Hey, everyone. I wanted to drop you a note and give you an update on RMNB’s end. I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy during the coronavirus pandemic. My heart goes out to anyone who is struggling at this time.

That last part is actually something I wanted to address.

When I first started RMNB along with Peter 10 years ago, I really needed an outlet to express myself. I didn’t find my job at the time fulfilling. And being in your early 20’s (30’s too), you’re still developing and maturing as a young adult – especially when you’re living away from your parents for the first time.

Then there are the two decades I went to church every week with my parents. It gave me a greater calling (think of other people before yourself) and that’s always made me yearn to give back. I wanted to have a positive impact on other people like Dan Steinberg’s DC Sports Bog had on me. Dan’s humor and fun writing, as well as his passion for sports, always gave me something and someone to turn to when times were tough.

In a time like this, where the coronavirus has completely flipped all our lives upside down, I want RMNB to be that place for you – constant, welcoming, honest, and fun. I’m happy to say that we are still planning to publish multiple stories every day – just like it’s the regular season. From features we didn’t have time to write during the regular season to covering the news going on right now, we have plenty to write about. Many of our authors are also going to get more creative and have more fun. Peter’s been hosting game nights when Capitals games used to happen. I am also researching live streaming and different ways to do interviews.

RMNB will do its best to be there for you and put a smile on your face. We want to take your mind off how heavy things are right now — just like WWE is doing for me with no live audience.

“We are shorthanded tonight Cole.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/oiQwU9Z69p

— Austin (@rondarouseyszn) March 14, 2020

the eric andre show is shaking rn pic.twitter.com/f2h1bmCdat

— big coochie bompensiero (@TeeHaitchGee) March 17, 2020

But on your end, we need some help. This is a two-way street.

Since the NHL season was suspended last week, we’ve watched half of our daily traffic disappear.

For RMNB to remain viable — this site is my full-time job and we pay our contributors — there are a few small things you could do that would have a big impact on us over the long haul. And you can do it all without breaking quarantine.

Turn your adblocker off for our site

We currently serve ads on our website through a third party. It’s taken us a long time, but the ad experience is finally a good one. They aren’t gross or overbearing, and they really do support us.

For those of you who read the site on desktop computers and laptops, allowing ads on our site would make a big difference. Here’s instructions on how to pause adblocking on our site. I also included a screenshot of how to do so with AdBlock – a popular browser extension.

Visit RMNB multiple times every day

We’ll try to continue to have awesome content that will make you want to do this anyway.

But, as hinted at above, one of the ways RMNB makes money is through web traffic. That wasn’t always the case, but now it is. So essentially, the more you visit the website, the more income we generate. Here are some tiny things you can do to never miss out on new RMNB content.

See us first in your newsfeed on Facebook

Like RMNB on Facebook. Then check “sees first” in your newsfeed under the Following tab.

All that means is that you’ll never miss a story from us on your main Facebook feed. I have this setting checked and it’s not overwhelming or annoying except when Peter is writing.

Add RMNB to your iPhone’s home screen

Adding RMNB to your iPhone’s home screen makes it easy to check the site regularly. It will basically operate as an app on your mobile device.

Step 1 – Go to RMNB and hit this button.

Step 2 – Add RMNB to “Home Screen”

Step 3 – Voila! Now our awesome avatar is on your iPhone’s home screen and you can place it wherever you want.

Follow us everywhere on social media!

We’re @russianmachine on Twitter, @rmnb_blog on Instagram, and @russianmachineneverbreaks on Facebook.

Support us on Patreon

Another important revenue source on the website comes from Patreon.

RMNB Patreon supporters get bonus perks, and as always, those funds go directly to our wonderful writers/designers/staff. A donation as little as $1-$5 a month goes a long way, especially if a bunch of you do it. Explore ways to donate to our site now.

Buy some merch

Wear RMNB while you’re self-quarantining. And if you’re especially cold in your house, get a hoodie! A portion of each merch purchase goes to us paying our writers as well. Check out our new shirts now. Psst – We’re also offering 20% off all orders through Friday.

This post sucked to write, but right now is a special time. If a large majority of you can do one or a few of these tiny and easy steps, RMNB will remain just as strong as it was before.

And while these steps will help us remain solvent, others in the hospitality business aren’t so lucky. Restaurants and sports bars around the area are closed and laying off workers. While we don’t have anything in our power to help our friends right now, we promise that when Capitals hockey comes back and it’s safe, we will do what we can to help bring these small businesses back.

We’re all in this together.

Love,
Ian