Drew Wilson is writing a post that he never wanted to post about Freezenet, but is forced to anyway.
I’ve been spending years building up this website to be the place to get technology and digital rights news. It was never supposed to be about me personally as the dream was to have a full writing staff reporting on different issues from the perspective of those who actually have an understanding of how technology works. Not just another dime a dozen just believe everything you read follower of whatever is put out there or partisan hack that just believes that their side is always right and the “other” side is the bad guys. This with in-depth analysis and utilizing the knowledge of the technological past to help understand the technological present.
I’ve been doing everything to make my dream a reality. From paying big to have a modern look to the site to starting multiple YouTube channels to writing almost every day about these things to even putting together a music and video game section for those who are more about entertainment, I’ve been working extremely hard every day to make this dream a reality.
Yet, for all those who have told me that “hard work pays off” and to “keep pushing”, I’ve constantly felt like no matter how much effort I put into this project, the payoffs seem to never really occur. There’s been constant setback after setback despite delivering what people want every day. Whether that is the YouTube algorithm sabotaging my attempts to grow the channel to constantly having links getting rejected automatically or getting no traction on social media or even Google suppressing ad revenue and search engine traffic, it seemed that nothing I do to promote high quality content really seemed to matter.
There are still plans to move Freezenet forward on my part. I’ve been hoping to slot in some time in with an adviser on getting advertising out there. Along with that, I’ve already been in a business mentorship program to help me figure out how to move the site forward. Further, the plan is to showcase current generation console games on the YouTube channel and here starting next year (I’ve been building up for that moment over the last year or so). This while moving forward with the news YouTube channel as well.
However, despite everything I’ve done and what all I have planned for this site, I’ve been dealt one last blow to the financial situation on the site. I have formally lost my last paid subscriber on Patreon. This means that the only revenue Freezenet gets is through Google Adsense which amounts to about 50 cents per month. I have been performing miracle after miracle to get Freezenet to where it is, but there is only so much I can do alone. I want and need help to build Freezenet and I can’t do it on 50 cents a month. I believe Freezenet deserves better and I’m sure you do to.
So, I am asking you, the reader, to consider financially supporting Freezenet through something like Patreon or Ko-Fi. If there is interest in using Bitcoin, I’ll happily look into making that avenue possible. On Patreon, I have long been open about the financial state of Freezenet and happily explain where the money goes so you know what is going on with your investments.
Freezenet has always been open and honest about everything and I think this post really only further proves that aspect. I also loath to feel like I’m begging at all which made this post difficult to make. Still, I hope you consider helping this site out. If you value high quality journalism and want a site like this succeed, please consider becoming a supporter. I can only promise I’ll do what I can to make this site succeed, stretching every dollar I get in the process. Thank you for reading.
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Wish I could contribute, I’ve got finical troubles of my own best of luck. Maybe post podcast episodes on YouTube to boost visibility?
I totally get it. In a lot of cases for a very long time, I was basically in the exact same boat. Wanting to help, but have no means of contributing myself.
As for a podcast on YouTube, I’m actually already more or less doing that with Closed Captioning and having everything edited: https://www.youtube.com/@Freezenetca/videos
Work has been temporarily paused while I work on video’s for YourEraGamer which is here: https://www.youtube.com/@YourEraGamer . I’m hoping they will be done in the next few days so I can continue working on the next video for the Freezenet channel.
Unfortunately, the YouTube algorithm is a total crapshoot. There’s no rhyme or reason for things getting popular and things not getting popular. What works one day suddenly doesn’t work the next. I’ve analyzed the data for over 200 video’s and the data on every level is just pure noise. I’ve also looked up tips and tricks for helping me along, but all the advice I’ve gotten or found turned out to be completely bogus as far as trying to get a channel to the level of monetization. Still have a couple experiments left to run, but the preliminary data is not looking good.
I’ve just supported/donated what i could.
Meanwhile others (cbc/radio-canada) get millions from the state as per the federal budget.
I really appreciate it. Thank you.
Indeed, the CBC gets a huge chunk of money from the government (AKA taxpayers). That’s how they are able to stay so easily afloat. Some people look at what organizations like CBC provides and think that it is really easy for anyone to provide that level of product. Of course it’s much easier to offer so much when you have, say, a billion in support from the government every year. If I had a billion dollars, it would easily transform freezenet into a media power house without a problem. I’m talking having a whole team of hard nosed journalists going after stories, video production crews, and a whole lot more.
Of course, it isn’t just CBC that gets government money. All the big players get that too. Organizations like Corus, CTV, and many others have received plenty in bailout money in the past. It’s annoying because it heavily tilts the market in their favour. Provide low quality content? Who cares? The government will pass along a few million more to make up the difference.
Meanwhile, smaller players like us have to make do with less. If you happen to publish a bad story based on bad information from a trusted source, well, you could spend years recovering from something like that. Some may not recover at all. If a major media outlet does it, well, they can just shrug it off and move on to the next story like it’s no big deal. Like so many other things in life, it’s really unfair.