This is a loaded one...
uhmmm...
I really hope TPU would listen to its community, and while "the money" doesn't come from it, this is a core that is a pillar to this site, i feel.
W1zz is a very technically talented individual, and he is the main reason i like opening TPU a bunch of times a day, but other aspects of the website feel alien and changed for me since what they were just a few years ago.
Forum moderation changes is a big part of it - many of us "gave up" on being more active due to some unfortunate decisions from staff.
While i never got punished, i see many other users who do, over stuff they shouldn't.
With reviews - I have no idea why the pipe is so damn long from when a review is written to the moment its published. I know for a fact that some reviews in recent years waited months to be published. Why? That's a dis-service to both the community and reviewers. There are a bunch of talented individuals here.
We already have some review aspects stuck in 2007 with how products are tested and how results are being produced. Its 2020 and we don't have noise regulated case and cooler testing, we don't have min 1\0.1% lows and deeper frametime analysis of GPUs, we don't even have in-depth deep-dives into driver features and important tweaking tools. Not anymore.
In front page - The waves of meme PR news, regarding stuff that's pretty far away from common interest. I know people bash mr news editor, and 2019 would definitely be a year to learn from, but i know he can produce great content, he clearly has the technical capability of doing so. We're all human, we all can slip at times. 2020 is a year to improve.
I'd love to support TPU financially when some of those crucial issues will be addressed.
See, that last line in your comment, right there, tells you exactly why things aren't changing. You now have a chance to financially support a rather small publication that is asking for contribution, but you say no, because a few things aren't up to your standards. How do you expect things to change? Maybe with your small contribution, they will earn enough so they can make the changes you want, but clearly, you're the unwilling party here, so the changes you want aren't likely to happen.
I think TPU needs to reinforce it's core draw card - reviews of 'big ticket items'. Reviews of mice, keyboards, headphones and the occasional fan are a great supplement and gap filler, but let's face it, they're a dime a dozen and with the saturation in the market and the fact everyone has a difference taste, they're not going to get the reader count. During the long wait between GPU and CPU launches (and their subsequent brilliant reviews), I feel TPU needs to focus more on case, cooler and power supply reviews as these are components most will generally keep for 3 or more builds. For example, the level of technical detail in PSU reviews is excellent and greatly appreciated, with ripple tests, load regulation, temperatures and efficiency. Perhaps this Patreon expansion can help make this happen?
To be able to do "big ticket items" as you put it, reviews of other things have to be done as well, since these companies are also likely to put up ads on the site, which pays for the "big ticket items". I guess you've never 1. worked as a tech journalist and 2. never had your own business?
It's not possible to only write about certain things and on top of that, the site would be too much of a niche publication, so they'd lose readers and when the numbers goes down, so does the advertising money. Also, not everyone here has the same interest, so a mix of content is good imho.
You could make a Kickstarter for several goals too. For example:
- $500: Interactive charts like the ones at computerbase.
- $1000: Choosing sensible game graphic settings for GPU reviews.
- $2000: 0.1% lows charts in GPU reviews.
- $3000: Stop the clickbaiting and senseless rumors in the main site by firing btarunr.
$1 have you banned for life?
I mean seriously, clearly only your opinion count here, right? You have seven posts on the forums, so please...
Great idea TPU. Your site and content is great and while there's obviously going to be ads and sponsored content (tpu staff needs to eat like the rest of you), the toxic community centered around passive aggressiveness and drama is what's holding tpu back. I wish there was a free trial so I could see how the Patreon sponsored threads look like toxicity wise.
There's times in the past where I've needed feedback on my builds and went to this site only to see similar type of forum questions turn into personal attacks. I hope this Patreon weeds out the older, disgruntled accounts.
You could pay $4 and see, it's not like you have to tie yourself up for life...