The AFL Player Spectator Current AFL Threat Level

Millionaires with a Year Ten Education

Friday, November 25, 2005

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

From time to time, I get vitriolic, hateful comments and threats (showcased on the sidebar on the right) and also genuine messages of support for my hard work here.

Like a lot of blogs, I have tip jar to allow donations from supporters. But what about the readers that loathe what's written here? You're hardly likely to spur me on by sending cash. But, if you're enraged and infuriated by what you read here, now is your chance to finally, once-and-for-all, Shut Me Up!

How? Easy. I've set a reserve price of AU$1000.00 to continue this blog (NB: See below for price update). Angry readers can throw into the pot. Once the reserve is reached, I'll stop bagging AFL players. I'll remove all the Speccy content from the internet. Forever. No more. It ends here.

That's right, I'm Selling Out!

Of course, readers who think this blog provides an important (or even just amusing) warning to the public about the dangers of drug-abusing, violent, criminally-connected and spoilt sex attackers are welcome to chip into the tip jar. Donations received in this way will count against those trying to shut me up!

Get it? The pot starts out at $1000 and increases as donations are received. However, it goes down as "anti-donations" are made via the Shut Me Up! button. Once it gets to $0, that's it, I'm out.

You may be wondering why on earth this would work. Well, you've got to keep in mind just how vain and rich these footballers are - the average is over $200K a year! So, yeah, for a measly few hours' pay they can get their dignity back and continue to maraud this fine city with impunity.

Let the bidding begin ...

*** Update ***
12/10/2006

To better reflect the utility I derive from this blog, the "buy out" price will increase from AU$1000 to AU$5000 (including any positive or negative contributions) on the one year anniversary of the initial offer - 25th of November, 2006. So, you've got six weeks left to buy me out under the old, cheaper price. After that, it will jump by $5000 (to a net $5005, based on current figures).

Good luck, and happy bidding.

Word Count: 383


Labels: , ,



Contribute         

15 Comments:

    <    >
  • Now whos ego is running away with itself!!!!!!!

    Molly
    Come and listen to my AFL Podcast(http://www.mollyzine.com)
    Or Blog
    http://www.mollyzine.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:33 am, November 26, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Geez, Molly. If you're going to comment-spam my blog how about putting a tip in the donations jar?

    Or at least a black link? Bloody hell, even a worthwhile remark would be the honorable thing.

    By Blogger Greg, at 1:07 pm, November 26, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Dude, I don't consider it comment spam, just inproving the quality of your blog but I tell you what. Seeings I am a generous kind of guy, I will relent and give you a tip (well actually a SHut up or what ever you are calling it).

    I think I am being overly generous, but hey, thats the kind of guys I am. I look forward to seeing the update in the figure to go.

    And lastly I decided that I will give you a tip after all, but not a money one, yet some advice on what to do with the money I have just given you............

    ........
    ........
    Don't spend it all in the one place.
    ;)
    Molly
    --------------------------
    If you want some balanced reporting on AFL footy, come listen to my AFL Podcast.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:27 pm, November 26, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Thanks for the money, Molly. Perhaps I could use it buy a spot on your podcast? Do you have a rate card?

    Or perhaps we could just do ads for each other. What do you think of this copy:

    Do you cry yourself to sleep with worry over the groin injuries of a teenager (who earns more money than you)? Then head over to Molly's podcast!

    And then you could reciprocate by reading out this:

    By the way, if you're not enjoying hearing a star-struck grown man fawning and gushing over the prowess of arrogant young boofheads, then you might want read Greg's Speccy.

    Interested?

    -Greg.

    By Blogger Greg, at 1:39 pm, November 27, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Dude, I think your comments are screwy (hey, why should they be any different from the rest of the blog). My comments are disapearing!

    Any way, in case you, or you readers missed it, you can go to my http://afl.mollyzine.com and listen to the podcasts as you will see or hear how to advertise on my show. I would love to have you.

    Also, when are you going to update your tally. I know you have accepted the payment, why not show the amount.

    Molly
    htp://afl.mollyzine.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:53 pm, December 04, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Hi Molly,

    Yeah, I enjoy the back-and-forth banter thing too, and while our audiences almost certaintly don't overlap I'm happy to look at ways that we can find opportunities for mutual benefit. But you can't be just comment-spamming on my blog ie posting links to your own advertising-riddled website and podcasts without any adding anything beyond a lame half-sentence. This adds nothing for my readers and may in fact hurt my search engine rankings since comment-spam in blogs is a sign that they're inactive or unattended.

    So, in accordance with my editorial policy, I deleted a couple of your most blatant examples. Readers will note that, as a mark of good faith, I've left your more substantive remarks intact and links to your content. (Good manners and blog etiquette would suggest a link back to my site, but I think I might be hoping for too much.)

    As for my current total, I assure readers that it is a fair and accurate report of the current position and is in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices.

    By Blogger Greg, at 3:53 pm, December 04, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Fair enough. With your content, I didn't think you had standards.

    On the total, I don't see how its accurate as I know for one that I have donated and as such, that has never been reported as far as I can see and I haven't had any note of rejection of the payment that I have made, in fact, I have a confirmation.

    Could you update the total or perhaps, as you are worried about the accounting principles, provide an audit trail of the money deposited? I am sure you would hate to look like a shame as that would delute your already deluted message further!

    TIA
    Molly
    http://afl.mollyzine.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:56 pm, December 04, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Hi there again, Molly.

    I hope you're enjoying yourself, or at least getting your money's worth!

    Not sure what you mean about standards - care to elaborate? Is it the layout? The spelling? The colour scheme offends? I'd like to know, since constant self-improvement is my passion.

    As for the accuracy of the total, once again I assure readers that your donation was kindly received and has been duly factored in.

