Shark Pool and Purchasing a FBG Insider PRO Subscription (1 Viewer)

[Joe Bryant]

Hi Folks,

One of the things that's been brought to light in asking how to improve the Shark Pool is some readers feel the SP is very closely connected to the FBG Staff and the content on the Footballguys Insider PRO premium subscription. 

This is helpful to me as I've never thought of them as very closely connected. 

This board is 100% free. It has a completely separate login and registration than the Insider PRO subscription. Meaning I don't have any idea how many people here also purchase a FBG subscription. 

But that's information I should know. So I thought I'd ask. I know it won't be a perfect representation. And for sure, the Shark Pool readers in May are the most serious of FF players. So I'd expect the percentage to be way higher today than in August when the crowd is bigger. I'll ask later too but for today, thought I'd ask here.

And also, please share thoughts or insights on how you see the Shark Pool as it relates to purchasing a Premium Subscription. 

Thanks.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

I didn't purchase a subscription last year--but had purchased in previous years.  I scaled down how many fantasy leagues that I played in last season.  I am planning on joining a few more leagues this season so my plan is to get a subscription this year.  

 

[Soulfly3]

Subscribed for a few years, and stopped.

The content and the DD is great and all... But I feel I get a better range and scope of info by just reading thru the SP. 

Wouldnt ever tell anyone not to subscribe tho, there's plenty worthwhile stuff in there, esp if you dont want to sort thru the pool

 

[BillyJoeBob]

Draft Dominator and the 10 second primer are very valuable to me.  Saves me a lot of time preseason and during the season.  Also utilize the DFS tools.  These are the main reasons I buy a subscription.

I follow the Shark Pool quite a bit but I do not really take the Shark Pool into consideration when purchasing my subscriptions.  The subscription stands on its own as I can use the shark pool for free.  

 

[Chaka]

I have been an annual subscriber since '06 and my subscription lapsed on 3/01/18. The truth is that I don't really spend much time reading the Insider Pro stuff, in fact I am not sure the last time I read an article (I think the last time I looked there was a bunch of the daily fantasy stuff that holds no interest for me as I am not a compulsive gambler). The only tool I use consistently from the Insider Pro stuff is the Draft Dominator.

The Shark Pool is absolutely my #1 resource to help inform my opinion about players, but I always bought subscriptions to help support FBGs in general. This is the first year I am considering not reupping my Insider Pro subscription mostly because I now have to pay separately for the DD anyway, and each instance of the DD on top of that, and that has me conflicted about ordering a subscription on top of that when it probably has no value add for me.

 

[Jello_Biafra]

I paid for a year and I didn't look at a single article. Maybe it's me (it is), but I can't find all this useful information and articles that everyone talks about. Information is free. Why pay for the cow when the Shark Pool is free?

 

[Joe Bryant]

I have been an annual subscriber since '06 and my subscription lapsed on 3/01/18. The truth is that I don't really spend much time reading the Insider Pro stuff, in fact I am not sure the last time I read an article (I think the last time I looked there was a bunch of the daily fantasy stuff that holds no interest for me as I am not a compulsive gambler). The only tool I use consistently from the Insider Pro stuff is the Draft Dominator.

The Shark Pool is absolutely my #1 resource to help inform my opinion about players, but I always bought subscriptions to help support FBGs in general. This is the first year I am considering not reupping my Insider Pro subscription mostly because I now have to pay separately for the DD anyway, and each instance of the DD on top of that, and that has me conflicted about ordering a subscription on top of that when it probably has no value add for me.

Thanks for the many years of subscribing. FWIW, this year the Online Draft Dominator will be part of the subscription. It was beta last year. It’s improved and will have the same functionality as the Draft Dominator mobile app. Not sure if that makes any difference but wanted to let you know. 

 

[Chaka]

Thanks for the many years of subscribing. FWIW, this year the Online Draft Dominator will be part of the subscription. It was beta last year. It’s improved and will have the same functionality as the Draft Dominator mobile app. Not sure if that makes any difference but wanted to let you know. 

Big difference actually, thanks. Now how about getting that sucker launched already!

 

[menobrown]

I used to subscribe but was able to get a free lifetime membership, thanks for that,  so obviously don't any longer. Would I still subscribe if I had to pay? No. But it's not about the content, it's just that with very few exceptions I don't like to read or listen to fantasy advice.

