I finally bit the bullet and joined TPM’s prime. Did it not because I love Josh Marshall or TPM. In fact, I often find it lacking. But I support what they’re trying to achieve so I decided to contribute to the cause.
What Martin offers is, in my opinion, far more valuable. His insights are off the charts and I’d like to see our community support him. That’s why I’m suggesting he ought to create a subscription. Either a fee to play in the frog pond or an option for a portion of pond resources behind a paywall, similar to what Marshall offers.
This would allow Martin to give us more of his time and it would at least go a small way toward compensating him for the service he provides.
I’m posting to find out if others agree. Just paid $50 for an annual membership at TPM. Would certainly pay that sum to support this site. In fact, I’d be willing to pay twice as much.
Wondering what others think. Please post comments. Thanks.
As I recall, TPM’s first model was more of a fundraising scheme, just seeking to a raise x amount for some stated expansion/resources. I wonder if the paywall/two tier regime doesn’t end up causing a smaller site to wither in participation.
That’s certainly possible. Could be that this place is just too small to play in the big leagues. But Martin’s so brilliant. I think what’s missing from this place is his time and perhaps the collaborative of a few colleagues. An infusion of cash might change things. Absent that, I see this place withering away.
So far Booman himself has not weighed in on how he wants to proceed, since he returned from his very brief vacation. Or if he has, I have managed to miss the memo (it happens). If his intention is to migrate the site to something that is more functional and preserves what he wanted preserved, a subscription model is likely the way to go. I may not make much, but I’ll gladly subscribe. His analyses are well-thought-out, and there is a community here that I think is worth not merely preserving but nurturing.
I agree.
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