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Message to our non-subscribers that frequent the site.

So Jimmy… you come out and ask for input responses, get them, then call people (me) ignorant and butthurt?? Seems a Robby Benson quote is in order pointed directly at you…

Wow. Easy enough. As many have said there is little gained by reading your efforts you can’t get elsewhere. Hope you get some sleep soon. It’s over due…

Bye

He agreed with your post, so he wasn't referring to you. Read iubud's post.
 
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We appreciate everyone, especially our subscribers who support theHoosier.com allowing new, daily content.. For those of you that are not currently supporting the site I will bluntly ask that you begin doing so. Rivals recently made some revolutionary changes to the site that over time will be seen as an improvement and a way of providing a better experience overall. If someone seriously cannot afford the $10/month (.27 cents a day) that a subscription costs, then I understand. Most of you can easily afford the $10 a month, but choose not to be a subscriber for whatever reason. You want more? We are trying to give more. But we need your support to edo that.

But if you are not in that boat there is no reason for not being a subscriber. If you think for one second I, or anyone is getting rich here, well that would be astronomically inaccurate. We only want to be able to provide as much and the most content as possible and try to do just that every day. Everything we do to accomplish that cost money. Staff, payroll, traveling to events, equipment, and on and on. We strive to improve every day and to be better every day. We would like to add some things that we think would add to your experience.

Some things that are coming in the immediate future are basketball related. A basketball analyst for the Premium Forum page. This role will see readers have the opportunity to talk IU hoops in a deeper manner. Game strategy, game results, individual performances, coaching, etc. Separate from that have a new writer who will be focusing solely on basketball recruiting. There will also be more Premium content and less "free" content.

Personally, I would like to see the "free" boards go away. They do not benefit us, but equally bring issues we have to deal with. We are a subscriber based site, not a "click-based" one. I know there are tons of you that float on the "free" boards, but TH.com needs your patronage as a subscriber. If you are a subscriber, thank you! Encourage non-subs to come aboard. I can only ask that you BECOME A SUBSCRIBER today. Seriously, it's .27 cents a day.

Thank you!
I appreciate your honesty, but have you ever considered that the people posting on the free boards have a different pov?

You mention all of the things that you provide, and how all of that costs money. Have you considered that some don’t care at all about the content that is provided?

I agree that $10/month is not much money…

…but, some people are here JUST for the fan forums. And some of these people make contributions to the free boards by the content (posts) that they provide. Saying that someone that is a great poster is “not supporting the site” is hogwash. They may not be supporting a certain business model, but they do contribute to the content, activity, and discussion on the free boards,

I’ve been here since the days of the old IIBF, pre Peegs. I get that you would like to see the free boards go away, and that they don’t align with your business model. But, please consider that some people enjoy just the forum experience. After all, in the internet era content is easy enough to find. $10/mo is small potatoes, but, there is the inconvenience associated with it, and of course some have had poor experiences in trying to cancel. A moderated free site that has high traffic would be my preference. Pushing everyone to a subscription model may work out for you. I just fear it will result in a much smaller pool of posters, with much less room for dissenting opinions.
 
what they are selling you stated you won't pay for because you can find it free elsewhere. same can be said for what you are selling, I'm a Christian so don't go there, but you profit off Jesus, God bless you
Nobody has to give. If the church did not want a full time pastor they don't have to have one. What church out there has no paid staff whatsoever? You say that I profit. If that means I get paid to work full time then yes. But is that a bad thing?
 
I appreciate your honesty, but have you ever considered that the people posting on the free boards have a different pov?

You mention all of the things that you provide, and how all of that costs money. Have you considered that some don’t care at all about the content that is provided?

I agree that $10/month is not much money…

…but, some people are here JUST for the fan forums. And some of these people make contributions to the free boards by the content (posts) that they provide. Saying that someone that is a great poster is “not supporting the site” is hogwash. They may not be supporting a certain business model, but they do contribute to the content, activity, and discussion on the free boards,

I’ve been here since the days of the old IIBF, pre Peegs. I get that you would like to see the free boards go away, and that they don’t align with your business model. But, please consider that some people enjoy just the forum experience. After all, in the internet era content is easy enough to find. $10/mo is small potatoes, but, there is the inconvenience associated with it, and of course some have had poor experiences in trying to cancel. A moderated free site that has high traffic would be my preference. Pushing everyone to a subscription model may work out for you. I just fear it will result in a much smaller pool of posters, with much less room for dissenting opinions.
I agree with this. I don't consume much content from this site and most of what I am interested in I can find or eventually comes out on Twitter. I only recently stopped my membership* because I chose a new career that meant a 30% cut in income paired with a child headed off to college this fall, so we made some cuts that were inconsequential amounts prior, but now, every $10-$15/mo is scrutinized more closely.

