-
Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
- Thread starter Clarity
- Start date
My concern there is.. now you're competing with traditional pay sites... and since we can't provide premium content in the recruiting forum, it'd be tough to charge for read-only access
Upvote
0
LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
I guess my thinking was that there is more information in BP's Recruiting forums that there might be on some sites where you have to pay. Not sure because I do not belong to a paysite. I get all my information from right here on Buckeye Planet and that is plenty for me
Upvote
0
I don't visit any other Buckeye sites, but from day 1, Clarity has always maintained that this not be a pay site. That was not up for discussion.
I am guessing that when Clarity started this site after his Bucknuts "separation" that he had no idea that it would still be around these years later.
Along with all of that time has come tremendous cost, both financial and physical.
As much as I like the talk of monthly donations and the such, it will not be sustainable.
I know that this is not what anyone will want to hear but maybe it is time to close this chapter and let Will spend time and resources on himself and his family.
The flip side of that is that this site and community probably feel like family to Will and Jo and that it may often times be one of the few bright spots on Will's rough days.
As someone who has been here from the beginning, I love this place and would hate to see it go but if it's administration and upkeep are causing undue stress and worry, it is not worth it.
I support any decision.
I am guessing that when Clarity started this site after his Bucknuts "separation" that he had no idea that it would still be around these years later.
Along with all of that time has come tremendous cost, both financial and physical.
As much as I like the talk of monthly donations and the such, it will not be sustainable.
I know that this is not what anyone will want to hear but maybe it is time to close this chapter and let Will spend time and resources on himself and his family.
The flip side of that is that this site and community probably feel like family to Will and Jo and that it may often times be one of the few bright spots on Will's rough days.
As someone who has been here from the beginning, I love this place and would hate to see it go but if it's administration and upkeep are causing undue stress and worry, it is not worth it.
I support any decision.
Upvote
0
A pay model would cripple the site.
Frankly, we've tried doing it gently. I think it's time to layout exactly how expensive BP is and how few people actually split that burden compared to the active user base.
Frankly, we've tried doing it gently. I think it's time to layout exactly how expensive BP is and how few people actually split that burden compared to the active user base.
Upvote
0
Key difficulty is that the expenses are not flat line year over year.. so you need to budget an excess to flatten out the spikes
Upvote
0
Nothing has to change, the site can keep the ads we have, the way they are, still have minimally present and minimally invasive drives and be perfectly fine. We're high speed and low drag by design that way. While going to Amazon will be an uptick in expense, it will be manageable.
So we don't *need* change. But we're nimble enough that we can if we want to. I've never liked the ads, but they've been a necessary evil. I'd love to get rid of them, but then we're trading one evil (ads) for another (putting that income burden on the users).
I agree with those who have pause about overlap between BP and the 501c3. Doesn't feel kosher to me, even if it would be, and that's enough that I don't want two good things to muddy each other.
The notion of only contributors posting is intriguing. I value, very very highly, an open community. @Thump is right when he notes my position on paywalls, that hasn't changed. I won't make BP a pay site, and frankly, no matter how awesome the content that comes out of @LordJeffBuck and other content contributors, we don't have a staff of writers like the bigger blogs. And those blogs are already out there, I think BP is happy in its own bubble. That's not to say we aren't putting a much higher priority on content, we are, but it's faster and lighter fare. Shorter but more based in data, history, facts, and fraudulent TEs.
I will keep BP going until I'm the only one left who loads it. But this isn't about our demise, we still have a pretty active core group and a lot of new eyeballs look at us during the season because of our modest social media presence and well catalogued posts and content. So the state of the Planet is strong, but we're making some moves. Away from our own machine and colocation for the very first time (which is somewhat backwards in terms of the typical trajectory, but times have changed), toward the cloud. Ads and drive? Maybe they continue as is, but it's at least worth routinely asking ourselves if there's a better solution.
