Important poll, please vote

Mastercard or Visa? Which would you prefer?

It'll be the best $20 bucks i've ever spent Rich....

Rich-

"Premium" option. Look into it, please. $4.99/month+, etc.

I'm all for it.

I would pay $4.99 as well for a "premium option". And I say this as someone who is unemployed

Why don't you see if "Uncle Phil" Anschutz could fund this venture. He certainly has the capital.

$20 would be great. $4.99 premium might be too much. Of course, I assume this would be for year round coverage.

Rich,

Just a suggestion, but you may want to also consider a "donation" option kind of like what Radiohead did with their In Rainbows album. I would be more than willing to shell out 4 or 5 times as much as you're asking to keep this blog going and to keep you fed and sheltered in the process and I'm sure there are many others who will do the same as well as others who want to but cannot due to the hard economic times.

I am totally in to this idea. I am in the business of funding media businesses and our firm believes that many free services today will migrate to a paid subscription basis. You provide a valuable service to the fans which, I for one, would be happy to pay for. To be really successful, I think it would help to have a firm committment from the Kings - some sort of marketing arrangement or alliance that you can use in the marketing of the subscription service.

I'd probably do it, and I'd go so far as to say I wouldn't need the game story. With the internet, youtube, etc., I don't need a recap of something I either just watched, or can find highlights of.

But the interviews, game notes, reports, breaking news, etc. would be more than worth it.

I voted no accidentally but voted again with a yes.

Actually, David's idea of getting AEG to fund your work is not a bad one. The only problem is that then you would no longer be an unbiased third party.

On the other hand you could have AEG pay you to be a brand partner (they pay for placement of stuff on your site). On the AEG side it would be a worthwhile investment since you get quite a bit of traffic from a demographic AEG cares about (i.e., rabid Kings fans). You can run your own hosting and I would have no problem if you put TextLinkAds and AdSense on the blog to further supplement your income. And of course you could charge for premium content.

Hey Rich,

I voted yes BUT,

My particular membership would be contingent on you owning (or at least part owning) the website.

In other words ... I'm happy and honored to pay for your talent .. but I'm not giving a dime to the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.

Honestly....No. Keep the site free. The whole point of the internet is free exchange of information. As far as the mentioned services:

** -- Coverage of home games (a game story, game notes and quotes)

Usually posted on LAkings.com

**-- Road coverage (through phone interviews with coaches and players)

Honestly if you've heard any of the coaches talk once, you've heard all they'll ever say

**-- Reports from home practices
I can drive to out and watch if I really want.

**-- Full coverage of breaking news, plus events such as draft day, trade dealine and free-agent signing period

All stuff covered by websites that do not charge...sorry but O'Sullivans trade was posted on other sites way earlier

**-- Exclusive interviews, with reader-supplied questions, with management, coaches, players and broadcasters

Again...have we really heard any great news or inside information from Dean or TM lately? No, its rehashed PR.

**-- Audio and/or video (depending on popularity) of
interviews

Unless you can provide links to no-aired games...meh.

**-- Potential ``live chats'' with management, coaches, players and broadcasters

Would be interesting, but not worth paying for.

Do something because you love doing it and you have access to the information, not for a paycheck.

Actually Magic, the whole point of the internet was exchanging ideas between government agencies to help develop better weapons ... but hey.. i'm nitpicking here.

The whole idea of this country is to GET PAID doing what you love.

Again... Yes.

I'd definately sign up Rich. You're completely worth it!

Advertising would be good too - perhaps that Bail Bonds company from the TV broadcasts would like to reach out to incarcerated Kings fans and their families online too!

I get a lot of concentrated information here. I look forward to wasting my lunch at work reading both your input and ALL of the replies. A premium membership would allow you to change fees if necessary, but also would risk off season drop off. An annual fee would be a better solution. Sponsorship from AEG should be avoided because it would make any report suspect. However, sponsorship from Hockey Giant, Nike/Bauer or similar might be in order since a large portion of the people who read your blog claim to play beer league.

The wife is unemployed at the moment but if she gets a job and I'm allowed to spend again I'd go for it. This is the only place I can find regular Kings updates so it would be worth it.

I actually voted yes to the $20 a year fee if it came to that. For what you give us, that's a fair price.

WHOA on the premium option idea!
I didn't notice anything in Rich's post about there being "premium" coverage. If I'm paying for this site...I want anything and everything Kings related...I don't want to pay and find out that because I didn't/couldn't shell out an additional $5 per month I won't get coverage of a DL interview or anything else for that matter.
For those who are saying they'd pay for premium coverage...exactly what is that???????

