[JonDMiller]

Over the last few years, I have had several expressing an interest in making donations to the site to help me offset costs. Some of these folks choose to use adblockers but still want to help financially support HN.com. I have also had folks asking me about selling HN.com gear, and others asking me about creating a separate, limited access forum, in hopes that the discussion levels might be more respectful and focus specifically on Hawkeye sports.

I have thought of a way to perhaps tie all of these together without creating an 'invite only' forum, which is cliquish and I am not interested in waging those political battles.

By no means have I decided to do what I am going to post here, just kicking a few ideas around.

DONOR BOARD

Create a donation program for HawkeyeNation.com. Note that this is not a subscription, this would be a voluntary donation...or a club, if you will. Should you choose not to partake in this, you would still have access to everything you have had access to on this site...all of the boards as they are currently constructed and all of the stories.

However, for those wishing to make a donation to the site, you would have access to a Donors Only forum, where only Donors to the site could read and post.

THREE LEVELS

LEVEL A: DONOR BOARD ONLY: A lower annual donation level which would grant you access to the Donor Board

LEVEL B: Includes Level A as well as an Under Armor style material HN t-shirt, one that would not shrink and wear well

LEVEL C: Includes Level A as well an Under Armor style material short sleeved HN polo or HN Hoodie

So in addition to the donation helping to support the costs we incur with this site, it would also provide either access to a donor only board at the lowest annual donation level, or if you made a donation at one of the two higher levels, you would have Donor Board access plus an HN gear item.

As I have said in the past few weeks, we will be reducing the overall number of ads on this site going forward. The donation will not remove these ads from your view, but on the whole, the ad count will decrease and this is a program that can help me offset the revenue loss, as well as create a forum where people will likely be more respectful of one another and a place where the discussions may be more focused on Hawkeye athletics...so there would be multiple benefits.

Again, I am not saying I am putting this into place...its an idea bundle that takes into account things people have asked me about over the past two and a half years since I have made this site free.

Also note that the Donor Board will not be a place where I post the best of what I have. I am in no way, shape or form advocating any form of subscription option here. It would just be a stand alone forum for those who have chosen to donate to the site.

[Hawkfromnorwalk]

I'm always looking for ways to blow money. I like it.

[HawkForce]

You put off topic and politics forums in android app and ill sign a check jon :)

[loesshillshawk]

I am a public school teacher Jon...keep it reasonable....LOL

[HawkForce]

But for real jon if the shirt increased my swag I would donate. Love the idea!

[DuffMan]

You were serious about the donation thing?

My only comment is this....

Based on what I have seen at Iowa (and other school), having a place where high $$$ donors hang out doesn't get rid of mouth breathers, it just ensures the mouth breathers are rich.

[Section136]

If any of these options included "Chalk Talk" sessions with the Diesel I would sign up right now.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by Section136

If any of these options included "Chalk Talk" sessions with the Diesel I would sign up right now.

How about a "Stone Cold Lock" gambling session or live chat with Tiny Rush?

[okeefe4prez]

How about LEVEL D - you don't have to give folks any gear or set up exclusionary donor boards and you just let us give you a freaking donation? You don't have to tell us in depth financials or anything, but if there is a number you have in mind, toss it out there with a thermometer or tell us "hey guys, it would be great if I could get a few hundred folks to donate $25 or $50 this year to offset bandwidth costs." I don't use the other Iowa sites and I get all my Hawk news here, but I would gladly chip in for content/bandwidth because I know you're not running with the major traffic driving networks, which keeps opposing fan trolls from hitting the crap out of your board, which I really like.

[Section136]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

How about a "Stone Cold Lock" gambling session or live chat with Tiny Rush?

Both great ideas. Throw in some "Proof Reading Sessions with Kaldy" and this is golden.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by okeefe4prez

How about LEVEL D - you don't have to give folks any gear or set up exclusionary donor boards and you just let us give you a freaking donation? You don't have to tell us in depth financials or anything, but if there is a number you have in mind, toss it out there with a thermometer or tell us "hey guys, it would be great if I could get a few hundred folks to donate $25 or $50 this year to offset bandwidth costs." I don't use the other Iowa sites and I get all my Hawk news here, but I would gladly chip in for content/bandwidth because I know you're not running with the major traffic driving networks, which keeps opposing fan trolls from hitting the crap out of your board, which I really like.

I honestly have no idea if you are serious with this or not. No ******* idea...

[okeefe4prez]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

I honestly have no idea if you are serious with this or not. No ******* idea...

Totally serial, brah. If JD needs some coin to keep the Nation afloat, he ought to just go ahead and ask. Plus, the only opposing fans we get up in nya are fufred and all the clown fans - I like that because nothing sucks like losing to Minnesota and then having all 19 Goofer fans show up chirping.

[Clark]

I like this idea. Put me in the +1 column.

[HawkinGoferLand]

I may not join the donor site, but I will say the payboard on Jon's old Scout Hawkeye Nation was way more civil and Hawkeye related to anything on any of the free boards. Less emotion, rants, knee-jerk reactions.

Free board posters always mock paying members TOSs that they get the info within minutes or hours of paying members, but to me that wasn't the perk. It was the mag and the members board. I haven't been a paying member for a 3 yrs now, but I do miss the members board.

Also, I know many like it, but I'm not a fan of the HN logo so probably wouldn't want a shirt with it. Just sayin

[macgyver4ever]

I am for it for this reason. I don't comment on HawkeyeNation often because of the number of hecklers, trolls, ISU fans, and "mouth breathers" that tend to flock to the site whenever there is news. I'm here every day, 4-5 times a day even during the off season, and rarely speak up. When I do, I usually regret it.

If there was a way to filter out some of the riff-raff, I may contribute more often, but I would be very price sensitive because for the most part, I would not be gaining a lot, except for a voice.

For level A, I would be pressed to donate more than $10/yr. Why? I see it as a magazine subscription.

The other levels are more about wanting HN gear, which would be cool if I lived in Iowa and went to games. If I wore the shirt here in Chicago, I would probably run into OK4P and I would most likely regret that.