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[Mizhara]

So, it should come as no surprise that I'm overly verbose and spend a lot of time writing stuff on a whole lot of different subjects in relation to Eve. I've been thinking of trying to contribute to various online publications, when it hit me. They're all TMdC like, in that they try to generate revenue, particularly through ads etc. It doesn't seem like there's any out there that either just eats the hosting costs or find some sort of capped donation scheme etc to cover costs. Instead, they all seem aimed to make a profit of some kind.

This is of course the norm, and understandably so. It's just something I'm not personally in favor of, as I feel the moment profits become even the slightest part of the motivation it will affect the product in ways that prioritize increasing profits rather than quality of content or the joys inherent in the writing itself, or the discussions and debates it may spawn etc.

Solutions that'd bypass the profits motivation are pretty much all boiling down to various options like setting up blogs and so on that are almost impossible to market towards the point of a decent exposure of your writing. It's either contributing to someone else's profit margins or writing where your exposure is going to be abysmal at best.

What's your thoughts on this, Backstage? Are there any Eve related publications that aren't pushing towards profits, or are they all in the vein of TMdC? Are there other solutions, than crap tumblr pages spammed into every channel, forum and subreddit you know?

I know it might sound weird to ask for ventures not to make money of themselves, but it's something I've always felt detracts from the product.

[Utari Onzo]

Personally? I'm not bothered by it. People want to try and make a business out of reporting on things and articles, more power to them. They have the clout in regards to exposure, so trying to out compete them with a not-for-profit platform might be a struggle since EN24, CZ and TMdC are pretty entrenched.

Blogs on the other hand aren't a bad option per se either. I know a few capsuleer blogs that I used to enjoy, they don't write so much these days, but good writers who are active can pull in good numbers.

The other option is trying to start a not-for-profit/donation supported platform yourself. I'd wish you luck with that, but with a profit based business it's easier to generate more exposure for your content through partnerships with other sites/businesses etc etc.

[Mizhara]

Oh like I said, I certainly understand why it's the norm, even if some sites do take it to RMT levels of hrr. It's just slightly odd to me that there are no alternatives out there, as it is a pretty big internet. As for trying to start one myself, that's just not an option given the amount of time it'd take to do so, especially given my lack of knowledge and education in web design and such.

[Utari Onzo]

I think the issue is what you said, it takes effort and if you're spending time and not making any cash out of it, it's just not going to grow unless you have a very determined and motivated group. It is a shame, and I'm pretty certain anything you write I'd read, but just the way it is until some bright spark with passion and time steps up.

I think it's easier for an already established group to switch out to a not-profit/donation system as it has a support base, then for a completely new venture with no established readership.