Paying TomVH
After following a day's worth of wild and crazy January recruiting news I have become reflective.
Rivals and Scout both offer a lot of information and commentary on Michigan football and its recruiting. One of the two even edits its content and offers 21st century web design, which is great. Their only downside is costing $100 to get the meaningful information. For thousands of people their content is worth that cost--the information has value.
That is why the (1) free and (2) superior content of MGoBlog is so great. And why we should try to contribute to the site if we can. The site is a great gift.
But as he becomes more and more valuable to Michigan junkies like myself it is becoming clear that we need a way to contribute $$ to Tom VH. He is matching the recruiting content of the paid sites and giving it to us for free. I submit that we should, at least, be telling Tom "thanks," and perhaps telling Tom "thanks and as a token of my thanks please accept this gift of [more than zero dollars]."
Is Tom on the MGopayroll that we donate to on this site? If not, I demand that Tom VH promptly make himself donatable.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:23 PM ^
No doubt he has chosen to run a free site and therefore none of us are required or expected to make a donation. But like a lot of organizations, their donations, albeit optional, are a big part of making the ball roll. You do not need to donate to the Athletic Department to be a fan of Michigan athletics. But many people do because of they cherish their experience with Michigan sports and want to help them succeed. I'm not just talking about season ticket holder donations either.
I don't know the finances behind the site at all, but I bet it could run just fine without anyone making donations. However, we all have an interest in the site being as awesome as possible - paying guys like Tim and Tom, buying more servers to handle the increase in traffic, and convincing Brian why he doesn't need to go work somewhere else because we take care of him.
If we all donated a little more, what other cool features/correspondants could the site add? Buying from the MGoStore is a good way to go as well.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:28 PM ^
All very good points. However, I don't think $20-$50 donations from a few hundred members is going to dramatically benefit the site. It would benefit Brian's income, for sure, which I'm not saying is a bad thing at all (he clearly works hard enough).
In order to do what you describe, Brian would have to decide "I need $10K-$100K from some investors in order to make the site better". He'd dilute his ownership, and use the money to make the site better.
However, because he uses the "free" model, this might be a bit of a stretch. Why give up 100% of the profits to make the site better, while seeing limited increase in traffic? It doesn't make much sense.
January 20th, 2011 at 6:15 PM ^
I don't have a problem with you choosing not to donate consistent with Brian's business model. I do have a problem with those calling those who choose to do so ass kissers. In my case, it's not ass kissing, it's paying for a service I use.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:10 PM ^
I've made my opinion on this matter known before and it's not a very popular stance among the MGoAssKissers but if the site is good enough to make money on its own merit then it will. I see no reason why the reader should feel compelled to donate money.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:16 PM ^
Sometimes people like to donate to things they enjoy, which helps the providers of that enjoyment feel motivated and sufficiently fed to keep that enjoyment going.
Weird, huh?
The only way Brian gets paid is if advertisers buy ads, if we click on ads, or if we donate. Brian gets plenty of page views, but ads and donations aren't guaranteed.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:18 PM ^
You run a blog, so you should know the answer to this: Aren't page views directly related to how much Brian gets paid for ads? As in, the more page views, the more advertisers are willing to pay?
January 20th, 2011 at 7:48 PM ^
Yes, advertisers are willing to pay more for ads if they know a ton of people are going to see the ads.
Also, Brian [probably] gets paid a fraction of a cent for every time a page is accessed. The more page views, the more money he gets.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:26 PM ^
Just like the last time we had this discussion I'll say again that if Brian or TomVH or whoever gets tired with the blog or feels like he isn't making enough money then that's ok. I won't be lamenting the fact that I didn't contrbute $20 when I had the chance. Someone else will carry the torch of producing a kick ass Michigan blog.
I just don't understand the motivation to donate money to a sports blog. It's not a charity.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:37 PM ^
So charities are the only thing you donate to? Have you ever donated to the University? That's far from a charity, but a lot of people donate to their Alma Mater because they want to see it succeed. I donate money to a lot of things that aren't charities.
