A small change for TIG

In roughly two months, it will be three years since I’ve stepped in as managing editor of The Ice Garden, succeeding the outstanding Michelle Jay. In that time, I went from a reluctant interim site manager to a frequently frantic site manager slash owner. The site became independent, and I am not quite sure where the time has gone since Feb. 20, 2023 – the date of the first post on an independent TIG.

As you know, we have some content available only to paying subscribers because that is how we pay staff and site costs. I say “we” and not “I” because I have a board of advisors who help guide me through this wilderness. They serve as The Ice Garden’s lighthouse. They keep the site (and often me) sailing true at a steady clip to where we want to be. Where we want to be, for the record, is better and bigger but above all else we want to still be here. 

We have had “free” member subscriptions since that February 2023 launch and currently have over 400 folks who receive emails when new posts go up on TIG. Starting today, July 6th, we are dissolving that service and creating a paid tier of $2 USD/month (or $20/year) to receive email notifications. We are choosing to do this to grow our site and to provide a lower-cost opportunity for the community to support The Ice Garden. 

The vast majority of our content will remain free just as it always has. We are not moving any content that was previously available for free before behind a paywall. Creating content accessible to everyone is a vital part of what The Ice Garden is all about and will always be about. This is just one more step we're taking to keep going and growing.

Thank you for everything. Please consider a paid subscription to support our work.