For what it's worth the only two sites I've ever paid a membership fee for fantasy information is this one and PFF, and PFF was not for fantasy advice, it was for the raw stats. So this is only site I ever subscribed strictly for fantasy advice/information, so certainly not down on anything here.

 

[kutta]

I subscribe and have for several years. But honestly, I use next to none of the paid content. I pretty much figure my subscription money is what keeps the boards going, and that’s where I spend my time.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

I would love to see a forum for subscribers where the staff participated in the discussions.  It's one thing to go read through a bunch of rankings but the real value would be when the staff explained their rankings especially the outliers.  The Bloom 100's offer a brief explanation with each player, which is good.  A couple of staffers will comment on players for their rankings but it's not many and the comments don't seem to be updated.

I don't think Chris Wesseling was ever on staff here but he used to have a dynasty thread here that was pure gold.  Harstad and others participated in it.  Having some of your guys that focus on dynasty keep a thread(s) like that would be great and Hindery could do one for Devy players too, as examples. 

 

[Chaka]

I would love to see a forum for subscribers where the staff participated in the discussions.  It's one thing to go read through a bunch of rankings but the real value would be when the staff explained their rankings especially the outliers.  The Bloom 100's offer a brief explanation with each player, which is good.  A couple of staffers will comment on players for their rankings but it's not many and the comments don't seem to be updated.

I don't think Chris Wesseling was ever on staff here but he used to have a dynasty thread here that was pure gold.  Harstad and others participated in it.  Having some of your guys that focus on dynasty keep a thread(s) like that would be great and Hindery could do one for Devy players too, as examples. 

While I like that idea in theory I am very wary about something that would very likely dilute the SP.  

 

[Jello_Biafra]

How about a sub-forum for commish questions and specific league questions instead of having the front page littered with them? 

 

[Silver & Black]

I've been with FBG since the old yeller days.  I have never purchased a subscription.  Here or anywhere else.  In the old days, I would by Pro Football weekly as soon as it hit the shelf in Penn Station and that was my greatest source of info.  I still buy every magazine out there for when I go fishing or on the train etc.  There is so much info out there, I gather it all up, read about people's opinions on stuff and decide things for myself.  I simply never felt it necessary to pay for other people's opinions. 

 

[Dismattle]

I play FF for fun  It's like a hobby which coincides nicely w Football  Now I did enjoy the FBG magazine figuring most guys at least read some here and there  Also while I do enjoy seeing posts by FBG Staff, I don't believe it makes much sense to post much more Subscriber content that is already available via Forum, Twitter, E-mails  It's one thing to have a discussion/debate involving personal bias on a player, but quite another to hear he said she said type info  (Worse yet would be touting the next TRich)  Now if you would like my  on creating more of an enticement for potential subscribers?  It might be nice to see a live Twitter feed on the main Forum page  A tweet like this (especially an injury) can provide some idea of what's available for subscriber's >> https://twitter.com/JeneBramel/status/980837975469842433

This also may lead to some discussion on the Forums which may prove to give a different angle that possibly wasn't considered  Or  Better yet it may enlighten some to the nature of the beast  While at the same time possibly saving face on personal Twitter accounts

 

[Marauder]

I stopped subscribing last year after being a subscriber almost since FBG started.   I'm kind of the opposite of what Menobrown and some others on here said,  I found I was subscribing to too many sites and some of them had to go.   I just was not using the paid content on FBG as much as some other sites.    Thinking about it, I think it is because they have too much content and too many writers.   It seems like they try to be a jack of all trades and master of none.   I tend to migrate more to sites that specialize in dynasty or analytics or whatever else I am looking for at a particular time.   

 

[Football Jones]

I subscribe and have for several years. But honestly, I use next to none of the paid content. I pretty much figure my subscription money is what keeps the boards going, and that’s where I spend my time.

I feel somewhat similar, although, I do use some of the content.

I typically subscribe & have for many years.

