What are the prospects of a return to free posting?
Do google ads pull in significant revenue? Could paid subscribers be given a “No banner ad and other goodies” deal?
Hey, I can dream.
AFAIK…zero, don’t know, and I wish.
We’re still here, that’s the main point.
The Chicago Reader is a privately held company and does not publish financial information.
While it is impossible to totally predict the future here in cyberspace, I would not expect a return to a free board, at least not in the near future.
All revenue goes into the mix, it’s what keeps us alive here, so it’s all meaningful.
We are looking at what other goodies we can offer members and we hope to do more in future, but again, no promises.
TubaDiva
Just to be clear, I was hoping for goodies as a way to maintain a (smaller) member base when the board transitioned back to free posting, or so went my fantasy. Frankly, I really don’t care about avatars and the like.
Free memberships would presumably generate more traffic, but I take it that the revenue from the google ads isn’t sufficiently overwhelming to make it worth their while.
The staff here at the board is not privileged to share the kind of information you are asking for.
The Reader does not disclose financial information.
We are informed of business decisions as deemed appropriate, we know what you know, pretty much.
We’ve been here and will continue to be here unless we’re told otherwise, but I know nothing that would lead me to think that we won’t be around for time to come.
I do know subscriptions will be offered again. 
As for what else might be coming down the road, we’re hopeful for more and better but do not foresee a free board anytime soon. We’re always hopeful we can offer more to our members, but again we have nothing to share with you right now.
TubaDiva
I have been puzzled and perturbed* by all the hoopla over the last year or 2 about both the membership fees and the google ads.
As to the google ads, if they got any more benign they’d be subliminal. I’m not a fan of any banner ads, and generally loathe them. However, these are as unobtrusive as any banner ads I’ve ever seen. Yet in several threads posters were apoplectic over them like the SDMB had been acquired by the RNC. If they help to keep the lights on and the hampsters fed, I think they’re fine.
Same with the fees. You can’t go to a bar with a buddy and not spend $15. Same with a movie, theater, sports venue, or museum etc etc. I know not everybody has $15 bucks lying around…however given the thousands of ways we willingly drop $15 without thinking, I think the SDMB is a fantastic value.
If the google ads pay the rent, and the SDMB pockets the excess, I think that would be fine. Profit is not a dirty word. OTOH, if there were mass defections of paying subscribers, I would think the SDMB would have to think of lowering fees or find a way to increase perceived value, as Tuba Diva and Lynn Bodini alluded. (so as to justify the current prices and keep subscribers)
I see it fairly simply: If/when the SDMB no longers provides the value (or I no longer have the time) I will not re-up. In the meantime, I think the SDMB, including the mods, are doing a fine job.
(*This isn’t a rant, and is not directed at Measure for Measure or the OP specifically)
Mods, admins: thanks.
I agree with raindog.
It’s just that membership fees discourage new members, notwithstanding the 30 day free trial period. But all that was discussed in painfully extensive detail 2 years ago.
Well…I tried to do my part and advertise, but they wouldnt even talk to me. Such is life.
What do you mean, they wouldn’t even talk to you? They who?
TubaDiva
They wouldn’t even tell him.
Still no news about Amazon affiliation? To me, that was always the least controversial, least effort and most guarenteed way to earn money. Certainly something that should have been tried before google ads were put in place. Yet all my suggestions seem to be falling into a black hole.
I tried emailing the advertising department several times , never could get a response. Finally I gave up and advertised elsewhere. I apologize, I shouldnt have brought it up here. I just found it kind of annoying.
When I finally hit the lottery, it’ll be free Dope for everybody!!!
I did a little content writing for a while (for sites like about.com, pagewise, geek, gardenandhearth, etc.) They are all supported by google ads; some I was paid per-1000-ad-clicks. As I understand it, google pays by how often the ads are clicked on by unique users. You can support SDMB by clicking on ads!
At least that’s how it works with some sites, and some blogs too. I don’t know that’s the same dealie with SDMB/Chicago Reader.
I barely even notice the ads anyhow.
And, I don’t mind paying what’s a pretty tiny amount of $$, considering how much time I find myself on these boards! :eek: At the rate I’m going it’s probably going to be less than a penny per hour.
:dubious:
I’m pretty sure neither Google ads nor the SDMB wants people to click on ads if they are not truly interested in the ad’s content. I seem to recall being told that too many false clicks can cause Google to pull ads from websites.
True I think, but I believe clicks from unique (lots of different) users are OK. I seem to recall reading about services that will actually generate clicks for free, or something? That’s probably way frowned upon though.
My gardenandhearth site is sort of small and gets me about $6.00 a month, woo hoo. :rolleyes: I imagine it got the site owners more than that, of course.
We appreciate support, but do not just click on ads to support us.
Click on ads only if you have an interest in what they’re offering.
Google tracks that sort of thing and will throw the Reader out of the program for abuses and that would not be a good thing.
TubaDiva
I am shocked to hear this. I’ll let people upstairs know about it.
TubaDiva
Sorry TubaDiva, I did not mean to suggest anything inappropriate!
Certainly way frowned upon, since the advertisers don’t want to pay bots, and what makes the advertisers unhappy makes Google unhappy, and what makes Google unhappy makes the folks like us unhappy. And Google is probably smart enough to recognize those click-farm services, or at the very least adaptable enough to learn to recognize them.
Incidentally, I was one of the ones who feared a stagnation of the boards when we went pay, but I’m very glad to discover that I was mistaken.