Full Service Ad Management for Forums?

[Nev_Dull]

lol, try being open and transparent and you'll be amazed how well they are received.

That's good advice, but not something I'm interested in. I've always run forums as a hobby (and they've never been my most costly hobby). On my current one, I've had members ask why I don't run ads and some have offered to contribute, which I declined.

If I wanted to make some profit from a forum, it wouldn't be through ads. The internet is rife with unsolicited advertisements and I don't want to contribute to it.

 

[Joeychgo]

So by offering alternatives to ads you sound like you made more money... which is kind of what some of us have been suggesting for a while. Ads are not the only way to sustainable profits.

Very true. I offer an upgraded membership (annual charge) and that gets rid of almost all ads, allows photos to be uploaded in PMs and more PM storage. These upgraded memberships alone give me more revenue then probably 90% of the other forums out there.

 

[Joeychgo]

The internet is rife with unsolicited advertisements and I don't want to contribute to it.

so is television, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc. Advertising is the go to funding source for media. If your just running a hobby forum and the costs are manageable, that's great. But really this thread is for people who want to make money from their forums.

 

[Nev_Dull]

so is television, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.

Of course. And all of those are fading away, despite the increase in advertising use. (Some might say because of it.)

But really this thread is for people who want to make money from their forums.

Fair enough. I just don't think slapping ads on a forum and hoping for enough clicks is a reliable method of accomplishing that. Plus it does contribute to the increase in visual noise online, which doesn't help promote actual content.

 

[Joeychgo]

Fair enough. I just don't think slapping ads on a forum and hoping for enough clicks is a reliable method of accomplishing that. Plus it does contribute to the increase in visual noise online, which doesn't help promote actual content.

by itself, in a haphazard fashion, no. Its not the best way.

 

[Philpug]

This post is really gonna be a thorn in your side.

As a user, I totally, 100% despise ads in any form on any forum. I understand the need to pay bills, but I take extreme efforts to block ALL ads including the so-called good, non-intrusive ads. If I can't block them, I don't return to the site/forum.

What site do you have and how do you cover your costs to run it?