*I never could actually cancel. They just had an outdated credit card on file and couldn't renew me. If customer service were better and I felt like I'd be able to cancel easily, I'd consider re-upping. And I realize Jim has no control over that, but it's a strong factor for me.
 
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I appreciate your honesty, but have you ever considered that the people posting on the free boards have a different pov?

You mention all of the things that you provide, and how all of that costs money. Have you considered that some don’t care at all about the content that is provided?

I agree that $10/month is not much money…

…but, some people are here JUST for the fan forums. And some of these people make contributions to the free boards by the content (posts) that they provide. Saying that someone that is a great poster is “not supporting the site” is hogwash. They may not be supporting a certain business model, but they do contribute to the content, activity, and discussion on the free boards,

I’ve been here since the days of the old IIBF, pre Peegs. I get that you would like to see the free boards go away, and that they don’t align with your business model. But, please consider that some people enjoy just the forum experience. After all, in the internet era content is easy enough to find. $10/mo is small potatoes, but, there is the inconvenience associated with it, and of course some have had poor experiences in trying to cancel. A moderated free site that has high traffic would be my preference. Pushing everyone to a subscription model may work out for you. I just fear it will result in a much smaller pool of posters, with much less room for dissenting opinions.
I would assume even the free forums cost money? @Jim Coyle
 
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Nobody has to give. If the church did not want a full time pastor they don't have to have one. What church out there has no paid staff whatsoever? You say that I profit. If that means I get paid to work full time then yes. But is that a bad thing?
according to you it is, why would someone pay you for information that is readily available for free. would you still preach if the contributions dried up and they quit paying you.
 
I would assume even the free forums cost money? @Jim Coyle

They definitely would cost money. The benefit of the free forum is it brings more people in and like any brick-and-mortar storefront, having more people present not only makes the site more entertaining for those who are paid subscribers but also offers a daily advertisement to those who are not yet subscribers. Meaning over time they add revenue that wouldn't have been there if it weren't for the free forum drawing traffic to the site in the first place.

Regardless, there's always going to be a cost benefit analysis to determine whether or not the staff finds their time spent generating content/managing the site, is getting its value. I don't know if this type of post is the best approach at improving subscriber numbers, but I also don't know if it's not. I certainly can't blame Jim for trying. What I will say is if the consumer finds something where the value supersedes the cost, especially in the sports world, they'll come. Either by word of mouth or by renewing their subscription from experiencing that value.
 
We appreciate everyone, especially our subscribers who support theHoosier.com allowing new, daily content.. For those of you that are not currently supporting the site I will bluntly ask that you begin doing so. Rivals recently made some revolutionary changes to the site that over time will be seen as an improvement and a way of providing a better experience overall. If someone seriously cannot afford the $10/month (.27 cents a day) that a subscription costs, then I understand. Most of you can easily afford the $10 a month, but choose not to be a subscriber for whatever reason. You want more? We are trying to give more. But we need your support to edo that.

But if you are not in that boat there is no reason for not being a subscriber. If you think for one second I, or anyone is getting rich here, well that would be astronomically inaccurate. We only want to be able to provide as much and the most content as possible and try to do just that every day. Everything we do to accomplish that cost money. Staff, payroll, traveling to events, equipment, and on and on. We strive to improve every day and to be better every day. We would like to add some things that we think would add to your experience.

Some things that are coming in the immediate future are basketball related. A basketball analyst for the Premium Forum page. This role will see readers have the opportunity to talk IU hoops in a deeper manner. Game strategy, game results, individual performances, coaching, etc. Separate from that have a new writer who will be focusing solely on basketball recruiting. There will also be more Premium content and less "free" content.

