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Free Republic 4th Qtr 2024 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $25,929
32%  
Woo hoo!! And we're now over 32%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.


VANITY : Suggestion for reducing Freepathons
self | 6 August 2022 | self

Posted on 08/06/2022 8:42:41 AM PDT by ShadowAce

OK, so I woke up this morning with a thought. It may not be worth anything.

People here are understandable frustrated with the fundraising and lack of donations to the site. We also do not want to clutter the site with ads and become beholden to outside interests. We want to remain as independent and self-reliant as possible.

Why not merchandize the FR name? Sell coffee cups, water bottles, t-shirts, etc with the FR URL and logo? I'm a woodturner and can make pens with logos/messages on them (though I *am* employed full time and would not have the time to make hundreds or thousands). I would even suggest selling e-mail addresses ( user@freerepublic.com ) for a nominal fee. The selling point would be a guarantee to not create, collect, or produce logs of any activity for this domain. This may take some up-front expenses to set up though.

Not only would this raise money, it would get the site out into the public eye more often.

I'm not saying this will replace freepathons, but perhaps it can mitigate the length and lower the monetary requirements needed for each one.


TOPICS: Free Republic Policy/Q&A
KEYWORDS: doctorgasbag; donatetoday; freerepublic; fundraising; humblegunnerrocks; nodonationsforkarens; nodonationsfortrolls; trollscostdonations; vanity; zotabusetrolls; zotbigpharmatrolls; zotthefrkarens; zottheqtards; zottherussiantrolls
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To: ShadowAce

We could all make our own Tshirts marketing FreeRepublic.com but I would buy one from Jim and John if they profited.

At least to wear to the Republican county meetings.


41 posted on 08/06/2022 9:42:19 AM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: Vermont Lt

The site isn’t making money because the moderators allow abuse. It’s driven away throngs of folks. What used to be the best news aggregator on the internet has fallen from that peak.

————————————————————————

It used to be that if you posted a duplicate article you were roundly and soundly told off. But now?

If you even dare to suggest that an article has already been posted, you will get criticized by several or more Freepers who complain that they have not seen those previous articles. So mind your own business.

One has to wonder why those Freepers have missed the previous articles already posted? Perhaps they don’t freep enough. Perhaps this site is inundated with dozens and dozens of duplicate and meaningless articles, vanities, religious threads and other useless posts.


42 posted on 08/06/2022 9:43:25 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Fake News. Might be true; but it’s designed to distort, mislead, brainwash and BS sheeple. )
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To: Responsibility2nd
After 90 days the goal is reached ...

Come on, we reached the last goal in about 86 days ...

43 posted on 08/06/2022 9:43:54 AM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: ShadowAce
Our biggest problem is loss of viewership.

I am a night owl, and we frequently have posting gaps of an hour or even more during the Midnight - 6 AM period.

Bottom Line - if there is nothing new or interesting to read, people stop showing up.

We also have a very large elderly demographic, which means that reliable donors get sick or die, but they are not replaced by new reliable donors.

The quality of the posts at FR have also degraded. I have learned more about science, engineering, and political philosophy at Free Republic than I learned in 16 years of formal education. We have lost a couple dozen members who specialized in informing and challenging the intellect of other members.

Our Troll problem has abated somewhat over the last year, which is good, since the Trolls definitely drove away a lot of good people.

I think the Q-experience also drove away some good people who have not returned.

I still love coming here every day (mostly nights actually), and I still think FR has the best news and comment format on the entire Web.

I will also continue to donate money every month, or as long as the Robinson family keeps the lights on.

44 posted on 08/06/2022 9:44:32 AM PDT by zeestephen
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To: BraveMan; humblegunner; Lazamataz; dfwgator
I’d buy a humblegunner T-Shirt . . .

Oh...the possibilities:

Humblegunner t shirt
Eschoir t-shirt
DeepintheHurtgenForest T:
Lazamataz T:
DFWGator T:

45 posted on 08/06/2022 9:45:13 AM PDT by DCBryan1 (Delete FB, TWTR, GOOGL, AMZN, YHOO, Gmail/chrome. Use Gab, Brave + DDG, VPN, Freerepublic )
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To: DCBryan1

Humblegunner’s favorite brew is Busch, not Coors.


