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Idea For 24/7 Network

  • Part of what makes this place fun is empowering and relying on the "network effect" of the different sites' content and conversations.

    I think it could potentially be very valuable to the business to add a pricing tier that allows someone VIP access to either the entire network, or all the sites within their conference.

    Or as an even better and more flexible setup, they could create a pricing tier that allows you to choose your "home site", where you can post all you want, and then add X number of other sites that you are interested in, where you could read the VIP content. To prevent unmitigated trolling, you could place a limit on the number of posts you can make in VIP threads on other sites (for example, 5 posts/day, much like how down votes work).

    Say, for $300/year, you could access 10 total sites. This would allow me to follow the teams we recruit against most in the SEC, along with a couple of other programs that I like to keep tabs on from around the country.

    I would gladly pay 3x the money to be able to get information from a number of other boards, and only converse on a limited basis. That's valuable to me because I'm not interesting in joining two other boards, but there is value in following a bunch of our competitors' recruiting information, and I'm not willing to pay 10x the money to do so.

    Just an idea. I think it would enhance the network, promote cross-site interaction, and make a lot of money for the business.

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • Denver Vol said...

    Part of what makes this place fun is empowering and relying on the "network effect" of the different sites' content and conversations.

    I think it could potentially be very valuable to the business to add a pricing tier that allows someone VIP access to either the entire network, or all the sites within their conference.

    Or as an even better and more flexible setup, they could create a pricing tier that allows you to choose your "home site", where you can post all you want, and then add X number of other sites that you are interested in, where you could read the VIP content. To prevent unmitigated trolling, you could place a limit on the number of posts you can make in VIP threads on other sites (for example, 5 posts/day, much like how down votes work).

    Say, for $300/year, you could access 10 total sites. This would allow me to follow the teams we recruit against most in the SEC, along with a couple of other programs that I like to keep tabs on from around the country.

    I would gladly pay 3x the money to be able to get information from a number of other boards, and only converse on a limited basis. That's valuable to me because I'm not interesting in joining two other boards, but there is value in following a bunch of our competitors' recruiting information, and I'm not willing to pay 10x the money to do so.

    Just an idea. I think it would enhance the network, promote cross-site interaction, and make a lot of money for the business.

    I don't know that it would fit into 247Sports' business model, but that's an interesting idea. Thanks for sharing.

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • Denver Vol said...

    Part of what makes this place fun is empowering and relying on the "network effect" of the different sites' content and conversations.

    I think it could potentially be very valuable to the business to add a pricing tier that allows someone VIP access to either the entire network, or all the sites within their conference.

    Or as an even better and more flexible setup, they could create a pricing tier that allows you to choose your "home site", where you can post all you want, and then add X number of other sites that you are interested in, where you could read the VIP content. To prevent unmitigated trolling, you could place a limit on the number of posts you can make in VIP threads on other sites (for example, 5 posts/day, much like how down votes work).

    Say, for $300/year, you could access 10 total sites. This would allow me to follow the teams we recruit against most in the SEC, along with a couple of other programs that I like to keep tabs on from around the country.

    I would gladly pay 3x the money to be able to get information from a number of other boards, and only converse on a limited basis. That's valuable to me because I'm not interesting in joining two other boards, but there is value in following a bunch of our competitors' recruiting information, and I'm not willing to pay 10x the money to do so.

    Just an idea. I think it would enhance the network, promote cross-site interaction, and make a lot of money for the business.

    I hear ya..not sure of the likelihood though

    signature image

    AtomicCityVol

  • Ryan Callahan said...

    I don't know that it would fit into 247Sports' business model, but that's an interesting idea. Thanks for sharing.

    I'd be interested in seeing how many people subscribe to multiple sites. I bet it's not many. If they could, at no incremental cost, let people pay 3x to see 10x the content (by simply unlocking access to other sites), that would be straight margin expansion. Moreover, it is an innovation in this business that could potentially increase their subscriber base by winning more customers from other sites.

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • I know I for one would not pay 10 dollars more for another site, but I'm sure some would

    signature image

    AtomicCityVol

  • Denver Vol said...

    I'd be interested in seeing how many people subscribe to multiple sites. I bet it's not many. If they could, at no incremental cost, let people pay 3x to see 10x the content (by simply unlocking access to other sites), that would be straight margin expansion. Moreover, it is an innovation in this business that could potentially increase their subscriber base by winning more customers from other sites.

    Without getting into too many of the details, which I'm probably not allowed to share, I think the biggest problem would be that not every site in the 247Sports network operates the same way.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by Ryan Callahan on 1/31/2013 at 11:24 AM

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • Speaking of their business model. I think the composite rating was genius. It effectively devalues other sites' individual rankings by lumping them all together. It's hard to out-scoop, or provide better content than other sites, so by implying that the most accurate look at recruiting is to average all of the rankings together, you make customers care less about what any one site says about a recruit.

    That's genius. This is getting ahead of myself and away from the OP, but I personally think 247 is setting itself up for some buyouts of other recruiting sites. They've gutted personnel from elsewhere, created a much better looking and operating platform, innovated the product, and down they road I think they'll have the chance to consolidate the industry.

