Membership cost questionnaire

[dreamcastrocks]

this is ridiculous. so now the non-membership paying posters are going to have to fight spam and talk with less people because the others will be in the "membership section". ridiculous.

spam is different than advertising. Why shouldn't paying members receive more benefits?

 

[Mike Olbinski]

True, true. If the traffic numbers are serious, the owners could sell banner ads to local valley businesses or companies that desire traffic.

Donald knows a crapload about this kind of stuff and getting this site to break-even should be the goal using traffic, Google, Amazon, donations, banner ads, etc.

LOL!

Google, Amazon....donations....banner ads.

Hilarious!

Those things have been up for months now and the banner ads did NOTHING, Google amounts to like $30 a month and Amazon...people don't take the time to find the link, much less care about it.

Now, local businesses is fine, but I have a full-time job and have no time to be calling and getting advertising.

If any of you are good at it, then feel free.

 

[slanidrac16]

I voted $30.

I love this place. I pay $30 for 1 draft book every year.

Can you disclose just how much money the advertising generates?

I also want to say that I would'nt care if the site turned a profit , but I would want to know that upfront. I don't mind paying for something I enjoy. That being said , I NEVER have paid for any internet site like ESPN insider.

It would also be nice to know that if we were to generate more than needed , that we could help a worthy charity.

 

[green machine]

"Throw around money"......

You'd actually be supporting the site, not throwing around money...

OK, poor choice of phrasing.

What I mean is that I'm generally against paying unless I think I'm getting something real valuable out of it, and even then I have a hard time doing it.

That's just me though.

EDIT: And by real valuable I mean like extra content, insider stuff, whatever. The ability to post in a different forum just doesn't do it for me.

 

[PoolBoy]

spam is different than advertising. Why shouldn't paying members receive more benefits?

because there shouldn't be paying members.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

because there shouldn't be paying members.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

I voted $30.

I love this place. I pay $30 for 1 draft book every year.

Can you disclose just how much money the advertising generates?

I also want to say that I would'nt care if the site turned a profit , but I would want to know that upfront. I don't mind paying for something I enjoy. That being said , I NEVER have paid for any internet site like ESPN insider.

It would also be nice to know that if we were to generate more than needed , that we could help a worthy charity.

Sure, I can be honest.

1. Jim used to pay me to run the site, he doesn't anymore because of the high costs. I told him to stop and that I'd just make what I could off advertising. He didn't want me to help pay for the hosting

2. The hosting is $500, and therefore I convinced Jim that he NEEDS help, and thus I wanted the advertising to start helping him if it could.

3. The advertising flops, so I try many ways to help out. I get a sponsor on the frontpage for $50 a month, but no one clicks on the ad or converts, because most people visit the forum directly.

4. The Ebay links are a good idea, but no one likes nonsense links, so I take them off.

5. The membership comes up, it's a good idea.

6. Jim says we'll use the membership fees to help pay for the site and we'll use some ad revenue to help, some of it to pay for me maintaining the site.


The money it earns:

$5 from Amazon last month
$40 from Google projected this month
$30 from Ebay links in January for our Archives section

I'm working on a text-link deal with a ticket broker to put links at the top of the forum for around $250 a year...not much, but it's something.

 

[green machine]

Maybe this is totally off the wall and what not, but would it make sense to have an almost "pay per post" type thing? Like, you get a certain amount of posts per month for free, and then different tiers cost different amounts of money?

I mean, isn't part of what costs so much is the sheer volume of posts? Or is it the traffic?

Just a thought.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

this is ridiculous. so now the non-membership paying posters are going to have to fight spam and talk with less people because the others will be in the "membership section". ridiculous.

sigh

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Maybe this is totally off the wall and what not, but would it make sense to have an almost "pay per post" type thing? Like, you get a certain amount of posts per month for free, and then different tiers cost different amounts of money?

I mean, isn't part of what costs so much is the sheer volume of posts? Or is it the traffic?

Just a thought.

That probably wouldn't work....

We get a lot of traffic, yes, from search engines, etc...but when busy times come, the site is flooded with users and the old server crashed under the load every single time.

This new server costs a lot more, but also takes huge loads and basically says F U to them.

 

[abomb]

Mike, can you turn the ebay link on in one of the lesser forums for a week or so, so we can all see what is what?

Check that, I just browsed through the Archives.

Is there any way to change the text color? Can it link more relevant things?

One example ebay linked the words true, score and pass, while ignoring Patriots, Giants, Tom Brady.

