Originally published at: http://statelyplay.com/2017/09/15/here-we-come-hat-in-hand/
We’re nearing the one year anniversary of launching Stately Play and while we haven’t reached the heights of our old living quarters, it’s been a lot of fun being able to write again about topics that I love. Of course, I could write all I want but without you guys reading it, I would just be another mad man bellowing into the wind. Therefore, I have to thank each and every one of you, whether you stop by every day, once a week, or only when you spy a story you might like via our Facebook or Twitter feed. None of this would exist without you reading, contributing in the forums, playing in tournaments, and all the other stuff you do that doesn’t deal directly with what appears on the front page.
When we started Stately Play, just having a place to write about all this crazy stuff was our goal, and we succeeded. Here we are, after all. That said, I really love this place and want to make it both my and your permanent home. I have big plans that involve more writers, more content, new features, and getting Kelsey that espresso machine he keeps prodding me about. Maybe not that last one, but I really want to make Stately Play a place that’s more than just me pooping out 2-3 news articles a day with an occasional review here and there. I don’t want us to be a mere echo of what our old digs were, I want to compete with our old digs. To be a place that gets their pull quotes on Steam and iTunes pages, etc. Yes, most of this rant is about me needing to stroke my own ego, but you guys would benefit as well. Who doesn’t want more articles at Stately Play especially if they’re written by real writers instead of this old hack?
Unfortunately, it’s hard to create things in this world and not start talking about cash. We’ve been an Apple Affiliate since the beginning, so every time you click on an iTunes link here on Stately Play, it helps us out. That said, since they pay a pittance per click, we need a new revenue stream. I’m looking into advertising and, possibly, attracting some sponsors to the site but I have no experience doing such a thing, so I’m doing a lot of reading [where’s Owen when you need him, amirite? -ed.]. Until then, we’ve gone with Google Ads, which are kind of annoying but we’ll take anything we can get at this point. We’ve also recently become an Amazon affiliate, so all those links under our board game reviews benefit us as well.
The other funding mechanism we’re trying out is Patreon. You might have noticed the Patreon links in the sidebar or at the bottom of articles. If you like what we’re doing here at Stately Play, please consider becoming a patron and sponsoring us. Hiring good writers that we’d be proud to publish at Stately Play costs money, not to mention my conscience has a problem not paying writers for their work [except for Alex…let’s keep this whole ‘paying writers’ thing under our hats when we see him, okay? -ed.].
We have all new badges ready to hand out in the forums for patrons, and we’re happy to listen to any other suggestions when it comes to getting something in return for pledging with us. We’re nothing if not flexible. Hell, if you have ideas for other revenue streams, we’d love to hear those, too. This is all new for Kelsey and I, so we’re trying to get up to speed as quick as possible.
If you don’t have any extra cash right now, no worries. Stately Play is still small enough that I feel we’re like family, and we’re definitely not going to look down our noses at anyone who can’t chip in. Hell, I can’t afford to chip in (which is kind of the problem, I guess). We’re glad you’re here, reading and contributing to something that started as a dream Kelsey and I conjured up in the summer of 2016.
Thanks for reading, and I promise I won’t be hitting you over the head with this every week. Maybe once a month. Okay, no more than every two weeks. Promise.
