Since I've received a ton of emails and messages asking about the future of Equestria Daily, I figured I'd get it all out there so we can hopefully put some of the rumors floating around to rest.
The entire point of EQD was to corral all of the awesome stuff this fandom does in one place that is easy for people to browse through, and I think the site has done a good job of it. We've been here serving you colorful horses since January of 2011 and outside of a few blips here and there, it has been a wonderful experience.
So, where do we go from here now that the show we are covering has ended? Continue below!
WE LIVE!
"And you're stuck here forever"
First off, we aren't shutting down. For whatever reason this became a rumor over the past week or so, and it's definitely not true. While a smaller fanbase, adblock's (understandable) rise in popularity, and episodes being dumped in swarms hurt the site, it's still alive and kickin.
The biggest investment into EQD has always been time, and as long as the Patreon keeps weathering the storm I'll be able to keep devoting the hours it takes to run it at it's crazy schedule. In a world where most internet traffic is diverted to social media and places like reddit, Patreon really has saved a lot of us. At least the ones that don't want to add paywalls. Which brings me to another topic:
EQD Will Always Be Free
"Guess I'll skip that new saddle..."
Lets squash another rumor. You've probably seen a few blogs and news sites go for the subscription model, with "premium" or early access features. As someone who has always been all about that free information sharing on the internet, I've never been a fan of it.
That's not to say I think writers absolutely need to give their content out for free or they are evil corporate monsters. It's still a ton of work to write a good article, both in the years of practice to be able to do it well, along with the time invested in making sure it's good. The goal should be distributing information to as many people as possible though, without a bias toward people that can afford it. Not doing that isn't wrong. We all gotta eat. It's just what I prefer to do.
In other words, the Patreon and Ads are as far as I will go. Don't ever expect to see us holding back content for people that pay, or require money to continue reading something. The ultimate goal is to distribute everything good to everyone. If it gets to a point where both of these income sources dip too far and I can't put my full attention on it anymore, I'll cut things back rather than throw walls up.
So, What's Next?
"Drawing includes drawing me right? right??"
For the immediate future, we still have 9 seasons of pone to really dig into which we are recruiting new writers to help us do. I haven't seen anyone stop drawing ponies. The fanfics are still being written. The ones that aren't creating continue to motivate us via their comments and support. I already wrote a big ol' thing for that over here though.
For the long future, we cross our fingers that Generation 5 is good. Hasbro is under a lot of pressure to deliver after the success of Friendship is Magic. They've seen two different pony related scenarios in the last 20 years. When they drop the ball and release an abomination like newborn cuties, it flops and dies. When they create actual quality content, they spawn a fandom and make money for a decade.
"If Hasbro screws this up, I'm joining the furry fandom"
They've tasted the power of a girls brand modernized and retooled for the masses. Pony brought in more money than they ever expected when they scooped up Lauren to create something more than just another toy commercial. It would be absolutely insane if they didn't dump their all into making sure G5 keeps the success going.
If for some completely off-the-wall reason it turns out horrible, we will keep covering G4 fan content. as long as you all keep creating and supporting people that make it with likes, comments, commissions, and everything else that keeps the engine going, that side of the pony sphere isn't going anywhere.
"Escape? Who said anything about escape? Here... have more pony! Go on. You know you want it~"
Hopefully that gives you all an idea on our future! If you want to help without donating, spread the site! Let people know on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and other places that we exist. Word of mouth has always been the best way for a place like this to keep gaining new readers.
If someone asks where they can find more colorful equines, send em over!
Let us
EQD induced pony insanity feels good.
