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By Tim Dierkes | at
Please take the MLBTR Reader Survey! This anonymous survey should take about three minutes, and we will use the information to continue improving the site. Click here to take the survey.
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Oh boy…. Here comes the paywall.
No paywall coming. If we do any kind of subscription option, the full posts we currently have at MLBTR will remain unchanged and free.
That’s encouraging. I filled out the survey and I’d certainly pay a few bucks a month to remove ads off of here. Just don’t want this turning into ESPN where you put half your articles under Insider.
I don’t have ads.
…..except for one tiny little thing.
Hahaha. Bravo.
Good to hear Tim. Been following the site since the old white letter/black background days. Thanks for all your hard work! My understanding of MLB has grown tremendously over the years.
That’s what they all say 😉
Been reading since the beginning. This site is great because it’s free. If you charge for it, another pioneer like you will pop up and replace you immediately.
I agree, I’ll just find another site or just do without TR. I can digest all this information anyway, TR is just a helpful place to organize it all into one place, but i’m not paying for it.
I understand the need to make money, but the site just isn’t a necessity for me to justify paying any more than probably 99 cents
no offense…had fun answering candid however the last 2 questions showed a potential future business model.
Yup. It’s a fun site, but the truth is I can get better and more insightful analysis on other sites on a more consistent basis. I just don’t see any value in paying for MLBTR.
Does this mean mlbtr is going to sign Bryce?
Terrific response SimonSwings!!!!
Did the Yankees sign MLBTR?
Wes;
If NYY owned MLBTR it would already cost.
I wish MLB would realize MLBTR is a GREAT internet ambassador for the game and cut them a teeny slice of a very big pie. I myself live on a minuscule fixed income and cringe at subscriptions even though these guys certainly deserve it. Happy New Season, the days are getting longer…
MLBTR is great…. but all of its rumors are off the backs of real journalists doing the leg work.
So, would you rather go around following all these other “real” journalists, or come to one site that brings it all together for convenience?
I like this site.
That’s why I started my statement with MLBTR is great. I guess people only see what they want to see you.
BAINES03….what stands out, to me anyway, is the second part which comes off as a denigration of the staff of MLBTR and the work they do.
You may not have meant it that way, but it reads that way.
I guess people only see what they want to see you? Uh….what? English much?
It’s not just rounding up info from all the sources out there and condensing them (which is tough enough on its own). It’s the paragraphs of analysis that come with it; everything is well-explained and it’s actually enjoyable for me to read.
Those guys aren’t real journalists at all. They trade in tweets and clicks and fabricate rumors to get them.
Well heck, BAINES03… That’s easy enough! Why don’t you do the same and start up some competition? Fame and fortune awaits!
You’re right. Hopefully this can be true and it can also be true that we add a lot of value.
“Journalists”? Really.
I’ve heard this site mentioned several times on MLB radio.
Col. Taylor….I am in the same boat. Even small subscriptions hurt. If forced to I would turn off my ad-blockers for this site (which I haven’t done for any other) as long as the ads are not overly annoying.
I’d prefer people not use ad blockers. But I don’t plan on forcing people to turn them off.
Get Dillard to host some chats if it’s possible. Bet he has some pretty cool insights and it would differ from the usual “will my team sign Harper” questions that are so frequently asked.
I honestly don’t intentionally ad block it – I just have an add blocker on in general and forget to disable it on the site. if it disallowed ad blockers, I wouldn’t care about having ads.
Tim;
While ads are often a necessary evil, I prefer they’re held in check. We can ignore an ad here and there, but don’t want to see a day when one has to sift through a maze of ads looking for a nugget of content.
I am okay with ads, and am fine with the ads on your site.
My biggest question/concern is whether this is coming up because the site is moving to include more ads. Right now the screen isn’t so busy that it detracts from what I’m reading or looking for. Any more ads and I probably would get my information elsewhere. And I probably wouldn’t subscribe for no adds, since I once again can just get information elsewhere. I like that this site aggregates the sites that I read and pay for. But, in the end, it’s a convenience that I could do without if it becomes more troublesome.
