>Making the Nürnberg and Essen previews a members-only feature.

I would imagine you will get some grumbles from this, but it is a fine idea.  As a producer of content, I know how frustrating it is when you finally decide to pass the hat for support and don’t get much in return.  These resources are extremely time-consuming to create, so asking people to join the site to see them is appropriate.

Let’s see… since I’m already supporting the site, go ahead, do the members only feature! :P At the end of the day, I’m sure everyone wants to see this website being able to sustain itself.

Eric, I just re-subscribed.  It’s just like an early Christmas present that lasts throughout the entire year!

If you can hold off as long as possible on increasing the number of intrusive advertisements on BGN, I vote for that.  I understand the need for them, and I think the current layout of the ads is tasteful and unobtrusive.  Hopefully, it can stay that way.

The good thing about comments being members-only is that you will not get all the “booos” from the people complaining about some stuff not being free… The bad thing is that you won’t know what they think about it.

On another subject, could you consider making the ads go away for subscribers? I don’t mind them now, but if they get more intrusive they may become annoying.

[Editor’s note: Philippe originally wrote “news” instead of “ads,” and he asked me to fix the comment, but then Brett’s comment wouldn’t make sense. Thus the correction note is longer than the original one!]

I think Phillipe meant to ask you to make the ads go away, not the news!  (and Phillipe, I’m sure you’ll find all the grumbling you can stomach over at bgg.com)

In any case, that’s a suggestion I was going to make - an upgraded subscription that allows users to hide ads, if that’s feasible architecturally and financially.

Eric, I’m going to offer a slightly dissenting opinion to Brett.  I actually kind of like the ads as they exist right now on BGN.  I think they add a little needed color. 

And if the publishers are doing a good job with their marketing, their ads will be up to date and will link to information about new games.

Ah, Eric, you forgot to mention that all new members receive the BGN dinner jacket and are finally shown the secret handshake…

Scott, I agree; the ads are non-intrusive and not unpleasant.  I’m merely suggesting a memship option that allows the member to customize the level of advertizing on the site.  The option is a potential revenue source from users who are unlikely to provide click-through dollars anyway.

Support for this site is well worth the price of admission and is quite possibly the best value around for this hobby. Given the time put into creating the content - especially the Nurenburg and Essen previews - making them features for members makes a lot of sense.

I would support making the Essen previews a members-only feature.  I can’t imagine someone willing to pay all that cash to go to a large game convention and not availing themselves of the great coverage you do for the event by spending a little extra.  (I can’t attend so don’t use the previews, so it won’t matter too much for me...)

Shoot, for those who insist that information must be free, you could make the previews open once the convention starts (or just the day before) so the lurkers can see what they missed.

I love the ads---they don’t blink, they load quickly, they aren’t obtrusive, they aren’t distasteful, they are well targeted :) and they remind me to buy certain games that I keep forgetting to buy… Would only all ads like these.

I like all the other options as well---as well as Matt’s suggestion that the previews open once the convention starts, which is a good compromise.

I think it’s totally appropriate to have a members only section given the time and energy you’ll put in to generating that content.

I don’t think that making the Essen preview a subscriber exclusive is a good idea.  BGN gets free info and contributions from other sites and individuals.  I think that for this site to then “charge” for access to that information will generate some bad feelings among various game-related sites around the world leading to people being less willing to share info and eventually resulting in a poorer quality preview. 

If anything, it’s the older content that should be restricted to subscribers (that’s how newspapers do it). I think the ads, maybe even a required ad-filled entry portal for non-subscribers is a better alternative.

Okay I’m going break the mold and be the skeptic here…

This a blog, albeit a damn good one.  $25/year is a LOT of money to subscribe to a blog, any blog.  There’s a LOT of bloggers out there, and few *if any* are charging this kind of cash.

It doesn’t cost much at all to run a blog.  Most gamers spend more money on games each year than it takes to run a blog for tens of thousands of readers.  I know that banner ads pay crap, but server costs are tiny nowadays.

So obviously this money is going to pay someone’s salary, which is fine, but is it really necessary to pay someone a salary to maintain a groupblog?

Last year when Rick said “I quit” on spielfrieks...I quickly said, “We’ll pay!!” And soon boardgamenews.com was created.  And I will still continue to pay.  But honestly, I’m not sure what I’m paying for.  I think boardgamenews.com, or a related site, will survive just fine without asking $25/year from everyone.  With that kind of money, I’d hope to see more transparency in where our money goes.

Okay, I’m the asshole, flame on. :-)

Things to remember:

1. This “blog” runs on a server, not somewhere like blogspot, and hosting fees cost money.  Bandwith is not free.

2. Few people out there actually spend as much time hunting down information as Rick did, or as Eric soon will be.  This is not a small job, and I doubt this is actually paying anyone’s salary.

3. BGN doesn’t have the kinds of ads that rake in enough cash to keep the site going.  And I don’t think you want those ads here.