 

[stuckinthemuck]

I've been a paid FBG subscriber since 2009 after Waldman migrated over from an old favorite site, fftoday. Since then I've found the high-level FBG content and apps to be indispensable. It is easy to get a wide range of opinions from bright/knowledgeable writers in one place. Also, I'm now up to 10 leagues and MyFBG is the first place to go to during the season to manage them all. I've gotten great ideas from the Shark Pool/IDP Forum and try to give back when I can, but I only see it as an adjunct to the paid subscription. It is occasionally hard to wade through the spats which inevitably break out, or the one emoticon replies which do not add to the discussion, but overall I still return to these forums to get a sense of what better-than-average FF followers are thinking. Also, Twitter has made it easier to find links to great, free content and interact with writers as well, but that is not a replacement for an opportunity to dive into lengthy well-written articles that develop strategic thinking instead of offering start/sit nuggets. 

One small gripe: I was disappointed that I couldn't purchase a three-year sub this year at a reduced per annum rate. Other sites like 4for4 are offering similar content and apps, so please consider locking in us diehards for the longer term with the old three-year subscriptions. 

Thanks for helping to develop great content for all of us who enjoy this hobby. 

 

[Chaka]

One small gripe: I was disappointed that I couldn't purchase a three-year sub this year at a reduced per annum rate. Other sites like 4for4 are offering similar content and apps, so please consider locking in us diehards for the longer term with the old three-year subscriptions.

Good point.  What's up with that JB?

 

[mphtrilogy]

I've been a subscriber for a bunch of years, I had a terrible year last year and was thinking of scaling back the FBG purchase this year, but I had a nice run in the subscriber contest that actually made my year a little more palatable.  I didn't use the subscription content that much last year to be honest, I stated on your thread from last year that I would like more content front loaded to Mondays and Tuesdays to plot my waiver pickups, but the site tends to load up more on content late wednesdays and later on in the week.   But I do visit the shark pool for breaking news and analysis quite often.

I would be supportive of a paid wall for forum insight from the FBG staff as part of a FBG subscription, that would enhance the experience IMHO and would likely help me lock in my purchase for sure next year.  Thanks for asking

 

[northern exposure]

I was a subscriber, but let it lapse because I have found the IDP and Dynasty information/insight to be lacking in the pay content. 

 

[Snorkelson]

I’ve never subscribed. I started listen to the audible several years ago and just started exploring the page more, read some free offseason stuff occasionally. When I came across the SP I started looking at the dynasty trade thread mostly, then realized I could be a part of the community simply by registering. I’ve come to appreciate the myriad of topics and knowledge on all levels of life from all of these people who may disagree visiciously on some topics but were all drawn here for the same reason- love of fantasy football. I will admit though, I’ve listened to the audible the old school way through the site, haven’t hit a like on YouTube ie anything. I’ve pretty much taken advantage of the boards without really contributing  monetarily in any way unless you want to count visiting your sponsors like FanDuel. If I couldn’t get the board content I suppose I would consider paying but I may simply find other places to get information, hard to say really. I’ve beem visiting pretty much daily for a couple years now. 

 

[Payne]

I have been a subscriber for as long as I can remember. Last year was probably the last straw for me.

The weekly projections, lineup advice, etc. was spotty at best. And I am in a league that has two separate groups of 10 teams and the system (by the FBG team themselves) was unable to accomplish that. I wasn't the only one who complained about it either. I twice requested a refund because my subscription was basically useless for that league. I never received a reply.

As others have said, between all the free content out there and the forum, I'm not sure the subscription is worth it anymore.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I've been a paid FBG subscriber since 2009 after Waldman migrated over from an old favorite site, fftoday. Since then I've found the high-level FBG content and apps to be indispensable. It is easy to get a wide range of opinions from bright/knowledgeable writers in one place. Also, I'm now up to 10 leagues and MyFBG is the first place to go to during the season to manage them all. I've gotten great ideas from the Shark Pool/IDP Forum and try to give back when I can, but I only see it as an adjunct to the paid subscription. It is occasionally hard to wade through the spats which inevitably break out, or the one emoticon replies which do not add to the discussion, but overall I still return to these forums to get a sense of what better-than-average FF followers are thinking. Also, Twitter has made it easier to find links to great, free content and interact with writers as well, but that is not a replacement for an opportunity to dive into lengthy well-written articles that develop strategic thinking instead of offering start/sit nuggets. 

One small gripe: I was disappointed that I couldn't purchase a three-year sub this year at a reduced per annum rate. Other sites like 4for4 are offering similar content and apps, so please consider locking in us diehards for the longer term with the old three-year subscriptions. 

