ross549 Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 But of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicDragon Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 That's great news Scot! Glad to see that the adds are working out. I probably also would allow a single advertiser to sponsor individual forums or the whole place for X length of time. If I did that, the Google Ads would disappear and be replaced by this new banner (which would be the same size or possibly smaller).I like google adds, but i think that's a fine idea to -- as long as it's from a reputable source. No crazy shaking adds meant to look like windows alerts adverizing spyware etc. Not that i think you would ever do that to us :-P*goes to click on the adds * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Legge Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 You can also add a Google search box on each page that is connected to AdSense.When someone clicks on an advert on the Google search page the SFNL account will be credited.That's why Lockergnome includes a Google search box on its newslettersAnd you can elect to provide images as well as text ads.Eric,http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/http://www.sharedbirthday.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacher Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 The google search sounds like a good idea. Oh the other hand, I see where folks could become confused between the forum search (which I use a lot) and the google search.Julia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 ... And plenty of Root Beer?? Â Â Root Beer? The only way I wan't Root and Beer to be near each other is if I'm having a beer while working on my Linux server. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozidave Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 From what I've seen and noted here, It's the 'Regular' Regulars that keep this board alive and healthy. There would not be enough members willing to pay a subscription to keep it that way. This board needs to expand, it needs more Headers and possibly Sub-Headers.....eveything is crammed-up to the hilt, and if it costs $$$ to do that, I'm in favour of the ADS.It will also need more bandwidth I imagine, so if that becomes a problem I doubt Scot would hesitate in providing it.. The Ads cost us 'nothing' but a little bit of inconvenience, it's Scot who's got his hand in his pocket, and as these forums grow I doubt he will be loath to spend more money on it considering it will be self-sufficient. And for OUR benefit, Not his!. My 2cents worth.Edit: I would also add that, if a troublesome person PAYS to be here, it will make it a **** of a lot harder to get rid of them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozidave Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 You can also add a Google search box on each page that is connected to AdSense.When someone clicks on an advert on the Google search page the SFNL account will be credited.That's why Lockergnome includes a Google search box on its newslettersAnd you can elect to provide images as well as text ads.Helllloooooo Eric,Does your Avatar always have that appearance or is it my imagination that it has lent itself to this post only??? It appears to be laughing, NO! it's my imagination... you wouldn't.... would you? add fuel to the fire. NO! of course not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozidave Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Another idea just crossed my mind.........what's left of it anyway!If it's possible, can a target number of posts be set to qualify oneself to move to another screen that doesn't have Ads.You know! 1,000 posts and you're Ad-free. Then you are virtually allowing the Ads to be seen / used by those who just generally come here to seek advice, and in a sense... Pay for it.If so, the only problem would be the 'Qualifier' and that number would have to be fair to all long-timers.I think a lot of 'New comers' like myself would NOT be miffed in anyway if the target was reasonably high.... Everyone has to earn their Stripes and some have been here long enough and posted enough to get them today......Of course the other alternative would be a separate 'Feature Page or Pages' and really bung on the Ads and Promo's, I mean it's Scot, NOT Bill Gates running the show.Thats 4cents worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross549 Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Ozi....Good idea, but I see the admins having two problems with that..... :)1. We have tried to minimize the important of post counts here. i know that some site live by that, but we have actively tried to get away from it. Some people here only post once a week, but their posts are extremely informative and helpful. Some posts on this forum contain nothing but a smilie (guilty there!). We are much more interested in quality, not quantity.2. I think part of the reason hosting costs so much for this board is because of those of us with high post counts! I know I have nothing better to do at work at 3:30am..... then to come here and see if anything is happening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozidave Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Idea Number 3,Scot tests and writes about a lot of software........... Good! Give him his feature pages and let him advertise, using the set-up in idea 2. The difference is, Because the 'regular' regulars MAKE this forum what it is (family), I'm sure that he would be in a position to negotiate cheaper software that would be available to the "1,000" posters at a discount price using a code number.Of course the code number would have to be individual and changed now and then, and if members 'leave', Not re-issued.I know one thing, if this is possible......... I would get my software from here.He could get Wyvernworks to start with............Ozi runs, ducks for cover, armour-plated preferably..... 6cents worth.... over and out! PS: I just received an email re: Ross's post while writing this and he has a valid point....... how do you make a post count.......... or NOT count, another obstacle. Maybe 'Time being a Member' X by Post's X by frequency of post's / attendance etc. As for the occasional quality poster that drops in and really does help out, I don't think he / she would care about any prizes or perks........... it's in our nature to help anyway. where we can... I'm out of here..