 

[AZZenny]

Mike, can you make the ebay link something other than an underline? Seriously, like a slightly diff-colored highlight? Of course the reason most people click is because they think it's a link that might be interesting, so I bet identifying it as 'ebay' means profits would drop.

Otherwise, keep it simple. If there's a way for paying members NOT to have ebay links and various ads, and maybe semi-uncensored signatures (no real profanity, but political, religious, and other unsavory references are OK) and perhaps an email account (since who gives a **** about PM space, really?) then there are a number of people who would pay $20-30 to support the site with a few minor personal benefits added. Let the rest of the folks continue on with ebay links and banners, keep their avatars, etc.... Maybe payers can have animated avatars, others can't.

OOOHHH I GOT IT!! You want to use the smileys? Maybe an EXPANDED smiley selection? heh heh. Cost ya $20 a year.

I still like the idea of initiating and widely publicizing a metro-phx lost and found -- just on lost cell-phones and pets alone you could probably make some dough once it gets well-known, say at $1 for a week-long listing. Finders don't have to pay to list, just losters.

I really like the idea of getting us access as a group to some subscription only services -- it may cost too much, but Baseball America prospect report, maybe ESPN.

How about having a menu-link thing in the food forum, offer to link to various restaurants -- esp take-outs -- for a small payment everytime someone either links, or maybe if they order.

How about setting up an E-Bay SELLING account -- maybe coordinate with a local ebay selling service to handle it -- I have a load of stuff I inherited that I should sell but I don't have the time or interest to jump the hoops -- but let's say ASFN somehow streamlines it or brokers it -- you can have a 10 or 20% commission, fine with me.

If you do have a members only forum, be real neat if you could get a couple local sports people to join or to host subforums -- maybe the stat guy from the DBacks, or maybe a Suns' trainer, or ideally, maybe offer rookie player blogs visible only to payers.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Mike, can you make the ebay link something other than an underline? Seriously, like a slightly diff-colored highlight? Of course the reason most people click is because they think it's a link that might be interesting, so I bet identifying it as 'ebay' means profits would drop.

Otherwise, keep it simple. If there's a way for paying members NOT to have ebay links and various ads, and maybe semi-uncensored signatures (no real profanity, but political, religious, and other unsavory references are OK) and perhaps an email account (since who gives a **** about PM space, really?) then there are a number of people who would pay $20-30 to support the site with a few minor personal benefits added. Let the rest of the folks continue on with ebay links and banners, keep their avatars, etc.... Maybe payers can have animated avatars, others can't.

OOOHHH I GOT IT!! You want to use the smileys? Maybe an EXPANDED smiley selection? heh heh. Cost ya $20 a year.

I still like the idea of initiating and widely publicizing a metro-phx lost and found -- just on lost cell-phones and pets alone you could probably make some dough once it gets well-known, say at $1 for a week-long listing. Finders don't have to pay to list, just losters.

I really like the idea of getting us access as a group to some subscription only services -- it may cost too much, but Baseball America prospect report, maybe ESPN.

How about having a menu-link thing in the food forum, offer to link to various restaurants -- esp take-outs -- for a small payment everytime someone either links, or maybe if they order.

How about setting up an E-Bay SELLING account -- maybe coordinate with a local ebay selling service to handle it -- I have a load of stuff I inherited that I should sell but I don't have the time or interest to jump the hoops -- but let's say ASFN somehow streamlines it or brokers it -- you can have a 10 or 20% commission, fine with me.

If you do have a members only forum, be real neat if you could get a couple local sports people to join or to host subforums -- maybe the stat guy from the DBacks, or maybe a Suns' trainer, or ideally, maybe offer rookie player blogs visible only to payers.

There's not one statement in the above that I disgree with...

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Mike, can you turn the ebay link on in one of the lesser forums for a week or so, so we can all see what is what?

Check that, I just browsed through the Archives.

Is there any way to change the text color? Can it link more relevant things?

One example ebay linked the words true, score and pass, while ignoring Patriots, Giants, Tom Brady.

What if it's a double-underline?

I can tell it words to NOT link to, but not sure I can tell it what TO link to...

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Mike, can you make the ebay link something other than an underline? Seriously, like a slightly diff-colored highlight? Of course the reason most people click is because they think it's a link that might be interesting, so I bet identifying it as 'ebay' means profits would drop.

Otherwise, keep it simple. If there's a way for paying members NOT to have ebay links and various ads, and maybe semi-uncensored signatures (no real profanity, but political, religious, and other unsavory references are OK) and perhaps an email account (since who gives a **** about PM space, really?) then there are a number of people who would pay $20-30 to support the site with a few minor personal benefits added. Let the rest of the folks continue on with ebay links and banners, keep their avatars, etc.... Maybe payers can have animated avatars, others can't.

