META: Desired Perks for MGOBLOG Paid Subscribers
https://mgoblog.com/content/mgopodcast-supplemental-interview-brian
Brian tabled some thoughts on the possibility of a paid MGoBlog supporter model without many details. He indicated he wanted something that would be useful to subscribers, has the potential to influence the University but not hidden behind a paywall...sounds pretty reasonable.
It goes without saying that a number of us (myself included) would be okay with being a $$$ subscriber. What are some perks that would appeal to board users?
-Customizeable title under your username
UMProud (Homerus Maximus) or FauxMo (Baby Eater) or Hotel Putingrad (can't check out)
-Ability to edit an OP (why isn't this in yet?)
-Ability to add/edit a tagline at the end of your posts
-Ability to customize your UI including colors backgrounds etc
-Zero ads of course
-Ability to direct embed without having to upload images which sucks btw
-Special subscriber only forums?
-???????
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:34 AM ^
I'd like the ability to mute certain people in the forum
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:35 AM ^
Co-Sign this +1
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
Take my money. I would love to send users to quasi-Boliva
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:37 AM ^
Ability to vote to remove terrible OPs. This morning being examples 1 and 2.
Edit to say not this post. The second McDaniels and the Chik-fil-a threads.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^
Or a premium message board. Anyone with an Athletic subscription knows that even the smallest fee roots out most of the riff-raff.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^
As long as it is not so restrictive that it is the same 20 group-think posters talking to each other in a bubble.
They wind up having too much invested in their "reputation" on the blog.
Sometimes a fearless non-invested point of view is a good thing to break up the group think, even if that means that I have to wade through some naiveté and idiocy sometimes.
I'm OK with someone telling us the emperor has no clothes sometimes.
Harbaugh can be a dick just to be a dick. Don Brown does not have all the answers. Beilein's early teams sucked.
The world won't collapse if somebody says it.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:58 AM ^
I’ll say one thing then. He wants to influence the university bc now he’ll charge people? Maybe I’m not understanding the context, but ummm.....right.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:21 AM ^
No, Brian said that a site can't influence the University if its content is behind a paywall and so he did not want to do that at mgoblog (thus pursuing an optional subscription model). OP's sentence was confusing.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
I must be rift-raft.
what ever happened to “I’ll never have a subscriber fee.”
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:17 AM ^
I actually don't want this. As much as I enjoy (and often prefer) interaction with known posters whose views and styles I have come to understand over time, a barrier for entry to board discussion can be killer for robust longitudinal debate.
As posters inevitably tire of discussion or undergo life changes that affect their ability to be involved in what is a strictly recreational enterprise (good examples include Alum96 and SFBayBlue nee BlueSeoul) new blood is needed to sustain the level of conversational quality.
People gripe about how things aren't like the "old days" in literally every sort of online community that is more than six months old. The key antidote is to encourage new blood to stay engaged and to keep it easy for old blood to return when things are suitable (a good example of old blood returning is the resumption of regular contributions by Communist Football, who sat out basically the entire Hoke era).
I, for one, would never have become a regular poster here if there had been a higher barrier for entry. Honestly, the main reason I finally signed up after years of lurking was because I felt this would be the best place to post a comprehensive write-up of the 2002 NCAA West Regional at Yost, and I knew qualifying to do so wasn't too hard.
It remains in the eyes of the reader whether my participation in the board is a feature of a bug of the current barrier for entry, but I believe a lot of people whose voices are valued on this board would be naturally deflected elsewhere if the barrier is raised. A members-only message board is the wrong way to go, in my opinion.
FWIW the one exception I might make is that I would enjoy a single snowflake thread on football game days that DID have a high barrier for entry, because snowflakes on gameday tend to be intense, and it's hard to sift through the garbage. The pinned threads helped a lot this year, though.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:26 AM ^
Unfortunately, free internet message boards have shown that low barriers to entry tend to drive off good posters as the board grows. With more posters there are more assholes who make the valuable contributors question why they even bother. We've seen this as mgoblog has grown and it also happened at the michigan 247 site when it merged with scout. Even news sites are getting rid of the comment section because they tend to be worthless.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
It's a tough balance. Aggressive moderation helps (though it's hard to find good moderators, and jerks inevitably flame them). But smaller boards tend to die as their user base dwindles.
