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Ricochet People
Last Thursday night was a high point.
No, not because we recorded a live GLOP Culture podcast, but because we did it in a room with dozens of Ricochet members and contributors. And then, afterwards, we all repaired to a local bar to talk some more, have a drink or two, and get to know each other. It was a Reagan Member event, but we have all-member meetups and gatherings all the time.
They are all, for me, a high point.
I have no real memory of what we all talked about. Some politics, some history, some scurrilous gossip, some absurdist humor, everything.
Membership in Ricochet is like that: a chance to get to know people from all over, people who are more-than-less aligned with a conservative, center/right (pick one) world view. Which means that although we disagree about a lot of things, we’re essentially cheering from the same sideline. You can get to know your fellow Ricochet members online; you can get to know them in person. You get to talk about everything.
And yes, this is me asking you to join us. It’s free for 30 days, the way.
Ricochet has fewer than 10,000 members. But we have hundreds of thousands of readers and hundreds of thousands of podcast listeners.
What we need are somewhere around 10,000 members to keep this thing going. Which isn’t impossible, and isn’t even unlikely. But it’s important that we hit that number, and hit it soon.
So to those of you who are reading this right now and aren’t members, I’m asking you to click here and join us today.
It’s risk free. You have 30 free days to try it out.
Because although some of you tell me, Hey, I’m not a writer and don’t want to post or comment, I just like to read and that’s free, I say:
Yeah, you’re right. But we’ve got thousands of members who said the same thing.
And thousands of them read something here, or elsewhere, at one time and thought, Hey, I have something to add to this. Maybe it was a personal anecdote, maybe it was a short-but-snappy insight, maybe it was just a joke that made us all laugh. And they knew when they did that Ricochet is a place where we treat each other — or try damn hard to — with civility and good faith. (Unless we’re talking about Sarah Palin or gay marriage, but then nothing is perfect…)
Look, this is a community. Warts and all. If you’re reading this, you’re a part of it.
Yes, you can read it for free, and listen to the podcasts for free. But being a member really is something special.
And if you do, come to the next meetup, and if I’m there we’ll all share a toast and have a conversation like friends. Which is exactly what we did on Thursday night.
Published in General
What Rob said.
On the Member Feed there is fresh content on almost every topic mentioned on the Drudge Report and in the Wall Street Journal just about every hour. You will find the quality of the writing and the diversity of viewpoints astounding and unmatched anywhere else on the Internet.
“I don’t need to join Ricochet…I would never post or comment.”
That’s what I said for months…then I got a free 30 day membership (you can get one, too.)
But then I found myself talking back to the posts and comments…because they weren’t a cesspool of indecent humanity…these sounded like people I would like.
Turns out they are and your should join too.
All of these East Coast events, though. Unfortunately, those of us who have yet to reach the pinnacle of success… ;)
Rob, I sure hope you’re planning a big pre-launch shindig in Seattle before the NR Cruise. I will be attending that one. Not the cruise, the meetup.
Reagan Membership…it goes on a list. A list that contains an AR, a new pistol, a new stereo for the truck, some fishing stuff, a new video game, and a whole bunch of other things.
What is the title of said list, you ask? The title is “Things I Could have Bought with the Money I Spent on the Cat”
Yes! Great idea!
I’ve been a paying member for years at this point. I seldom comment or interact with the community because, well, I’m busy. I have been paying because I believe in what Ricochet is and does. BUT…
Why should I keep paying when I can freeload? Ricochet is almost daring me to cancel my membership by giving away all of the goodies for free. The podcasts are what initially brought me here and what keeps me coming back. I glance at all posts and read the one’s I find interesting, but comment as infrequently as a Democrat tells the truth. As I am not taking advantage of the features that are available as a paying member, is there anything other than guilt that should keep me paying $40 a year? I don’t live in a big city, just a speck of red in a sea of blue, so meet-ups are not something that keep me here.
If you want to keep me as a subscriber, you better make it worth my while. Podcasts should be for members only. Period. No leaky paywalls. Maybe do what Derb does and have only one free podcast a month and have the others available only with a membership. First 20 lines of a post visible, the rest for members only. If you want my $40, you’re going to have to earn it instead of taking me for a sucker. I have no guilt about being a leech.
This plea is kind of like the membership drive that interrupts “news” on my morning drive radio, EXCEPT I chose to click on Rob’s post and of course, the biggest difference, I don’t feel like “the other” here. We are not alone.
Therein lies the dilmena: the podcasts are what brings everyone here (myself included). The podcasts are advertising that drive people to the site. If they stop the free podcasts, the chief source of new members dries up.
Jim Gone Wild and I are planning a Tahoe meetup in September maybe.
Rico is the best fraternity of “conservative” nerds on the planet. Nothing comes close.
If anybody doubts the admission price then you haven’t met Dave Carter.
Ignore Rob. Don’t join Ricochet.
Ricochet is an elite club of smart, funny, sophisticated movers and shakers. People that matter, leaders. What makes you think you’re even worthy to join an exclusive club like this? We’d probably reject your membership application anyway.