Bring the dang podcast back lol
Definitely put that in my survey for the $4.99 question.
– I wish you wouldn’t allow posters to ask questions in the online chats as whatever teams general manager – for example I’m a brewer fan so I sign in as David Stearns and ask if I’m going to sign a starter. I don’t know all 30 teams general managers names, and I find this practice annoying and unnecessary. Often your answers don’t even identify the team you are discussing
agree
4 times in the most recent chat. Two don’t mention the team in the response although one names another player on the team so we can figure it’s the Rockies
i turned off the adblocker and it doesn’t look that bad at all. i can live with this level of ads as long as they don’t use line ads in comments.
I think the site brings excellent content (I’d like to see a little more coverage of small market teams, but efforts are clearly being made to do that). The comment section has become increasingly problematic. I’d love to see politics off-limits for a start. The only thing that should matter on the site is baseball–the games, the players, the business of baseball.
totally agree!
Agree.
I do intend to make it more clear that politics are off-limits, and to pay closer attention to flagged comments so that we can remove them and ban people if necessary.
That does it, Tim. I’m writing my congressman to complain.
EXCELLENT!!
Good call.
Tim who is your favorite and least favorite commenter on the site? To not answer would be politically correct and thus political, and in violation of your own new policy. So let’s have it
lol
beisbolista –
LOL! I can think of one who uses a handful of screen names to unnecessarily stir the pot!
AMEN TIM FOR THE BANNING PART
Well said, Mike. I quite enjoy reading the comments of my fellow baseball fans on MLBTR and I’m optimistic we can avoid a descent into YouTube-like, self-righteous bickering.
Mike;
IMO, humor is part of the allure of reading the comments. If outside subject matter is verboten, the potential for humorous insights is diminished.
Perhaps a separate ‘no jokes’ site?
I think you guys should follow the guardians lead and make an optional subscription wall that gives you access to like 1 chat a week. But please keep all your articles open to all that’s what makes this place special
I definitely intend to keep all of our articles open.
You would be well served to add a donations tab, or to accept cryptocurrency donations as well. Simply by posting your wallet address on the bottom of the pages
Im more apt to donate 50$ once throughout the year as opposed to a recurring 2$-5$/month subscription
This is a great idea.
I agree. Even on fixed income there are some months where I have a little extra. Of all the sites I visit MLBTR would be the one I would gladly donate via a debit card transaction or PayPal
Bingo.
Uh-oh…
I don’t have any issue with these guys getting a pay check. It’s been a labor of love for them a long time. Why shouldn’t their time and effort get a pay check? I don’t work for free.
I would like to see more editorial content. I would never pay for this kind of site, (I can deal with the ads easy enough) but sometimes dry news items aren’t enough, and I’ll go elsewhere for editorial. Would be cool to get some of that here.
Give Yankee fans their own portal! Call it “Never Enough”
nice! very nice!
Ahahaha!
Why can I not see upvotes or down votes ? Please help?
Not available on the app. Only if you use the main site.
up/downvotes are the most pointless thing ever
Agreed
agreed, I’m on the app so it doesn’t matter, but I think removing the function would stop some of the ‘drama’ between certain posters.
That’s a very good suggestion (though I just realized I upvoted your comment…)
I feel the up/down vote does serve an important purpose but only if it’s used correctly. Maybe 50-100 people might comment on an article but how many hundreds or thousands of people look at them. Having a quick way to see if people agree with you or not is good. Problem is it feels like people down vote the person no matter how true or correct the information the comment contains with certain people.
Then how does it serve an important purpose if it’s unlikely to be accurate?
Please get rid of them MLBTR
Not available on the app.
I subscribe to the Athletic for editorials and write ups and utilize this for quick checks on moves being made. I’m not sure I would be interested in the subscription, but ya’ll deserve to be compensated, so I’d certainly stick around regardless as I believe in the utility of this site.
