(A late) Happy Fourth of July!ELEVEN YEARS and almost 6,500 posts later . . .
Who woulda' thunk it would last this long!
PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST . . .
I've learned a lot in the process and hope your builds and rocketry experiences have improved. At present, the blog gets 1,200 hits daily worldwide. Things change over time, and that leads to a few adjustments to the blog and how it is produced.
Up until now, all available PDFs were "Freebees". But in the past year email requests have grown and are sometimes overwhelming.
Each morning I check emails at oddlrockets@bellsouth.net. I answer questions and send out decal draws, shroud patterns, Saturn V Build Books and carded model PDFs. Some days it takes over an hour to get through questions and requests.
So, from today forward -
Pdfs, cardstock models, decal draws and email questions will only be available to active Patreon members and those who have donated to my Paypal account.
The lowest Patreon tier is only $1.00 per month. I chose to make it inexpensive thinking I could draw more member support. I wasn't offering tiered premiums.
Heck, you'd pay $10.00 for one decal sheet from other vendors. Granted you print a PDF decal at home, but an emailed decal PDF can save money and hours of drawing time.
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I'll still answer blog comments, but won't be able to answer email questions unless you are a Patreon member. Email questions tend to require more detailed explanations.
I watch some YouTube videos. In every video the producers ask for donations through Patreon or their branded souvenirs sold through Etsy.
I've rarely suggested Patreon support until today. The Patreon membership box sits in the upper right corner of the blog page. Rest assured, Patreon donations go towards model rocket builds and supplies.
I realize this change may bother a few. I want the Patreon membership to offer benefits.
If your model building has improved or the blog has helped you through a difficult step -
Please consider supporting the blog through Patreon. Thank You!
Hi, Chris,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 11 years of blogging! This blog embodies a tremendous amount of effort, and has been such a tremendous service to the hobby and rocket community. In my opinion, your name stands right up there alongside the rest of the model rocketry royalty. I certainly check in each and every day, and learn something from each visit.
Thanks!
Thanks Ed!
DeleteYou know what goes into producing a blog!
Congrats on 11 years, that's a pretty good run for a solo blog that's updated regularly. This blog is an incredibly valuable resource; I always point folks here when they have questions about building a particular kit.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on another 11 years. :)
Thanks Neil,
DeleteI appreciate it!
Not an unreasonable request to ask for donations in the modern age. Especially considering the low dollar amount you are starting with.
ReplyDeleteHi Lester,
DeleteI had thought a $1.00 a month donation would draw more Patreon members. We'll see how this goes -
Congrats on 11 years! Now for Patreon, you are severely under utilizing its potential. Moving contentment to Patron is how you get subscribers. Having people reach out to you directly for that content is a Patreon killer. For example, I’ve been looking for your carded rockets for the last two weeks and I saw I had to subscribe to gain access, which I did, but never received access – now I know why. Never did I think of writing to you, it’s too much effort. Instead move that content directly to Patreon, so patrons can access it easily. Next create tiers. For example:
ReplyDelete$1 tier has all decals, canopy drawings, shroud specs for payload bay, questions answered and the like. Even if you move everything on there people will stay for the new content and access.
$2 tier could have carded rockets, plus commit to creating 3-4 carded rockets a year to move people to that tier.
$5 tier could include one “new” Oddl rocket after a year has passed (perhaps months earlier then the general public)
$10 tier (in limited numbers) Cloud include an original after a year has passed (perhaps previously launched of up to level 3)
$15 (in limited numbers) Cloud include an original after a year has passed (perhaps previously launched of up to level 5 or Pro)
$20 tier (in limited numbers) could include a newly created model from the blog.
$100 tier (in limited numbers) A $100 tier private lunch and launch where you pay coach air fare, after a year has passed, up to $600. Think I’m crazy but business and rich rocketeers will often support this level.
Each level includes all the items from the levels below as is normal.
Say good bye to e-bay, and hello to preorders.
These are just examples off the top of my head, but I truly believe people will pay for what you are offering you just need to build an easy to use system to provide your content at a fair price.
Patreon Subscriber Scott Johnson
Hi Scott,
DeleteYou must be a marketing guy! I'm a banjo player that flys rockets.
Thanks for taking the time to write up some great ideas. Right now I'm going to keep it simple. If more support happens I'll play around with larger premiums. I have some ideas.