JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
Over the last few years, I have had several expressing an interest in making donations to the site to help me offset costs. Some of these folks choose to use adblockers but still want to help financially support HN.com. I have also had folks asking me about selling HN.com gear, and others asking me about creating a separate, limited access forum, in hopes that the discussion levels might be more respectful and focus specifically on Hawkeye sports.
I have thought of a way to perhaps tie all of these together without creating an 'invite only' forum, which is cliquish and I am not interested in waging those political battles.
By no means have I decided to do what I am going to post here, just kicking a few ideas around.
DONOR BOARD
Create a donation program for HawkeyeNation.com. Note that this is not a subscription, this would be a voluntary donation...or a club, if you will. Should you choose not to partake in this, you would still have access to everything you have had access to on this site...all of the boards as they are currently constructed and all of the stories.
However, for those wishing to make a donation to the site, you would have access to a Donors Only forum, where only Donors to the site could read and post.
THREE LEVELS
LEVEL A: DONOR BOARD ONLY: A lower annual donation level which would grant you access to the Donor Board
LEVEL B: Includes Level A as well as an Under Armor style material HN t-shirt, one that would not shrink and wear well
LEVEL C: Includes Level A as well an Under Armor style material short sleeved HN polo or HN Hoodie
So in addition to the donation helping to support the costs we incur with this site, it would also provide either access to a donor only board at the lowest annual donation level, or if you made a donation at one of the two higher levels, you would have Donor Board access plus an HN gear item.
As I have said in the past few weeks, we will be reducing the overall number of ads on this site going forward. The donation will not remove these ads from your view, but on the whole, the ad count will decrease and this is a program that can help me offset the revenue loss, as well as create a forum where people will likely be more respectful of one another and a place where the discussions may be more focused on Hawkeye athletics...so there would be multiple benefits.
Again, I am not saying I am putting this into place...its an idea bundle that takes into account things people have asked me about over the past two and a half years since I have made this site free.
Also note that the Donor Board will not be a place where I post the best of what I have. I am in no way, shape or form advocating any form of subscription option here. It would just be a stand alone forum for those who have chosen to donate to the site.
I have thought of a way to perhaps tie all of these together without creating an 'invite only' forum, which is cliquish and I am not interested in waging those political battles.
By no means have I decided to do what I am going to post here, just kicking a few ideas around.
DONOR BOARD
Create a donation program for HawkeyeNation.com. Note that this is not a subscription, this would be a voluntary donation...or a club, if you will. Should you choose not to partake in this, you would still have access to everything you have had access to on this site...all of the boards as they are currently constructed and all of the stories.
However, for those wishing to make a donation to the site, you would have access to a Donors Only forum, where only Donors to the site could read and post.
THREE LEVELS
LEVEL A: DONOR BOARD ONLY: A lower annual donation level which would grant you access to the Donor Board
LEVEL B: Includes Level A as well as an Under Armor style material HN t-shirt, one that would not shrink and wear well
LEVEL C: Includes Level A as well an Under Armor style material short sleeved HN polo or HN Hoodie
So in addition to the donation helping to support the costs we incur with this site, it would also provide either access to a donor only board at the lowest annual donation level, or if you made a donation at one of the two higher levels, you would have Donor Board access plus an HN gear item.
As I have said in the past few weeks, we will be reducing the overall number of ads on this site going forward. The donation will not remove these ads from your view, but on the whole, the ad count will decrease and this is a program that can help me offset the revenue loss, as well as create a forum where people will likely be more respectful of one another and a place where the discussions may be more focused on Hawkeye athletics...so there would be multiple benefits.
Again, I am not saying I am putting this into place...its an idea bundle that takes into account things people have asked me about over the past two and a half years since I have made this site free.
Also note that the Donor Board will not be a place where I post the best of what I have. I am in no way, shape or form advocating any form of subscription option here. It would just be a stand alone forum for those who have chosen to donate to the site.