Guarantee at least 1 answer per chat for subscribers. If there’s too many then 1 per week/ biweekly/month etc.
How many will subscribe for this option?
Not moi.
“Guarantee at least 1 answer per chat for subscribers.”
How would that even work especially considering the chat login is not connected to the login here?
Plus with thousands of people per chat it would be a nightmare to track.
As much as I love this site, don’t think I’d pay money for articles that are mostly just rumors..
Well, I mean, it is a rumor site. Says so right there in the name..
No, I won’t pay for a premium sub. Yes I use ad block. And my answer to the first question is to better monitor the comment section/remove any kind of comments not related to baseball and/or ridiculous troll posts.
Ditto on all, especially the comment about the comments.
gofish;
Don’t allow comments about comments about comments, or I’ll have to comment about that.
I like how your solution is censorship. Pretty sure this site is based in america…
I would start off by deleting yours. You know, the ones that are purposely being stupid.
A private business can censor anyone they wish. Censorship laws only apply to government. This is America.
“remove any kind of comments not related to baseball ” and just how far would that go? There is one poster who is/was going through chemo for cancer. Shall we ban well wishes? References to songs? the occasional well meaning joke?
I understand and support MLBTR cracking down on political debates or turning off comments on certain hot button topics but “remove any kind of comments not related to baseball ” is too wide ranging.
A comment section is not just for strict adherence to the subject at hand it’s also a place to connect with others who have a similar interest and if that leads to a brief discussion of a favorite song, sandwich or TV show what is the harm?
I love posters like yourself that sit around waiting to pounce at any little thing they can dissect. The fact I have to be super technical for you here is concerning. I don’t mean every single little bitty thing has to be about the sport. Obviously on articles like this for example, there won’t be much baseball related comments. I’m mainly referring to the political posts and trolls. Jokes, brief discussions, etc. are all fine by me.
Then you should have said that like others have. I wasn’t waiting to dissect any thing I was looking for clarification to your broad statement of ““remove any kind of comments not related to baseball ”.
Read what you said and then explain how anyone other than you would interpret it to mean “mainly referring to the political posts and trolls”
fantasticword-
The problem is that some people define a “troll” as anyone who disagrees with their POV. The word used to have a fairly specific meaning on internet forums. Just like the old phrase, “flame war.”
A real “troll” stands out like a sore thumb. It doesn’t need to be decided by some self-appointed arbiter of what is “proper.”
Tim;
Do you have an option where people can simply donate to MLBTR when they want? If not, may I suggest one?
The problem I’ve had with scheduled payments from my credit card is that when I want it to stop it’s often a hassle. So I stopped doing it. Instead I send sites checks every so often.
With how much I’ve used your site the last 4 months, sending in some money to keep it going is a simple Thank You.
I’d pay $2.99/mo to remove all Yankee fan comments.
lol you win
Kidd;
… A bargain at twice the price!
Have a Facebook login instead of usernames to prevent keyboard warriors. I think the content on this site is perfect but the comment section is childish at times that makes the site experience go down for me.
How would Facebook prevent that. I read comments on other sites, some that have Facebook and they are just as bad if not worse.
Don’t know about anyone else on here but I don’t have Facebook and considering their many problems in the past year+ I will not join.
It’s not gonna get rid of everything. It starts with each individual first, who choose their freedom of speech as they want. But some people cool down or backtrack when they need to put their name next to their comment, it may just cut down by 25% the nonsense. It’s just an idea.
i have a facebook account that i used solely for comments. it had none of my real info to open that account. so, if i could, many could.
Some people, like myself, refuse to have Facebook, Instagram, or even Twitter accounts as a matter of personal choice. If having one of those accounts were to become mandatory, a lot people would simply say goodbye.
you’re assuming everyone uses facebook. I vacated that waste of time and energy five years ago and I’m not about to get back on so I can leave a comment. Not trying to sound angry, but frankly that’s a bad idea.
agreed
ESPN tried this commenting system before, it failed.
Today, ESPN comment section no longer exists.
Facebook integration was an epic failure.