I'd love to say yes because I love this blog so much, but honestly, no, I wouldn't pay for it. There isn't a website that I visit that I would pay for.

I would be tempted though. If I was ever to pay for access to a website/blog, it would be this one. Maybe I'd talk the wife into making it a birthday present though!

King-

I'm guessing the $1/mo or $20/year would be exactly what Rich described(?).

I was basically asking Rich if there could be any additional "site-based info" that would require his company to invest in more time/money to obtain, resulting in a premium customer service fee.

In a heartbeat Rich, Our fam has had season seats since 1980, and this is the best coverage we have ever received. I would pay up to $5.00 a month. I read this blog so much my spouse calls me a psychotic blogger geek! I feel bad for my employer, I constantly find myself refreshing and anxiously awaiting new material....... Thanks again

There aren't any websites that I visit, that I'd be willing to pay for. Except this one. Checking this site for updates is one of my past times. I vote a resounding yes! It would be money well spent.

Absolutely willing to pay for the most comprehensive Kings coverage out there. This site is the best on the net and the coverage Rich provides us is unmatched.

I'd love to see some of Rich's articles remain free for those that can't afford monthly (or yearly) fees, but offer some additional "insider" information that comes with a price. So essentially, I'm suggesting the "premium" membership some of you have mentioned simply be the basic membership and that non-paid guests still have access to some of the more basic content.

The easiest 20 i'd ever spend. Shit charge me more!

Rich,

I gotta have it... Give it to me. Give it to me, NOW!

Gotta have my old time hockey RELIGION! Your format gives it to me, no question about it. For those of us out here who are thoughtful, passionate fans, there is NO OTHER WAY to get the information we need plus have the forum to discuss what we think with other like-minded hockey freaks.

The internet is evolving, growing and changing. Entrepeneurs have a chance to earn what they're worth; customers have a chance to vote for what they want by paying for it. Who knew, for example, that specialty hockey magazines would ever create a loyal following?

Your work is entirely professional. You have the experience, and the passion. You have the necessary inside ear to get the fresh and relevant information we crave. And, you know how to reel us back, keep us on track, keep us involved...

Tit for tat, yes I would pay monthly/yearly for that service.

I would sign up today and would pay more than the proposed rate.

I would suggest only 1 tier pricing so as to avoid confusion. Any partnership with AEG would put into question your impartiality so I would avoid that if possible. Yes I could get some of what you offer elsewhere for free but I don't want to spend that much time looking for it.

* Offer "breaking news" emails or other alerts
* Offer video of things that many of us can't attend for example practices, rookie camp etc ( I don't need a bunch of production crap and only 30 seconds of footage, just the footage please)
* Offer Pre-Draft and Draft coverage
* Please keep writing!!! Don't wimp out like CNN and turn to video to cover their lack of journalistic abilities

Keep up the great work!

Rich,

The fact you have had this site for so long for free is enough for me to sign up. This has been such a great source of information and opinion for fellow King fans it would hard to not use it on a daily basis.

One request, I have to say I really love the game day chat. When people can keep their minds open and mouths closed and just let it be a fun place to interact it is a great asset to this site. Next year when the Kings are making their run at the playoffs it would be an awesome tool and if people get out of line they revoke their membership.

Whatever happens with this site, I will follow.

I hardly ever post here, but read it all the time. And hell yes I would pay 20 bucks a year for this site. I don't pay for any web site, but for the info I have, and will get from this one, its worth the 20 and then some.

Personally, I think the Kings should offer it free to their season seat subscribers, and then a sliding scale to people who purchase Kings tickets on a game by game basis.

But yes, I'd get sucked in... I pay for worse.

Make it a pay site, just offer more than PayPal as a payment option. Visa, Mastercard, etc ...

I would like to suggest you could also organize local game nights that are not on the TV schedule. Let's say, some sort of game night at a local beach bar that offers the NHL package.

