FanGraphs Membership Update
Earlier this year we introduced FanGraphs Membership, a voluntary way to to help support all the baseball content we produce each and every day. As a reminder, Membership is achieved through a $20 annual donation to the site — or $3 per month for those of you who prefer short-term contracts! — and we are greatly appreciative of all those who became members when we rolled out the program back in February.
Since we haven’t really mentioned Membership much since the rollout, we wanted to give you guys an update on the program. Beginning today, frequent users of FanGraphs who are not Members will occasionally be reminded that that becoming a Member will help support all the great baseball content at FanGraphs. These messages won’t be overly intrusive or too frequent, but will serve as a reminder that the content and data you’re consuming costs us real money to provide, and you can help ensure that FanGraphs remains a leader in both spaces by becoming a Member.
What do we mean by not too frequent? The plan is for the message to appear every 15 to 20 pages that non-Members visit FanGraphs. Depending on how regularly you visit the site, you might see it once per day, or once every few days. If you’re seeing the message every day, perhaps consider becoming a Member, as that level of frequency suggests you find our site to be quite valuable.
As a preview, the message will look something like this:
Beyond that reminder, nothing else is changing. We continue to be committed to avoiding paywalls, and want to provide our content to anyone who would like to access it. Non-members will still be able to navigate every part of FanGraphs, and the program will remain voluntary; we’re just going to be a little more diligent about reminding people about the opportunity to support us if they choose to.
Regardless of whether you choose to become a Member or not, we appreciate you visiting the site, and look forward to continuing to build a great community of people who love baseball. Thank you for your support over the years, and your continuing support going forward.
David Appelman is the creator of FanGraphs.
How many members do you have currently? Is there a target number in mind?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrTsuvykUZk
To the David’s – Best $20 I ever spent. Thanks for the hard work, and I hope that more will choose to support what’s happening here at FanGraphs as there really isn’t another site like it.
Thanks for all the great content.
The idiosyncratic reason I don’t join is that I eventually tick folks off (the original BP crew, Bill James, Tango), which obviously doesn’t bother me per se, but I still don’t actually like doing it. So I like to keep the exit clear. Mentioned solely as a ‘truth in advertising’ thing, in if you fix the following real problem, I still don’t know that I’d fork out my $20.
This site crashes my internet like no other does. I’ve read other posters mentioning the same here and there. I’d think that must have something to do with the ads. I figure that as the cost of using the site. Paying out my $20 and still having that happen, that’d be aggravating. That might be a broader sentiment than just my own. And I certainly don’t expect you folks to rein in the ads, as that’s how you make your daily bread.
The membership fee gives you peace of mind to use adblock.
Also, what you describe is really a browser issues. The current generation of browsers just aren’t designed to keep 20 interactive tabs perpetually open.
A mobile friendly site or an Android app would win my $20 in a heartbeat. I often use your site when I’m out talking baseball with people at the bar, and while the basics function well enough, refining searches using the drop down menus is still a hassle.
Thank you for everything you do, $20 is an easy way to say it with my wallet.
Hey Guys! I’ve been a lurker for literally years, and I finally signed up. I’m really happy to contribute to your mission.
One thing though, since I’ve signed up. I’m still seeing the prompt to help support FanGraphs when I’m practically on every other page. Is anyone else having similar problems? I’m sure there are still a bunch on kinks to work out.
Anywho, keep up the outstanding work!
That is strange. I’ll follow up via e-mail.
btw, guys, take this as proof that someone will downvote everything, and don’t get upset about it.
Why are some chats not member only? I gave the first time, but honestly I don’t see where I got anything for it.
I think you missed the part where it is about supporting a site whose free content you appreciate and want to give back a little (since they pay their writers), it’s not to then also get something else.
(I mean, I guess they could go the NPR route and offer tote bags…)
Chats that were member only would cost literally nothing. But would be an incentive to give. How they pay people or their revenue streams are not my concern.
Of course it’s your concern. If they don’t have a revenue stream, then they would not exist, and you would not be reading anything.
“Member only chats” wouldn’t cost them anything in the short term, but it certainly could in the long term.
Part of the reason I’m here is because ESPN drove me away from their content by using similar tactics. Now they get zero clicks from me. I simply looked elsewhere for content and happened upon Fangraphs.
I’m also one of the people that is strongly considering becoming a member but hasn’t yet. If I’m made to feel excluded simply because I’m not a member, I will likely just go elsewhere.
Thanks for the awesome content guys! When I get out of school I’ll almost certainly fork over the cash. I’m just glad you don’t exclude those that don’t.
Do you not have $3 a month?
I’d quite like content for those people who pay, and think it would likely increase the numbers of paying readers. As the above comment demonstrates, there’s plenty of “why bother paying for what I can get for free?”, so offering something might change that.
