully licensed by GT.

recently i have noticed a growing and supportive community of personable players (beginning, amateurs, to gigging musicians, luthiers, and full-time YTers) live-streaming interactive video sessions seemingly day and night, with varying audiences of 2-3 people to over a thousand tuning in at specific days and times per schedule, or random pop up shows, when one livestream ends, another begins and the party stays largely intact.

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i feel that live, communal learning, is the organic evolution of video-based instruction. GuitarTricks has a valuable business to protect. I applaud their efforts to innovate in the face of these (and other) highly competitive threats as opposed to letting their platform grow stagnant.

while the BETA implementation of a new Direct Messaging system may not be fully baked, or even ready for alpha as some attest, please do not fault Billy or the developers for taking initiative to experiment (albeit prematurely if all comments in this thread are accurate)

Look, you can grow a business in 3 ways, ....

-- by expanding your customer base (e.g. positive grid and Fender Play marketing largely to females),

-- by capturing a higher % of market share (GT advertising to Guitar oriented YT channels),

-- and lastly by building new

-- products (singing, piano, ukulele lessons?) and

-- services (fabulous thrice weekly group lesson concept abruptly aborted early 2019 due to lack of interest 😢)

for your existing customers.

We should be thankful the executives are exploring ways to enhance and more deeply connect its users on the system that we have all chosen to help guide us on our guitar journeys.

[br]< /End Flame-retardant suit 🔥 = OFF >

respectfully yours, best regards to all,

-- Wolverine 🤟🏻🙂🤘🏻🎸