Thanks for helping to develop great content for all of us who enjoy this hobby. 

Thanks. Glad you've enjoyed it. We stopped the 3 year subscription last year. It's essentially just borrowing money as we get paid in advance. Borrowing like that wasn't something we wanted to continue doing. I understand for sure trying to save money though so we offer the Early Bird Discount at a steep discount. 

 

[shopvack]

Paid for the first time last year. Didn't get much use out of the paid content, but I appreciate this site and wanted to support.

 

[niagararapids]

Been paying for over 10 years. Use the DD for redrafts, 10 second primer on game days, MFL discount for my dynasty league. I am old school IDP dynasty and some IDP redraft (not the past 3 years though).

I don’t do any FanDuel or Daily Fantasy gambling and feel that the focus has shifted towards that.

I hardly read the articles (except a few dynasty and IDP ones).

I feel the forums are sort of like Rotoworld (which I personally read more than the subscriber articles). I read their site and these forums to get up to date info on players and teams...the articles are not timely enough to be useful. I find these forums more useful and would like content that was brought under the pay umbrella back (like Adam Harsted postings as an example). As I said in another thread...Faust should courtesy Rotoworld when he copies their player blurbs over here to the forums (it is useful to have them but might be considered plagiarism).

Anyway...hope this is useful and that you don’t take it as criticism...I love this site!

 

[Steeler]

Thanks for the many years of subscribing. FWIW, this year the Online Draft Dominator will be part of the subscription. It was beta last year. It’s improved and will have the same functionality as the Draft Dominator mobile app. Not sure if that makes any difference but wanted to let you know. 

The online draft dominator is a great product, loved it last year, will sign up again to use it this year. 

The online DD, the 10 second primer,  the DFS tools for building lineups, and the subscriber contest will keep me coming back.

 

[Tau837]

One of the things that's been brought to light in asking how to improve the Shark Pool is some readers feel the SP is very closely connected to the FBG Staff and the content on the Footballguys Insider PRO premium subscription. 

This is helpful to me as I've never thought of them as very closely connected. 

Having read and posted in the other thread, I don't follow this as written. Several of us have posted in the other thread that the best way to improve the Shark Pool is to improve FBG staff participation. I don't think anyone specifically linked it to the premium subscription. I commented that I would happily give up a healthy amount of articles in exchange for improved participation, with the idea that the staff would have more time if producing less content, and they could spend that time participating in the Shark Pool. Is that the connection you are referencing?

I have been a subscriber since at least 2006, based on my payment history, but I think I started some years earlier and it just isn't shown. I value the Draft Dominator, the 10 second primer, the MFL discount, and the rankings of a select few staffers. Those things are worth the subscription IMO.

I don't play DFS and don't care about most of the overall content produced, which is why I wish it could be reduced in lieu of Shark Pool participation. But I'm not holding my breath.

 

[brun]

I mostly do best ball.

However I still do a handful of managed roster leagues (mostly fppc/fpc contests) for which I find the 10 second primer extremely helpful during the season.

I use the dfs content, but don't participate in these contests very much and wouldn't seek out separate paid content for this.

 

[Deamon]

@Joe Bryant, What were your expected/predicted results of this poll?  Curious if the results are surprising or not.

From a business standpoint, I can see how the numbers could be encouraging.  I'm sure the sample size will grow in the next few days, which will be more accurate, but so far:

1.  Over 85% of the pool has been a paying member at some point.  Your paying subscribers are a major part of this board.
2.  15% have never purchased.  This could be a good market to go after, and while I think some of these people may just not believe in paying for sites or have the financial means to do so, I bet there's some in there that would be more open to getting a subscription once they saw (on the boards) how knowledgeable your writers are.
3. 30% (or 2/3rds of those who don't currently subscribe), USED to be subscribers and no longer are.  Why did they leave?  Could you get them back?  A lot have left but still use this board and see it as useful.  This could hint that this board is a big part of this business, and that they are leaving the content part, but not the board part. 
4.  30% having left is fairly big.  Yet you know they still are in here.  You now have 55% of people who subscribe and are here, who you DON'T want to have turn into the 30% who left.  How do you keep these people who are loyal to the site AND the board?  I think many of us have spoken that we'd love the staff involvement.  I think that is key to keeping that 55% around, as well as getting those who don't subscribe on board/back on board.

