Keep up the good work, you guya are much appreciated.

PS. I just donated so hopefully you can enjoy a few beers on me.

It’s not a compromise, in my book. A compromise is when ads determine or influence content. So long as that is not happening, you and Dave et. al. are not compromising. So stop being silly and make some money! Y’all deserve it.

I started my working life at 11 years old and the last time anyone wrote me a paycheck I was 17. I have been self-employed for the past 31 years.

I find it INCONCEIVABLE that a site like this, with the daily unique visitor draw struggles for funds: this is do to philosophy, not opportunity. If I had the talent and ability to create this site, it would be a money maker.

You guys swing a bigger bat than you can handle. Bavasi shows up for your events because he’s nice guy? ( Well, he is, ran into him on opening day, offered him a bite of my Polish sausage.). He shows up because you drive informed baseball commentary in the Northwest. Guys, you way underate your value.

So many obvious sponsors. Newspapers have kept advertising and reporting seperated for years. Why not you?

1.Mariners. Click here for great ticket deals.(Hint: cut a deal.)
2.Every bar and restaurant around Safeco. Click here for coupons.
3.Parking. Click here to pay for convenient parking in advance.
4.Stub Hub. See #1.
5. Every single Mariners advertiser is appealing to the fan base. You influence part of the fan base.

Geez, how hard is this? You seem to not want to approach your success in an entrepeneurial manner and MAKE MONEY.

I’ll pay you for this site ownership and pay you for posting. Y’all have my e-mail.

Thanks again for all that you’ve created.

skipj

Thanks for all you do!

“For just $99 you get this great USSM tote bag…”

i lurk here and rarely post comments. here are my thoughts.

you guys have a great site. i visit once a day. if it is a subscription site, i would not pay for it. sorry, there are other places and blogs i can read for this info. plus, as soon as you block your site from the general public a new blogger will pop up with info like yours for free. its the nature of the capitalism beast!

your avenue for revenue is through advertising. you should have advertising galore on here. you should talk to the guys at mlbtraderumors.com. yeah the site looks like nascar on the web. but, the content is so great it doesnt matter. you should have banners everywhere. if it annoys some people than send them to a secondary site that doesnt have ads and they pay a monthly subscription.

also, you should consider selling regular ebooks. preseason preview, mid-season report card, future forty, etc. i think you would bring in money from that side as well. i might buy one of those.

again, your content is great, so throw a crapload of ads on here and see what happens.

I don’t think ordering a whole bunch of swag is a good idea – too much overhead and then you really would have to promote it heavily. Some items might be hits, others might not sell at all.

I don’t think putting up advertising is completely necessary although it is one solution.

I don’t think creating a subscription service for posting is a good idea (and I get the sense that you guys don’t either.)

Here is what I propose:

Someone, 100 or so posts above me, suggested doing a campaign like NPR or PBS, which is the ticket.

Pick a two week period sometime during the season, (perhaps over the all-star break) and in every post and every game thread remind people that this is their only chance throughout the year to support you guys and the site, and that you will not be asking or accepting donations at any other time. Doing it in such a way tackles the biggest issue – people love to procrastinate. When we (the readership) know our window to show you (Derek and DMZ) some love is limited, people will magically spring to action. Also, you won’t have to feel sleazy about constantly asking for alms, because it’s limited to a predetermined time period.

There should also be a target that you want to reach and if you reach it before the two weeks are up, call the fund raiser.

During this two week period have 4 (or potentially more) ‘levels’ of sponsorship. 1st level – $5-40; 2nd level $40-80 and fans get Derek’s book; 3rd level $80-120 and fans get a sweet USSM sweatshirt; 4th level $120+ and fans get to go to a game in decent seats and maybe the Elysian or Pyramid breweries before with the two of you. Again, this would give people incentive to give more rather than less, but allow virtually anyone in the readership community to lend as much support as they feel they can/should offer.

Logistically, I would wait until the two week pledge drive was over to buy the baseball tickets and the hoodies(so you know how many to get) .

Then you guys should throw up a thank you post listing the screen names of everyone who donated, because everyone loves recognition after all.

That’s all. I would be more than happy to help with logistics as I’m sure would others.

Unfortunately, I moved from Seattle 17 years ago, and until I found this site about a year ago, I felt very disconnected from my favorite team. Now, I get to read insightful commentary on the M’s on a daily basis. Truly… thank you.

Last thought – you write about all the effort you’ve given for the last several years and end the post with a question of how you could do more?!? Seriously?!? Fuhgetaboutit. I’d ask what we could do, but it seems pretty clear. I know I’m not alone in looking at the comments. It seems like it’s our turn to step up to the plate.