IMDB Pro Review

Summary
As an entertainment writer, I use IMDB.com often, especially when writing a biography. It provides usually its own short biography on a performer, and a filmography list, as well as trivia. And by checking into the filmography list, I can find out what the movie or television show is about, when it was made, who it starred, and questions and comments made by fans. IMDB.com recently re-designed its site, and within the new design was a more pronounced option of signing up for the paid version of IMDBPro.com Being that I use the regular non-paid version of IMDB.com so often, I thought I would try out the paid version, to see if it would be worthwhile.

Value
I'm not one to usually pay for additional services on the Internet, other than my fee for Broadband, a reduced fee for AOL, because I've been a member since 1994, and just can't seem to let go, and the paid version of RealPlayer in the summer, the latter so I can get the Live Feeds of Big Brother. Yet, I thought maybe this was one of the those times that would garner me ponying up the money. The monthly fee seems pretty hefty at $12.95, but I decided to try it it, as IMDBPro.com offers a fourteen day free trial, and if at any time you decide to cancel, you may, and won't be charged, yet you can still use the site for that entire two week trial time.

Benefits
IMDBPro.com lists their benefits as being Contact Listings, Company Directory, Entertainment News, In Production Charts, Rankings of People, Message Boards of Entertainment Industry Professionals, Box Office weekly receipts and grosses, Calendar of Events and Releases, both current and upcoming, and Advanced Search. While at first, it sounds pretty impressive, for a service open to anyone willing to pay, IMDBPro.com is not going to give contact listings that you can't Google and find anyway. And while it's interesting to note that Tom Hanks' employer is listed as Platone, and the fictitious recording label from his movie That Thing You Do is Playtone, it's really not info that I need to pay $12.95 for. Furthermore, I can receive entertainment news and listings of events and releases in other places, too. As for the other functions of IMDBPro.com, I simply don't have much use for them. Most of it is centered on the money end of the entertainment business, and while again it's interesting that Chris Columbus is now commanding $10,000,000 for producing a film, it still isn't something I need to pay $12.95 monthly for.

Usefulness Factor
The burning question then became, will I get enough extra functions for my usage of IMDBPro.com to warrant spending $12.95 monthly. The answer is overwhelmingly no. It's a more attractive design than the free version, but I don't want to pay money for that. For my uses of researching actors and actress, and looking up biographical information and filmographies, all of the same info can be found on the free version, imdb.com.

Summary
While I tried really hard to find usefulness I just couldn't do without, to substantiate my need for IMDBPro.com, the fact is, there isn't anything I personally need that much. If it was $4.95, then perhaps I could necessitate paying for it monthly, but not at $12.95.