All the people from 'visitors' (inclusive) down I'd label as users, and the visitors themselves I'd label prospects.
I'd agree. And I'd label the "paying members" as "customers".
users will deserve and demand to be treated as customers long before they fork over their cash or it isn't going to happen
That's a key point. If you have to treat subscribers as if they were customers when they are not paying (i.e., put significant resources into support, etc.), your CAC is going to be high. That's not necessarily a problem in and of itself, but it's worth paying attention to.
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All the people from 'visitors' (inclusive) down I'd label as users, and the visitors themselves I'd label prospects.
I'd agree. And I'd label the "paying members" as "customers".
users will deserve and demand to be treated as customers long before they fork over their cash or it isn't going to happen
That's a key point. If you have to treat subscribers as if they were customers when they are not paying (i.e., put significant resources into support, etc.), your CAC is going to be high. That's not necessarily a problem in and of itself, but it's worth paying attention to.