I for one would like to know “officially” what the obstacles would be to implementing this here. The program seems to work with great success on some sites.
And no reason to limit it to Amazon… abe.com (used books) and other sites would do well here, methinks.
I’d be cautious about letting the SDMB be indexed for Web searches. Personally, I’m to the point now where “ZipperJJ” is me and I just don’t want people to be able to find what I’ve written here by searching my username.
However, with a little XML, we could possibly get the content out there without associating it with usernames. An XML dump of each thread could be created with just the date/time and post body.
The one thing with many of these suggestions: there will ALWAYS be a very vocal group of people who will oppose changes they feel takes away from the minimalist feel of the Dope. Even though it’s easy to turn off viewing of avatars (from the user control panel), adding them would probably raise the ire of many board old-timers, some of whom would probably insist that they’d rather have talking Ford banner ads than an 80x80 .jpg of Charles Darwin next to a user’s name.
A lot of people on the Dope want the board to be like it’s always been; no new features, no new subforums, no changes whatsoever. These folks should be reminded that in the online world, especially on message boards, when sites stagnate, they wither and die.
TPTB at the SDMB and Creative Loafing have a very difficult job ahead of them, because no matter what changes they make they make to this site, there will always be some large, vocal contingent opposed to it. Sure, custom user titles and avatars might not be as universally hated as Flash banner ads, but there will be a lot of grumbling.
There are a sizable number of members (including me!) who believe this board is better/smarter/more sophisticated, etc. than other places on teh intrawebs.
If we want to preserve this elitist perception of ourselves, we have to appeal to those who feel the same way about whatever they do.
I suggest we follow the public broadcasting model of fundraising.
Once a month or so the board should offer an outstanding example of itself – a classic thread or response to one of Cecil’s columns, something like that. Then every 10 posts or so, TPTB can insert a post urging readers to support quality posting by joining the board.
To sweeten the deal, we can offer people who join (or renew their membership) some SDMB swag. Coffee mugs, tote bags, copies of Cecil’s old books. Better booty for higher levels of membership.
Maybe we could have auctions. I think a weekend in Chicago and dinner with the Perfect Master himself (of course all participants would be sworn to secrecy) could fetch a pretty penny.
Also following the public broadcasting model, maybe we should inaugurate an “HD” version of the board. It would have the same content, but spiced up with graphics, avatars, the ability to post pictures, etc.
Like many others, I think the Reader should upgrade the Straight Dope store with more and better stuff. Maybe open a bricks-and-mortar version at the Reader’s office in Chicago, for those of us who want to make a pilgrimage.
There are ways to increase revenue without compromising the community.
Certanly at once after you’ve cut the cheese.
Please.
I mentioned in a different thread about where we are marketed and it was silenced with a raw verve I haven’t seen in a while. Not closed mind you but not answered either.
I happen to do a lot of work with several well known marketing firms in CT and the SDMB is not only marketable but could be lucrative if marketed in the right way…and an Amazon recommendation choice on Amazon order forms for ‘where did you hear about us’ could generate quite an influx!
I’m not sure what I’m ordering here, is the sheep plush or the hal plush? Maybe both with a little bit of velcro to strategically stick them together.
More to the OP, I agree that the book sales are suffering due to the online article archive - maybe keep 90 days online and the rest become published in the SD books (which is how I found the SD in the first place, via the reprint books).
I’d rather keep the dancing baloney to a minimum - no animated avatars, etc. “Tasteful”, even though the SDMB really isn’t.
Maybe just black t-shirts with “Doper” on the front (and maybe Sig’s turkey). Leave 'em wondering but still ID ourselves to each other.
Not to mention to the cops.
No. No Sig. Anything but Sig.
sigh Oh well. I guess they should open it the fuck up then 
I, for one, would purchase a stuffed squid with my subscribe year on it. (Yes, I’m odd.)
It could have a tiny shirt that has:
username
fighting ignorance since (year of subscription)
I mostly agree with kunilou. This place really does have a lot of potential, in that most of the members have stumbled upon it in one way or the other, so it’s almost like a secret club. The problem with marketing it heavily will be an influx of people who may change the culture. It’s something to think about–whether that would be a good thing, how to target it to the right audience, get a varied mix of new members, and how to run off the inevitable riff-raff. The more popular it gets, the more trolls there will be. As the boards grow the moderators’ jobs are going to grow, too.
Might as well throw my idea in here: an interstitial program like Stardate on NPR or Star Hustler on PBS. Yeah, I know shows aren’t produced for free.
I forgot to add: the additional revenue would come in from increased book sales and board memberships.