OOOHHH I GOT IT!! You want to use the smileys? Maybe an EXPANDED smiley selection? heh heh. Cost ya $20 a year.

I still like the idea of initiating and widely publicizing a metro-phx lost and found -- just on lost cell-phones and pets alone you could probably make some dough once it gets well-known, say at $1 for a week-long listing. Finders don't have to pay to list, just losters.

I really like the idea of getting us access as a group to some subscription only services -- it may cost too much, but Baseball America prospect report, maybe ESPN.

How about having a menu-link thing in the food forum, offer to link to various restaurants -- esp take-outs -- for a small payment everytime someone either links, or maybe if they order.

How about setting up an E-Bay SELLING account -- maybe coordinate with a local ebay selling service to handle it -- I have a load of stuff I inherited that I should sell but I don't have the time or interest to jump the hoops -- but let's say ASFN somehow streamlines it or brokers it -- you can have a 10 or 20% commission, fine with me.

If you do have a members only forum, be real neat if you could get a couple local sports people to join or to host subforums -- maybe the stat guy from the DBacks, or maybe a Suns' trainer, or ideally, maybe offer rookie player blogs visible only to payers.

Some of that might be difficult...because like I said, I am going to school, working fulltime+ and also starting a side blogging career in entertainment.

Now, the email idea is very doable and that's a great addition to it. If you are a member, you can have an @arizonasportsfans.com email address.

 

[abomb]

What if it's a double-underline?

I can tell it words to NOT link to, but not sure I can tell it what TO link to...

Double-underline might do the trick.

What service/tool are you using for this? I'd like to research it.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Double-underline might do the trick.

What service/tool are you using for this? I'd like to research it.

www.zintext.com

They provide the tool to find the links and change them to Ebay links, and then they take a small portion of the commission.

 

[AZZenny]

Expanded smileys wouldn't be that hard. That would be a lovely little perk.

 

[LVG]

Expanded smileys wouldn't be that hard. That would be a lovely little perk.

How about a "protection fee"? No visit to bannination for you if you spread the good fortune, so to speak (applicable to P&R board only...)?

 

[gamebird98]

Personally, I view this board as a service to me. Living in New York, Cardinal News is hard to come by......I pay for services every day (trash pick-up,street maintenance etc) I have NO problem paying for this service.

 

[AZZenny]

If 15% of your actives kicked in $25 each, you get $3400. That's better than half the target amount, without pinching anyone too badly, and perhaps you can make the rest off the advertising to the other 85%. Plus I promise I'll do all my Amazon shopping through ASFN, and I buy a LOT of books and stuff there.

How about if paying members each get to pick a smiley for inclusion in the expanded member's smiley pool? And member's lounge ... er, forum ... can have unexpurgated smileys, like the ones I get in trouble posting sometimes.

 

[abomb]

What about having a telethon of sorts every quarter?

Put up a page with a graph of the goal and then what has been brought in.

I bet a few drives a year would do wonders.

 

[az240zz]

You know, many of us, over the past few years have contributed to members who have fallen on hard times and I would think that this could be one of those.

As you can see i don't post alot, some would say never, but i do visit at least 3 times a week to get my Az sports news and I find I get more here than from any of the radio stations.

Just to keep this info coming I would contribute. As to the amount that should be left to the site owner and adminstrators.

The only thing that I would like is a spell correct for my few posts.

az240z

 

[slanidrac16]

This is going to sound a bit crazy, but what if the site charged say $50 and everyone that joined could be entered into a raffle?

What to raffle? How about a couple of tickets to a Cardinal game ( or Suns, Diamondbacks, Coyotes). Depending how it went you might even be able to set up a hotel before the game, or dinner where Berry or Leinart host their shows?
To heck with perks or more PM space.
Even if only 100 posters signed up your looking at $5000. Theres also a good chance that even non-regular posters would take a chance at entering.

Of coarse i don't know if any or all this would be breaking any laws. Maybe somebody else would know that.

Is there any way to figure out how many "regular" true blue posters we have.

 

[Boomer]

I would probably pay $30 a year and I just lurk. I'm not a big time poster, nor am I much of Arizona sports fan save for the Suns. I'm a lurker from California and I lurk because this board is unique. I enjoy reading posts on this board concerning movies and TV shows, politics, and the different perspectives in regards to sports that I don't always get in California.

If it's $30 a year, count me in.