Published Aug 16, 2008

Earlier this summer we announced that RealJock's Supporter Services would be starting soon. Well, that time has finally come. On the afternoon of Monday, August 18, we will launch the new, optional paid member Supporter Services on the site to help offset the costs of keeping the RealJock site going and growing. Read on for the details.

The Majority of RealJock Will Still Be Free
We wanted to again stress up front that the vast majority of the RealJock site will remain free. We will not begin charging for any of the site's main features—email, instant messaging, photos, viewing private photos, chat, forums, content, and so on. Instead, we will begin charging a small, optional subscription fee for a number of new features and non-core site features.

Why We're Introducing RealJock Supporter Services
Contrary to what you may have been told about the mountains of cash in our bank accounts and/or millions in venture funding, RealJock is in fact a small, self-funded startup run on a lean budget. For the first two-plus years of our existence, we have done our best to run the site with the dollars we earn from advertising. However, with the site expanding quickly, advertising dollars alone are not enough for us to cover the infrastructure, web serving, customer service, marketing, content, legal, and other costs necessary to run RealJock.

What Will RealJock Supporters Get?
At launch, RealJock Supporters will have access to a variety of features that non-paying members will not. The initial list of Supporter features will include:

1. View Mail History: Make sure you don't send the same email twice—see all emails you have exchanged previously with another member.
2. Email Unreviewed JPGs and GIFs to Other Members: Send pics to other members without having to go through RealJock's photo review process. This new feature, which launched earlier this summer, will become part of the Supporter package.
3. See Who Viewed Me Recently: Find out who's been checking you out. The most recent two people who viewed you will continue to remain free.
4. See Who You Viewed Recently: Can't remember his member name? Just use this new feature to see all of the people you have recently viewed.
5. Search Who Has Unlocked Private Photos: Unlocking and viewing unlocked private photos will continue to be free. Searching to see the full list of people who have unlocked photos for you will become part of the Supporter package.
6. Get a Supporter Badge on Your Profile: Show your support. Supporters will get a fancy little icon on their profile letting other people know they support RealJock.

We will continue to add additional paid Supporter features over time. Once we have enough Supporters, we will begin to feature Supporters by geographic area in the left-hand navigation of most pages.

How Much Will It Cost to Become a Supporter?
RealJock Support will cost $8 for 30 days, $20 for 90 days, or $30 for 180 days. You'll be able to sign up through a simple, secure service.

180-Day Supporters Get a Free RealJock T-Shirt
We love free product as much as the next guy, which is why we're happy to announce we will be giving away a free RealJock t-shirt or muscle tee (your choice) to any member who signs up for the $30 180-day plan. See the photo at the top of this page for a preview of the t-shirt version.

Thanks for Your Support
Thanks again for your support. Whether you plan on becoming a RealJock Supporter, or simply use the site on a regular basis, we appreciate your continued use of RealJock.com.

See the Supporter Services Forum
When we first announced our upcoming Supporter Services, one of our regular forum contributors helpfully created a forum to discuss it. And discuss it people did! Whoa; based on that feedback we made some modifications to the Supporter Services offering to address member concerns. Here's a link to the Supporter Services Forum should you wish to share your own thoughts.