Finally, I am not at all looking for a personal exit strategy. As Thump noted, I do indeed find great comfort, peace, and a community connection from the site. Since moving to Dublin I'm no longer utterly isolated from the rest of the world, and that's been fantastic, but I'm still very much in my own bubble. BP connections that exist through the site, on other forms of social media, etc., are all amongst the closest I have. Jo and I both value them (you) greatly and would feel an extraordinary sense of loss were this community just to go away. That said, I am and always have been sensitive to the fact that I may well not be the best steward for the site. When I'm going through an immunological "flare up", or worse, a bad period with my heart (same thing, really), I am completely unable to deal with the site. As I've noted, I'm very serious about the 501c3, I see that as a realistic way that I can do for others the way this community has done for me. And, tragically, the population of people badly injured by toxic water is only getting larger despite a high rate of attrition. So that's going to draw some of my attention as well. If anyone ever wants to have an open discussion about someone else (or a body of someone's) taking over the operation of the site, that would not *at all* offend me. I'm not prideful, I'm not territorial, I truly only want what's best for the community. Let me be clear that I'm not looking for that. We've managed to do pretty well as a site despite the liability I represent; but let's face it, we were slow to adopt social media because of my limitations, really only have a couple people developing content, and have missed (knowingly) pretty substantial opportunities to be a much much bigger property. But the thing is I didn't really care about being a huge site. Wanted more to be a tight knit site. One walks a fine line between being tight knit and being small as to be nearly irrelevant though, and where we've wandered near the latter has been the result of me not being able to pursue visions and innovate the way I otherwise would under "normal" circumstances.
Anyway, love the discussion. Just wanted to be clear that this isn't a critical situation. All is well. Taking a leap away from Hurricane Electric is a move of confidence and not concern. While most site owners would trade one of their own fingers for the cooperative arrangement we have with those G and FB engineers, it became less smart and ideal for us once Matt "The Wolf" moved. Owning your own hardware and not having physical access to it is a recipe for disaster. I'm risk averse.
So we don't *need* change. But we're nimble enough that we can if we want to. I've never liked the ads, but they've been a necessary evil. I'd love to get rid of them, but then we're trading one evil (ads) for another (putting that income burden on the users).
I agree with those who have pause about overlap between BP and the 501c3. Doesn't feel kosher to me, even if it would be, and that's enough that I don't want two good things to muddy each other.
The notion of only contributors posting is intriguing. I value, very very highly, an open community. @Thump is right when he notes my position on paywalls, that hasn't changed. I won't make BP a pay site, and frankly, no matter how awesome the content that comes out of @LordJeffBuck and other content contributors, we don't have a staff of writers like the bigger blogs. And those blogs are already out there, I think BP is happy in its own bubble. That's not to say we aren't putting a much higher priority on content, we are, but it's faster and lighter fare. Shorter but more based in data, history, facts, and fraudulent TEs.
I will keep BP going until I'm the only one left who loads it. But this isn't about our demise, we still have a pretty active core group and a lot of new eyeballs look at us during the season because of our modest social media presence and well catalogued posts and content. So the state of the Planet is strong, but we're making some moves. Away from our own machine and colocation for the very first time (which is somewhat backwards in terms of the typical trajectory, but times have changed), toward the cloud. Ads and drive? Maybe they continue as is, but it's at least worth routinely asking ourselves if there's a better solution.
Finally, I am not at all looking for a personal exit strategy. As Thump noted, I do indeed find great comfort, peace, and a community connection from the site. Since moving to Dublin I'm no longer utterly isolated from the rest of the world, and that's been fantastic, but I'm still very much in my own bubble. BP connections that exist through the site, on other forms of social media, etc., are all amongst the closest I have. Jo and I both value them (you) greatly and would feel an extraordinary sense of loss were this community just to go away. That said, I am and always have been sensitive to the fact that I may well not be the best steward for the site. When I'm going through an immunological "flare up", or worse, a bad period with my heart (same thing, really), I am completely unable to deal with the site. As I've noted, I'm very serious about the 501c3, I see that as a realistic way that I can do for others the way this community has done for me. And, tragically, the population of people badly injured by toxic water is only getting larger despite a high rate of attrition. So that's going to draw some of my attention as well. If anyone ever wants to have an open discussion about someone else (or a body of someone's) taking over the operation of the site, that would not *at all* offend me. I'm not prideful, I'm not territorial, I truly only want what's best for the community. Let me be clear that I'm not looking for that. We've managed to do pretty well as a site despite the liability I represent; but let's face it, we were slow to adopt social media because of my limitations, really only have a couple people developing content, and have missed (knowingly) pretty substantial opportunities to be a much much bigger property. But the thing is I didn't really care about being a huge site. Wanted more to be a tight knit site. One walks a fine line between being tight knit and being small as to be nearly irrelevant though, and where we've wandered near the latter has been the result of me not being able to pursue visions and innovate the way I otherwise would under "normal" circumstances.