I'm down Rich, for whatever that's worth

-- Jimmy

Rich, you are my crack fix... gotta have it... now what if you could make it $50 -100, and add web broadcast of the game???? I know the nhl has all rights... bla, bla bla... but may something in the future that you could talk to the kings/aeg about. I would most def pay the (100) to get the game anywhere! I would even watch it if you could only get the rink side view.... something is better than nothing right...?

rich,

i voted yes.

i think the info you provide is far and away better than anything else i've read or seen on the web, magazines or tv. $20/year is reasonable. i agree with jimmy in that there should be multiple ways to pay (like visa/mastercard, etc.). i also think there should be one tier only. multiple levels of "service" can get confusing and add more work load for you.

additionally, i think brickwall is on to something... breaking news alerts. when you post something "hot" on this site, it should automatically send a kings breaking news alert to the registered e-mail of the reader. then we would know to check this site to get the whole "true" story.

links to archived and new player/coach/gm interviews as well as cool game highlights, especially like the games that aren't televised like last nights flames game would be great. I really wanted to see simmond's fight, but could only hear nick describe it on the radio.

there is a lot you could do that would make this site worth paying for. hell, its already worth paying for. a once per year $20 charge sometime over the summer in conjuction with the start of camps, etc. is not too much to ask for. there are plenty of paid sites on the web that are filled with crap that no one wants. at least this would be all kings all the time with the appropriate mix of nhl, ahl, echl and juniors info.

those are my feelings,
Jedi

it's worth $20. I'd hate to give singleton a dime (he is the devil) but your coverage is better than anything out there. if you ended up getting laid off you should start up your own blog, I'd follow you.

anyone who suggested a partnership with AEG has no idea how journalism works.

Rich, I like the $20 a year option, but also honestly I would cancel my subscription to the daily news. Yes, I'm one of the few who still gets it delivered everyday. However, I get more information here than there so it really is a waste of money. Also, I hate having to always read the Associated Press summary of the road (and some home) games. I want more depth from a person who knows us fans and knows the team.

Thanks.

And...as a 20+ year kings fan I've never been treated to such amazing coverage, nothing even close. Thank you so much Rich for all your great work.

Make it a pay site, just offer more than PayPal as a payment option. Visa, Mastercard, etc ...

I would like to suggest you could also organize local game nights that are not on the TV schedule. Let's say, some sort of game night at a local beach bar that offers the NHL package.

I'm down Rich, for whatever that's worth

-- Jimmy

Voted yes, but I worry that if you're not with the Daily News then you lose your press-pass and thus the ability to garner news and interviews. I like the comments, polls, and Q&A, etc, but I'm not in if you lose your official access.

sorry if this double-posts

without question the best 20 I could spend -- watching last nights game I thought our effort from the 5 min mark to end of 1st was very solid - JW ringing off the post was a great start to the PP we controlled the whole time in the off zone - Has phanuef found his jock yet WS turned him around like a top - all though we got swept by Cal this yr - I've liked our effort much better than in some of our wins - Mikka flat out won 3 of the games by himself- back to last night after the 3rd cal goal you could see the air go out of the fellas- lets see how we respond tonight

Rich,

Your consistency of postings and viewpoints on this great game and this great team have been and always will be appreciated. I searched long and hard to find news about the team that I have followed since 1986. The best I could find was a single column, at best two paragraph after thought.

Personally I find myself visiting this site 2 to 3 time a day and typically always find something new from you.

In my mind it would be one of the best $20 a year I could spend.

Dear Rich, I almost feel like saying "what, you even have to ask"? That's how much I like this site. It's really one of very few sites I frequent along with the bbc home page, the ny times and the guardian (uk) so you're in good company. It would be well worth that fee if need be. I've said so often that the commitment you put into this site is second to none and warrants our support.
I saw that not everybody was on board, but a majority were. We don't want to lose this website!

I am in.

Rich, here was my suggestion from your "Going off the Grid" thread. Maybe Steven could tell you what the IT effort woudl be.
(repost)
Rich, I realize that many of the brightest minds have tried to monetize internet content sans success. But, I would still like to throw out an idea. That is to put a small (1 inch X 1 inch) pay pal jar at the top of each new thread. If a reader appreciates the content on that thread, then he/she can "tip" the jar. Keep a total in the jar of the total tips to date so that the community can easily see what the best articles ($10 for the Lombardi interviews and 2 cents for the curling schedule, just kidding) are. I also suspect this would keep the name calling of players, management and other posters to a minimum, as few readers would tip the thread.
Full disclosure, I borrowed the idea from my son from a high school economics class project with his permission. He believes the coding would take about 40 hours.

I voted no at first, but that was because I only looked at the poll without reading the rest of it.

