Are "views" numbers largely influenced by robots?

[CakeHole]

Am i scum that i use ad-block plus while online so do not see the adverts here either?

 

[Nifty]

Am i scum that i use ad-block plus while online so do not see the adverts here either?

Wait... is that a rhetorical question?

 

[CakeHole]

Wait... is that a rhetorical question?

hehe, in all seriousness though @Nifty does the site generate much income from adverts on it? Obviously i do not expect you to disclose exact figures but if it was ENOUGH difference between the site existing or not then i would happily allow the adverts.

I realise money for the hosting etc has to come from somewhere but i have often wondered can a site actually survive just via the income of adverts? Obviously on the likes of a Facebook with millions using it each day the income soon adds up but does it really generate enough on smaller sites like this?

 

[Emulator]

I would think that there is little doubt that it does. The number of viewings is quite large if you study a few in detail. There is a lot going on in the background, that is not apparent, if you just look at recent posts.

 

[CakeHole]

It depends on the type of ads, some from my understanding you get no revenue unless a person clicks the ad.

 

[Nifty]

Great discussion & questions!

Hosting a small website is actually relatively cheap / easy... the problem is that things get VERY tricky (exponentially so) as a site grows in scale. For example, you can host a small website on Godaddy, etc. for $5 - $10 a month. That's what I did about 15 years ago when I started doing this stuff (ugh that made me feel old)... but over time I went to a shared hosting / reseller account, to finally a dedicated server. With each step things got more complex and expensive. I used to be able to do a everything myself, but as things gets busier and more complex, I need to hire contractors to help. For example, with a dedicated server, I need help managing and optimizing it for security, performance, and backup redundancy. I have one group that manages the site in real-time for some things and then contractors that help on an as-needed basis for others.

Generating enough revenue from advertising on a website to cover expenses is possible, but very hard. Revenue is usually based on clicks and not views, so that makes it tricky... especially if people have ad-blocker on. Even just covering a site's "real" expenses (domain name, hosting, etc.) can be difficult, but if you add on other costs (forum software license fees, contractor fees, server management fees, etc.) it gets even harder as costs of running a busy site skyrocket.

NOTE: We never want anybody to click ads that they aren't interested in just to earn a site income... it can get us in trouble and is also unethical. Also, if people run ad-block, we'd ask that they find other ways to help contribute to the site, like helping others, posting great content, linking to the site, etc., which many of you are doing anyway, so thanks!

I'm fortunate that I can do a lot of basic stuff myself and also that I'm VERY frugal. I've seen a TON of websites come and go over the years because they didn't build in a sustainable financial model into their site from the beginning. I've never had a site go "dead" and expect that will never happen.

 

[Emulator]

Although this is a dedicated blog site in itself, I was wondering if you might not benefit by having a category heading "members blogs", in which those that like laying down a line of thinking, as some do, could have a slot dedicated to themselves.

It may not prove to be popular, but no doubt others may develop the idea? I just throw it into the ring!

It could be used to reference other personally generated video and reference data.

 

[The Hat]

An absolute great site Rob, and I thank you for that, in fact I’ll go as far as saying one of the very best forums around and run so professionally too..
+100

 

[stratman]

Rob, you had me at "frugal"!

Thank you!

 

[CakeHole]

I feel a little better knowing many are click based ads for revenue rather than view based, though will still try to remember to disable ad-block when i visit I doubt id click any/many ads though, that is just manly down to years of right or wrong self training never to click a banner advert. Im sure here they are all safe, to click though.

Have you ever considered a donate button or system @Nifty?

Or maybe even a system where you get together with one of the small ink supplier companies that are also members here and offering a system where if you pay a membership fee you get a discount, free postage, extra freebies with an order or something similar with a single order or all orders from them and the income is split between you and them? There are a few company forums in the UK that do something similar to this, no idea if its a success, just another thought thrown out there.

Id personally love to see sites like these flourish even more, and you as a provider of this portal of great people, deserve to do well.

Maybe a thread with ideas for the site and/or a poll to yes/no on being able to make a donation or have ideas for other financial schemes/incentives for the site and members.