Color Me Crazy - My Latest Project

Of course it is.

Jesus, Devil. You think Moddy's working with a $5 million bankroll and 20 writers? Even that wouldn't be enough to cover an entire state of high schools with video, live updates, etc...

Edit: What Moddy said.

 

The site looks great and I am going to be keeping and eye on it (even after it's not free).

A friend of mine started up a similar venture this year -- www.hardballcooperative.com -- that focuses on baseball. A lot of former Baseball America alumni there and it's a free site right now. Am wondering, though, how long before something becomes so popular that you can charge.

Hoping your site will be a good model to watch.

Good luck. I have dreamed of doing this myself, and think that in Texas it could be profitable, but have neither the time nor the capital to get it rolling. I hope your site takes off bigtime. ;D

 

Oh, I know the high school coverage is a potential beast.

But why not start small and work out from it?

Do the Varina, Highland Springs, Atlee confernece the first year and add conferences later on. No college football is played on Friday night in Virginia, right?

I am guessing more people go to Varina/Highland Springs each year than go to any UR football or basketball game.

 

I think Moddy's right to start the way he is, with something he thinks is manageable. He can always expand if it's a success. I've seen people go under because they bit off more than they could chew. This could work. He's smart to limit himself to what he thinks he can do well. Then, when it's popular, think about growing.

 

Moddy...what are you doing art-wise? Where are you getting the stuff you have up now and do you plan on using state papers for help during the season?

 

Looks like a great site, Moddy. Congrats and good luck.

 

Oh, I agree.

But having one writer assigned to a high school conference might work. For example, that writer could do a "game of the week" type of story on Friday and for the remainder of the week to preview stories for that conference.

If he can add 500 subscribers (about 100 per school) that would create $10,000 of revenue. Is that too lofty of an assumption? Maybe.

This said, he is a lot ballsier than me for trying this, but I think it could work.

Moddy, are you going to try and get on some local radio shows to promote this website?

 

Unless you have millions of page views per month, advertising doesn't pay online. You almost have to go to a paid model. People who get all their news online had better start getting used to this fact, too. Pay to read is going to be a big movement on the 'net in the years to come.

 

Is there somewhere to access exact numbers? I've heard "it doesn't pay" a million times, but I have yet to see any numbers. Not saying it's not factual; just curious.

 

Would help if there was a celebrity endorsement....

 

Devil, that makes no sense. This is not "RichmondSportsNow," it's VaSportsNow. The only way to do high schools would be to blanket the state, and he doesn't have the manpower or the capital to do that. UR football is big because it won a national championship. Virginia and Virginia Tech are no-brainers. I assume there might be the time and place for an odd JMU or VMI feature. But to start, hammering the heck out of the state colleges is the way to go.