Personally, I would like to see the "free" boards go away. They do not benefit us, but equally bring issues we have to deal with. We are a subscriber based site, not a "click-based" one. I know there are tons of you that float on the "free" boards, but TH.com needs your patronage as a subscriber. If you are a subscriber, thank you! Encourage non-subs to come aboard. I can only ask that you BECOME A SUBSCRIBER today. Seriously, it's .27 cents a day.

Thank you!
To me, it’s two fold. I joined the platform in 2012 and was a premium subscriber for years. I wound up leaving for two main reasons. The most prominent being I got tired of the constant turnover of staff. My experience in the premium board is it’s a bunch of dudes who joined in the early 2000’s and engage heavily with one another but not so much with those who joined later such as I. All good. But, I frankly find the free board more engaging and entertaining. At the end of the day $10 won’t change my life, but it’s somewhat of a principle issue. Why pay for something that provides little to no value, regardless of the cost?
 
I appreciate the banter and thoughts of the regular posters more than the content provided by the hired help and those running the page. Frankly, most of the content is a repeat of what the posters on here have already said.

I'll never pay for recruiting speculation, and it's nothing more than that no matter what anyone says. IU hasn't landed a primary recruit in the past two classes. You get a year or more of speculation, they land none of them, but fortunately pick up someone last minute. With NIL that nay be the new normal. I don't need a recruiting "guru" or analyst for that.

I understand the predicament of those who own the site and those trying to earn a living from it, but it's not our responsibility to keep it afloat. Not trying to be mean. Just realistic. If it folds tomorrow my life is unchanged. There are other ways ti find news about IU basketball.
 
Easy fix that will never happen. Make all boards and content available for the $120 a year. If you don’t want the Cooler you can opt out and get access to everything else for $100 a year. If the free boards add any value to the site now, I’m sure it will be a net increase in revenue from those staying and going.

But I’m betting the Cooler people don’t want to stand on their own. I for the life of me don’t u destined why the customers paying the Bills need to justify not wanting something. Give the option and let the chips fall. My guess is whoever makes those decisions, are making them without revenue/profit in mind. Hence the overwhelming issue of why it is available in the first place.
The Cooler is moderated by children (not all, but a couple). Either appoint fair moderators or close it down.
 
Cry About It Ice Cream GIF by Peppa Pig

The Cooler is moderated by children (not all, but a couple). Either appoint fair moderators or close it down.
 
I appreciate your honesty, but have you ever considered that the people posting on the free boards have a different pov?

You mention all of the things that you provide, and how all of that costs money. Have you considered that some don’t care at all about the content that is provided?

I agree that $10/month is not much money…

…but, some people are here JUST for the fan forums. And some of these people make contributions to the free boards by the content (posts) that they provide. Saying that someone that is a great poster is “not supporting the site” is hogwash. They may not be supporting a certain business model, but they do contribute to the content, activity, and discussion on the free boards,

I’ve been here since the days of the old IIBF, pre Peegs. I get that you would like to see the free boards go away, and that they don’t align with your business model. But, please consider that some people enjoy just the forum experience. After all, in the internet era content is easy enough to find. $10/mo is small potatoes, but, there is the inconvenience associated with it, and of course some have had poor experiences in trying to cancel. A moderated free site that has high traffic would be my preference. Pushing everyone to a subscription model may work out for you. I just fear it will result in a much smaller pool of posters, with much less room for dissenting opinions.
Naturally, most people look at things from their perspective. I do understand that there are many people who use the free side of things only. The free side is not complaint free. And if there were no site there would be no free side.
There hadn't been local ownership of this site for a decade. I continue and try to do as much as we possibly can to appease everyone's tastes.
Some people use the site for different things, news, recruiting, forums, etc. We have to work to provide it all.
If you use the site, you use the site. Like you said, $10 is not that much money. Canceling can be done from your very own profile. If you want to support the site to help ensure these things are always here, great we appreciate the support.
 
We appreciate everyone, especially our subscribers who support theHoosier.com allowing new, daily content.. For those of you that are not currently supporting the site I will bluntly ask that you begin doing so. Rivals recently made some revolutionary changes to the site that over time will be seen as an improvement and a way of providing a better experience overall. If someone seriously cannot afford the $10/month (.27 cents a day) that a subscription costs, then I understand. Most of you can easily afford the $10 a month, but choose not to be a subscriber for whatever reason. You want more? We are trying to give more. But we need your support to edo that.

