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Thread: Blank Page Issue Is Intolerable - Let's Talk

  1. Keith, my suggestion to not allow "Guests" to view pictures was not made as a bandwidth saving measure, but as a means to get people out of the "Lurk" mode and into the "Member" mode.

    I've been on the net since the fall of 1996, and back then forums like this with pics did not exist. The few forums that are still text only are not very popular, as the old saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" holds true, thus, the ability to view the pics becomes a good reason to sign up. On a number of motorcycle forums I'm a member of this is the rule, and it works, the number of guests lurking is very low. They do a membership drive twice a year, and the forums are very healthy as a result.

    I think that if you can get people to sign up, then they would be more likely to take part, in posting and hopefuly supporting SMC.

    I don't know what the big deal is anyway, it is not like we charge to become a member, or that you have to give a 4 page essay or something to be added to the list, the sign-up here is short, easy and painless, after all I did it!

    I agree that paying the site's System Admin a monthly fee is only fair, and I'm all for that.

    In the end, this is all on your plate, and I trust that you will find the balance needed, as you have done so for several years now, providing us all with a wonderful resource.

    Thanks for your time.

    Cheers!

  2. #107
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans
    whoa nelly! since when are we looking to attract advertising revenue? it`s my understanding the whole reason each of us has been asked to chip in is to avoid advertising? please explain what you mean by this statement keith...do you intend to seek advertisers or sponsors other than the members? tod
    Tod.........I'm sure Keith is referring to getting companies to join the manufacturer's forums.....
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  3. #108
    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald
    Tod.........I'm sure Keith is referring to getting companies to join the manufacturer's forums.....
    boy ken i sure hope so! that`s why i asked, keiths statement left me wondering. tod
    Last edited by tod evans; 06-25-2006 at 10:00 AM.
    TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN; I ACCEPT FULL LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY POSTS ON THIS FORUM, ALL POSTS ARE MADE IN GOOD FAITH CONTAINING FACTUAL INFORMATION AS I KNOW IT.

  4. #109
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    Tod...........I think if you reread the whole thread you'll see that Keith and Jackie took on a lot of personal debt when HRO went belly up to keep SMC free of unwanted ads and therefore allow it to keep it's current form. I have no doubt in my little mind Keith doesn't want excessive advertising and will decide what is best!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  5. #110
    ken, i have read the thread in its entirety that`s why i was thrown for a loop when i read the advertising statement. hopefully keith will clear this up `cause i kinda like this place and hope to stick around for a while . tod
    TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN; I ACCEPT FULL LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY POSTS ON THIS FORUM, ALL POSTS ARE MADE IN GOOD FAITH CONTAINING FACTUAL INFORMATION AS I KNOW IT.

  6. #111
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Hayes, Virginia
    Posts
    864
    Tod,

    Keith only made that as a passing comment. The more hits you have, the more interested a company would be in advertising with your site. We are doing everything humanly possible to keep the "creek" advertisement free.

    We will be doing some things this week that will hopefully get more people to register and donate a small amount. We are going to try to get the paypal set up to accept monthly donations and have some information on the sign up page explaining that sawmillcreek is a member supported site so that we can stay advertisement free. We will also add this information to our FAQ section.

    There are no changes in the wind at this time.

    Jackie

  7. #112
    thanks jackie! i feel better now. tod

    [edit] here`s an idea i haven`t seen mentioned, is it possible to have pop-ups show up only on the guest screens explaining that by regestering the pop-ups will go away, but at the same time make it clear that if a person is able, that donations will keep things running as they are?
    Last edited by tod evans; 06-25-2006 at 1:06 PM.
    TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN; I ACCEPT FULL LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY POSTS ON THIS FORUM, ALL POSTS ARE MADE IN GOOD FAITH CONTAINING FACTUAL INFORMATION AS I KNOW IT.

  8. Quote Originally Posted by Jackie Outten
    Tod,

    Keith only made that as a passing comment. The more hits you have, the more interested a company would be in advertising with your site. We are doing everything humanly possible to keep the "creek" advertisement free.

    We will be doing some things this week that will hopefully get more people to register and donate a small amount. We are going to try to get the paypal set up to accept monthly donations and have some information on the sign up page explaining that sawmillcreek is a member supported site so that we can stay advertisement free. We will also add this information to our FAQ section.

    There are no changes in the wind at this time.

    Jackie
    Take a look at Paypal's "Subscriptions" services; I use it for my little hosting company, and it works just like the regular Paypal "send money" function. See https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/websc...-intro-outside I think you could easily set up a "Subscription" button to give you guys a reliable monthly income, which would go a long way towards giving you the peace of mind to make the leap to paying the administrator.

    If you have to go with "advertising" in the future, I would suggest something like Google ads. Everyone knows they are ads and not part of the content of the site. There is no editorial bias introduced because the ads are served randomly by Google and not a manufacturer. I pay for my little boat building site with just 200 members with a single, text only Google Adsense ad banner in the upper right corner of the screen. SMC could generate thousands per month using Google Adsense ... SeatGuru.com has about 175,000 unique users and 650,000 page views a month, and exceeds $2,000 monthly in income.