4. It’s $25 a year.  It’s not $25 a month.  That’s $2 and change per month.

5. Coverage is not cheap.  It is expensive to go to Essen, to Nurenburg, to many other cons.  Air miles aren’t free.

6. Time is not free.  Remember, Rick put out a lot of content---the same that Eric will put out.  Most bloggers at most update once or twice a day, more often they do it once a week.  Certainly if you have a daytime job, you cannot spend time doing this stuff if you’d like to have more of a life.

So yes, there are hidden costs behind the site.  And yes, small contributions will make a difference in keeping the site alive---though they will not actually be enough to have the site make any actual profit when expenses are taken out.

And this site is far more than a glorified blog---anymore than Slashdot is a glorified blog, which is basically what BGN is these days, though with less chaos in the comments and without a large financial backer (which is what really kept Slashdot going in its early mid-years).

Content always costs money.  Good content costs good money.  If you don’t want good content, then don’t pay for it---even BGG makes money off certain items and has to figure out how to pay its bills.  Information may want to be free, but its presentation and gathering never is.

In the end, though, people will pay what they will pay.  Personally speaking, I think this site is worth a good cup of coffee a month.  I think it’s worth much more than that. 

And I put my money where my mouth is.

I’m gonna keep paying no matter what, I couldn’t survive without Boardgamenews, I don’t care if someone was making millions off of it. 

Eric asked for suggestions and comments - So all I’m asking is for a little transparency as to where the money is going.

Did Rick also hand off the pro-rated remainder of the past year’s donations?  ;)

My suggestions are:
1) Major previews become subscription-only.  This work goes well above and beyond just editing a blog.
2) Decrease costs.  Give members some visibility into the costs of hosting, etc.  Maybe one of us can help find a better situation.
3) Consider using context-sensitive ads.  Something from Google or Yahoo.  After I see one of these picture ads, the next 500 impressions don’t do much for me.  Maybe run picture ads on the main page only, and run context-sensitive ads on reviews and columns.

Okay, I feel compelled to chime in again. 

1. To me this feels less like any of the blogs I read on a regular basis.  It feels more like a news site with regular columnists.  Blogs are often spotty and irregular.  BGN is, well for lack of a better word...regular.  Maybe this comparision is a poor one, but for me the site feels more like ESPN.com which has basic news articles for the masses and indepth columnists, etc. for subscribers.  I can see it now - BGN is the ESPN of the hobby.  Coming soon BGN2 and Classic BGN.

2. The Essen and Nurenberg info is out there for all of us to find - if we are willing to take the time and effort willing to do that.  I’m guessing that the time it would take for many if not most of us to do that would very easily eclipse some hourly rate that one might individually set to calculate what your time is worth. 

3. I’m guessing the site costs are more than most of us imagine.

Ava is right - content costs money. BGN - Rick and now Eric along with the regular columnists - provide good content with no hassle for us.  $25 is a very small price to pay for this site.

Phil, thanks for expressing your opinion.  Its too bad that you probably would be shouted down on other sites for doing just that.  In my mind, this feels like another check in the good column for BGN.  I get as much out of reading the comments some days because they are thoughtful, insightful, and made without trying to drown everyone else out.

I think charging for the preview content makes sense.

I suggest that, if you do go down that path, you consider making a limited amount of content publicly available - maybe just the list of games and publishers, without any content behind it. I realise that that probably would require you to double-post, at least as things stand now, but it would also potentially bring in business/subscribers as people realise that they want more than just the list.

The problem is going to be that whatever you post is going to be discussed elsewhere, and therefore a percentage of it will end up in other places, whatever you do.

I want to suggest you consider some downloadable resources - make a PDF Essen preview with space for notes, costs, etc - but I’m not sure how many of your readers actually *GO* to Essen - if that’s going to be a lot of work for 30 people that are going anyway, then it’s probably not worthwhile.

Part of the problem is how are you going to attract new members? 

We all know that the Essen preview is an awesome resource, but if you make it pay only, it takes one of the best parts of the site and hides it from the world.  How is someone who’s discovering Essen for the first time going to find the site and find the goodness.  I for one would have been reluctant to chip in $25 to see what the preview was like.  I know it takes a lot of time to create the site as it is, but if you hide all the good stuff, this will become a very exclusive site without much to offer to a first time visitor.  The site as it is is awesome because it’s totally inclusive. The people who want to and/or can afford to support the site because they know it’s a good place to get information and they’re happy to support it.

I for one am happy to support the site, but there currently is a little less than 200 members and I’m sure if you closed the door to the good content you would pick up a few who had been lurking, but I feel that the numbers would slowly wither over time and the site would shrivel up and disappear.

I don’t want BGN to disappear so I hope you can find a solution that works for the majority.

Quite a dilemma.  I don’t mind paying the annual membership fee at all, nor any ads down along the sides, and I agree with Mike that if Essen and Nurnburg coverage is relegated only to members, this could turn off newcomers.  My best case scenario, if possible, would be to permit access to everyone to everything, but members receive a 5-10% discount at some contributing online game outlet(s).  This would easily recompense the membership fee for all us fanatics—IF sites were willing to help support BGN.