I don’t know why you expected to get anything for it, relative to non-members. I believe it has been pretty clear that memberships are just a way for people to donate to fangraphs as a way to show appreciation and to help bump revenue that would benefit the site as a hole.
Long-time reader, big fan. I for one would appreciate more transparency about the business model before joining. What does that $20 get me?
Does it give you a revenue stream to invest in new features that wouldn’t otherwise be tenable? Or is ad revenue not sufficient for your current operations, and you need to supplement with paid subscriptions just to keep the lights on? Are you unable to support the (superb) staff that you have, and risk losing them if you don’t explore other revenue options?
Is this just looking for extra cash so you can buy Cistulli a cool christmas present?
I realize this type of transparency isn’t typical of most businesses, but just being honest I probably won’t give until it’s either clear what I’m getting, or what you’re using the $ for.
For the record, I am willing to support a Cistulli giftmas present. Where do I sign up for that?
I, on the other hand, would like to support a Cistulli-free Fangraphs.
Good questions! Membership is a way for us to continue to bring you the existing content we have and also allows us to bring new features and new voices to the site.
I’m not really able to go into the exact specifics of our finances, but I can assure you no one at FanGraphs is lining their pockets with Membership revenue. All of the revenue from FanGraphs, membership or otherwise is put directly into growing and sustaining the site.
Little does David know that one of the first things I did upon moving to Bend was buy some pants with lined pockets. Helps on those cold mountain evenings!
Thanks for the gracious response, and seriously thanks to all the staff for the content – it improves my baseball experience which in turn improves my life experience. I didn’t do the best job articulating my thoughts – my intent was not to give the impression that you’re moneygrabbing or anything.
I think what I meant to ask was – are there specific projects or goals that are either at risk of being de-funded, or perhaps not able to get off the ground, because traditional ad-driven revenue models aren’t sustainable? Do you and your team have dreams that aren’t feasible with the traditional model?
I want to support the site; love the content. If a paywall was the only sustainable option, I’d probably pay, but given the choice I’ll choose ads. If I knew what was at stake for a membership fee, I’d be more likely to contribute. I know not the most popular opinion, just trying to be honest.
What, do you want their certified financial statements or something? Do you just decide to go to Cubs games for free because you’ve decided they’re making too much money?
This is easy – if you enjoy the vast amounts of free content delivered here, then support it. (Unless your personal financial situation doesn’t allow for it)
Except that cubs games aren’t otherwise free?
I’m just saying, this is a capital campaign without a clear vision or purpose. Think about all the NPR or PBS campaigns that get run… “This station is made possible because of your support!” and “Because of generous donors we don’t have advertisement as a primary revenue stream, allowing us to deliver content you wouldn’t otherwise get.”
Or think about charities that run 1-time capital campaigns – “Our operating expenses are met, but with your donation we could accomplish X”
Or think about youtube content creators (probably most analogous to fangraphs) who utilize patreon, or youtube red, to supplement their revenue so they can tackle larger projects.
Notably – in ALL of these cases, contributions come with perks that are otherwise un-attainable (whether that’s some nice bling or exclusive access or whatever), but that otherwise don’t water down the main product/service being provided for free.
In this case, there’s a few things lacking:
– Vision for what the capital campaign accomplishes
– Value of the support relative to the free viewers (without your support, we ….)
– Clear “members only” perks (t-shirt? android app?)
I’m trying to offer some constructive feedback on how the FG team might better engage a broader base and make more sales. I realize many folks will contribute just because they like the content. Myself (and I’m guessing I’m not alone) are not those people, but _would_ be willing to contribute (and are financially able to) if given a more compelling vision.
TLDR Summary:
kamikaze80: “This is easy – if you enjoy the vast amounts of free content delivered here, then support it”
bananas: “not until I get a fucking t-shirt”
It’s cool that you are getting the value for your $. I’m not. You’re free to disagree with me, but I think it’s better for FG if there’s a space where I can offer our thoughts on how they could win my money.
I’m getting the pop-ups on nearly every page and I’m a paid member logged in.
We’re looking into this. Which browser are you using?
I experience the same thing, usually when accessing via chrome or safari on my iPad.
Also, what’s the best way to provide feedback for improvements on the site? I feel the suggestions I’ve made – at least one of which should be fairly simple to implement – have fallen on deaf ears.
Is this still happening? I made a change to a spot I suspected could be the problem, but hard for me to tell. Just a reminder, even if it’s obvious, if you change browsers or devices you will need to log in again.
The site is working totally fine for me now. Thanks!
Yes, still happening for me on my iPad even after logging in again. I heavily use the Custom Teams page and the load times are (relatively) painful as I navigate from page to page via navigation (updating to show 2016 stats, then 0 min PA, then excluding pitchers).