Anyway, love the discussion. Just wanted to be clear that this isn't a critical situation. All is well. Taking a leap away from Hurricane Electric is a move of confidence and not concern. While most site owners would trade one of their own fingers for the cooperative arrangement we have with those G and FB engineers, it became less smart and ideal for us once Matt "The Wolf" moved. Owning your own hardware and not having physical access to it is a recipe for disaster. I'm risk averse.
Upvote
0
muffler dragon
Bien. Bien chiludo.
Within the past two years (or so), I've had the opportunity to take some Lean Six Sigma courses (which were primarily focused around Design/Experimentation).
Anyway... I'm posting the following solely as a book mark for myself and anyone else who might want to chime in.
Some of the key points that come to my mind from an LSS approach would be:
Voice of Customer
Kano Analysis
Within the VoC, we would be looking to get feedback/data on what the external and internal "customers" of BP might be looking for.
Tangentially, on the Kano analysis, we'd be breaking down three subsets of "needs" [Taken from this link: https://www.isixsigma.com/tools-tem...o-analysis-customer-needs-are-ever-changing/]
1) Dissatisfiers or Basic Needs – Expected features or characteristics of a product or service (legible forms, correctly spelled name, basic functionality). These needs are typically “unspoken.” If these needs are not fulfilled, the customer will be extremely dissatisfied. An example of an “unspoken” need when staying at a hotel is cleanliness. This includes a clean bathroom, clean linens and a pleasant, fresh aroma in the air. When a person books a reservation at a hotel, they do not request a clean room. They expect it. If this basic need is not met, they will be extremely dissatisfied.
2) Satisfiers or Performance Needs – Standard characteristics that increase or decrease satisfaction by their degree (cost/price, ease of use, speed). These needs are typically “spoken.” Using the hotel example again, “spoken” needs could be Internet access, a room away from the elevators, a non-smoking room, the corporate rate, etc.
3) Delighters or Excitement Needs – Unexpected features or characteristics that impress customers and earn the company “extra credit.” These needs also are typically “unspoken.” Think of the Doubletree Hotels. Those who stay there are delighted by a freshly baked, chocolate chip cookie delivered to their room during turn-down service.
Are there things that could be done to get our membership more interested? Are they less interested in contributing, because certain basics or performance needs aren't being met?
Just trying to think this through more analytically to potentially find solutions...
Anyway... I'm posting the following solely as a book mark for myself and anyone else who might want to chime in.
Some of the key points that come to my mind from an LSS approach would be:
Voice of Customer
Kano Analysis
Within the VoC, we would be looking to get feedback/data on what the external and internal "customers" of BP might be looking for.
Tangentially, on the Kano analysis, we'd be breaking down three subsets of "needs" [Taken from this link: https://www.isixsigma.com/tools-tem...o-analysis-customer-needs-are-ever-changing/]
1) Dissatisfiers or Basic Needs – Expected features or characteristics of a product or service (legible forms, correctly spelled name, basic functionality). These needs are typically “unspoken.” If these needs are not fulfilled, the customer will be extremely dissatisfied. An example of an “unspoken” need when staying at a hotel is cleanliness. This includes a clean bathroom, clean linens and a pleasant, fresh aroma in the air. When a person books a reservation at a hotel, they do not request a clean room. They expect it. If this basic need is not met, they will be extremely dissatisfied.
2) Satisfiers or Performance Needs – Standard characteristics that increase or decrease satisfaction by their degree (cost/price, ease of use, speed). These needs are typically “spoken.” Using the hotel example again, “spoken” needs could be Internet access, a room away from the elevators, a non-smoking room, the corporate rate, etc.
3) Delighters or Excitement Needs – Unexpected features or characteristics that impress customers and earn the company “extra credit.” These needs also are typically “unspoken.” Think of the Doubletree Hotels. Those who stay there are delighted by a freshly baked, chocolate chip cookie delivered to their room during turn-down service.