Going back to disqus > FB integration comments.
deadspin.com/espn-nukes-its-comments-sections-unfa…
ESPN’s comment section failed because it was full of spam and cancerous people
“Cancerous people” sounds like a subjective statement. There are plenty of forums that are dominated by a half-dozen or so “commenters” who do their best to take over a forum to keep it as an echo chamber – then complain about the dearth of posters! (See any of several team sites on SB Nation such as Gaslamp Ball, Bleed Dodger Blue …)
Oh man, I remember the ‘> Tebow’ comments. I partook in those. Good times, good times.
No No No on Facebook logins.
I enjoy this site and would like an option for making periodic donations.
You could charge to change screen names. Also, thank you for immediately banning troll/parody accounts.
Have a one-time donation option, for sort of “lifetime” perk. It would not be for removal of ads obviously.
Notifications on site or app to know when reply to ur post
Xabial;
Agree with you in principle, but worry about it becoming ‘elitist’. Yes it’s tiny amounts of money, but the kid who uses the local library to get online and leave a comment should not be brushed aside.
I agree about donation comment. I can afford to subscribe if you guys go that route ever but I would prefer if you keep it donation based so people can give whatever whenever.
I would like more polls and chats.
totally agree with more polls and chats, interaction is a good thing.
Is there a current way to donate? Maybe put a button on the top of the home page?
I would like to see some kind of warning and ban system in place for people who can’t control their impulse to go off on any kind of political tangent.
Politics aren’t the problem, it’s the constant posts that have nothing to do with baseball and all the kids who just discovered the sport and attack everyone who disagrees.
The only thing I’m ok with y’all charging for is add free. But honestly, the ads are barely anything at the moment, so you would have to charge next to nothing for me to pay for it. But you sure as heck better not start charging for better work. I’ll watch an 30 sec add all day before y’all start charging me for better material
I can spell ad but apparently I refuse to spell check myself
For those asking for a donate button – that’s very kind of you, but it’s not necessary. We are not in financial trouble and no one should donate to MLBTR.
I would like to clarify what I am considering and what I am not considering.
I am considering giving people an option to pay to remove the ads on MLBTR. The vast majority of people would not do this. That’s fine. For those people, MLBTR as you know it would remain unchanged.
Why consider this? At present, we are reliant on Google for our revenue. They supply most of our ads. They are the middle man between us and you, the reader. While this has worked out fine thus far, I can’t help but notice that banner ads are not working for many, many publishers these days. Our revenue model is not popular. We are somewhat at Google’s mercy, in that if our ad rates go down drastically, there’s nothing to be done about it. We have zero revenue outside of banner ads. If there is a subset of MLBTR readers willing to finance our work directly, then maybe we should let them. We’d build a subscriber base, and if banner ads completely die in three years, five years, ten years, we won’t be left scrambling to adjust. I don’t know the future of banner ads. The tea leaves are suggesting we think about a backup plan. I intend to keep doing MLBTR for as long as possible.
There could also be an option to pay us more, and we’d remove ads plus add some kind of exclusive benefit. MLBTR Premium. The point to understand here is that any such benefit added would be funded by these subscribers, does not exist at present, and would not exist without them financing it. This could mean a few subscriber-only chats per week, with the current “free” chats remaining the same. This could mean a subscriber-only podcast. We are not bringing the podcast back as a free feature, because I tried it, not a ton of people listened to it, and it made no money. So these Premium subscribers could pay for an MLBTR podcast, which would otherwise not exist. Another idea is journalism in the vein of what Chuck Wasserstrom wrote for us. I loved having Chuck write this article:
mlbtraderumors.com/2017/03/straight-from-the-heart…
This article was nowhere close to being profitable. You’ll notice we didn’t do that stuff in 2018. I can’t add something that comes at decent expense and only makes back a small fraction of that expense – even if it’s cool.
What I am NOT considering is something where any of the existing MLBTR content, the bread and butter of the site that we post every day, goes behind some kind of paywall, or gets limited, or anything like that. The MLBTR that exists now would continue to exist and would remain free. I can’t stress that enough.
