Hello, loyal readers!
It’s time to address the state of Inside Survivor and the future of this website. There’s going to be some new things happening, both daunting and exciting, and you can help play a part!
When I launched this site five years ago, Survivor was experiencing one of its hottest periods ever, helped in part due to the exciting Second Chance fan vote. At the time, I was writing episode recaps on my little-read personal blog, while also posting frequent cast/theme spoilers on Twitter. It made sense to gather this content in one place, where fans could easily access it, rather than scrolling through what, at the time, was a very messy Twitter timeline. And so, on May 20, 2015, the night of the Worlds Apart finale, Inside Survivor was born.
Since then, Inside Survivor has grown, changed its look, added more content, developed a loyal readership, and become part of a thriving fan community. I’ve been lucky enough to consistently provide accurate cast and theme/twist spoilers for the past five years. We have a fantastic team of contributors who offer excellent articles and features. We’ve been able to interview past players and expand our coverage of International Survivor. I’m immensely proud of what Inside Survivor has achieved.
Unfortunately, websites cost money to host and maintain.
Until now, Inside Survivor has been lucky enough to make a decent-ish amount of money from advertising. A large portion of this money was able to help cover the costs of hosting, design, domain, plug-ins, etc. I took pride in never asking readers for donations. However, the recent coronavirus pandemic has hit many people and businesses hard, including websites, not just Inside Survivor, but across the entire industry. Google ad-rates are in the toilet, and it’s going to be a long time before things get back to normal. To put it bluntly, Inside Survivor is now making next to nothing.
The last thing I want to do is scale back the website, or, even worse, have to shut it down. And so, after recommendations from several people, I’ve decided to take the Patreon plunge. I know that not everybody is in a position to give money right now, and there are more worthy causes than a Survivor fan-site, and that’s perfectly understandable. But if you’ve ever enjoyed Inside Survivor content or appreciated the spoilers/info I’ve provided over the years, I would be eternally grateful if you could spare a couple of dollars (or more) a month to maintain the future of this website. If you can’t, then I appreciate you being a loyal reader regardless!
Let’s be clear, NOTHING is changing on Inside Survivor itself content-wise. All of our regular weekly content will still be posted as usual, as well as the confirmed casting and theme/twist spoilers. None of that is going behind a pay-wall. However, those who subscribe to the Inside Survivor Patreon will not only be directly supporting the site but will receive exclusive, Patron-only perks and incentives, which are listed in more detail below:
THE BUDDY SYSTEM
$ 2 TIER
A huge thank you from me – you are directly supporting the future of Inside Survivor! PLUS:
- Patron-only polls.
- Access to the basic level of the private Inside Survivor Discord server which includes the following chat rooms: General Survivor Chat, Content Ideas, Survivor Memes, and Other TV. (your Discord account must be linked with your Patreon account).
- Entry into the Patron-only Inside Survivor Prediction League (separate from the Dream Tribe Game), where the winner will receive a commemorative Inside Survivor Prediction Champion mug along with a random Survivor BUFF.
- The full, unabridged transcripts of all my recent Survivor: Borneo interviews with cast and crew, as well as any future interviews.
- Updates on future Inside Survivor content and website changes.
- My eternal gratitude!
THE LOVED ONES
$5 TIER
Supporters at this tier help cement the future of Inside Survivor and will receive ALL the previous benefits, PLUS:
- Exclusive access to EVERYTHING on the private Inside Survivor Discord server, this includes a Rumor Mill chat room, Edgic chat room, and Casting Tips chat room (your Discord account must be linked to your Patreon account).
- The Rumor Mill chat room has all the latest updates on casting/themes/twists for future seasons. Think of it as a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the spoiling process before the confirmed info is published on Inside Survivor (like my Rumor Mill articles but in real-time). You will hear of every rumor and lead I’m currently investigating.
- Patrons can ASK ME ANYTHING regarding rumors/speculation about seasons past/present/future in the Rumor Mill chat room, and I will answer to the best of my ability.
- The Edgic chat room is an open discussion between myself and the Patrons regarding the edit of the latest episodes. This includes a weekly group rewatch of the latest episode where we can all offer edit analysis and comments in the Discord chat as we watch.
- Patrons can ask for Survivor audition advice in the Casting Tips chat room. I will answer with the knowledge I’ve learned over the years from doing casting spoilers and talking to former contestants/applicants.
- Your name (and/or Twitter handle) on the Inside Survivor Wall of Gratitude (a dedicated page on the new-look Inside Survivor website which will launch in July).
- Direct responsibility for the website’s growth!
THE DREAM TEAM
$15 TIER
Supporters at this tier will receive ALL the benefits of the previous tiers, PLUS:
- A custom-made Inside Survivor “BUFF” (sent after at least 3 months of membership at this tier).
- One-on-one audition/casting advice via private message on your social media platform of choice. I will even send your audition video to past Survivors for their feedback (active after at least 2 months of membership at this tier).
- A personal thank you from me on Twitter and Facebook!
As referenced above, there will be a new-look Inside Survivor website coming very soon too. The site is having a complete redesign, including a new and improved logo. This relaunch, along with the Patreon, is all about Inside Survivor’s step into the future, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Thank you.
Written by
I hope it works out for you.