After reading the whole "post", and taking into consideration the fact that I'm an extremely poor college kid who's going to be building up 20-30k in debt over the next year or so, my answer changed to yes. But I would like to add, please take as long as you can before doing this. I understand you're using it to gauge interest, but I can't imagine your bosses or the people in charge not reading this and thinking "hey, we just might have something here". So in short, yes I would gladly pay $20 a year for this service, even with no source of income.

rich...

yes...i would support it...

however...

i think there is a line that gets blurred between journalism vs. entertainment...

by making yrself and this forum private, you do open the door up for a realm of (whether it's justified or not) criticism and critique...money changes everything...it just does...

I AM NOT SAYING THAT YOU WILL BECOME CORRUPT AND NOT BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO (JOURNALISM VS. ENTERTAINMENT)...

but that aspect of running such a site cannot be overlooked...

i think i have voiced my respect for you, rich, and for the great job you do on this site many times over...that will not change regardless of what you decide to do...granted, you don't fall into the pitfalls many others do when they venture into a private/pay forum...

there are going to be people who will start to weigh the prohibitive value of paying for information vs. the information itself...in other words, people will have the ability to question yr motives and yr journalistic integrity...no matter how altruistic they/you might be...

if yr o.k. with that type of scenario ultimately developing...awesome...it's not like i want the aforementioned to happen, but it will inevitably transpire because of the money factor...the people subscribing to such a site will be dealt with that issue - constantly comparing the value of the information you provide them...

right now as a free site, as far as i can tell by reading all the responses over the course of the last year, you don't have to deal with that...

i guess another fear of mine would be having the public decide what is news and what isn't news worthy...would the site be strictly "news" oriented vs. showing pictures of ice girls or frolov's wife (not bad things, but not stuff i would want to pay for...no matter if it's a $1 or $100 a month)...

if the aforementioned outline you have suggested is followed to a tee, then it should keep all yr integrity intact...

but it does become a whole different game once you start charging people for information...

i'm not trying to patronize you, rich...i offer my opinions for what it's worth to you...

it's just a genuine concern of mine because i happen to love what you provide us with and would hate for that relationship you have with us to change because of a couple of dollars...

anyway...

what ever stage this idea is at and whether or not it comes to fruition, you would have my support...either way...

good luck...!

Well Rich-

I voted 'Yes' because the info is worth it, BUT..

I would like to know that what I am paying for is a RICH HAMMOND publication and not an AEG or media sponsored version. I think this site could be improved if you had the journalistic freedom to be yourself 100% and report things EXACTLY as you would want to report them. No filters, no editing, completely your reporting.

Being a managing partner in my own startup business, I have learned the rigors of startup are difficult and the risks are great. The difference with you is, you have an established fan base and even if 20% of the people who said 'Yes' in this poll actually pony up, you'll have a nice start to a company/job with virtually no overhead. Not to mention, the Kings as an organization are going to want to advertise with you since a large chunk of their diehard fans come to you for info (Income). Many individual players have their own companies (Tax Shelters) that will most likely want to advertise with you (Income). You can get the standard web advertisers like you have on this current site (Income). Jet's idea of the PayPal 'Tip' jar is also a good one in addition to the membership fee.

There are lots of options to generate revenue, not to mention the possibilities for your career to be the independent reporter on the Kings to the tons of news organizations out there and the revenue you could generate from that.

(By the way, any comparisons to LetsGoKings.com are completely mute. That is a fansite, this is a professional blog.)

The bottom line is, you have a great head start if you chose to go 'Off the grid'. I'm sure if you went independent, you would do a lot more than just a blog as people paying would expect it. The more you offer, the more you can charge. You have the inside track with the team and the reputation with the fans & media industry that puts you in an unique position to capitalize on it. Of course it'll be work and some lean times, but I guarantee it'll be a LOT less than normal like I am experiencing.

Good luck! I hope that if/when you decide to do this it is by choice and not by necessity. Whatever the case, you should start doing your research immediately to see if it is a viable option.

Let's put this into perspective.....
$20 for a years worth of Kings information.
$20 is a weeks tab at Starbucks for many.
$20 won't get you two tickets at many theaters.
$20 gets you half a tank of gas.
$20 won't get you dinner for two unless you're talking fast food.
$20 are you kidding me?!?!?!!? Have you looked at your cell phone or cable/satellite bill lately?
Obviously, I say yes, hell yes...

I've never paid for anything online-only related, but I'm not a fan of anything else like I am of the Kings. I would do $20 a year, easily, for all you've suggested.

