Countdown: 10, TELL-a-thon

10 MORE DAYS UNTIL VIRGINIA TECH PLAYS FOOTBALL.

Coaches Stinespring and Wiles are happy there are only 10 more days until football season. [Mark Umansky]

There are only 10 more days until Hokies football. Single digits are a day away. The offseason is about to disappear. Before it does, this is the State of TKP.

The Key Play is not the same website as it was when I launched it back in March of 2010. It's grown from a one-man show to include a great team of reporters and contributors. As of a few weeks ago, The Key Play is a legitimate credentialed media entity. I would be lying if I said it wasn't an original goal of the website, but given Tech's uneasiness with "new media" way back when, at the time I never thought it would become a reality. There's more direction with what gets published. I no longer rack my brain at night for a post idea and start cranking at 2:00 AM when a moment of inspiration hits. In fact, I barely write anything in-depth anymore and articles are scheduled days in advance. I've slipped behind the curtain while a talented cast has taken center stage. Most importantly, there's a vibrant community. When TKP went online, I'd constantly check for new comments. Now it's almost impossible to keep up new threads. However, I do, because everyone's memes still make me laugh (krak_t I damn near fell out of my chair when I saw this), and the discussion is still funny and insightful.

Over the lifetime of the website only 11 people have had their account banned for not playing by the rules, that's not bad considering over 3,500 people are registered. TKP has maintained its culture and avoided the dilution that happens to a lot of large online communities. Again, you gals and guys are the ones to thank. The TKP community moderates itself very well.

According to Quantcast the website is on pace to break well over 1,000,000 pageviews in a month for the first time ever. By comparison, in August 2010 TKP served up 25,000 pageviews. The website reaches over 60,000 unique people in the US a month, that's near Lane Stadium capacity. In five years this place has going from a newborn to a teenager eating everything in the fridge.

"TELL-a-thon" is in the title, because I'm asking everyone to help us spread the word before the season. Organic growth has been a key to TKP's success. A good deal of Hokie Nation knows about the website, but many folks do not. I need your help to reach those people who don't have Twitter or Facebook, who have never seen one of French's film reviews, or who are stepping foot on campus for the first time. Would you tell a friend or friends about the website?

If you'd like to do more than word of mouth marketing, money is very useful. I have no plans to turn TKP into a subscription based website, but it does take money to keep the lights on. I've said all along any cash brought in will be re-invested into the website itself, hopefully that's evident to anyone who has previously donated or bought a shirt. It was a goal to ramp up and publish more traditionally premium content, like recruiting updates, interviews, as well as X's and O's analysis, and traditional media coverage. I think our content is second-to-none, pay or otherwise, and would like to keep improving the offering.





Thank you for reading, commenting, posting, sharing, and giving. I believe 2014 is going to be the best year of coverage yet, and 2015 will be even better. That's the goal at least.

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If you don't want to recruit clowns, don't run a clown show.

"I want to punch people from UVA right in the neck." - Colin Cowherd

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"We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior" Stephen M.R. Covey

“When life knocks you down plan to land on your back, because if you can look up, you can get up, if you fall flat on your face it can kill your spirit” David Wilson

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"The Big Ten is always using excuses to cancel games with us. First Wisconsin. Then Wisconsin. After that, Wisconsin. The subsequent cancellation with Wisconsin comes to mind too. Now Penn State. What's next? Wisconsin?" -HorseOnATreadmill

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Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

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Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN

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True Hokies STICK IT IN!!!

STICK IT IN Army of Virginia Tech

Fosterball

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Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

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Taylor, looking desperately throws it deep..HAS A MAN OPEN DANNY COALE WITH A CATCH ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FIVE!!!!....hes still open

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"We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior" Stephen M.R. Covey

“When life knocks you down plan to land on your back, because if you can look up, you can get up, if you fall flat on your face it can kill your spirit” David Wilson

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"I'm high on Juice and ready to stick it in!" Whit Babcock

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If you play it, they will win.

"How the ass pocket will be used, I do not know. Alls I know is, the ass pocket will be used." -The BoD

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I'm here for the memes, I just stay for the football.

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"We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior" Stephen M.R. Covey

“When life knocks you down plan to land on your back, because if you can look up, you can get up, if you fall flat on your face it can kill your spirit” David Wilson

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___

-What we do is, if we need that extra push, you know what we do? -Put it up to fully dipped? -Fully dipped. Exactly. It's dork magic.

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"...sticks and stones may break my bones but I'm gonna kick you repeatedly in the balls Gardoki!"

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There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man. There's always a city.

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___

-What we do is, if we need that extra push, you know what we do? -Put it up to fully dipped? -Fully dipped. Exactly. It's dork magic.

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Take the shortest route to the ball and arrive in bad humor.

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Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

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There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man. There's always a city.

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There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man. There's always a city.

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"Virginia Tech: Our trees have more school spirit than your students."

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"Virginia Tech: Our trees have more school spirit than your students."

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"The Big Ten is always using excuses to cancel games with us. First Wisconsin. Then Wisconsin. After that, Wisconsin. The subsequent cancellation with Wisconsin comes to mind too. Now Penn State. What's next? Wisconsin?" -HorseOnATreadmill

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I'm here for the memes, I just stay for the football.