A fair amount of people left a comment here and in the survey to the effect of, “If you create subscription options, I’m leaving.” If any of those people are still with me at this point in this comment, I would love to hear why you’d leave. Essentially, the site as you know it would be exactly the same, but you’d have the knowledge that some people are paying us directly for things that do not currently exist. Are you saying that this would cause you to stop reading free MLBTR? Why??? I TOTALLY understand the idea of leaving this site if we put up some kind of paywall, but that’s never been on the table.
I don’t want to speak for others Tim, but seeing the questions in the survey, lead me to believe, and probably many others, that a paywall was on the table. I love this site and am on it probably 10 times a day to see what is going on as far as baseball goes, but I would rather not have to pay for this content.
The only issue I have with the site is the comments. It seems as though the moderation went out the window when you changed from Discus. It is sometimes hard/frustrating to find a decent comment that you would like to reply to while sifting through all of the bashing going on.
Thank you for everything you guys do.
Yes. THANK YOU very much, and keep up the good work.
Personally I wish I could turn off ad blocker to help you guys out but I have been burned multiple times in the past. One time I lost a month’s work from work laptop. I don’t know for sure if it was some ad but I cannot take chances. Since I cannot turn off ad blocker, that’s why I am open to donating an amount instead of paying for ad-free content. I don’t want to feel like I am subscribing to one more thing by paying for ad-free content on monthly basis. You can keep your relationship with Google but just add a donation button and I am sure us fans can help out.
Oh and Thank you for all you have done with this site.
Asking for Donations vs Having Donation links/tab are completely different.
I love your site. I would have no problem donating from time to time to be sure the site stays healthy and functional
I think many people here feel the same.
The suggestion of donations does not mean we think the site is in financial trouble, its simply as a way for us to express our gratitude
Well said and completely agree.
I remember when this app was just MLB I remembered paying 2.99, when the app added nba and hockey i assume I lost ads free privileges???
I remember paying a buck for bleacher seats. I miss the good old days.
Yes, but do you also remember how dear a buck was in those days?
I once saw an old poster promoting a Miles Davis show. It was on the wall of Chicago’s Jazz Showcase Lounge. The price of a ticket to see Miles was 75 cents.
Seems like an absurdly low admission price today, but I guarantee there were many who had to miss the show because they simply couldn’t afford it.
More and more sites are either requiring or requesting you remove ad-blocker. I hope this one doesn’t go that route. If so, I’m done.
Tim Dierkes 13 hours ago
I’d prefer people not use ad blockers. But I don’t plan on forcing people to turn them off.
I would gladly pay $5 a month if you gave me the ability to block individual users. There are about 10-15 users whose posts I look for ( either for their opinion or their wit/humor) another dozen or so that I would block immediately with the vast majority of users falling in between. Can that be done?
I felt like it was 2004 or something when I took this survey. There’s nothing remotely original or even moderately “with the times” about this sort of business thinking.
Kinda scary.
Rally;
More like ‘1984’.
I genuinely don’t understand either of these comments. Can you elaborate?
We live in a world where an ad-blocker proves you are an actual human being and not a chat bot or attempting to earn your meme scout badge.
I don’t know what a meme scout badge is. I guess you’re implying that you believe most people are using an ad blocker, and it’s outdated to even ask? Based on this survey, 23.6% of MLBTR readers are using one.
I feel bad for 76.4% of readers. I even just started using one on my phone, it’s everything.
I don’t use ad blockers because I understand that the content I’m looking for is NOT free. It’s ad supported. And it goes away when ads don’t find it profitable. You should feel bad for 76.4% of readers because you are screwing them.
Been visiting this site for years. I find it hypocritical when site administrators make it clear politics aren’t allowed. I come here for baseball news but it’s okay for football and other sports talk here it seems. If this was purely baseball talk I might be inclined to contribute financially.
What about Jason maritenez no chat from him lately and not mentioned in the survey?