07/10/08

Pet Site Industry

internet, subeta

When I created this blog I wanted it to be a front for my public opinions, and at this point it hasn’t been much of that. I wanted it to be a way for you to see into my mind, and see exactly what I’m thinking. I’m working on it, I promise!

The Pet Site industry is a dying animal (see what I did there?!) that is comprised of small sites and a few large sites that have a way of destroying themselves from the inside out. I’m going to go through the major players, and some of the smaller sites, and then analyze the industry as a whole.

Neopets – The big cat, the leader of the pack. This site has eaten so many others, and was purchased by Viacom in the past few years for a small 160 Million. While some might think that is a huge number, I think that it was completely undervauled, and Viacom contuniues to show how undervauled they consider this property with bad choices, and bad direction.

Marapets – Always very clear in it’s business approach. Put up as many ads as possible, steal as much content from other sites as possible, and profit. I’m fairly sure that there is a myspace blog screenshot (tacky!) floating around somewhere of Ian saying how Marapets has made him rich, he’ll never have to have a real job, etc, etc.

Subeta – I’m biased. I own Subeta – and I try to operate it to the best of my ability. I feel that Subeta has the best art direction, and some of the best user support staff on any site. While the past year has been plagued by server issues, lack of new content, false promises, and other problems; we are working hard to turn things around and move in the right direction. First pet site to have gold accounts, and a cash shop. Others quickly followed suite when it was discovered that you could make money from other methods than ads (which we are one of the few sites that operate without advertisements ;) )

So, how do these three sites stack up?

Well, neopets is clearly the big dog here. Lets go ahead and take them out, and see how it looks.

Both sites, while competetive, have the same problem. They’re heading down. Now, both sites have had chronic server problems, so that could be it. Or maybe the entire industry is heading downwards?

The other smaller sites aren’t in the top 100,000 so Alexa doesn’t track their progress. So I couldn’t get a good idea of how those sites are doing, who is going up, who is going down, etc. I will continue to look into that.

Now, the point of this post was to bring to attention that the entire Pet Site business needs something to shake it up. While at Subeta we are working on ideas and making progress in changing things up, every site needs try and do things differently. If everyone keeps copying each other, it’ll continue in this vicious cycle until we are all feeling the pain.

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  • Med_Kitty
    I still am on Neopets only because I don't have the heart to sell off all the hard work I put in for some many years, I wish I had discovered Subeta so much sooner. I hate what Viacom has turned Neo into, it's now the if you don't pay site we stick you in the corner, the vast majority of items and such come from the WAY to many things that they sell to the parents of the bratty children that demand them. >.< I definitely am a little saddened by the turn if you can't tell. Thank you Keith for making an amazing site to make all of your users so happy.
  • Leila
    I just really like Subeta. This entry makes me sad. :(
  • Ejunknown
    I was introduced to neopets itself through school; the only site I have ever been on that I haven't found on my own. To get that far, where in my school people are all on facebook, myspace, bebo; it's huge. But one of the things I love about subeta is that it isn't an anti-social, everyone trying to make their millions by themselves kind of game. Everytime you refresh the donation center there aren't twenty other people around the world on faster internet connections clicking the same item. XD On subeta, you know the staff, or atleast who they are; know they are approachable, and there aren't hundreds of them in every different place; Subeta is more of a community, and that what keeps me interested, whilst the last game I played that was as big as neopets lost my interest after a while. Subeta, in my eyes, tops them all completely. XD So screw page views on average.
  • Hai
    I have to say that I love Subeta. I've played Neopets for the longest time and still go back sometimes just for the heck of it but it's pretty lame now.

    I found Subeta not too long ago, I love the community. However, I've been wrongly frozen, I hope this gets sorted.

    =)
  • Bex
    Precisely why I wandered all over the internets in search of a new addiction. Neopets just got too huge, and too clustered with advertisements. Even with adblocker on, it takes away from the point of the site, still.

    Thanks for Subeta! It's amazing at 19 (my age :P) that you're doing all this. I've wanted to make MMOs and such and sites like these, but I've just been too lazy. PHP and MySQL are win.
  • Kit
    I am still registered at Neopets (6 years now); I only collect interest daily and go to the guild to catch up with folks when Subeta is down! haha (Almost our entire guild is a member of Subeta)

    When Neopets sold out and changed their layout (horrible), I was told about Subeta by anther guild member. Love it! It's been over a year now at Subeta, and the thing I like the most is the fact that all of the users feel like we have a say; or at least have the OPPORTUNITY to have a say in what we like and don't like. At Neopets, if you have to contact someone, you send a mail, get a form letter back, and more than likely, never hear from ANYone. And they NEVER poll their users on quality issues.