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • Ryan Callahan said...

    Without getting into too many of the details, which I'm probably not allowed to share, I think the biggest problem would be that not every site in the 247Sports network operates the same way.

    I get it. There are ways around that if your "capital partner" is committed to the idea, but I understand it can be complicated.

    Sorry to get all "businessy", but I work in private equity so I think about these things a lot.

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • Denver Vol said...

    I get it. There are ways around that if your "capital partner" is committed to the idea, but I understand it can be complicated.

    Sorry to get all "businessy", but I work in private equity so I think about these things a lot.

    No, that's no problem at all. Like I said, I really do think it's an interesting idea. Maybe Kevin will be along later to offer his thoughts on it, but while I'm guessing you won't see anything like that offered soon, who knows? Our CEO, Shannon Terry, is a great businessman. If he hears a good idea, he's usually open to it.

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • Ryan Callahan said...

    No, that's no problem at all. Like I said, I really do think it's an interesting idea. Maybe Kevin will be along later to offer his thoughts on it, but while I'm guessing you won't see anything like that offered soon, who knows? Our CEO, Shannon Terry, is a great businessman. If he hears a good idea, he's usually open to it.

    I didn't realize Shannon Terry was running this ship. Interesting.

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • Denver Vol said...

    I didn't realize Shannon Terry was running this ship. Interesting.

    Yep, he's the boss. You can follow him on Twitter @sbterry247.

    Shannon B. Terry (sbterry247) on Twitter

    The latest from Shannon B. Terry (@sbterry247). Founder CEO of 247Sports and former CEO/Founder of http://t.co/zflcwKxa. . Nashville, Tennessee

    twitter.com

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • I like this idea because a lot of people have more than one team they care about. For instance, Tennessee is by far my favorite team, but Clemson is a solid second place for me. I'd love to be able to read Clemson VIP material, but I couldn't afford paying for 2 separate ones

    Twitter: @nick11vols

    nick11vols

  • nick11vols said...

    I like this idea because a lot of people have more than one team they care about. For instance, Tennessee is by far my favorite team, but Clemson is a solid second place for me. I'd love to be able to read Clemson VIP material, but I couldn't afford paying for 2 separate ones

    Remember, you still can read all VIP stories across the 247Sports network on any site. The only things you can't read on other sites are VIP message-board posts, which often are intended for only the subscribers of that particular site.

    This post was edited by Ryan Callahan on 1/31/2013 at 12:00 PM

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • Ryan Callahan said...

    Remember, you still can read all VIP stories across the 247Sports network on any site. The only things you can't read on other sites are VIP message-board posts, which often are intended for only the subscribers of that particular site.

    I tried to read an article on the Notre Dame 247 site today that was a VIP update on Tarean Folston because a friend who is an Irish fan wanted to see what was going on with him and I wanted to see if he had flipped to Auburn. I clicked on the article but was denied access. Is that because that article was only for the ND site?

    McLeanVol95

  • If y'all send extra money to me via PayPal, I'll tell ya anything ya wanna know.

    biggrin

    signature image

    Senior Writer, govols247 Email: wrucker@247sports.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/@wesrucker247 Facebook: www.facebook.com/wesrucker247

    Wes Rucker ●

  • McLeanVol95 said...

    I tried to read an article on the Notre Dame 247 site today that was a VIP update on Tarean Folston because a friend who is an Irish fan wanted to see what was going on with him and I wanted to see if he had flipped to Auburn. I clicked on the article but was denied access. Is that because that article was only for the ND site?

    No, that's because the story was linking to a VIP message-board post. Again, VIP message-board posts on other sites are the only things within the 247Sports network you can't access with a govols247 subscription.

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • Wes Rucker said...

    If y'all send extra money to me via PayPal, I'll tell ya anything ya wanna know.

    biggrin

    You know a good business idea when you see it.

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • This post is for members of GoVols247 only. Join now! 7-Day Free Trial

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • I think Kevin has posted before that it is a way to streamline trolls. Because that is one of the biggest positive things about this site, IMO

    Boomer020

  • Boomer020 said...

    I think Kevin has posted before that it is a way to streamline trolls. Because that is one of the biggest positive things about this site, IMO

    I agree that would be a risk, but ultimately that's only controlled by firm moderation. If a person wants to create an account to mess with other people, they're going to do it and it's only going to stop when a moderator steps in.

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • Denver Vol said...

    Part of what makes this place fun is empowering and relying on the "network effect" of the different sites' content and conversations.

    I think it could potentially be very valuable to the business to add a pricing tier that allows someone VIP access to either the entire network, or all the sites within their conference.

    Or as an even better and more flexible setup, they could create a pricing tier that allows you to choose your "home site", where you can post all you want, and then add X number of other sites that you are interested in, where you could read the VIP content. To prevent unmitigated trolling, you could place a limit on the number of posts you can make in VIP threads on other sites (for example, 5 posts/day, much like how down votes work).

    Say, for $300/year, you could access 10 total sites. This would allow me to follow the teams we recruit against most in the SEC, along with a couple of other programs that I like to keep tabs on from around the country.