Really well put, Rob! I also was at the NRI Ideas Summit, and while it was fun to rub shoulders with the “big shots” (no pun intended), it was nice to be among people with whom I already felt a kinship. So many lively conversations got started with, “Oh, I’m a member, too –what’s your handle?”
So apparently I am more interested in the advertising than the content. That makes me the guy who watches the ads on television, but not the show itself. I am a marketers dream.
I work in traditional retail. Selling is about features, advantages, and benefits. As someone who can live without the comments and the meet-ups, I want you to sell Ricochet to me.
I’m serious about this. I’m not sure what I am getting out of my membership aside from a lack of guilt. I’m not even sure why I should feel guilty; I subscribe to a dozen other podcasts, and none of them get a penny from me and I’ve never felt guilty listening to them.
I don’t mind paying for things, but I have a real problem with other people getting for free that which I work for. If I go the grocery store and someone in front of my gets a steak for free and I pay for mine, why shouldn’t I feel taken advantage of?
Lemme know, I’m a couple of hours from there.
Well, yeah. I was driving to Arlington the other day and thinking “We really need a Pacific Northwest Meetup.” But where to have it, and when?
You know, I actually don’t disagree with you. Ricochet is a community, and it’s not for everyone. If you’re a member of that community and you want to participate in on-line conversations or meet-ups, we want you to join. We had about 300,000 unique visitors last month — that’s over 2,000,000 page views — and fewer (but not by much) podcast listeners.
We’re proud of that. And we’re happy that you love the podcasts. That’s why we do them.
But we’re certain that, say, 3-5% of our regular visitors want have a bigger and deeper participation in the community.
We’re not trying to “guilt” anyone into joining if they don’t want to. But as PsychLynne says above, if you join you just might find yourself happily engaging here, as a member of this incredible community.
Here’s the bottom line: we don’t need — and probably couldn’t handle — a membership as large as our podcast audience, or our monthly visitors. Membership is special. And it always will be.
Which is why I’m asking people to try it out, for 30 free days, and see if you like it here.
Try it, you’ll like it.
Sorry, Rob. The DC meetup sounds okay, but did it include MOONSHINE?
Nashville Meetup Rules!!!
Let’s get to brass tacks. Is Ricochet financially viable as it stands currently? I may not be as heavily invested as some others, but I don’t want it to disappear either. Are you at the point where you are looking to cuts costs because you do not have the membership you need, or are you at the point where Peter is trying to milk us for as much as he can to buy more sweaters to tie around his shoulders? I love you guys to death, but I also love tacos. With $3.33 a month I could buy two more tacos. And there’s no one in line ahead of me getting free tacos.
I originally ignored my wife’s protests to listen to the podcasts. Then I relented, and listened to “The Shores of Lake Naboo”. After busting my gut laughing, I joined. I lurked for a while, then made my first post (a Ricochet podcast parody) during the 2014 Charlotte Meetup. I’ve been hooked ever since . . .
That is the truth! He’s the menschiest of mensches. Interesting thing: he speaks just like he writes: complete sentences, affable, looks you in the eyes, warm, inclusive.
I doubt it. Reading between the lines, I think Rob is saying we need 10,000 members to make it viable, and we aren’t there yet. Though the actual number is a closely-guarded secret.
Actually, I just thought of a new membership perk you could offer: access to Ricochet behind-the-scenes membership and financial data. I mean at the very least Reagan-level members should be able to see that stuff, right?
Join, join, join. I do not want this site to go away. I listen to the podcasts and I read the comments and the posts. It is a relief to find myself constantly thinking, “That’s exactly how I see it, too!” I’m pretty much alone in my family with these thoughts, so I think of you here at Ricochet as cousins.
Plus, it IS a very civil place. One can engage in quite complex thinking, and no one answers back in misspelled vulgarities! There is a variety of opinion written sensibly and clearly, and everyone doesn’t agree all the time. However, they are rarely disagreeable in their differences.
If he tolerates both of us it also makes him a saint Larry.
If he tolerates YOU he’s a saint. Larry is OK.
For anyone who is not a member and you’ve made it this far into the comment thread I would suggest that you take a chance on Ricochet. Not everyone will agree with every member on essays but the tone is different. You will not only read essays that will challenge you will read essays that will move you. One of my favorite writers is Ole Summers. There are many of his essays that move me to think, and to make me think I wish had written this. His essays on western history and the lessons that could be applied to the present moment are well worth the membership fee. After I started my own blog my brother urged me to join Ricochet. After taking his advice my first thought was I should have done this a long time ago. You will also get the chance to express yourself whether it is science, religion, politics, music, film or just day to day observations on life in general, and not just life in the US.
This seems about right. With the way things have been going I’m happy to get “OK” at this point.
Speaking about Meetups. Any plans for a New York meetup?
Sign up now!
I’m like you. I hardly ever post and don’t read all that much; I mostly listen to the podcasts. Yet I don’t mind giving a donation to a site that does worthwhile work and would not exist if it didn’t receive money from its users. My life would be worse if I didn’t get to hear Richard Epstein rap about the law every week or so, not to mention Rob, Peter, James, Troy, Jonah, John, and Milt. So I subscribed and haven’t really thought about it one way or another since.
Great to see everyone the other night. My dad and I had a lot of fun.