Are there things that could be done to get our membership more interested? Are they less interested in contributing, because certain basics or performance needs aren't being met?
Just trying to think this through more analytically to potentially find solutions...
Upvote
0
bigdog3300
The G.O.A.T.
I wonder if there was any way to have alternative means to attempt to help spur donations.....I know there are a lot of good connections on this site and if there could be a few Buckeye related memorabilia put up each drive, each donation of X amount of dollars got you a 'raffle ticket' in essence. That might help bring an increase of eyes and dollars.
Upvote
0
scarletmike
Researching the Magic!
Hmmm...I can probably manage a small once or twice yearly donation now, just need to remember to put my fingers in gear and do it. I'll make sure I do that in the next few weeks.
I'm not nearly as up to speed on ad networks and ad distribution as I should be (so the answer to my question is probably "no"), but might there be a way to take a more active role in managing ads to maybe narrow them down to specific providers and content without relying on the larger networks/providers that seem more prone to intrusive ads and getting jacked by bad actors? I guess maybe like the indie label version of ad providers, or "rolling your own?" Even the larger and more "reliable" networks have had issues serving bad ads lately, making me very weary of turning off my ad blocking anywhere. However, even 10% can be a tough amount of revenue to replace. I remember a few years ago that some specific companies ran campaigns on the site. Is that not an option anymore, with working with specific companies?
I'm not nearly as up to speed on ad networks and ad distribution as I should be (so the answer to my question is probably "no"), but might there be a way to take a more active role in managing ads to maybe narrow them down to specific providers and content without relying on the larger networks/providers that seem more prone to intrusive ads and getting jacked by bad actors? I guess maybe like the indie label version of ad providers, or "rolling your own?" Even the larger and more "reliable" networks have had issues serving bad ads lately, making me very weary of turning off my ad blocking anywhere. However, even 10% can be a tough amount of revenue to replace. I remember a few years ago that some specific companies ran campaigns on the site. Is that not an option anymore, with working with specific companies?
Upvote
0
MD Buckeye
BP Soft Verbal
Staff member
BP Recruiting Team
Bookie
Former BPCFFB II Champ
Former FF League III Champ
Site Supporter: VIP
I'm still listed as a Soft Verbal....what can you offer to keep me around here?
Upvote
0
Couple of thoughts;
or you could just say fuck it and sell everyone's data to some Russians
either way
- I would strongly urge you to be careful with charging to post. You have said, and I agree, that the real value proposition of BP is that it's a tight knit community. (This is the online equivalent of us being Norm and going to Cheers)
- The people who do the most posting are the ones helping create your community.
- Whatever the posting levels are now for free, they will go down if you charge for it.
or you could just say fuck it and sell everyone's data to some Russians
either way
Upvote
0
cincibuck
You kids stay off my lawn!
Just stumbled in here... someone leave the door open? by accident? sorta on purpose?
In a sense I'm already a subscriber, I give what I give as a guesstimate and have no idea if it's a fair charge or a fair contribution - in my favor or in yours. I do know that I usually enjoy my time on here though there have been moments when I've been ready to flip off some of the regulars and cancel. I don't come here to be insulted. That being said, here in the "Let's ignore Ohio State" Cincinnati media market, I count on BP to keep my energy up and you seldom fail.
Would I pay more per month? Hmmmmm, that leads to thoughts like subscribe August to January and then drop out for the off season. You'd have to price it carefully. I'm also 73 and while I'm pretty flush right now I have to consider that I'm on a fixed income.
Don't know if this adds anything to the discussion, but there it is.
In a sense I'm already a subscriber, I give what I give as a guesstimate and have no idea if it's a fair charge or a fair contribution - in my favor or in yours. I do know that I usually enjoy my time on here though there have been moments when I've been ready to flip off some of the regulars and cancel. I don't come here to be insulted. That being said, here in the "Let's ignore Ohio State" Cincinnati media market, I count on BP to keep my energy up and you seldom fail.
Would I pay more per month? Hmmmmm, that leads to thoughts like subscribe August to January and then drop out for the off season. You'd have to price it carefully. I'm also 73 and while I'm pretty flush right now I have to consider that I'm on a fixed income.
Don't know if this adds anything to the discussion, but there it is.
Upvote
0