    Keith, I don't know you personally, but I feel like I do because of your close relationship with your users. It's actually a pleasure to help support you/Subeta. :)
  • XxEvilPrincessxX
    I have a question for you, and I hope you see this comment. My friend and I are both Subeta users, and love it, but thats not exactly why I'm commenting. We both wanted to make a website, and would love it if you could help or give tips with it. It's going to be an art community, and already we have loads of ideas. Hope you can email me some time and we can talk about it ^^
  • Torat
    Lmao, Neo, why does it matter? All pet sites in an endless loop of synchronicity with their "unique ideas".

    I played Neopets for about two or three years and holy crap, really, it was a waste of time now that I've reflected on it and looked back; I do like Subeta and all, but it seems like Keith's perspective on Subeta is that it's so much greater. I suppose there's nothing wrong with that seeing as though it's just good optimism for his site, but he seems to sugarcoat everything he says about his site and look down on other pet sites.
  • Neo
    Funny thing is keith, as soon as one petsite does something unique subeta will be the first to copy it.
  • Face
    I basically have the same opinion everyone else on here did... Neopets went down the drain and Subeta is the best, but w/e. I played Neopets for years, but it started going downhill before they ever sold it. Too strict, not enough sense of community, and they kept changing the freaking pet designs until they were ugly as hell.

    Subeta is really artistic and I like that a lot... and you do get a kind of community thing. It's actually entertaining, whereas you get on Neopets and go, I'm bored, what now?
  • brittney
    even though i am still on neopets i dont like as as i did before they changed it and when i was younger.subeta is the new neopets and it's even better.you get 5 pets instead of 4.and you can get a gold account and the price for GA's are from 5$ to 60$ but 60$ is for a whole year.a WHOLE year! GA'S give you 10 pets too.subeta should be given the best pet site award.if there no such thing i make one.*runs off and starts making an award*
  • I used to play on NeoPets when I was in middle school and high school. I remember the difference from just being off the game for a couple of years in between and how I didn't much like how commerialized it had become.

    I attempted to play it again recently. It's even worse than the last time I played it! All that Flash that I can't very well see or use being on dial-up.. So many things that you can't get without giving them REAL money.. (And isn't this supposed to be a children's site?!) Well, needless to say, my little pet on there is straving.
  • Desastre
    i first descovered neopets before i moved to subeta.
    i really loved neopets in the beginning, but after some months i was just bored. the site is ****.

    too much small children there. too much spammers and other stupid people...
    when i stopped playing neopets, i gave my accounts to another user. i felt so good, 'cause it's forbidden to do that :)

    subeta has a community. a really good, talkative, nice community.
    neopets was just like: give me this, give me that, have you already..., could you plz plz plz, click here and you get np's, and (very often!) I NEED NP'S! PLZ HELP ME!!!!

    wah, i hate neopets now.
  • I personally feel the problem is, that creators [especially of the smaller communities which don't have the drive of a very rich company behind them] ... just are too scared to try new things.
    It just doesn't even occur to them.

    I mean, If I could program well - which with time I hope to develop - I could create something truly new...
    I mena, there are literally so many things that pet-sites could do, which they don't, I can sit down and just and write and write and write ideas.
    Ofcourse, I realise, there's a big difference between an idea and bringing it to fruition.
    But you get the idea.
  • Chinchilla
    Neopets stinks. :P The site was completely ruined when it was sold to Viacom. I used to play it all the time, and now I'm never on. I've never played Marapets before, so I don't really know how if it's a good site or not. I love Subeta though. :) It rocks, and it deserves a lot more hits then it's getting now. ^_^
  • Chi
    Feh, Neopets is going down the drain. Even though I still play, it's not like I'm on it all the time (that's Subeta now x3). The rules are too strict, the mods have pineapples up their asses, and I've lost all respect for Adam and Donna for selling Neopets to Viacom. It used to be that I could spend hours on neopets and not get bored! Now, I'm just there when all other sites fail or it's 2 AM and I need some noobs to bash. Subeta is the best petsite I've ever been to and you, Keith, definitely have your heart in the right place with it. :)
  • Iggly
    I used to love Neopets so much and now as I look at what is happening on it they seem to want to make tons of money. It's as if they have expanded too much. And focus on the actual users is not emphasized enough.
    And as for Marapets there is just to much advertising on every page and I just think they could step it a few notches.
    And Subeta I have just found out about today and I am entirely confused, But I do like the art work done for the pets it's magical.
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