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozidave Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 2. I think part of the reason hosting costs so much for this board is because of those of us with high post counts! I know I have nothing better to do at work at 3:30am..... then to come here and see if anything is happening! Then it's OUR! fault!!! Well! we'll all just have to stop coming here and help to keep the costs down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicDragon Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 1. We have tried to minimize the important of post counts here. i know that some site live by that, but we have actively tried to get away from it. Some people here only post once a week, but their posts are extremely informative and helpful. Some posts on this forum contain nothing but a smilie (guilty there!). We are much more interested in quality, not quantityI agree.I'm also betting that the regular users probably click on the adds more than the people that just come here once or twice.... so taking the adds away from the regulars might equal a loss in $ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozidave Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 I agree.I'm also betting that the regular users probably click on the adds more than the people that just come here once or twice.... so taking the adds away from the regulars might equal a loss in $ Yes! it's not that easy to come up with the right solution.I've run the "white flag" up on possibilities and can't think of any other alternatives.Scot, will no-doubt have the last say, and I suspect it will be as Diplomatic as possible. But then again! he has to be realististic as well. And you're right about the Members clicking the Ads! Even though we subject ourselves to doing it and not particularly liking it, it's going to help to keep this place alive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeber Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 You all are making a lot of good comments, and believe it or not, are suggesting some of the same options we've been considering. We want to keep the forum lively and interesting as well as profitable, but we don't want to just start making lots of changes all over the place just to see if they'll work. We want to be sure what we do will be acceptable and worthwhile to all the Highlanders. So don't worry that we're ignoring your thoughts or afraid to try something new. But Scot, being cautious by nature, wants to be sure nothing is done to devalue the forum. So whatever happens will happen slowly and most likely one step at a time. Ad-Sense was the first change, and the feedback thus far indicates you don't find them terribly intrusive, but are interested in alternatives that will allow you to not see them if you wish. That's being discussed and if possible and practical to impliment, may be tried out. We're only really limited by two factors; the software as provided IPB that only let's us do certain things, not everything we might want, and our concern that any change be only positive for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot Posted August 18, 2004 Author Share Posted August 18, 2004 Hi, all. Just a couple of points of clarification. In the month of July, not including any of my time, just my overhead, Scot's Newsletter and the forums and all the websites (like Linux Clues) plus the cost of my newsletter operation cost over $700. It's probably a lot more than that. That doesn't include things I buy to test software and hardware, office supplies, electricity, and so on and so forth. That's just the cost of my webhosts and my list server host. By far and away the biggest expense is the list server. I pay that money to ensure that no one gets spammed. And no one does. All the other methods I've explored have been either more likely to be tagged as spam, or security compromised.Webhosting is not expensive. For the forums, it's currently only about $30 a month. But if the traffic rises, that could move up precipitously. The next jump up is $50 a month, although I could have spot rises with this webhost on the order of 5GB that would be one-time charges (of not that much, like $10 or something). The Scot's Newsletter website, not the forums site, is actually in the lead for the number of Google AdSense ad impressions. Not by a lot though.You don't need to click ads to support the forums. Though I very much appreciate the gesture, I say, click 'em if they interest you. Don't click 'em if they don't. That's all I've done.The ads will continue to open in the current window because that's how ads work in the real world. Anything else looks like a pop-up to a lot of people. I appreciate the thought though.Let's see did I leave anything out? I don't think we're going to consider any other plans than the ones already forwarded. Oh, someone mentioned the Google AdSense search box. I have thought about adding that somewhere unobtrusive. I don't think it'll generate that much, but it might be worth a try to see.Thanks, everyone!-- Scot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 For the forums, it's currently only about $30 a month. This forum!?? The one I'm typing in right now, $30/mo!!! That's unbelievable. Holy cow!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James M. Fisher Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 The Scot's Newsletter website, not the forums site, is actually in the lead for the number of Google AdSense ad impressions.Can you explain this a wee bit more, Scot (anybody)? I assume it's a good thing, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 Has AdSense changed? I see it when posting but when browsing I only see the Scot banner. Coincidence? The Google search at the bottom is a nice idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paracelsus Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 Has AdSense changed? I see it when posting but when browsing I only see the Scot banner. Coincidence? I see them all the time.Do you perchance having anything set to block Banner Ads?