December 3rd, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
Fwiw, I agree with your assessment.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:40 AM ^
This is a valid point. Personally, I think I'm reasonable, but I get that others (probably a lot of others) (maybe everyone?) think I'm a total idiot. Whatever... But one thing I cannot do is sift through any of the snowflake threads. The amount of asinine hot takes is ludicrous, and the venom behind many of them are real. I don't want to read that kind of trash - bring me salient points delivered eloquently. (Or, at least, delivered with some civility...)
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
If Brian does go to a paid model and some people are interested in a free message board, there is a fully functioning Michigan-themed forum site sitting out there that has most of the OP's requested features, as well as the ability to auto-minimize designated users, already implemented. I built it over the summer as kind of a fun project after people (including myself) were expressing dissatisfaction with changes around here.
It's lacking the community, of course, which is by far the biggest piece. But the infrastructure is there, and it's open for use. There's app support, a Twitter RSS for new posts, auto-embeds, etc.
A few people have stumbled over throughout the football season, so it's been a pretty cozy and informal place so far. All are welcome.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:59 AM ^
That's a nice looking website.
December 3rd, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
I appreciate it. I am not a professional, so I did a lot of learning along the way. I'm happy with how it came out. My primary emphasis was on finding solutions to specific feature requests, so that's the area where I think it really excels... for the couple of people who actually use it.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:36 AM ^
I'd pay for some visibility into their Slack chat.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:37 AM ^
Mgoblog HD app back. That would be outstanding to have for paid subscribers.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:39 AM ^
THIS. Just charge for the app, and it'll pay for itself.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:49 AM ^
I'd pay a lot to have the app back.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:00 AM ^
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:44 AM ^
Fix the site so its basic functions work and perhaps upgrade a few areas such as image insertion, Youtube recognition, etc. to levels that most sites have included for years and I'd be happy to pay. I used to make small annual contributions and would be happy to pay more if the site reflected 2018 standards.
And yes, content on here is generally excellent.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:41 AM ^
Just an app. Charge whatever and I don’t care if you change anything else, just make an app like the old HD and I’m good.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:45 AM ^
The idea of a paid subscription service to a forum is a bit odd to me. You’d really have to offer some premier content. On their owns forums are a bit antiquated anyway, can’t really imagine paying for access to one.
Here is an example...most bodybuilding forums years back that had a fee provided you things like sources. Good, cheap sources for bodybuilding drugs. That’s a huge perk that could literally save you thousands. Becaue the whole “forum fad” has somewhat come and gone those sites can’t even charge for that anymore let alone charging for the ability to edit your OP or things like that. Forum traffic, on all kinds of forums, is way down and that trend is continuing.
I haven’t listened to the podcast yet but I’d assume they meant charging for more premier and premium information with the small forum perks you mentioned being small, secondary perks. If not, most people would just go to a different forum.
Id be interested in ad revenue on a site like this. How much they get, and could they increase it, etc
i think they missed the boat for a paid service. Sites that did that previously have mostly switched to free and focused on increasing traffic and ad revenue. More free services, more traffic, more ad revenue. Charging for things that are usually free isn’t a good idea. Again, I have a feeling if they charged they would not do it until there is legit premium content.
One idea is a change for the app. People will pay for convenience. I would pay a one time fee for the app.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:50 AM ^
In the podcast, Brian referred to it more of a Patreon model with rewards for different level of support. Speculating here, obviously, but think NPR without the fundraising drives or like the Kickstarter for HTTV. Just some nicer options rather than purely donating via beveled guilt to get something for your support.
OP may have overstepped on the idea of custom site features, but I think was generally sourcing ideas for Brian and Co. of what people might be willing to donate more.
For example. $25 a year gets you a t-shirt and HTTV every year.
OP seems to be saying what's on your crazy wishlist like I'd give $1,000 a year if I can not listen to DiagonalBlue complain about stars.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:53 AM ^
Ahh got it thanks man. I’ll give it a listen.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:12 AM ^
It's worth a listen to get some neat background info on the blog. The part about the MGoBlog feature was pretty quick and didn't include a lot of details. But I do believe Brian used it as a way to get this thought out here for discussion, without creating a shitstorm. Good use of the podcast, if you ask me!
