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Ads are the new online tip jar

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(@chris-c)
Posts: 3454
Famed Member
 

I've lived in about 4 different countries since I started doing GN. I've also traveled to a few others. What's interesting is seeing what ads show up where. Advertisers can target very specific regions. A lot of the smilie and glitter ads crop up in places that don't attract the premium advertisers. The idea is everything improves with time.

That's interesting to know that they can be selective by region.

The only ads I can see at the forum seem to be junky stuff for smilies, although I did see one for something like looked like it was aimed at pre-teen girls (Zwinky? Zwinkie?).

Going to the home page, and other pages with fixed text and I can see a lot more ads. They all seem to be for Learn To Play Guitar in No Time style courses. For a site like GN that prides itself on offering good lessons for nothing, it seems unlikely that many people would be attracted to visit sites where they can pay for stuff of unknown worth. I certainly never would.

The only ad I've seen for anything that might remotely interest me was for David's bass book. Hey! That ad worked - I bought the book. :D

If there were ads for sites with guitars, general gear, music software etc - stuff that I'm actually interested in and might buy, then I'd be clicking on them.

Cheers,

Chris

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 10:57 pm
(@raevin)
Posts: 26
Eminent Member
 

OK. I'll click once in a while if you think it'll help. I've never clicked in the past because I don't want any spam coming in, but maybe that shouldn't be a concern.
Unless you put in your e-mail address, you won't get any spam...and even then, if it's a well-known company (Amazon, for example), they won't spam you. :)

As for the topic at hand...I know I'm not a veteran by any means, but sometimes ads do have a purpose. If it weren't for ads, I wouldn't've found GN (though, I think people posting links is a different form of advert...but advert non-the-less :D). Anyways, I'm not sure if the ads will show up for me (my HOSTS file is modded to where 99% of the ads sites are blocked), but if/when they do I'll be sure click some for ya.

 
Posted : 24/08/2008 3:37 am
(@chris-c)
Posts: 3454
Famed Member
 

As for the topic at hand...I know I'm not a veteran by any means, but sometimes ads do have a purpose. If it weren't for ads, I wouldn't've found GN (though, I think people posting links is a different form of advert...but advert non-the-less :D). Anyways, I'm not sure if the ads will show up for me (my HOSTS file is modded to where 99% of the ads sites are blocked), but if/when they do I'll be sure click some for ya.

Good points.

I've recommended Guitarnoise on other forums, and provided links some of the time (for example when anybody asks about guitar on a piano forum).

I also seem to have some kind of filtering done by my ISP, and also by the security software on my own computer, although I have very little idea of who does what and how. I just know that I don't specifically ask for spam or ads to be blocked. Yet I can't remember getting any spam email, for instance, for several years now.

Chris

 
Posted : 24/08/2008 4:27 am
(@bluezoldy)
Posts: 329
Reputable Member
 

... if it's a well-known company (Amazon, for example), they won't spam you. :)

They mustn't like me then as I get several emails a week from Amazon since I bought a book from them a couple of months ago.

♪♫ Ron ♪♫

http://www.myspace.com/bluemountainsblues

 
Posted : 24/08/2008 4:38 am
(@rahul)
Posts: 2736
Famed Member
 

I think it would be a good idea to put the affiliate link as an announcement.

 
Posted : 24/08/2008 4:12 pm
(@nicktorres)
Posts: 5381
Illustrious Member
 

they are spamming you because you purchased, not because you clicked.

If you go to amazon, your account, email preferences, you can remove the option to send you email regarding items similar to what you purchased.

 
Posted : 24/08/2008 4:15 pm
(@bluezoldy)
Posts: 329
Reputable Member
 

they are spamming you because you purchased, not because you clicked.

If you go to amazon, your account, email preferences, you can remove the option to send you email regarding items similar to what you purchased.

Thanks, Nick, I'll do that.

♪♫ Ron ♪♫

http://www.myspace.com/bluemountainsblues

 
Posted : 24/08/2008 7:47 pm
(@notes_norton)
Posts: 1497
Noble Member
 

As an on-line businessman I have investigated legally what is spam and what is not.

According to the United States FTC (this pertains only to the USA):

If you have contacted a business they are allowed to send you advertising materials and that is not spam.

However, there must be a way for you to opt out, and if you do opt out and they continue to send you ads, it is spam.

Any advertising e-mail you get from a company you haven't given your e-mail address to is Unsolicited Commercial E-mail, or spam.

---------

My webhost uses Brightmail to filter out spam and it does a pretty good job. Before installing Brightmail I was getting about 400 spams per day, now it's down to 10 or fewer. New spams come in, and it takes a couple of days for Brightmail to put them on the blacklist and then they no longer appear.