First, I don’t think that transparency in the costs to run BGN is needed, nor do I particularly care if Eric were to collect enough cash to be able to buy a Porsche from any profits from the site. What matters is whether the content is worth the cost to me. I have to say it is.

Second, I think that the idea of limiting preview content is good. To counter the possible loss of appeal to those just cruising the site for the first time, perhaps there could be a “Game of the Day” on the front page, with the write up for one game listed there as a sort of sample. Plus, perhaps there could be a list of all the games that are in teh preview up to that point, with a prominent mention that more details are available for members.

Third, I doubt if the sources would dry up if BGN starts a more restrictive policy, at least not just because they are “charging” for the preview content. I don’t think that anyone is withholding information from Knucklebones, for example, saying “How dare they charge for the content in their magazine! I’m just not going to tell them anything any more!”

I think that BGN is a very valuable resource. It is probably the site I spend the most time at, after BGG. That’s why contributing to the site is an easy decision for me. Even though I am relatively new to the hobby (just over a year), it has become one of the central things in my life. Although I couldn’t attend Essen (I hope to one day), I devoured each and every update to the preview section on BGN. I also look forward to each daily column, if only to see if it will be of any interest to me (it usually is). I really enjoy the focus of the site as well. Where BGG can sometimes be a chaotic blur, BGN’s lean approach to covering the hobby can be very refreshing. I hope you can find a way to leave the site as open as it is now, and still find ways to make ends meet. This site was essential in informing me and educating me. I hope it will continue to be such a resource for people new to the hobby. If that means adding ad content, so be it, but I would hate for the site to be any less open then it is now…

Good resource.
Not a blog. 
Adds are okay on both sides (except you need to fix the positioning of Jolley Roger’s current add in Firefox 2.0).
Do what you need.
I expect to keep paying.

I love this site! I just recently signed up as a member, so paying does not bother me - and ads are fine, as long as they are relevant. No ‘enhancement’ ads please! - I’ve clicked on enough of those already.  Discounts are a great idea too.

How about this for a perk? - if its even feasible - members can request that one of your intrepid reporters pick up a game from Essen while they are there, and mail it back. That way some of us wannabe Essen-goers can get our hands on the next Khronos. Maybe our “scout” reports on that “most played” board mid-way through the Fair, and asks members if they want to jump on the bandwagon. Members would still obviously have to pay costs for games and shipping - but just the potential of having access to those short-run games would be a bonus for those of us who don’t go.

Just brainstorming here...there must be other perks we can think of that would be unique to this site.

Either way - keep up the good work!

I’ve not definitely decided what my view is, but to answer someone else

>How is someone who’s discovering Essen for the first time going to find the site and find the goodness.  I for one would have been reluctant to chip in $25 to see what the preview was like.

You obviously make last year’s preview open.

Members-only contests, game give-aways, subscriptions to K-bones, etc.? (Obviously dependant on the good graces of prize donators!)

Members-only fantasy football leagues.

Members-only smack-talk tourneys on spielbyweb

Members-only downloads (maybe these could be exclusives from the publishers, such as optional rules, aids, etc. such as they do with magazines)

Re: Jim’s suggestion: Members-only contests...(Obviously dependant on the good graces of prize donators!)

How about a free appendectomy from Dale Yu?

Private lessons with Valerie Putnam.

Larry Levy can create a game in the winner’s honor.

Alfred Wallace will thank the winner in the credits to his thesis.

Frank Branham will give away a video game (I wouldn’t ask him to give away a board game!)

Eric Martin will allow the winner a guest spot editorial.

> How about a free appendectomy from Dale Yu?

You mean he has the nerve to charge some people?

> Private lessons with Valerie Putnam.

Hmm, you might want to clear that with Tyler first…

> Larry Levy can create a game in the winner’s honor.

Yes!  Right now, I’m hard at work on a card-driven version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  All new members get a body part named after them!

As far as the appendectomies go, sure… I’ll do ‘em for a good cause.  I’m not even a surgeon.  And I don’t even think staying at a Holiday Inn Express would help you out there!

Seriously, here are my thoughts:

1) I’m not against more ads. They don’t bother me, and if they are targeted ads (within the boardgame genre), i’m apt to click on them when I see something I’m interested in.

2) I think the Essen Preview is worth paying for.  As someone suggested, make part of it open for view (maybe the game titles, publishers, etc), but save the commentary for the subscribers.  Is there a way to even have a short-term membership (you know, $10 trial for September/October to see if you like it?)

3) Continue to provide high-quality, insightful, humorous columns by intelligent and witty gamers.  Look at Wednesday’s columns, for instance!

4) We could always do a calendar of the columnists, right?  If so, I call July.  You’ve got to see my new swimsuit… (Or, if you donate more, you can pay not to see it!)

Dale

Dale,

You are a nut. (LOL)