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 Do you perchance having anything set to block Banner Ads??Of course. I use Netscape. I do see them if I'm browsing and not signed on to the forum but not when I'm signed on and browsing. And they are there when I post like they are now.I don't have any problem with them being this way, in fact I think it's a nice approach, I was just wondering if it was a man made situation or an amazing coincidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James M. Fisher Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 For me (NS 7.2) it's hit and miss; sometime's it's Scot's banner, then Google's AdSense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arena2045 Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 FYI:You will only see Scot's banner when the specific area has not been visited by the Google spider. Sometimes when posting, it will retain the previous page's ad, other times it wont. Simply using a ad blocker will not turn off the Google ads and replace it for Scots banner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot Posted September 4, 2004 Author Share Posted September 4, 2004 James, sorry it's taken me so long to respond to your question about the SFNL website vs. the forums, and why the newsletter website is garnering more ad clicks. I did expect this, and it's not a bad thing in any way. The number of unique visitors to the Scot's Newsletter website is probably much, much higher -- especially during the weeks after I send a newsletter. There are lots of links to the newsletter website in most issues of the newsletter, and many text edition subscribers treat their mailed copy of the newsletter as an announcement and view the newsletter's website version.The forums gets a lot of page views, but from many fewer people. With advertising like this, more people means more clicks. In August, I also sent three newsletters, with two special editions. So I was driving more traffic than usual to the newsletter site.About clicking the ads: SFNL Forums members and visitors should NOT feel any need to click ads to support the forums. It's enough for you to accept the presence of the ads. Please only click what truly interests you.About the Google Search box: I added this without much fanfare because I didn't think it would bother anyone. Does it bother anyone?Also, interestingly, when we were talking about possibly placing the Google AdSense ads at both the top and the bottom of the site, it wasn't possible to do that. Google has just recently made a change that allows you to put the same ad set in up to three places on long pages. So ... even though I wrote (I think earlier in this thread) that we wouldn't be placing any more ads on the pages, we at least have the possibility to do so. The most I would consider is placing the same leaderboard of ads shown at the top of the page at the very bottom of the page too. I'm not in any particular rush to do this. I may dabble with it on the newsletter website first or not do it at all. I would be interested in any and all opinions about this.The Google AdSense ads pulled better for me in August than I expected. They are definitely worth the effort, both for the Forums and for the newsletter. From my perspective, their addition has been a success. I'm grateful to Chris Pirillo and my wife, Cyndy, for making sure I didn't miss the opportunity to offset some of my expenses.By the way, the $30 a month I pay IPS for webhosting has turned out to be money well spent. While not perfect, this company is a much better than average webhost. IPS also just restructured its plans so that the next step up is now only $10 more a month, instead of $20 more a month. That means that if we become more bandwidth hungry, there's a far more reasonable upgrade option.I know that some of you probably view $30 a month as a lot of money to pay for a webhost, but the SFNL Forums and website have demanding needs. This isn't just a personal website any more. It's a small businss site. The forums exists in real time, and any little flicker of outage (experienced by ALL shared webhosts) is noted very quickly. Our bandwidth needs also aren't met by literally most other webhosts in the sub-$30 a month price range. At some point, if we continue to grow as we are now, I expect to have to move to some sort of dedicated hosting arrangement or even collocation. When that happens, our hosting will likely cost hundreds of dollars a month. In a year or two, that might become a necessity. By the way, Google's AdSense could make it financially possible to do that whereas before I was looking at a major new expense.-- Scot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paracelsus Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 About the Google Search box: I added this without much fanfare because I didn't think it would bother anyone. Does it bother anyone?Not me... I like it and find it a useful addition. Saves me the bother of opening a new tab and launching Google when I want to check on something before posting.As for the Ads...While I was initially quite ambivalent towards them... I've at least grown use to them and have come across some that were moderately "entertaining", and a few that were interestingly useful.The only ones I have a gripe against are those purveying ridiculously discounted OEM software. I do think that Google should exercise a bit more oversight toward whom they accept advertising from... and not align themselves with the few that are arguably borderline in legitimacy.This is all, of course, just my POV.Overall... I'm glad that it is working well for the SFNL/SNLF organization Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James M. Fisher Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 James, sorry it's taken me so long to respond to your question about the SFNL website vs. the forums, and why the newsletter website is garnering more ad clicks.No problem Scot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicDragon Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 I don't think the google search is a problem at all. I don't usually find my self using it, but i don't mind that it's there.I don't think having banner adds at the top and bottom would be all that bad either. :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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