Hi there!
Thanks for stopping by the blog’s Support page! Here, you can find the Whats, Whys, and Hows of what this is all about. Thank you in advance for reading!
WHY DOES THE BLOG NEED MY SUPPORT?
Here are the 3 reasons the blog could use your help. Mainly reason 1 and 2, honestly. But reason 3 is the dream, and it’s good to have a dream, yes?
1. My work was put on hold indefinitely, because of the pandemic, and with that going on for quite some time, it became the trigger that made me decide to blog full-time.
I love dramas, and I love writing, and I love writing about dramas, but I also need to find a way to make it sustainable, so that I can keep my lights on, and pay my bills; that kind of thing.
2. As the blog grows bigger, it will eventually cost more money to upkeep. (I do love that the blog is growing though!)
HOW CAN I HELP?
1. By allowing the ads on your screen.
This new arrangement means that there’ll be ads on each page that you visit while you’re here. You don’t have to click on an ad (unless you actually want to), but just scrolling past the ad counts towards ad revenue.
If you’re using an AdBlocker, it would really help me out if you could consider whitelisting this site (not just this page, but the site as a whole), coz as you probably know, if the ads are blocked while you’re hanging out here, your visit won’t count towards ad revenue – though I’ll still appreciate your presence!
2. By making a contribution
If you’d like to, you can also make a cash contribution here: https://www.paypal.me/thefangirlverdict.
Any and all contributions help, no matter the size! And no, you don’t need to have a Paypal account in order to make a contribution. 🙂
I’ve also put a handy-dandy link on the sidebar which you can find on the right of your screen if you’re on a computer, or at the bottom of your screen if you’re on mobile. So anytime you’d like to contribute to the blog, you can do it easily without having to come back to this post. It looks like this:
3. By supporting the blog monthly on Patreon
A number of you suggested I check out Patreon, to enable easy monthly contributions, and so I did!
You can find the blog on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/thefangirlverdict.
I’ve come up with a total of 6 different tiers that you can choose from. You can pick whichever works best for you, AND, you can change to a different tier (or pause or stop your monthly contribution) anytime you wish. So don’t feel like you’ll be locked in forever and ever, just by signing up!
I’ve also put another handy-dandy link on the sidebar which you can find on the right of your screen if you’re on a computer, or at the bottom of your screen if you’re on mobile. It looks like this:
A look at Patreon benefits
I wanted to talk more about the Patreon benefits, explain how they work, and also say a little more about my intention behind them, because, from some of the confusion that’s arisen since I started on Patreon, I realize that the short blurbs I’m allowed to have on Patreon maybe aren’t clear enough. Oops.
Please know that the Patreon benefits aren’t designed to make patrons “more exclusive” or “more important” than non-patrons on the blog.. they’re just my way of saying thank you, for your decision to support the blog on a monthly basis. 😊
Ah, one thing I’ve learned, is that on Patreon, we can message each other directly, so in that way, it’s a small perk. I kinda almost feel like I’m texting you guys, when I message you on Patreon (especially since you can use Patreon as an app on your phone), which is quite nice, really. 😊 But if you’re not on Patreon, you can still reach me easily, by leaving a comment on the blog, emailing me, tweeting me or sending me a DM on Instagram. So if you’re not able to join Patreon, there’s no need to feel left out. 😊
What is Early Access, exactly?
Early Access is basically a sneak peek at my episode notes in their raw form; my immediate thoughts after watching an episode. It’ll be kinda like a less polished comments section of a recap – without the actual recap. So you’ll get to experience the show with me, as I watch it.
Don’t worry, though. The reviews will continue to be hosted right here on the blog, in just the way that you’re used to. The episode notes will eventually be edited, trimmed, beefed up, added to other remarks, and given a structure, and screen shots and music will be added, in order to create the reviews.
If you’re not able to sign up for Early Access, don’t worry, you’ll eventually get to read essentially the same notes (except for the pieces that don’t make the final cut, which I’d say is usually about 10-20%), in their new incarnation as part of the final review.