 

[Joe Bryant]

@Joe Bryant, What were your expected/predicted results of this poll?  Curious if the results are surprising or not.

From a business standpoint, I can see how the numbers could be encouraging.  I'm sure the sample size will grow in the next few days, which will be more accurate, but so far:

1.  Over 85% of the pool has been a paying member at some point.  Your paying subscribers are a major part of this board.
2.  15% have never purchased.  This could be a good market to go after, and while I think some of these people may just not believe in paying for sites or have the financial means to do so, I bet there's some in there that would be more open to getting a subscription once they saw (on the boards) how knowledgeable your writers are.
3. 30% (or 2/3rds of those who don't currently subscribe), USED to be subscribers and no longer are.  Why did they leave?  Could you get them back?  A lot have left but still use this board and see it as useful.  This could hint that this board is a big part of this business, and that they are leaving the content part, but not the board part. 
4.  30% having left is fairly big.  Yet you know they still are in here.  You now have 55% of people who subscribe and are here, who you DON'T want to have turn into the 30% who left.  How do you keep these people who are loyal to the site AND the board?  I think many of us have spoken that we'd love the staff involvement.  I think that is key to keeping that 55% around, as well as getting those who don't subscribe on board/back on board.

This is about what I expected. A small number of participants (106 as of now) as the traffic is so low in May. With over half having bought last year and multiple years. 

I'd ask another question - how much do you think the board will tolerate trying to "sell" and "convert" non buyers into buyers? As you know, we've never been remotely aggressive about trying to advertise the premium subscriptions here. Most boards don't take well to feeling advertised to. But maybe that does become more of a focus. What do you think?

 

[Gawain]

I have a "lifetime" subscription from winning a contest several years ago (maybe until 2022?)
Something where there I captioned a photo or made a haiku to get into a league, where I ended up winning a subscription.

I'll continue to subscribe once my lifetime is over. Unsure how to answer the poll above.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I have a "lifetime" subscription from winning a contest several years ago (maybe until 2022?)
Something where there I captioned a photo or made a haiku to get into a league, where I ended up winning a subscription.

I'll continue to subscribe once my lifetime is over. Unsure how to answer the poll above.

I hope you live longer than 2022 @Gawain !  Hit up Clayton Gray with an email at gray@footballguys.com and he can move that further out. 

 

[-OZ-]

I enjoy most of the content, but the contest is the #1 reason I subscribe. 

 

[Deamon]

This is about what I expected. A small number of participants (106 as of now) as the traffic is so low in May. With over half having bought last year and multiple years. 

I'd ask another question - how much do you think the board will tolerate trying to "sell" and "convert" non buyers into buyers? As you know, we've never been remotely aggressive about trying to advertise the premium subscriptions here. Most boards don't take well to feeling advertised to. But maybe that does become more of a focus. What do you think?

I agree they wouldn't tolerate pushing a subscription on them. My thought was that it could happen organically as a result of your presences. 

To push it one level more, even something like, for example, bloom is in a thread discussing a big mid season trade. After a few posts with some thoughts on this, and some discussion, maybe something from him like "good chat guys, I'll expand more on the trade in tomorrow's article"  

You don't have to give everything away in your SP posts. I don't think any subscriber who subscribes for the DD or rankings or primer is going to stop subscribing because there's some staff opinions on the boards. If anything, it might make the non members interested in what you guys are saying, and wanting more of it and thus subscribing. Or gaining the perspective that you know what you're talking about, and trusting your knowledge enough to pay for a subscription. It doesn't have to be pushy or just a "tease to get people to want more". It can be genuine conversation that will lead to peaked interest in the fbg brand. 

However, just as important as acquiring new subscribers is keeping the current ones. And these are the ones who are asking for some staff involvement in the SP and likely will be overall more satisfied with the fbg product if that happens. 

 

[Chaka]

What was the rationale behind not offering multi-year subscriptions with a break? It is such a common practice I am surprised to see you swimming upstream on that one.

 

[Joe Bryant]

What was the rationale behind not offering multi-year subscriptions with a break? It is such a common practice I am surprised to see you swimming upstream on that one.