If you do listen (and you should), turn the volume up. I had to turn it all the way up - as far as my speakers would go - just to hear about half of it. The recorded audio was pretty low volume, and Brian is half a close talker, anyway... YMMV
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:51 AM ^
Yeah listening now it's a really interesting listen. Listening to that part of it I think you are right sort of a way to get the conversation going without making people crazy.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:09 AM ^
You are a mind reader sir
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
I agree. I’d pay for an ap the was easy(er) to read. I find myself reading the News/FreePress mobile app ‘Wolverine Extra’ more now because it’s easy to navigate, quicker and directed to M content. Current MGB is choppy with the ad content breaking up individual comments, sometimes ads appear in every other post...very distracting and it takes away from why I read the forum. The MGB browser edition on my iPhone is close to horrible, and I don’t really want to say that. There are a lot of nice little things Brian could do, but fix readability for mobile users and get some sanity around the ads.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^
Could this be any more wrong?? 24/7 and Rivals have paid forums where all the good content lives. It's pretty much the only reason people use those sites.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:45 AM ^
The one issue I see with a paid subscriber offering would be content after losses. When the site is free and supported by ad revenue, there's not much ground to stand on if you complain that Brian didn't UFR the OSU game. But once people are paying $5 a month, it becomes harder to just not make expected content because you don't want to.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^
That right there is going to be their biggest hurdle to a true subscription service, and is probably why Brian brought up Patreon. Because you can opt in and out pretty easily with Patreon, he can get around people expecting content that they've "paid" for.
So if he has a sad after a big loss, he can still just not really write about it, and doesn't have subscribers angry at him.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:15 AM ^
Except that he clearly stated that he doesn't ever see content being put behind a paywall. UFR's = content. Yeah, that could change pretty easily, but it was not part of his statement in any way.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:29 AM ^
I'm not sure what you're trying to argue with me. I have a feeling that you don't either.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:34 AM ^
You may be right... On first read, I thought you and the ~OP (Farnn) were saying that content would be behind a paywall. On a re-read just now, it doesn't appear that's what you were saying. So, if you meant simply that a paying customer would expect more than what he's (she?) actually paying for, yeah, I'll agree. In that case, lack of perceived content could bring up some discontent.
So yeah, I'm probably arguing with clouds...
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:42 AM ^
Exactly. A paying subscriber has expectations that even Brian would probably admit should be met.
Someone using Patreon doesn't have quite the same expectation level, so Brian can just decide to not write stuff because he's decided to embrace his Gen X apathy and ennui for a few weeks.
December 3rd, 2018 at 1:49 PM ^
Uh, pretty sure that paying subscribers would expect that things won't change. Because it's not really a subscription. It's a donation, for which you receive an extra shirt, assuaging of guilt, and nothing more.
If you honestly expect Brian to UFR OSU, I've got a bridge to sell you.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:49 AM ^
UFRs for the Ohio State games EVEN WHEN WE LOSE
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:51 AM ^
I'll support this only if they are buried or behind some sort of click to enter disclaimer. I don't think my weak emotional state is ready for this yet.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^
Lol yes this
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
Paying for the site owner not to go into pout mode?
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:21 AM ^
I'd have no issues paying but yeah I need something after OSU losses. I was pretty disappointed with the Monday post and the podcast. I'm not a football wizard so I need Brian to give me football wizard talk on why things happen. All I got was pretty much that he was in a some sort of personal hell. That's not content that helps my small lizard football brain.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:51 AM ^
Some sort of a weekly team meeting "mic'd up" feature.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:51 AM ^
does $$$ imply 3 digits to being a paid subscriber? That is a little steep...
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:52 AM ^
-Ability to edit an OP (why isn't this in yet?)
-Ability to add/edit a tagline at the end of your posts
I am sure these two existed in the previous version of the site. I am certain the second one did because I kept having to explain the reference to Monty Python's Flying Circus in the tagline.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:52 AM ^
HD APP!!!!!!!!!!
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:52 AM ^
How about ability to start threads
ability to upvote and downvote
currently we have no idea what the limits are on these actions. I think I might rather pay to get these options than to make a bunch of posts.