The new future of Jewels from the Crown

Mar 8, 2023 - 8:00 PM

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Hey friends. It’s been a while!

Almost three years on the dot, to be exact, since SB Nation/Vox Media took the California sites out of the hands of the contributors and independent contractors and fans who loved their teams and their communities, and did, well, not a whole lot with them.

That’s about to change.

You’ve probably heard that earlier this year, Vox announced that they were cutting funding and support for nearly all of the hockey sites that were part of SB Nation. As part of that transition, however, Vox has agreed to transfer the sites to the people whose blood, sweat, and tears have kept them running.

Even though it’s been three years since this site was a real, living, breathing thing, I’d always hoped that there would be a way for me to get things jumpstarted again. I’m pleased to share that Vox is giving me back Jewels from the Crown, to relaunch. It’s always frustrated me to watch the site sitting there, dormant, without being able to do anything about it. This is a thrilling time for Kings fans, with a playoff spot all but assured and young prospects improving by the day to help throw open those Cup contender doors for years to come. This is the perfect time for our voice to be heard again.

In April, Jewels from the Crown will transition to a new platform, free of control from SB Nation/Vox. We will be truly independent — no one will be able to step in and take Jewels from the Crown away from me, from any of our contributors, or from you, ever again. The website address will remain the same, and the site archives will all be transferred to the new platform. Watch this space for more, and/or make sure you’re following me on Twitter (@writesaidsarah) for updates. (Getting control back of the JFTC Twitter account is still a work in progress.)

Covering hockey on an independent basis has always been a labor of love, but a site transition like this costs money. Hosting fees must be paid up front, and no one should have to work for free. (In full disclosure, I was the only paid contractor at JFTC when it was under Vox’s control. I don’t want that to be the case going forward and will be doing everything I can to make sure the future version of JFTC treats its contributors fairly and with respect.)

In that respect, I’ve set up a GoFundMe to help offset the costs of the transition. My goals with this fundraiser are to cover at least the initial year of hosting costs ($25/month = $300/year). Additional funds will be used to pay any contributors for their work, including any web design or graphic design work, as well as any other administrative costs associated with the transition, including being put in savings to account for future hosting costs.

I was so pleased by the support and interest generated on Twitter when I brought up the idea of a re-launch. If you’ve enjoyed Jewels from the Crown in the past, or if you’re looking for a new community of Kings fans, please consider chipping in whatever you can spare. If you can’t, we still appreciate you participating in the community, and hope you will pass this along to any other Kings fans or people who want to support independent media. Thank you!