    Tod, would you object to a Google adsense ad in the upper right corner, opposite SMC's logo?

  9. #114
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Richland, Michigan
    Posts
    429
    I too don't have a problem with a few ads, just not scrolling banners etc.. I frequent Wood Central as many do here and Ellis has advertising to help support the board w/o an obtrusiveness at all. I don't see how that would change the atmosphere here at all.. worth consideration IMNSHO..
    Mike-in-Michigan (Richland that is) <br> "We never lack opportunity, the trouble is many don't recognize an opportunity when they see it, mostly because it usually comes dressed in work clothes...."

  10. #115
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Yukon, Oklahoma
    Posts
    149
    My .02. Where else could you meet great people, get great information, great conversation, great instruction, and the great feeling of belonging and ownership of a great forum for only a suggested $6.00 a year. Now I appreciate the discussion but come on let's support the Creek with what ever you can afford. There is not many people you can trust these days, but the Outtens and staff and monitors have gain the trust of many Creekers and that trust has never been broken. You guys and gals are great...show your greatness.
    Don

  11. #116
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    556
    Paypal'ed a donation - thanks for all the hard work keeping this great forum going.

  12. #117
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    Quote Originally Posted by Von Bickley
    The Non-contributer may have problems that you haven't thought about. I've had heart attacks, heart problems, by-pass surgery and haven't worked since Feb. 2005, and have zero income, duh.
    Von your point is very well stated. There are many ways to contribute to the community and your words of wisdom are just as valuable as dollars and cents. For those that can contribute financially, I hope they will do so. For those that are unable, they are still valued members of the SMC community. Thanks for being here!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #118
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Hayes, Virginia
    Posts
    14,760
    Tod,

    For the record and in plain english I am absolutely against any advertising at SawMill Creek.

    I have said it many times before, there is so much advertising in life it is almost unbearable. Television, radio, roadsigns, web sites and email...may God grant me just one place that is free of advertising.

    I am not alone here and I must consider all of our options when it comes to keeping SawMill Creek online for everyone. Even though I am against advertising I have to be open minded based on feedback from our Members and if the majority here want to go that route I can't just leave because I disagree. SawMill Creek is a Community and it is the Community that makes this such a special place not the software, Admins, Moderators, etc. Every decision we make must be what is best for the entire Community, I will always put my personal feelings aside and do what I believe is best for all.

    The good news is that most of our Members have openly prefered that we stay away from advertising.

    At least you know where I stand on the issue now and how I would vote.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Von,

    SMC is supported by donations and is not a subscription based Forum. We don't want to exclude anyone from participating. There are young woodworkers who don't have jobs and we certainly don't want them to be excluded any more than those who are unable to make a contribution, whatever their personal reasons may be. The majority of us certainly can afford to donate in order to keep SMC online, woodworking isn't an inexpensive hobby anymore and I believe that we can all agree that the suggested 50 cents per month donation is low enough that at least 25% of our Members would be able to provide the necessary support.

    Those who give their time, answering questions and offering their expertise are contributing and I doubt that even one Member would disagree. Those who ask questions are contributing as well, we have all learned something along the way because someone else asked a question.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Based on everyone's feedback I think we will make some improvements to our Donation Page and we will be adding an FAQ thread that will provide the necessary information all of our Members need to know. This should be an effective means of getting the word out to everyone concerning how SMC works, how we are funded and allow us to expand on a couple other issues concerning our Terms of Service like why our Community is so serious about abusive language, etc.

    There have been other recomendations that I have received via Private Messages and email that are excellent and are worthy of further consideration. Aaron and I will most likely take these to our Moderators Forum and see if they have any comments before we go public with the details. I hope everyone will continue to share their ideas, concerns and expectations with us publicly or privately as you see fit. We are all interested in keeping SMC the best Woodworking Community on the Net and we are not afraid to try something new just because it hasn't been done before. We proved last October that we can beat the odds when we put our heads together and work as a team.

    To all of you who have made donations all of our Members owe you a special thanks for contributing. I hope that more of our Members will elect to support SMC in the future with one six dollar donation per year which should more than take care of our financial obligations including compensating our System Administrator for his work keeping SMC running as smooth as possible without advertising.

    .

  14. #119
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Modesto, CA
    Posts
    2,364
    One vote from me - no ads!
    Mark Rios

    Anything worth taking seriously is worth making fun of.

    "All roads lead to a terrestrial planet finder telescope"

    We arrive at this moment...by the unswerving punctuality...of chance.

  15. #120
    I would prefer no ads , but I could live with it . another forum I frequent almost closed last year

    two revenue sources they put in place

    google toolbar at the top of the page , apperently they get some revenue form google searchs run through there .

    they allow banner ads at the rop of the page , they are board related and quite honestly I have seen some industry related things I wasnt aware off .

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