I know that we've fortunately got beyond a financial hurdle, at least for now. For many of us, FH, far and away the most popular gathering place for Fins fans (and unfortunately some trolls) is like a comfortable and welcoming home away from home.
I'm also aware that these are tough times and for many even a $20 VIP contribution to support the site is stretching it; however $5 or $10 as a token of having one's heart in the right place and in the spirit of supporting the site we love IMO is not too much of a burden for most anyone.
I got this idea from a geographic nostalgia forum I also frequent - so it's not totally unrealistic or outrageous. They limit daily posts to a total of 2 for anyone who isn't a "supporter." My idea to stimulate more participation so that Matt doesn't have to keep underwriting the shortfalls out of his own pocket is to maybe make a limit of somewhere between 3-5 daily posts for non-supporters, and then proportionately increase that number depending on the specific $ contribution ranging up to unlimited for VIPs and equal amount $upporters.
What go me thinking about this is a particular enemy poster whose main intent over tens of thousands of posts is to insert himself into feel-good fins threads with the objective of deflating them by dispensing his delusional version of "reality."
After the latest crisis a few weeks ago and actually considering the nightmare of a site I'm very attached to unimaginably going dark, I grew upset that this individual who averages over 7 posts/day fighting with Fins fans has never once to the best of my knowledge, put his hand in his pocket in support of a site he often calls "ours"... and that many of us are actually enabling this behavior by underwriting his freeloading.
So that's my recommendation. It won't be popular, and I understand it will have an implication on advertising (well, maybe or maybe not depending on if FH gets credit each day for more than one IP visit.. and although I suspect it's not a major revenue flow and can be substituted for by measures like selling affiliated services for a comish), but after the initial esentful backlash, comparing this site to the vanilla ones out there, I think it would work because no other site compares favorably, has close to this participation and certainly won't remove those very many long term members who lurk more than post who only occasionally post.
Comments?
I'm also aware that these are tough times and for many even a $20 VIP contribution to support the site is stretching it; however $5 or $10 as a token of having one's heart in the right place and in the spirit of supporting the site we love IMO is not too much of a burden for most anyone.
I got this idea from a geographic nostalgia forum I also frequent - so it's not totally unrealistic or outrageous. They limit daily posts to a total of 2 for anyone who isn't a "supporter." My idea to stimulate more participation so that Matt doesn't have to keep underwriting the shortfalls out of his own pocket is to maybe make a limit of somewhere between 3-5 daily posts for non-supporters, and then proportionately increase that number depending on the specific $ contribution ranging up to unlimited for VIPs and equal amount $upporters.
What go me thinking about this is a particular enemy poster whose main intent over tens of thousands of posts is to insert himself into feel-good fins threads with the objective of deflating them by dispensing his delusional version of "reality."
After the latest crisis a few weeks ago and actually considering the nightmare of a site I'm very attached to unimaginably going dark, I grew upset that this individual who averages over 7 posts/day fighting with Fins fans has never once to the best of my knowledge, put his hand in his pocket in support of a site he often calls "ours"... and that many of us are actually enabling this behavior by underwriting his freeloading.
So that's my recommendation. It won't be popular, and I understand it will have an implication on advertising (well, maybe or maybe not depending on if FH gets credit each day for more than one IP visit.. and although I suspect it's not a major revenue flow and can be substituted for by measures like selling affiliated services for a comish), but after the initial esentful backlash, comparing this site to the vanilla ones out there, I think it would work because no other site compares favorably, has close to this participation and certainly won't remove those very many long term members who lurk more than post who only occasionally post.
Comments?