If everyone decided not to donate and because of that TomVH was no more, a lot of people would say that's not OK. A lot of us appreciate the work Tom does, and want to make sure he's able to continue doing it. That's not crazy.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:59 PM ^
The university is a non-profit organization. It's a lot closer to a charity than a business. With that being said I don't donate to my alma mater either.
You are saying that TomVH is allowed to keep working becasue of donations and I just don't think that is the case. No one would put that much time and effort into something and then leave the success of their work in the hands of anoynomous internet benefactors and hope for the best. If you donate out of a sense of graitiude that's fine. But if you donate out of a sense of duty or fear that the UM coverage you value will disapear then I feel that is misguided.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:54 PM ^
Do you vote? In all likelihood, your vote will never ever decide anything in any election. But many people do vote.
Economic theory has a very hard time explaining why people vote, or donate to charity. Or I should say, has a very hard time coming up with rigorous, testable hypotheses about why people vote.
Magnus's point is spot-on. You donate not because you have to, but because you want to. It makes you feel good to donate, and it makes you feel good to imagine Brian rolling around in piles of dolla bills while changing his honeymoon plans from Niagara Falls to Bora Bora. And that's the same reason why many people vote -- to express themselves, to feel heard.
I certainly don't think you need to donate. And you're already expressing yourself by coming to the site, adding page views, adding your own content, which adds more page views, etc.
For the record, I'm a semi-freeloader. I donated early on, when ads were low and site monetization wasn't coming forth. Of late I haven't felt compelled to donate, precisely because it seems like things are going well enough with the site, and I contribute in my own way with eyeballs, clicks, and the occasional pontificating wordy post.
With that said, I have wondered how TomVH makes a living -- does Brian pay him? Heck, I don't know. I do like his updates, even if I feel creepy every time I spend 2 seconds worrying about a teenager's college decision...
January 20th, 2011 at 7:51 PM ^
So far I haven't encountered any other Michigan bloggers who captivate their audience quite so well as Brian/TomVH. There's a reason that MGoBlog absorbed Varsity Blue. And I have no misguided notions that Touch the Banner could do what Brian does.
There might be an heir apparent for Best University of Michigan Football Blogger, but that doesn't mean it would be the equivalent of MGoBlog.
January 20th, 2011 at 10:11 PM ^
Honestly the first thing I look for when I access the site (which is about 30 times a day) is anything related to recruiting or anything written by Brian. They do an excellent job.
Thanks guys, we appreciate it.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:16 PM ^
To each his own. If people want to donate and show support for the site that way, that's great. But, as long as I've been reading this site, Brian has never asked for donations of any kind (except by putting up on inocuous button that he never talks about).
January 20th, 2011 at 5:53 PM ^
So, are you saying that anyone who has the unadulterated nerve to hold an opinion that differs from yours is an "MGoAssKisser?"
It must be really cool to be right all the time.
January 20th, 2011 at 9:54 PM ^
Am I reading you correctly? If I choose to provide monetary support to Brian (and Tom if that's possible) in order to encourage them continuing to provide a service I use dozens, if not hundreds, of hours per year, I am an ass kisser? I believe in supporting those whose services I use. I do not understand your thought process.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:16 PM ^
If I ever run into a guy at the bar that calls himself TomVH, drinks are on me.
January 20th, 2011 at 6:52 PM ^
which bar(s) do you hang out in? Just so "Tom" knows where to find you.
January 20th, 2011 at 5:21 PM ^
Can we get Larry Page to spot cover for all of us to use MGoBlog? I suggest a link embedded on Google's home page.
Go Blue
January 20th, 2011 at 7:14 PM ^
The best part about the donation button is the word "beveled." It seems like a word I'd have to learn in John Rubadeau's class. I'm determined to put it into my dissertation.