People spend hundreds of dollars to take a single course.
People spend thousands each semester.
They spend tens of thousands to earn a degree.
When I think of how much I have learned about baseball from FG, well, you can have my $20 every year for as long as you want it.
Thank you, and keep up the excellent work.
Yes, I think the $20 for me translates to about $0.03 per hour. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing…
I’ve tried twice to get ‘legal’, and the procedure/process just dumps me out.
Any chance you can implement an ad-free membership option? I would gladly sign up for a membership that removed all ads and cost a little more (maybe $40yr).
We’re still exploring what an ad free option might look like.
It would look an awful lot like Fangraphs does today, but it would lack the annoying pop-ups.
Other than the new pop-up, I don’t remember seeing ads on Fangraphs. Must be easily filtered by the adblocker. I really, really hate the proliferation of an ad-supported internet. At the very least I should be able to pay a fee for an ad-free experience.
While I certainly don’t think every reader should contribute, I do find that certain readers posting reasons for NOT contributing very humorous… As such, an amalgamation of reasons given:
Richie: “I eventually tick folks off … I like to keep the exit clear”
eyerot: “A mobile friendly site or an Android app would win my $20 in a heartbeat”
bkgeneral: “I gave the first time, but honestly I don’t see where I got anything for it”
bananas: “would appreciate more transparency about the business model”
—–original post—–
KeepNotGraphs: “the psychology of feeling like a cheapskate chump by not having the Supporting Member seal of approval on your comments”
I just paid the $20 today, and it’s probably the best $20 I’ve spent in a while. Finding this level of insight and analysis is hard to find for free for any topic, much less just baseball. I’ve learned so much from this site alone and gained a greater understanding of many different aspects of the sport I love. Even the comments section is typically full of thoughtful comments and discussions which only adds value to each article, which is also rare these days. And to top it all off, the people at FG don’t charge a dime to use their site, and are driven simply because of their shared love of baseball. I’m more than happy to support them and keep this going for all of us. If after all this, you still want to know what you’re getting for your $20, go back to ESPN and enjoy articles with TMZ reporting and 5th grade analysis.
David – are there any low-tech payment options available (check, cash)?
I would gladly deliver the $20 to you directly in person if need be.
Of course I will and I didn’t even ask my wife….oh wait, it’s billed discretely, right?
Jk, I love you guys, thanks for all your efforts.
Oopth
Would you be willing to add an non-recurring membership option? I’d be happy to spend the $20 for the year, but I don’t like adding recurring payments to my credit card.
not a problem…am a member now, I think? great site…will do 20
An option to pay money to avoid being bombarded by obtrusive ads? Thank you!
The pop up worked on me. I was intending to join anyway but just had not taken the time to do it. The first pop up I saw got me to click Become a Member. Yes I would pay more for no ads but I am extremely happy with all the info available here. Thanks and keep up to good work.
It just floors me that so many of the regulars posters absolutely refuse to join.
Fortunately for Fangraphs the Daves have offered more constructive responses to feedback from us cheapskates than other users.
It’s not your job to judge how I spend my money, but it is FG job to try and win it. They are free to ignore our feedback if they want, but it won’t really help their bottom line to just be flabbergasted as to why a customer wouldn’t buy their product.
I greatly enjoy the website and all of the work that you guys do. But I do have an issue donating money to for-profit companies.
I’d be happy to donate if it’s under one of these circumstances:
1. Pay for no ads. Many have suggested this and it would be only fair that we would have to pay for this service in some way, either by the revenue generated through the ads or by paying directly.
2. Transparently showing what will be created with the money while a running tally of funds raised is shown. So if you’d like to send someone to scout and report on the Japan series, which would obviously blow past normal your normal budget, you would simply create a ‘fund me’ type campaign. The donations would also show how much your readers are interested in the project.
I feel that many of the readers would donate if this was the case. You could actually do both if you like and get multiple donations for many members.
great news! the answer to your #2 has been here since 2005!
Where?
When the membership thing started, I promised myself I’d do it as soon as I started my new job (which I got in large part by discussing Kenta Maeda’s contract) and then totally forgot to do it. Thanks for the reminder, just gave!
I’ve registered. For the amount of use I get from this site, $20 seems only fair. The option for members to hide ads, as mentioned by others, would be welcome.
I joined earlier in the year. This site is tremendous for several reasons, but my two favorite are (1) projection systems that allow me to dominate my fantasy league and (2) everything Carson Cistulli. I’d double my yearly contribution if NotGraphs were to make a return.
Out of curiosity, how are you keeping track of the number of pages non members have visited since their last reminder? By IP address? Browser cookies?