We stopped the 3 year subscription last year. It's essentially just borrowing money as we get paid in advance. Borrowing like that wasn't something we wanted to continue doing. I understand for sure trying to save money though so we offer the Early Bird Discount at a steep discount. 

 

[Joe Bryant]

I agree they wouldn't tolerate pushing a subscription on them. My thought was that it could happen organically as a result of your presences. 

To push it one level more, even something like, for example, bloom is in a thread discussing a big mid season trade. After a few posts with some thoughts on this, and some discussion, maybe something from him like "good chat guys, I'll expand more on the trade in tomorrow's article"  

You don't have to give everything away in your SP posts. I don't think any subscriber who subscribes for the DD or rankings or primer is going to stop subscribing because there's some staff opinions on the boards. If anything, it might make the non members interested in what you guys are saying, and wanting more of it and thus subscribing. Or gaining the perspective that you know what you're talking about, and trusting your knowledge enough to pay for a subscription. It doesn't have to be pushy or just a "tease to get people to want more". It can be genuine conversation that will lead to peaked interest in the fbg brand. 

However, just as important as acquiring new subscribers is keeping the current ones. And these are the ones who are asking for some staff involvement in the SP and likely will be overall more satisfied with the fbg product if that happens. 

Thanks. We'll take a look there. I find most of these things are often couched as great ways to increase sales when the reality is there's a mindset of hating trying to increase or even maintain sales. But if done right, one can likely do both. We'll also have banner ads for the subscriptions. 

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

I agree with many others that I don't get much use from all the articles.  It's not that they aren't good but sometimes too much is too much.  I would rather see the staff interact on the forums discussing their articles/opinions instead of cranking out more and more articles.  If the staff isn't interested in discussion because they don't like the tone of the forum, well that seems like an issue with the staff and the moderation.  They shouldn't be blaming the subscribers for the lack of interaction.  If they made more of an effort they could easily set the tone here as we all know you aren't going to tolerate people treating staff the same way they might treat each other here.

I also want to add that the #1 reason I subscribe is because of MYFBG.  I was disappointed last year that it wasn't useful during the main offseason weeks for dynasty leagues but happy that you guys did what you had to do to make it work during the season.  It feels like we are on repeat for 2018 though.  The old MYFBG is not useful once again and the new one does not provide the same functionality the old one did.  It also clearly hasn't been fully developed and tested either.  I don't say that to point fingers at anyone as I know software development can take lots of time.  But I say it because the old MYFBG should be 100% functional until a replacement has been fully tested.

 

[Simon Shepherd]

I also want to add that the #1 reason I subscribe is because of MYFBG.  I was disappointed last year that it wasn't useful during the main offseason weeks for dynasty leagues but happy that you guys did what you had to do to make it work during the season.  It feels like we are on repeat for 2018 though.  The old MYFBG is not useful once again and the new one does not provide the same functionality the old one did.  It also clearly hasn't been fully developed and tested either.  I don't say that to point fingers at anyone as I know software development can take lots of time.  But I say it because the old MYFBG should be 100% functional until a replacement has been fully tested.

Classic MyFBG is 100% functional.

Everything Classic MyFBG did 3 years ago it does now. Scoring was never imported before and you can override anything that's imported from the bottom of the MyFBG homepage.

Happy to discuss this further but perhaps better in the MyFBG thread!

 

[Buckna]

I subscribed for about 10 years but eventually built up enough free years from beta testing content and occasional contests and such that I hadn't to pay in a while. I think my last free year just ran out though so I'll probably re-up just for the draft dominator. I still read a few articles here and there, but mostly things like in season game recaps, injury updates and such to save me time. Most of my other info I get thru roto, twitter as well but usually get most of it on these boards.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Classic MyFBG is 100% functional.

Everything Classic MyFBG did 3 years ago it does now. Scoring was never imported before and you can override anything that's imported from the bottom of the MyFBG homepage.

Happy to discuss this further but perhaps better in the MyFBG thread!

The years in the dropdown menus only go up to 2017

 

[Ted Stickles]

I would be supportive of a paid wall for forum insight from the FBG staff as part of a FBG subscription, that would enhance the experience IMHO and would likely help me lock in my purchase for sure next year.  Thanks for asking

IMO, this is not the way to go.  The forums should be free. 

Consider what ESPN did with their Insider pay wall.  I don't know a single person who subscribes to that.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

IMO, this is not the way to go.  The forums should be free. 