    If you're wondering why it hasn't changed, have you considered that the total can move up as well as down? Just a thought.

    Nevertheless, I stand by the veracity of the statement of the current position. (I certainly wouldn't want anyone to accuse me of being a "deluted shame".)

    BTW, have you had a chance to read my article about AFL player psychology? How do you feel about all those university psychologists studying AFL players running amok off-field and generally being arseholes? Maybe you should interview an expert on your podcast and enlighten your listeners.

    Cheers,

    -Greg.

    ps Feel free to send more money if you'd like to see some movement in the total - I know I sure would!

    By Blogger Greg, at 11:50 pm, December 04, 2005  

  • <    >
  • If you are suggesting that some one has given a reversing entry, I am interested to know where that has come from and think that you should instute an audit trial. I also hope there is no "vendor bidding" (for want of a better term). I.E. you or your family or friends just saying that you matched the payments as this would just continue the joke that is this joke that is your "shut up jar" and for that matter your blog.

    By the way, why didn't I see anything about Glenn Archers work on the blog (http://heraldsun.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,17386740%255E19768,00.html)? Or does the fact that there are just as many good apples as bad hurt your blog?

    I know you don't agree but I think you will find that giving a balanced view will legitimise your blog a lot more then just the attacks that you give.

    Of course there are some idiots in footy (as there is in the rest of the community and other professions (i.e. Doctors, Lawyers, street sweepers, teachers, bloggers, etc, etc, etc)) but there are also great people that are trying to make a difference.

    I guess we won't see a post on the work that Michael Long is doing either (http://search.theage.com.au/click.ac?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theage.com.au%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Fthousands-walk-for-indigenous-australians%2F2005%2F12%2F04%2F1133631138604.html&t=4&n=2&s=long). Go on, surely you love to stick your boot in there as well!
    Molly
    http://www.mollyzine.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:02 am, December 05, 2005  

  • <    >
  • No, Molly, there will be no audit trail. Nor will there be disclosure about donor activity (unless they want to go public).

    AFL players are quite capable of organising a TV camera crew to follow them around every time they help a little old lady across the road or pick up rubbish. The AFL spends literally millions on publicity and PR and doesn't need any help from me.

    You seem to be confused about some terms: this blog's goal is not to be balanced but to be balancing (they're different concepts). I think that is clear from the mission statement. As for your ideas about balance and legitimacy, by your logic Mediawatch (it's a telly show on the ABC) is illegitimate because it doesn't spend half its time praising the good work of journalists. Ie it is not balanced.

    Is that right? Of course not. With thousands of voices of blind admiration and hero worship, footy is big enough to handle a balancing solitary voice of criticism and scrutiny.

    -Greg.

    By Blogger Greg, at 12:27 pm, December 05, 2005  

  • <    >
  • This was an interesting take on a tip jar. :-) It will be interesting to see where it takes you.

    By Blogger Johan Sundström, at 2:44 am, December 15, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Well, it started with all this talk about what people could get for their blogs if they flogged them to a media company. The figure bandied about is something like $38 per monthly reader.

    The discussion focuses on the purchase price (for the buyer), known to economists as the Willing To Pay price: WTP. The other side of the coin is the reserve price (for the vendor), known as Willing To Accept price: WTA. Clearly, the two have to overlap if a transaction is to occur.

    So I asked myself, what would I accept to sell my blog? Then I wondered how I could let the market act on that insight. Hence the "shut up jar"!

    -Greg.

    By Blogger Greg, at 1:51 pm, December 15, 2005  

  • <    >
  • Astute readers will have noticed the tip jar just got a $5 donation. Thanks very much - I'm inspired by the generosity and will keep toiling away here.

    This means that any middle-aged footy fanboys out there who can't bear to read bad things about their adolescent heroes will now have to pony up $1005 to make this go away.

    So, how about it? Are there any professional footballers reading this (or, more likely, having it read outloud to them by an entourage[*] member) who want to shut me up? Any dangerously swollen egos on the verge of exploding from a little prick (boom *tish*) willing to put down one weekend's worth of cocaine money to bury this?

    If you can't figure out how to get the computer to dispense money, just ask your colleague Campbell Brown: repeatedly smash it and abuse bystanders until you end up in court, where the helpful sheriff will get your money for you.

    [*] Note to entourage members reading this out to footballers: "entourage" is pronounced like "on-tur-ahzh". It's French for "hangers-on".

    By Blogger Greg, at 2:41 pm, May 10, 2006  

  • <    >
  • Wow, Someone has got you close to shut down! Wow $4000 of the $5005 already paid.

    COngrats on the money!
    ;-)
    Molly

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:13 am, February 13, 2007  

  • <    >
  • This service you provide should receive mainstream support but thats not going to happen in Melbourne. I to was born and bred in Melbourne and force fed AFL from a young age, once older i was amazed at the propaganda machine working in the AFLs favour. From TV to radio, government and even society make people feel like outcasts for not following thier cult. Having gone to an AFL obessesed high school in essendon and met plenty of players out in public it is amasing how obsessed with themselves they are and that the world rotates around them, when in reality these clowns cant leave melbourne because there not treated above the law anywhere else. I now reside in Ireland and take abuse from drunks over comprimised rules thugery i had no part in what so ever, sucks to be aussie some times. These dickheads want to expand their game so come to Ireland to play brutal thug style gaelic, jumping bars to head locking barmen aside. I have met decent AFL players don't get me wrong, use to tee off before the north boys every friday in essendon but if an AFL player is anywhere near a drink get some distance between you. They say AFL is a boys club, they certainly are not men let alone gentlemen

    By Anonymous melbourne>AFL, at 2:26 am, February 13, 2010  

Post a Comment    Comments: 

<< Home

Current