advertise on iHub to sell something people on site want (Bob) Zumbrunnen, Not trying to get too personal here, but just upfront your posts place you as running this iHub using yourself as both the owner and that deep pocket high risk investor willing to get very involved in iHub for fun, profit and just simply being luckly enough to do what one really wants to do, work wise, using those phrases like "The hardest job you ever loved." ok, But here is where i disagree with your approach, and its not in the manner in which you seek to get revenue from, your words. "I think the best route...selling something that people on the site might actually want." And hereas we all know, as its so clear, is that people on the iHub site do NOT want ads selling things, but only an environment to post. So my approach would be to make that environment the best of the best, drawing in the best posters, filtering out the worst posters, and just simply having iHub have all the characterists that you know better than anyone here, in that speed and simple so posting and searching is tops, and have everything counter to this non-existance, which may be them ads selling things. ok, Now yes the prior 100 posts on this thread have already spoken of why a full pay to view web site has not yet worked, and i say yes i agree, but then i must now give short story. (parallel universe, Joe Golf loves golfing) But Joe is cheap and only buys with a return policy, and returns most all stuff he buys. So he buys a golf club with a 2 week return, and after 5 days on weekend he uses the gold cub and says its ok but not great. Unknowned to Joe is that new & different is really whats in play with his liking or not the clue. So 3 days later with the 2 week trail running out Joe returns club for money return rather than use club again for second time. Now in parallel universe this same Joe buys same club having a 2 month trial return eriod, and same same activity except he feels no need to return after the first weekend of using, so eventhought he doesn't really like the new club he keeps it in the closet and doesn't use it the second weekend, but on the third weekend he does and gets use to it and sidlikes it less, and by the fifth weekend he feels comfortable with it enough that he keeps it, no return. Same club, nothing different except given more time to have it flip from new & different to an ok'ness. So, i say take iHub off "ads selling things." and make it that pay to use web site so that its the best place to post, and give each new person joining a 2 month free membership with full features included thats equal to a paying member, and after 2 months either join or leave. Now (Bob) Zumbrunnen, are you willing to put this into play for one year and see if your iHub grows ten fold, as if it does then a simple pay using credit card for only one username per poster and ability to keep spammer and idiots off could make iHub RULE. (or) Take the other and opposite route that we all know sucks and is counter to what makes a posting board great. "I've considered popup and popunder ads..." (or) Using ads to "force" a free user to a paying user, to me is not a path for success, but limited. "despise them. On the other hand, the main function of ads to me is to be an annoyance." WARNING: This was on top of this post, but i'am aware that folks do not want this type of reply, just simple stuff. So, please only continue if you exist as one reading my stuff. :o) One question most asked, directed towards me, is "Why did I do that, act that way, do that activity, etc..." with the upfront acknowledgement that not only do they view it as incorrect behavior, but at the time it was done it was very clear to themselves as being incorrect, but yet they always proceeded to carry it out fully aware that later in days and years they will carrt these thoughts that they were able to stop themselves, but did not. My reply is always the same. "In an incorrect situation, you will act incorrectly." incorrect = "ads selling things." d:oug |