Which of those things couldn't you free of charge with, say, this forum and a blog? That isn't a smart ass comment. I knew many people pay to use these sites so I assume there must be something to it. But as you suggest to some extent, other writers go there but readers don't. My blog gets that many hits without any extra effort....
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Sure - you may be right and well done on getting blog readership like that.
Now I have another web site, but it gets nowehere near the visits my Authorsden site does - so I was/am happy to pick up good visit levels with minimum effort on setup etc. I am also really pleased with the community aspect, which (and this time it's I who must say I'm not being a smartass!) is based on writing - not talking about writing.
This is a great site and of inestimable value to writers (a zillion thanks to all!), but the value proposition of Authorsden is a different one - it captures me in an entirely different way. As for the cost - it's minimal - I don't really notice the outlay.
I didn't mean to imply readers don't go there - although this would make much sense. They post a list of new readers continuously - I just said that my reviews have come from other writers.
Hope these opinions address your questions, for which I thank you.
All the best,
Keith