The conundrums of a free site

eric :)

posted: 2/12/2008 at 10:06 PM

Ultrarunner2, Thanks for the info! congrats on getting 500,000 members! I don't have anywhere near that many yet. Some day. I've been running on a dedicated server for a couple of years now and pretty soon, I'll have to look into upgrading the server to handle the increasing load. I'm not looking forward to that. My hosting costs will increase this year. I don't know by how much yet. I like to keep the site free of ads but obviously, if the hosting costs increases by too much, I would have no choice but to put up some ads to supplement it. Like you, I'm doing it out of love of the sport. I gladly volunteer my free time. Watching it grow month by month is the best reward anyone can ask for.

Trent

We've Got Big Hills

posted: 2/12/2008 at 10:12 PM

Quote from eric :) on 2/12/2008 at 10:06 PM:

no choice but to put up some ads to supplement it.

Well, I for one would pay to keep the site ad free.

I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.

Poor baby

ultrarunner2

Running on the ocean

posted: 2/13/2008 at 12:16 AM
modified: 2/13/2008 at 12:18 AM

Quote from eric :) on 2/12/2008 at 10:06 PM:

I've been running on a dedicated server for a couple of years now and pretty soon, I'll have to look into upgrading the server to handle the increasing load. I'm not looking forward to that. My hosting costs will increase this year. I don't know by how much yet. I like to keep the site free of ads but obviously, if the hosting costs increases by too much, I would have no choice but to put up some ads to supplement it.

If you are looking for a new hosting provider then I can email you all the info from the dedicated server I use. It's located in Germany but that obviously does not matter. I have Intel Core2Duo server with 1024 MB DDR2 RAM, 2x160 GB HD and 200 GB bandwidth included. The company is centron.de and I'm extremely happy with them. A word of caution concering ads: Don't put too much hope into it. I serve around 100,000 page impressions every day, get between 350 and 500 clicks, and the pay is around $15 a day. However, it's worth experimenting. I look very much foward seeing your site grow. It has a huge potential because we all can feel that this website is done in great interests instead of making a quick dollar. Thanks Eric for all your hard work to provide us runners such a great tool! BTW, I would gladly pay too to keep this website running strong. You certainly would deserve it.

You know when you're running a ultra marathon because the pain actually starts to hurt
-- Jakob Herrmann
my running achievements

Bonkin

posted: 2/13/2008 at 10:27 AM

Quote from Trent on 2/12/2008 at 10:12 PM:

Well, I for one would pay to keep the site ad free.

I approve of this message.

It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

Ileneforward

Imaginary Space Filler

posted: 2/13/2008 at 10:50 AM
modified: 2/13/2008 at 5:26 PM

I've donated. And I will again.

"Life is short...Running makes it seem longer." - Baron Hansen

"An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises." ~ Mae West

zoom-zoom

I du! (+CX +Mtn.)

posted: 2/13/2008 at 6:13 PM

Quote from Trent on 2/12/2008 at 10:12 PM:

Well, I for one would pay to keep the site ad free.

Yup. Say the word and I'll have my credit card at the ready. Smile

Kirsten

'07: 1324.5 ••• '08: 1561 ••• '09: 1810.9 run ~ 208.7 bike ••• '10: 1,000.3 run ~ 3513.5 bike ••• '11: 710.3 run ~ 4157.9 bike

'12 Goals:

run 750 mi

bike 3500 mi

• more off-road

• gain proficiency @ CX mounts and dismounts (ie stop leap-frogging w/people who ride slower after every obstacle -- finish further up the field)

SurfNRun

Prophet!

posted: 2/16/2008 at 5:53 PM

as soon as i get a job i'll donate again Shy

Zombie

posted: 2/19/2008 at 12:16 AM

Hey, if you want any donated help with the software, let me know. I can see you are using .NET, and I have a lot of experience with web apps. You've got a great product. Keep up the excellent coding.

ultrarunner2

Running on the ocean

posted: 2/19/2008 at 3:23 PM

Quote from SurfNRun on 2/16/2008 at 5:53 PM:

as soon as i get a job i'll donate again

How about less running and more job searching Shocked

Saw your running log and your milages are just crazy Cool

But then it must be so beautiful to run in Hawaii Big grin

You know when you're running a ultra marathon because the pain actually starts to hurt
-- Jakob Herrmann
my running achievements

JCEntRunner

posted: 2/27/2008 at 4:01 PM

Quote from eric :) on 2/12/2008 at 10:06 PM:

Ultrarunner2, My hosting costs will increase this year. I don't know by how much yet. I like to keep the site free of ads but obviously, if the hosting costs increases by too much, I would have no choice but to put up some ads to supplement it.

I think there are several things you could do before you had to resort to ads. First, more donating options (credit card especially) as well as more obvious placement for donating would go a long way in my opinion (maybe even having a new tab at the top next to shopping?). I'm completely ignorant on what's required to get credit card payments set up, but I think the cost you put into it would more than pay for itself with donations, especially if you make it obvious (but not obtrusive) on the site. Also, having more items in the store than are there now could bring in quite a bit more money. Obviously there are time constraints on your part, but offering various clothing items at a healthy markup could be very beneficial. I for one would be more likely to buy a technical shirt at a $10 markup than to donate the $10 straight out, since I would be getting a shirt out of the deal. There may even be someone on the site who would be willing to donate time to operate the store side of things (mailing out orders, etc.) so you could concentrate on the rest of the site. And don't underestimate the power of asking the members of the site. I think if you brought up what kind of money (or other kinds of donations) would be needed to keep the site running you'd get quite a few people ponying up cash, time, etc. to help you out, especially if they realized the urgency of the request.

AA717driver

posted: 3/2/2008 at 9:20 PM

I think most of us are more than willing and financially able (what better way to spend some of our "stimulus" check? Wink

) to help this site grow, sans ads AND avoid the same fate as CR. A couple of the other boards I'm on use PayPal. Works fine and is secure. TC

"I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead..."
J. Buffett

There are two rules in life:
1.) Don't sweat the small stuff
2.) It's ALL small stuff

Teresadfp

posted: 3/2/2008 at 9:26 PM

Quote from AA717driver on 3/2/2008 at 9:20 PM:

I think most of us are more than willing and financially able (what better way to spend some of our "stimulus" check? ) to help this site grow, sans ads AND avoid the same fate as CR. A couple of the other boards I'm on use PayPal. Works fine and is secure. TC

There's a "PayPal" button to click on towards the bottom of the RA Home page.

Trent

We've Got Big Hills

posted: 3/6/2008 at 9:42 PM

I gotta donate again. You all should! More importantly, do y'all like monkeys?

I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.

Poor baby

JakeKnight

posted: 3/6/2008 at 11:45 PM

Quote from Trent on 3/6/2008 at 9:42 PM:

I gotta donate again. You all should! More importantly, do y'all like monkeys?

Dude. Do you really need the free advertising at this point? Or have you just been hitting the frothy beverages a little hard tonight?

E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
-----------------------------

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

posted: 3/7/2008 at 11:32 AM
modified: 3/7/2008 at 11:33 AM

I think Trent is starting to like his monkeys a little TOO much and is looking for validation .... The paypal button is also on the sidebar of the training log

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds" - Captain Hammer

"I don't care how old I live! I just want to be LIVING while I am living - Jack LaLanne.
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
I failed the 12 minute run at 15...BQ'd at 38

The conundrums of a free site (Read 7197 times)

'12 Goals: