A brief site update, followed by your questions (and answers).

Surveys: I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately, presumably from newer readers, about why sometimes the site is greyed out. Those of you who’ve been reading for a while know that you simply need to answer a survey question or two (or more to unlock for the week) to unlock the content. If you didn’t know this, now you do. I tried to explain the reasoning here. But here’s a quick refresher: ad rates have been continually driven lower, partly because so many publishers try to game the system with phony page views (like slideshows, or auto-refreshing pages, which is what CBS Philly does). Some sites have put up paywalls (more on this in a second) while others have turned to 30-second autoplay video ads, including Philly.com and CSN Philly:

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Those, to me, are horrible user experiences. Those videos are not there to serve readers– they’re there to generate high-paying ad revenue. In truth, however, no website – this one included – can rule out any options. So I understand why they do this. But I think the surveys are a better solution. First of all, they’re quicker to answer than the videos are to dismiss, and they are a win-win-win for all involved– advertisers get market research questions answered, we get paid, and readers don’t have to deal with loud autoplay videos or pay money. And survey revenue, as promised two years ago, has gone toward paying for a second full-time writer, Jim. That said, I know they’re not ideal and, sometimes, can be a hurdle, especially if you’re one of the many folks who read the site two, three, four times per day. So, at the request of numerous readers, we’ll be adding a premium subscription option – likely $4 per month– the price of a large cup of coffee at Starbucks – that will allow you to bypass the surveys. Subscribers will also receive better-than-publicly available discounts to the CB store and several local businesses and services.* But let me repeat: this will only be an option. You will not have to pay to read the site. If don’t want to, you can just continue reading, and occasionally answering survey questions, as you were. But if you like what we do, want to support the site and help it continue to grow, and would prefer not to answer questions every day, then you can subscribe. Over time, the plan is to add more perks and incentives for subscribers. But I won’t bullshit you and try to sell you on that up front. The hook, initially, is to bypass the surveys and help support the site for what I think is a very fair price, with a few added bonuses. There will also be an option to subscribe annually for a steep discount.

*If you’re interested in being included, let me know!

 

Draft Kings: Not great news for those who like to play Draft Kings or those who like to play Draft Kings and make money from referring signups. Personally, I’ll continue playing and would recommend that you do, too, as the recent news is nothing more than government trying to get their hands in the pot (perhaps rightfully) at the urging of established gambling operations. There’s nothing nefarious or evil about daily fantasy. It’s fun, and it is what you make of it. But yes, we’ll tamp down the unabashed promotion until things are sorted out a bit.

 

Site design: We did a minor redesign about two months ago with a focus on mobile. I think it looks great and has much improved performance. But questions and comments are welcome.

 

Podcasts and video, and apps: One of the reasons for the subscriber option is so that the site can continue to grow. Podcasts and video are great, but they take time and money. So does building an app (that makes money and doesn’t give content away for free). Ideally, I’d love to bring on a part- or full-time person to produce or create this stuff, but that likely isn’t in the near-future. The only reason there hasn’t been a podcast in a while is because the time to set up, edit and upload is greater than the reward in terms of listening time (not even revenue– because at this point I’m not actively trying to monetize the podcast). Having someone dedicated to producing audio and video content, for multiple platforms, would take the site to the next level. The goal is for Crossing Broad to be more than just a website with words, or an app. Content will soon live on Facebook or Apple News, or Snapchat or Twitter, or YouTube or Apple TV, or some platform we haven’t even heard of yet. Formatting and producing for other platforms will require an effort that, at the moment, 2.5 people can’t pull off. I think the powers that be at Philly.com are clueless, that CSN Philly has too many corporate interests to be nimble, and that all the other local mainstream outlets, quite frankly, suck at forward-thinking. Crossing Broad can become a multi-facted multimedia destination for local sports, but it will require more people and money… hence the subscriber option.

 

Now, onto your questions about any of that stuff, sports, me, RADIO WARS, Jim, the media, or whatever else, in the comments.