But if you are not in that boat there is no reason for not being a subscriber. If you think for one second I, or anyone is getting rich here, well that would be astronomically inaccurate. We only want to be able to provide as much and the most content as possible and try to do just that every day. Everything we do to accomplish that cost money. Staff, payroll, traveling to events, equipment, and on and on. We strive to improve every day and to be better every day. We would like to add some things that we think would add to your experience.

Some things that are coming in the immediate future are basketball related. A basketball analyst for the Premium Forum page. This role will see readers have the opportunity to talk IU hoops in a deeper manner. Game strategy, game results, individual performances, coaching, etc. Separate from that have a new writer who will be focusing solely on basketball recruiting. There will also be more Premium content and less "free" content.

Personally, I would like to see the "free" boards go away. They do not benefit us, but equally bring issues we have to deal with. We are a subscriber based site, not a "click-based" one. I know there are tons of you that float on the "free" boards, but TH.com needs your patronage as a subscriber. If you are a subscriber, thank you! Encourage non-subs to come aboard. I can only ask that you BECOME A SUBSCRIBER today. Seriously, it's .27 cents a day.

Thank you!
So, if I were to pay for a subscription would all the ads and nuisance pop-ups go away?
 
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I would assume even the free forums cost money? @Jim Coyle

I would guess that the cost doesn't change based on number for forums. So if they are keeping the premium forums, then I would bet keeping the free forums doesn't add any additional costs.

The real issue IMO is that unpaid posters only help with ad revenue (more eyes = more money), which those proceeds are apparently being hogged by Rivals (National) and not shared with the people working on the college specific sites. I guess if most of the costs are incurred by Rivals (National) then that would make sense for them to get the ad revenue (no idea how the split works obviously).

I don't think it's accurate to assume posters would rush to subscribe if the free forums were removed. The forums would just turn into what you see on peegs...ghost town as people moved to other forums that were hosted elsewhere. There goes ad revenue and then Rivals (National) would probably start looking for other ways to get theirs so to speak.
 
Sorry. Had premium for a few years. Got tired of all the coach and player hate. Whenever someone tried to be positive they were labeled "sunshine pumpers". I decided to "scroll past" the entire premium board. I can spend 2 minutes on the free site and get a rough idea what's going on in the program. Other sites including Facebook groups are getting better. Lots of other info out there.
Recruiting is now so fluid to me it's hardly worth keeping up with. Everybody is contacted, everyone has us on their list, a couple may "commit" at least temporarily. Then who will hang around the next year.
That's my humble opinion. Wouldn't miss it that much if free board were discontinued.
 
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I would guess that the cost doesn't change based on number for forums. So if they are keeping the premium forums, then I would bet keeping the free forums doesn't add any additional costs.

The real issue IMO is that unpaid posters only help with ad revenue (more eyes = more money), which those proceeds are apparently being hogged by Rivals (National) and not shared with the people working on the college specific sites. I guess if most of the costs are incurred by Rivals (National) then that would make sense for them to get the ad revenue (no idea how the split works obviously).

I don't think it's accurate to assume posters would rush to subscribe if the free forums were removed. The forums would just turn into what you see on peegs...ghost town as people moved to other forums that were hosted elsewhere. There goes ad revenue and then Rivals (National) would probably start looking for other ways to get theirs so to speak.
Not your fault, but I have found myself saying the same things over and over. The benefit to Rivals or theHoosier.com by "more eyes" from the free side of things is negligible. We are a subscription based site, not one built on "clicks" as people like to say. Having "great posters" on the free side of things is also negligible. Too many people are convinced that the free side of the site carries this magically intrinsic and great value to the site. It does not.
 
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Not your fault, but I have found myself saying the same things over and over. The benefit to Rivals or theHoosier.com by "more eyes" from the free side of things is negligible. We are a subscription based site, not one built on "clicks" as people like to say. Having "great posters" on the free side of things is also negligible. Too many people are convinced that the free side of the site carries this magically intrinsic and great value to the site. It does not.
that's why my 2nd paragraph said the free people only help with ad revenue, which goes to national rivals according to one of your other posts.

You're right, free forum posters don't bring in direct value to Indiana staff on rivals but you're ignoring the benefits of a busy forum. People will flock towards forums that have more activity and abandon those that don't. More people on the forums equals more customers that likely see the front page and may make a decision to be a paying subscriber.

