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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.
Just so long as the check clears.
I suggested the t-shirts and mugs as they would not cause any undue influence.
Sure they would. Just put a message or logo on a shirt they don't like and you're done. Advertisers and suppliers get complaints all the time and cancel conservatives.
No problem there, dude.
you wrote:
“...If you have complaints about too few articles on Breaking News, start posting them yourselves...”
First of all, I can say that I have at least personal posted 2 news stories on the Free Republic before ANY regular news media got a hold on them:
* Mass Shooting at a Buffalo Super Market (5/14/22)
* Protest by Canadian Border Patrol causing mass backups and literal shutdown of the US/Canadian border (8/6/21)
Of course in both cases, I was either at or near the scene when the news broke.
With that, permission to speak freely (as long as we’re having this conversation):
I have made it a point to tell folks (usually by word of mouth about this site); mainly to folks younger than me (e.g. family members). As many did visit, they responded with some of the same complaints I have heard on this thread. So, let’s start with that has changed over the years...
1. When I first came to FR, it was the place where conservative activism was started and cultivated. If there was a protest, or major out pouring of support, it started here. Also, if there was a big news story, we could always rely on someone on the ground giving us first hand accounts of what was going on. My question to everyone: How often do you see that these days?
2. Among the complaints I have heard from casual visitors of this site is that the commenters seem too ‘old’ and too (as they called it) ‘black-pilled’. As my uber-red-pilled daughter (age 28)tells me “..I get more useful and up-to-the-minute information on Facebook and Twitter - even though they censor most of our stuff..”
That should tell you something.
When it comes to posting articles, a little advice from a person with 20+ years of media experience:
3. I see most articles posted here from 3 major sources: The American Thinker, The Daily Mail (in some form) or Drudge. Other casual visitors I sent here said the same thing. Now, I know we think most news leans left, but I can say there is more ‘gold nuggets’ of news from local news sites than from the big boys (national legacy media). Most if not all of the big news comes watered down from the AP, who sucks in news from everywhere, waters is down, and spits it back out to the masses in their own form. Trust me. I saw this with my own eyes (and finger tips) when I was [read this carefully, folks] coding the API software that allowed the Buffalo News it interact in real-time to the Associated Press.
4. The in-fighting and personal insults have become too common on this site where in the past it was not only not tolerated, but we had sort of a self-policing mechanism. But today, from covid to Ukraine, all one needs to do is stake out a position, or even post a news article, and all hell breaks loose. And Lord help you if there’s a typo in a post or a comment lest you get ‘trolled’ into eternal frustration (we won’t mention names here).
5. Referring to #2, as FR considered marketing OUTSIDE of this site? Fact is fellow Freeps, we’re all folks of a certain age, and if there is one among us getting any younger, please raise their hand. The Free Republic (read: WE) need to start bringing in newer, younger audiences before (to be blunt) we all die off if we want this thing to continue. I believe this ‘die-off’ is the primary reason we have lost some of our most precious resources (people more than $$). There are plenty of video/audio blogs out there that would gladly give FR free plugs for the cause. Have we reached out to any of them?
6. As a side, yet constructive criticism, the technology on this site could stand for a bit of an upgrade (e.g. more mobile friendly, easier to track threads, follows hot topic, etc.). I have told myself that upon my retirement, I would volunteer my time to assist with those efforts (software developer for 22 yrs and counting)
Let me conclude by saying I give this forum (The Free Republic) credit for helping to save my wife’s life (and possibly my own) during the time from May 2020 to May 2021. As one of the few non-white folks on this site, I am mature enough to move past some of the insults by posters, and see the overall good this site provides. With what’s going on in the world today, this site is more important as ever. As some of you know, I have been considering a weekly video blog that would depend a lot on what happens here, and with that , giving much credit and would promote this site.
If it took a subscription model to keep this site going, I would have no choice but to participate. Thank for giving me the opportunity to give
my $0.02.
jimjohn - OUT.
(back to outside lawn & gardening)
LOL 😀
Love it. Count me as a customer
“And since someone will say it, I’ll be first. No pimping one’s own blog without being a donor (i.e., free use of FreeRepublic).”
This is me cheering! (-:
“I’d buy a humblegunner T-Shirt . . .”
I’ll take mine in Extra Large Tall, please!
Great idea. I think it would require some effort on the part of Jim & John to manage. You’d have to arrange for the manufacturing and shipping of the product, in addition to the non-profit status. I don’t know anything about the mix of selling and non-profit, but there’s probably something to be considered there.
Allow firearm advertising. That is one industry that won’t go left.
Quite often, Humble is right about bloggers posting and running but there have been unfortunate grievous errors in judgement.
Any Freeper can go watch Crowders videos on YouTube, or better join The Blaze and watch him.
But you can't interact one on one with him as he was doing on FR before being driven off.
“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.”
I agree - while there are other comments on this thread from people complaining about getting criticized for playing thread cop.
Oh no and certainly not.
Crowder thinks too highly of himself and refused to post
his full content, demanding web traffic to view his "cleverness".
He got some opposition and folded like cheap lawn furniture.
Me, I got no power to run anyone off.
I'm just a harmless fun-loving guy with an opinion.
Me, I got no power to run anyone off.
I'm just a harmless fun-loving guy with an opinion.
And yet you do call attention to bloggers who simply use FR and don't interact and it works. And you are right when you do that. They simply use FR and never contribute anything, not even conversation.
Good for FR HOW exactly?
Having some punk strutting around thinking he's ALL THAT?
His material is and has been readily available all along
without the attitudinal strutting punk.
Besides, he was rude to me.
Unforgivable.
I ask you again, how do you know he has not donated. Mine are private, maybe his are.
You're a broken record.
Why?
It gives them incentive to learn to search before posting.
Helps them to be less sloppy and achieve more ordered lives.
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