46 posted on 08/06/2022 9:47:19 AM PDT by Publius
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To: texas booster

lol. Lucky for me I was not drinking my coffee as I read that reply.

🤠


47 posted on 08/06/2022 9:47:40 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Fake News. Might be true; but it’s designed to distort, mislead, brainwash and BS sheeple. )
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To: Responsibility2nd
At the beginning of every quarter a new Freepathon begins. After 90 days the goal is reached and another Freepathon begins.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

This model has been ongoing and successful for 20+ years. Why change things now?

From my point of view, what you stated is the problem. The Freepathon goes all year long. If the money could be raised in 30 days, perhaps it would not be so bad. But it takes the whole quarter to raise the funds only to start over again immediately. I would be happy to pay a monthly subscription if it is a reasonable amount. I am a proud Freeper and would be lost without FR but have noticed a lot of posting from websites I have never heard of. We used to be the place for breaking news, but not anymore.

48 posted on 08/06/2022 9:50:34 AM PDT by txlurker
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To: ShadowAce

Not ads - sponsers


49 posted on 08/06/2022 9:50:37 AM PDT by Chauncey Gardiner
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To: who_would_fardels_bear
Included in the price would be a ban on postings to the thread by humblegunner whining about blog flogging.

But, but . . I'd go broke.

50 posted on 08/06/2022 9:51:11 AM PDT by BipolarBob (lazy FReepers don't have a homepage.)
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To: ShadowAce

I like it.

I send cash donations and several recently have NOT gotten through.


51 posted on 08/06/2022 9:53:13 AM PDT by GOPJ (Every large city run by democrats is a hellhhole.. Don't let democrats 'hellhole' the country. VOTE.)
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To: txlurker

We used to be the place for breaking news, but not anymore.

———————————————————————

You got that right. Breaking News is now just a place for Jim’s daily fundraising request, Donald Trump‘s rally‘s and the Sunday Morning talk show thread.

WTAF?


52 posted on 08/06/2022 9:55:59 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Fake News. Might be true; but it’s designed to distort, mislead, brainwash and BS sheeple. )
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To: Larry Lucido
Re: "How much does American Thinker (just as an example) make from FR clicks?"

LOL - since entire American Thinker articles are posted right here on Free Republic, no one from FR needs to click on American Thinker!

53 posted on 08/06/2022 9:59:03 AM PDT by zeestephen
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To: Responsibility2nd

I would like to add one more thing I have noticed is the griping at Freepers who post an article that has already been posted. Those who feel the need to call out duplicate articles should give it a rest. Perhaps that is why some are reluctant to post at all.


54 posted on 08/06/2022 10:04:38 AM PDT by txlurker
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To: ShadowAce

I suggest ShadowAce’s bake sale!


55 posted on 08/06/2022 10:08:45 AM PDT by outofsalt (If history teaches us anything, it's that history rarely teaches anything.)
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To: BraveMan

If I had a humblegunner t-shirt, I’d burn it before wearing it.


56 posted on 08/06/2022 10:19:19 AM PDT by FamiliarFace (I wish “smart resume” would work for the real world so I could FF through the Burden admin BS.)
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To: Responsibility2nd; txlurker

If you have complaints about too few articles on Breaking News, start posting them yourselves.


57 posted on 08/06/2022 10:19:58 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose GOD is the LORD. - Psalm 33:12)
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To: stars & stripes forever

lol. Right. Sure.

You know as well as I do what happens to a Freeper who dares to post a thread to Breaking News.


58 posted on 08/06/2022 10:30:06 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Fake News. Might be true; but it’s designed to distort, mislead, brainwash and BS sheeple. )
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To: ShadowAce

Have a weekly video on you tube or rumble where the feed is monetized where members or other lurkers can donate through patreon. Subject matter is articles discussed on FR. LAZ could be comedy relief. Others with expertise could donate time and input through experience etc. Call it the “Robcast”


59 posted on 08/06/2022 10:40:47 AM PDT by Michigan Bowhunter
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To: ShadowAce; Chris Robinson
Financial support of FR has been a repeated subject discussed over the years. Jim Robinson's point has always been to keep FR free of any outside influence. If freedom to speak isn't more important than a mug or t-shirt then FR is already toast.
60 posted on 08/06/2022 10:59:23 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
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