Seriously people, you would actually receive something substantial for your subscription, and not just rumors and speculation, or an ugly-looking GIF under your username whose sole purpose is so that you don't feel like you're living in China come draft day. ACCESS DENIED!!!

Matt George said:

Actually Magic, the whole point of the internet was exchanging ideas between government agencies to help develop better weapons ... but hey.. i'm nitpicking here.

Actually, Matt, the purpose for creating the internet was to create a means of communication that would survive a nuclear attack that would destory surface-reliant forms of communication...but hey.. i'm nitpicking here.

I would pay $40-50 per year without a second thought, but anything above that would give me pause. I would probably pay more, but I would have to justify it by cancelling my subscription to The Hockey news.

I voted NO because I complain about everything above the price of a postage stamp...

Seriously it's isn't too bad of a value for someone living in Las Vegas...

I'd pay twice that for half the coverage

I'm sure there are a lot of people who come to your blog to get the latest news on the Kings. I'm sure at least a few of them have financial issues given the current environment and even $20 a year might be a stretch when you're unemployed or about to be unemployed and the job market has dried up. This is why I voted no. That said, perhaps you should consider letting people read for free, but if they want to post and interact/debate/argue/whatever then I don't think a nominal charge would be unreasonable at all. Just my thoughts on the matter.

Although I know you won't get as many donations, I would prefer some system that allows you to charge the $20 donation while maintaining the free aspect of it. I'm not a big fan of pay sites that hides information from people just cause they don't have the money. I usually get turned by that and am less likely to participate because of it.

If I could, I would suggest a wikipedia type approach. Maintain the site free (with advertisements if you choose, I have no problems with that), but go on donation runs every so often with a goal you would like to reach. Something tells me that kings fans here would put in money real quickly to help you reach your tangible goals.

Another approach would be to see if the Kings would be willing to funnel some money to you as you are promoting their business. I'm not sure how this affects the objectivity from a journalism perspective, so this may not be as good of an option. But either way, I think the support on here is pretty obvious, we're with ya Rich!

Hi Rich.

I'd be willing to pay something but many people are wary of entering credit card stuff online (not myself).
But, I wonder if you'd really get much out of that monthly.
Maybe it would be a good idea to have us be a small army of advertising salesmen and send you businesses willing to pay larger sums.

I guess it's possibly a conflict of interest with the Daily News, but if not, that may be a good source of funding.

Anyway, 2 dollars a month wouldn't break my bank.
Plus, you'd probably have a good thread to do on, "ways members are saving in other areas to offset the $2-a-month addiction to INSIDETHEKINGSwithRichHammond."

PS - Can we get in pissing contests if we're paying???

Just Kidding. : )

Cheers and Thanks for the great Kings site...

Rich I'm going to have to agree with Irish Pat, I think a tip jar may be the best way of having people pay what they're able to. I'd imagine that you'd want to make sure you attract new fans to the site and people will see the value if they can get all the features. If you had only paid members get all the perks then new people may not appreciate what they're missing out on.....and of course if this doesn't work then maybe a subscription type service is the way to go

Hm, my initial reaction was "Yes, I'd pay", but would I actually do it? I'm not sure. Like many others have pointed out, paying for a site is not very common. $20 would be a reasonable price though, but I'd prefer to have the donation option.

I'm gonna vote no, because I really don't know if I'd actually be willing to pay.

In my opinion, any "pay content" in the form of a blog or whatever should be integrated somehow into the LetsGoKings website (maybe as part of team LGK or whatever, have a Team LGK PLUS option)......

Obviously those details would need to be worked out with RinkRat, but I think having 1 site with the awesome forums of LGK, plus Rich's in-depth coverage would be truly the "one stop" for all Kings fans.

I'm spitballing here, but I'm guessing ItK would integrate their own forums of some kind if they go through with this service. I doubt this site would integrate with any other site other than lakings.com.

No. This is my favorite website, visit it way too often, but I'm against paying for websites. I'm already paying for internet, tv, hdtv...

I'd be more likely to donate, but I wouldn't promise anything.

Rich, You're awesome. If keeping this thing going requires too much of your time without adequate compensation, then you have to charge for it. I understand, I just might have to pass on it.

Bring Back the Shield Jersey said:

Actually, Matt, the purpose for creating the internet was to create a means of communication that would survive a nuclear attack that would destory surface-reliant forms of communication...but hey.. i'm nitpicking here.

ACTUALLY SHIELD.... oh .. wait .. you're right.

damn