Consider what ESPN did with their Insider pay wall.  I don't know a single person who subscribes to that.

I think there should be a free forum and a subscriber forum where subscribers can openly discuss subscriber content amongst themselves (hopefully with staff participation).  I don't think the ESPN model fits here because they offer plenty of free content and there's nothing that prevents us from discussing their subscriber content anywhere.  

 

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

I consider the cost of a subscription my entry fee into the subscriber contest.  All the content is like a nice bonus.  

 

[Joe Bryant]

I consider the cost of a subscription my entry fee into the subscriber contest.  All the content is like a nice bonus.  

I'm amazed more people don't see it that way @Ignoratio Elenchi  The only thing more amazing is we don't have 100% of the available subscribers play and take advantage of their free entry. Amazing. 

 

[Caveman_Nick]

I had a subscription a long time ago.  I find that i mostly play in leagues with a format: 16 teams, 35-43 man rosters, extensive IDP, contracts for players, annual RFA auctions, weekly FA bidding, sometimes a Franchise Tag, an annual contract cap, a 10-13 player DTS squad, and an 8 round rookie draft.

The content here is good, but i have found that i don’t do much redraft, and weekly start / bench information doesn’t generally sway my approach to my line-up.

The two things this site does that i really value are the Bloom 100 And Bramel’s combined board.  I used to buy Waldman’s RSP (I know, not directly affiliated), but with the chance to pick usually only 8 rookies and the general uncertainty around them, I found $25 to be more than I wanted to spend.

In the end, the content is great.  It’s informative.  It’s entertaining (probably it’s biggest value), but I don’t feel like it helps me win anywhere near as much as my experience in managing the economics of my leagues.  How much do I value contract years in terms of annual dollar allotments, and per each position.  How much is each rookie pick worth.  Etc.  all of that is stuff I know, and when combined with player news and depth charts, seems to carry my fortunes along pretty well.

Keep doing what you are doing.  It’s great stuff.  It’s just not something I want to spend money on.  Somewhere in my 40’s I guess I got cheap!

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I'll continue to subscribe once my lifetime is over. Unsure how to answer the poll above.

Now that's dedication.

 

[Noah Davis]

I've been a paid FBG subscriber since 2009 after Waldman migrated over from an old favorite site, fftoday. Since then I've found the high-level FBG content and apps to be indispensable. It is easy to get a wide range of opinions from bright/knowledgeable writers in one place. Also, I'm now up to 10 leagues and MyFBG is the first place to go to during the season to manage them all. I've gotten great ideas from the Shark Pool/IDP Forum and try to give back when I can, but I only see it as an adjunct to the paid subscription. It is occasionally hard to wade through the spats which inevitably break out, or the one emoticon replies which do not add to the discussion, but overall I still return to these forums to get a sense of what better-than-average FF followers are thinking. Also, Twitter has made it easier to find links to great, free content and interact with writers as well, but that is not a replacement for an opportunity to dive into lengthy well-written articles that develop strategic thinking instead of offering start/sit nuggets. 

One small gripe: I was disappointed that I couldn't purchase a three-year sub this year at a reduced per annum rate. Other sites like 4for4 are offering similar content and apps, so please consider locking in us diehards for the longer term with the old three-year subscriptions. 

Thanks for helping to develop great content for all of us who enjoy this hobby. 

This.  I've been a subscriber since '09.  multiple three year subscriptions - not an option this year so considering going without.  If there was another three year option I'd sign up again....but that's just me.  I do love the subscriber contest though, so I most likely will renew at some point.

 

[Aunt Jemima]

Like some others, I have multiple lifetime subscriptions from the footballguys players championship. Would I pay if I didn't? Probably, it is such a small investment vs. the amount of entry fees I pay annually. I find it valuable to know the rankings a lot of my competition is using and who footballyguys is higher or lower on than I am so I can try to maximize value. Also have a few in my home leagues who I know always draft by Dodd's rankings. I also like to look at the consensus ranks. The free contest is enjoyable. I read some of the dynasty content. While not a perfect tool, the Rate My Team function is enjoyable to look at after a draft. Also at times use your schedule grid and depth charts. Way more content than I can keep up with or would like to but I'd pay the annual fee just for the items I list above