--------

My advice is to never-ever buy anything from a spam letter, no matter how badly you want or need it. It's only done because it's profitable. If it became no longer profitable to send spam, it would disappear (very unlikely for this to happen because there is a sucker born every minute).

--------

If you purchase something from me at http://www.nortonmusic.com you can expect to get an e-mail from me once or twice a year (I don't advertise intensively, only when I have created new style disks for Band-in-a-Box). The easy removal instructions are printed on every ad e-mail, and if you follow them, I will cheerfully and immediately remove you from my mailing list. It's a do-unto-others thing ;)

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Add-on Styles for Band-in-a-Box and Microsoft SongSmith

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

 
Posted : 25/08/2008 2:47 pm
(@slejhamer)
Posts: 3221
Famed Member
 

Why not use the "site promotion" section to get companies like UMGD to post there - for a fee - rather than the soft-spam they use regularly. Other sites have extremely strict rules regarding commercial posts, and enforce them religiously (companies that don't abide are banned.) It's a win-win-win for all - the companies, the sites, and the forum members.

"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."

 
Posted : 26/08/2008 12:48 am
(@the-dali)
Posts: 1409
Noble Member
 

We got everything:
https://www.guitarnoise.com/affiliates/

Finding it is the problem.

Paul, I would (if the site software allows) create a button or at least a sticky on every forum/index that alerts people to this page. I've bought a bunch of stuff through Amazon and would gladly have clicked through GN to help support it. Keeping it in front of people is a good first step.

-=- Steve

"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"

 
Posted : 27/08/2008 5:13 pm
(@the-dali)
Posts: 1409
Noble Member
 

Ok, so apparently you alreayd did this!!!!!! Good show!

-=- Steve

"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"

 
Posted : 27/08/2008 5:25 pm
(@corbind)
Posts: 1735
Noble Member
 

What do we need to do to keep GN a break-even propisition? I think most of the "regular" crowd would like to know that. What does it cost, monthly, to keep the site up? Further, if you pay authors of articles, how much to defer those costs.

If I remember right, you don't pay authors or articles and it's a really "free" site. And that says a LOT about the site. Nevertheless, what does it take monthly to keep the site up Paul?

I have no doubt, we as long-standing participants, can easily pay down that bill or any other bills you have to keep GN strong. You know you have the best guitar site IN THE WHOLE WORLD! If not, I will be the first to say such! :D

"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."

 
Posted : 01/09/2008 6:16 am
(@paulhackett)
Posts: 794
Prominent Member Admin
Topic starter
 

This could start to take us into tricky number fudging area. What about my salary? And overhead? I quit my day job a few years ago to work on GN fulltime. But rather I seem to work on it night and day. Sometimes when I joke about "keeping the lights on," I really mean my lights at home.

GN is my "bread and butter" gig. Even if it were a not-for-profit organization I'd still need to get paid. The auto-pilot is actually manned by me, my 3 cats, and a willingness to get up at any time of day to do whatever needs doing. And if there were enough money left over the first thing I'd do is hire an assistant.

Unfortunately a break-even proposition just doesn't cut it. It takes a lot more time than it does money to keep GN going strong. I think for myself, David, Nick, all the mods and contributors - this is a labor of love. My dreams of getting rich off the internet burst sometime around 2000.

Guitar Noises Newsletter

 
Posted : 01/09/2008 7:41 am
(@corbind)
Posts: 1735
Noble Member
 

Since this is your full-time job, certainly we can drop the break-even proposition. For instance, if we throw out a number, say a salary for you of $60K a year. With that figure in mind, GN would have to have enough ad income to keep you employed and the site up.

I'm quite sure you've crunched the number in terms of how much it costs you in dollars to keep the site up, what income you have via ads or the store, and roughly how many hours a week you have to commit to keep the site in good presentation. you boil that down to a number.

I don't mind the ads. Actually, I'm glad they are on the site. They are necessary.

"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."

 
Posted : 01/09/2008 7:44 pm
(@rickumali)
Posts: 4
Active Member
 

With more people using ad blocking software or putting on their blinders, running a successful non-corporate website like ours becomes even harder. I'd like to borrow some words from Seth Godin who has summed up what I feel in Ads are the new online tip jar...
Hey, I just joined here, but I wanted to say that I support your thoughts here. I just read something similar on another movie review website that I enjoy. The author there makes a case for having ads, and I was persuaded by it. I like the analogy of ads as an "online tip jar." I've been browsing the content of guitarnoise for quite some time, and I'd definitely like for it to stick around.

Rick Umali / WWW

 
Posted : 03/09/2008 3:08 pm
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