I hope that helps to clear up any confusion or apprehension. Nobody misses out. The early access is my way of letting you in on my creative process, and giving you a sneak peek at a rough cut of episode notes, as a thank you for supporting the blog. 😊
How often do Early Access posts come out?
Each show is currently assigned a day of the week, and notes for 2 episodes will come out on the assigned day of the week, unless it’s a Chinese dramas, in which case 4 episodes worth of notes will come out on the assigned day of the week.
You’ll get notified by Patreon whenever I post something that’s accessible to you, and you can decide when you’d like to read it.
The Tiers
Tier 1: Foundation Tier, $1/month
(a) Entertainment drop every Sunday
(b) Access to all chat zones on my Patreon page, where you can interact with me and other patrons. That would be The Deep Dive Zone, Spoiler-free Zone and The Water Cooler.
(c) You’ll also get Early Access to ALL 1st EPISODE NOTES of each new show I cover on Patreon! This covers the first 2 episodes of a show, unless it’s a Chinese drama, in which case it’d be 4 episodes.
Tier 2: Early Access Tier, $5/month
(a) All benefits from previous tier
(b) Early access to episode notes for ONE show that I’m currently watching (selected by me).
Tier 3, Early Access Plus, $10/month
(a) All benefits from previous tier
(b) Early access to episode notes for TWO shows that I’m currently watching (selected by me).
Tier 4, VIP Early Access, $15/month
(a) All benefits from previous tier
(b) Early access to episode notes for THREE shows that I’m currently watching (selected by me).
Tier 5, VVIP Early Access, $20/month
(a) All benefits from previous tier
(b) Early access to episode notes for FOUR shows that I’m currently watching (selected by me).
Tier 6, Ultimate Early Access, $25/month
(a) All benefits from previous tier
(b) Early access to episode notes for FIVE shows that I’m currently watching (selected by me).
Like I mentioned earlier, pick the tier that works for you, and feel safe to change tiers anytime, or pause or stop as needed. We all have our practical considerations, so I perfectly understand. ❤️
4. Buy a t-shirt (or mug, or other item)
At your encouragement and suggestion, I’m bringing back a couple of designs from the original round of #FindMyTribe campaigns in 2015. Thanks to lotusgirl for the nudge, because I totally wouldn’t have done this, if it weren’t for her.
Yes, I do get something from the sale of the shirts (or mugs, or other item), but a pretty large chunk goes to actually producing the items themselves, so please don’t feel obliged to buy any unless you actually want them, ok?
To be honest, because I’m not a professional designer, I’d thought it was no big loss to let the old designs retire (well, except for Shining Tiger, of which I’m quite proud, heh). So I was blown away when lotusgirl informed me that she actually preferred the old designs, to the graphic tee look of the 2 shirts that have been available all this time, one of which (the Healer one) I actually paid a professional to design! Woah. Mind blown.
So I’ve tentatively revived 2 of the old designs, with minor tweaks. These Classic designs from the old Healer campaigns can be found here: https://teespring.com/stores/FindMyTribe
I’ve also reworked some of the old #FindMyTribe designs (for Kill Me, Heal Me and Coffee Prince) into single-sided Graphic tees, with options for other items like mugs, tote bags, notebooks, cushions etc. You can check those out here: https://www.teepublic.com/user/findmytribe
Availability
I’m happy to share that the shirts on both platforms are now available INDEFINITELY. Woot! So there’s no need to rush to make it in time to place your order before the campaign ends, like we did back in 2015. Now, you order when you want to, and they’ll have the item produced for you, when you want it. Isn’t that great? 😀
THANK YOU!
Thanks for reading, thanks for considering the various ways you can help support the blog, and thanks for being here. If you’d like to read the original post, along with the super heartwarming messages from everyone on the blog, you can check it out here.
I appreciate you! Smooches. ❤️