    I would gladly pay 3x the money to be able to get information from a number of other boards, and only converse on a limited basis. That's valuable to me because I'm not interesting in joining two other boards, but there is value in following a bunch of our competitors' recruiting information, and I'm not willing to pay 10x the money to do so.

    Just an idea. I think it would enhance the network, promote cross-site interaction, and make a lot of money for the business.

    You must have my office wired.

    To make a long story short, we have been discussing internally over the past 30-60 days the idea of altering the board setup to as follows:

    #1. Users have to be a members of a "home site" to post on a message board (the way it is setup now, so that only Tennessee fans can post on the Tennessee site).
    #2. Users still have the option to check whether their post is VIP or free (the way it is setup now ... gives our admins the flexibility to determine if content is premium or free.
    #3. All members of the 247Sports network can read the VIP posts from ALL message boards. (obviously, this is the major change from the current setup. In reality, users from rival schools can signup or fake a free trial to read a board, so there's no real "hidden" information.

    To me the value of being able to read all of the boards in the 247Sports network is a huge Plus to the customer. My mother is an Alabama fan, but spends as much time reading the Tennessee (my family are friends with Coach Fulmer) and Auburn message boards as BamaOnLine. I know a few users would be pissed with this change, thinking their content is really for their school's fans only, but the reality of the situation is far from that fact.

    My goal from the start is NOT to build a Rivals.com 2.0, but build something broader and better. I love the idea of continuing to add value to the customer. By the way ... there would be zero ($0) costs added to view all of these boards. Just part of the offer.

    I have been researching this possibility and will continue to do so with our closest advisors over the next few weeks. Right now, I am heavily leaning in that direction. However, make no mistake I will never turn the boards over so that all fans can posts on any board. That would greatly devalue the conversation of the boards. We can setup new boards to try to reach that market.

    Thanks, Shannon

    This post has been edited 4 times, most recently by Lucky on 1/31/2013 at 1:07 PM

    247Sports and BOL updates: http://twitter.com/sbterry247

    Lucky

  • Lucky said...

    You must have my office wired.

    To make a long story short, we have been discussing internally over the past 30-60 days the idea of altering the board setup to as follows:

    -- Users have to be a members of a "home site" to post on a message board (the way it is setup now, so that only Tennessee fans can post on the Tennessee site). -- Users still have the option to check whether their post is VIP or free (the way it is setup now ... gives our admins the flexibility to determine if content is premium or free. -- All members of the 247Sports network can read the VIP posts (obviously, this is the major change from the current setup. In reality, users from rival schools can signup or fake a free trial to read a board, so there's no real "hidden" information.

    To me the value of being about to read all of the boards is a huge value to the customer. My mother is an Alabama fan, but spends as much time reading the Tennessee (my family are friends with Coach Fulmer) and Auburn message boards as BamaOnLine. I know a few users would be pissed thinking their content is really for their fans only, but the reality of the situation is far from that.

    My goal from the start is to not build a Rivals.com 2.0, but to build something broader and better. I love the idea of continuing to add value to the customer. By the way ... there would be zero ($0) costs added to view all of these boards. Just part of the offer.

    I have been researching this possibility and will continue to do so with our closest advisors over the next few weeks. Right now, I am heavily leaning in that direction. However, make no mistake I will never turn the boards over so that all fans can post. We can setup new boards to try to reach that market.

    Thanks, Shannon

    Thank you for the reply, Shannon. That's even better than I had envisioned for the customer, because, as I described it, that access would come with a price.

    Quick question: would it be the case that the "VIP" designation of a thread determines whether or not a user from another site can post in that thread? In other words, I could post in a free thread on Bama's site, but not a VIP thread? Just curious.

    Also, the microphone I planted in your office is behind the painting. Seriously, though, if you ever need someone for a business development group, let me know.

    This post was edited by Denver Vol on 1/31/2013 at 1:08 PM

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • Denver Vol said...

    Thank you for the reply, Shannon. That's even better than I had envisioned for the customer, because, as I described it, that access would come with a price.

    Quick question: would it be the case that the "VIP" designation of a thread determines whether or not a user from another site can post in that thread? In other words, I could post in a free thread on Bama's site, but not a VIP thread? Just curious.

    Also, the microphone I planted in your office is behind the painting. Seriously, though, if you ever set up a business development group, let me know.

    Regarding your post question: I don't think I would add that initially, but that is a good idea to consider down the road -- phase 2.

    haha.

    247Sports and BOL updates: http://twitter.com/sbterry247

    Lucky

  • Denver, you've gotten into the big boss' head. You're starting to scare me.

    By the way, you really oughta change your avatar. You don't want to be associated with that guy now unless you are a Cowboys' fan.

    This post was edited by RockytopATL on 1/31/2013 at 1:16 PM

    signature image

    RockytopATL

  • RockytopATL said...

    Denver, you've gotten into the big boss' head. You're starting to scare me.

    By the way, you really change your avatar. You don't want to be associated with that guy now unless you are a Cowboys' fan.

    I feel like that picture captures his entire tenure on Rocky Top.

    This post was edited by Denver Vol on 1/31/2013 at 1:17 PM

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

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