That's why stores don't usually charge just for entering the store. They want as many people browsing as possible because it increases the chances of finding a paying customer.
 
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Best thing you could do to get subs is collect some former players across the decades and have them post here during games. Maybe pay them instead of an analyst tbh. You’d get way more eyeballs wanting to see.

I do think the content here is some of the best but $120 is too rich for my wallet at the moment. I’m open to it but I’d also rather see is an entry level option and a discord TBQH.
 
Sorry. Had premium for a few years. Got tired of all the coach and player hate. Whenever someone tried to be positive they were labeled "sunshine pumpers". I decided to "scroll past" the entire premium board. I can spend 2 minutes on the free site and get a rough idea what's going on in the program. Other sites including Facebook groups are getting better. Lots of other info out there.
Recruiting is now so fluid to me it's hardly worth keeping up with. Everybody is contacted, everyone has us on their list, a couple may "commit" at least temporarily. Then who will hang around the next year.
That's my humble opinion. Wouldn't miss it that much if free board were discontinued.
So I can only assume that apparently there is no player/coach discontent on the free side? The boards are meant for discussion, not constant agreement. And if you're getting your news from or comparing us or any site like it to Facebook, I have no words for that.
 
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I pay for two sites; this one and for Peegs which I have been a part of since Mike started it.

Each provides a slightly differnt view of not only IU but BiG and national topics.

I enjoy them both.
 
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that's why my 2nd paragraph said the free people only help with ad revenue, which goes to national rivals according to one of your other posts.

You're right, free forum posters don't bring in direct value to Indiana staff on rivals but you're ignoring the benefits of a busy forum. People will flock towards forums that have more activity and abandon those that don't. More people on the forums equals more customers that likely see the front page and may make a decision to be a paying subscriber.

That's why stores don't usually charge just for entering the store. They want as many people browsing as possible because it increases the chances of finding a paying customer.
I didn't miss it, I think you missed mine. Any ad revenue that comes from any of the boards is negligible, no matter where it goes. Rivals is not based on eyes or clicks, but on subscribers. With that in mind, please explain to me how a "busy forum" will magically bring in more subscribers when most of those that are there now are not subscribed. Stores do charge a "cover charge" because pretty much every person that walks into a store goes in with the probable intention of making a purchase. I am sure there are people who either have the time or just like to go to stores just to walk around, but I am not one of those, nor do I know any. Personally, I cannot remember a time I went into a store without the need or intent to make a purchase.
 
Sorry. Had premium for a few years. Got tired of all the coach and player hate. Whenever someone tried to be positive they were labeled "sunshine pumpers". I decided to "scroll past" the entire premium board. I can spend 2 minutes on the free site and get a rough idea what's going on in the program. Other sites including Facebook groups are getting better. Lots of other info out there.
Recruiting is now so fluid to me it's hardly worth keeping up with. Everybody is contacted, everyone has us on their list, a couple may "commit" at least temporarily. Then who will hang around the next year.
That's my humble opinion. Wouldn't miss it that much if free board were discontinued.
HS recruiting will become less and less important as the new NIL game takes shape.
 
Best thing you could do to get subs is collect some former players across the decades and have them post here during games. Maybe pay them instead of an analyst tbh. You’d get way more eyeballs wanting to see.

I do think the content here is some of the best but $120 is too rich for my wallet at the moment. I’m open to it but I’d also rather see is an entry level option and a discord TBQH.
We have players on already via BB postgame shows. There is already a real-time chat feature that is available to Premium users that will be used in conjunction with the post-game shows. The analyst role relates to recruiting, not "game analysis."

We have no control how the site is set up. We are part of the Rivals Network. All sites look and act the same. That makes it easy to go from site to site with ease. If you truly cannot afford $10/month, I understand. There are no "levels."
 
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HS recruiting will become less and less important as the new NIL game takes shape.
I guess we should go ahead and shut the site down now then? I do not recall ever mentioning HS recruiting as THE reason to support the site. There are a multitude of reasons and not all of them are for everyone. But we provide them all, including the "free" places where you and other people dwell. Those "free" places still take up space on the servers, they are not any more complaint free than the premium side, which means time, which means money, etc. You're either going to support the site or you are not.
 
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