Many of you that have been with us from early on will remember that just before the world went crazy, we moved our website behind a paywall. After moving the site behind the paywall in late 2019, we found that many of you were happy to pay a small monthly fee for the service we provide. Fast and accurate news that you and your family rely on to keep informed.
When the pandemic hit in early 2020, we took down the paywall. Just like you, we were trying to grasp what was happening and what direction the pandemic would take the country and our region. We worked tirelessly to get you the information to keep your family safe. We fielded questions from thousands of you behind the scenes. We worked to gather information on unemployment benefits. We directed you to the proper officials regarding housing and eviction information. Our small team was in overdrive.
During all of this our social media following grew to over 100,000 follows. The tremendous growth is due to lots of hard work and is a great indicator of our success. It shows that you appreciate what we’re doing here.
We periodically post a “become a supporter” notice, however, only a small percentage of our readers are paying supporters. These folks have been with us for a while, and we greatly appreciate what their support allows us to do.
It’s time to expand that supporter base. We need to add additional staff and equipment to take this thing to the next level.
We understand that some will say sell more advertising, the news is free. News in fact is not free and the advertising model is in sharp decline. Today, Amazon, Google, and Facebook take more then 50% of all US ad revenue for themselves, leaving small businesses to scrape for pennies. There will also be those that will say well we’ll just get our news somewhere else. That is an option. The fact that we work weekends and nights gives us an edge. The fact that we break over 90% of the news in the First State keeps our readers informed when they need the information. Other news outlets report important stories hours after we have brought you those stories, sometimes days.
Offering subscribers a product that they are willing to pay a small fee for is the model of choice. It has been around for hundreds of years and is the best way for the public to hold media accountable.
So, for all of you that tell us to hire a proofreader, get an editor or you need to correct an error you fools, here’s your chance to support those efforts. For those of you that simply like our site and want to see it grow, this is a great way to get that process started.
We really don’t want to go behind a paywall but we need to grow and your support is how we get there.
When we do go behind a paywall early next year, we will set up accounts for current supporters, contributors, tipsters, and officials that monitor our news for public safety – You know who you are.
To support FSU for only$3.99 a month click the red button below. If you don’t have a PayPay account you can choose the pay with a credit card or debit card option. Thank you and Merry Christmas.
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