Starting here in the month of May, the website is moving toward a hybrid “free content/paid content” system. There will still be daily content that will be free to everyone, but there will also be several features a week that will be behind a subscription wall that will just have small portions be “free for everyone” to see.
Why is the site going to a hybrid system?
I run this site full time and have for a while as my “job”. I have made money from advertising and the sale of the prospect guide, but advertising rates simply keep getting worse and I am currently getting about 20% per advertisement that I did when the website first started using ads. With getting further on in my life, it is at the point where I simply need to bring more revenue in or I simply can’t continue with the commitment of time for the website. I am basically all in at this point for 2013. If the site can be successful enough under the new format, then it will be able to continue. If there isn’t enough interest, then after 2013 it will be time to move forward onto something else.
What content will be free and what content will be behind a subscription wall?
The content that you can find elsewhere will continue to be free. Daily game recaps, news and notes, season reviews and other informational posts will remain free content for everyone. Scouting related posts, for the most part, will be behind a subscription wall.
My Costs
I want to be up front with my readers on what goes into operating the website. The pure operational costs of the website for 2013, barring no more unforeseen issues, is pushing $1000. I also travel to Louisville, Dayton and Pensacola during the season. Depending on how well this system is received, I would also like to make a trip to Billings and Arizona. Before the season began, my travel budget was $2000 for the season and didn’t account for a trip to Billings or Arizona. Over the years I have also purchased camera equipment (about $2000 worth) to provide images and videos as well as editing software for both images and video that has been over $900.
Your Costs
Subscriptions are set at $4.00 a month, which will auto-renew each month until you cancel. Why $4.00 a month? Well, given the traffic the site gets and an estimated percentage of potential subscribers, I think that is about my break even point.
Other questions
I will leave the comments for this post open for a few days as things get going, but after that they will be closed and for questions you have at that point, you will need to contact me via email.