Weekly Poll: Site Sponsorships
An incredibly important poll for subscribers!
Monday, December 3, 2007 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
This week's poll is a little different from what we usually talk about. This week it's all about how we support and fund the site. Currently we support WinCustomize primarily through subscriptions and web ads. However we have repeatedly turned away the much more profitable ads because they're just so darned annoying. We know that at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how well an ad pays if it drives users away. That's why you'll never see pop-ups, hover ads etc on WinCustomize, even though they pay extremely well.
That said, we are still looking to find additional revenue sources, especially as the cost of the site continues to climb. One of the ways is through a "Site Sponsorship" program.
A "Site Sponsorship" is basically where a company decides to sponsor WinCustomize for a month or more at a time. They would get something akin to the image to your left as a static image placement on the site. In the case of the example here, it would be a box added to the WinCustomize sidebar. It's not a typical ad. It doesn't bounce, flash, play sounds or in any way impact your browsing. It's merely a logo placement, perhaps with a brief text message that would be a part of the site.
There's a catch though (there's always a catch). If we were to secure these sponsorships, they would have to be displayed to ALL users, even subscribers.
That's where today's poll comes in. For all of you who are subscribers, or who are thinking of subscribing. Would a sponsorship placement like what I've described be acceptable to you?
Of course, you'd get something in return for such a placement. Sponsorships like this one, run over the course of the year, would directly fund projects like new Subscriber Suites. We could actually afford to hire skinners from Stardock Design to draw up and build several Subscriber Suites in the course of the year.
So, if you were to get additional subscriber suites, would that make the sponsorship placement more acceptable?
Go ahead and vote. We'll tally it up next Monday. And please use the comments here to discuss the proposal, and what would make the addition acceptable to you if it were to happen.
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Reply #2 Monday, December 3, 2007 2:20 PM
Reply #3 Monday, December 3, 2007 2:23 PM
Reply #4 Monday, December 3, 2007 3:04 PM
Reply #5 Monday, December 3, 2007 3:24 PM
Reply #6 Monday, December 3, 2007 3:33 PM
As a paying subsciber, I would be offended if they were placed any where else on the pages.
Bottom line......Great Idea!
Reply #7 Monday, December 3, 2007 3:34 PM
Reply #8 Monday, December 3, 2007 3:37 PM
Reply #9 Monday, December 3, 2007 3:54 PM
Reply #10 Monday, December 3, 2007 3:55 PM
As I've worked with our ad partners, I've made it very clear that any ad we place, anyone we partner with for any reason has to agree to work within a framework we set. I hate annoying ads as much if not more than most people here, so I'm painfully aware of what is and isn't OK. Even though the less than good stuff would pay more, I've turned it down.
At the end of the day, I'm the guy you get to yell at over web ads on the site. It's my job to take WinCustomize and turn it from a site that loses money every month to one that at least breaks even, and hopefully turns a profit. The better we do financially, the better this site can be. Right now, in terms of paid staff, WinCustomize has me and Island Dog (though he's only part-time under WC, his main duties lie out there on the intarwebz).
That's the trick. Everything I do to bring in more money has to be balanced by making the site better. I want to start putting out more Subscriber Suites. I want to offer exclusive goodies to subscribers and to registered users. I want to hire more developers to dedicate their time to continually improving the site. I've got big plans for what I want to add to WinCustomize to make it better, but first I have to find the cash to do it.
The other tough part is finding ways of earning more money that don't hurt the community or our existing supporters. It's for this reason that this poll is here, and this thread for discussion. I don't want to just go and make such a drastic change like this before getting your input, and sharing with you the reasons behind it, and what the benefits will be.
Reply #11 Monday, December 3, 2007 4:04 PM
Reply #12 Monday, December 3, 2007 4:16 PM
I didn't realize, as I'm sure most people didn't, that for WC paid staff it was just yourself and Island Dog. It's rather amazing when you think about. Good job you two and to all the non-paid volunteers.
Reply #13 Monday, December 3, 2007 4:20 PM
Reply #14 Monday, December 3, 2007 4:22 PM
There are Stardock web devs like Dean, Pat, Andrew, George, Nickie and Kieth who do the work to make the site possible, their time is split between WinCustomize and many other sites. Island Dog and myself are the closest you get to directly assigned Staff.
And you're right to thank the volunteer staff. For years they're the folks who kept things together and the moderation and forums flowing smoothly. They're the main reason we've been so successful all these years.
Reply #15 Monday, December 3, 2007 4:25 PM
Adobe is doing some great stuff regarding the user interface of computers. This is some old technology but new to the general public (well for those that never seen this)
Check this out
Adobe TED
It would be real nice to see a skin having flash effects and what not, some real cool animations.
I'm just rambling here
But I hope that the inclusion of adobe goes beyond "paying the bills” I thrilled to see what comes of this... Adobe has been on the leading edge of some really far-out stuff. (Yes... I said far-out... that’s because I'm old enough to say it)
I hope we all benefit from this and I mean before the general users do.
WWW Link
Reply #16 Monday, December 3, 2007 4:27 PM
The adobe logo in the article was an example. We have no sponsorships signed yet.
Updated the image in the original article to clear up confusion.
Reply #17 Monday, December 3, 2007 4:49 PM
I think it would be a good idea as long as you said, would be static and placed on the side bar. Where on the side bar would it be placed,? Top? Middle? Bottom? At the users discretion perhaps?
If it will help to bring more money and not be in the way, I say let's give it a go.
Reply #18 Monday, December 3, 2007 4:50 PM
Reply #20 Monday, December 3, 2007 5:16 PM
If it's static and thus clean advertising rather than distracting I'd be happy with it/them being anywhere, not just sidebar.
They should also be labelled 'Sponsor' or 'Sponsorship' so as to leave no confusion as to their not being Stardock/Wincustomize.com database content [eg some skin/icon].
I'd see no harm in, say, every 10th skin display in a gallery being a place-holder for a sponsor if the result is ongoing site sustainability...
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Reply #1 Monday, December 3, 2007 2:11 PM
To me, ads are by businesses that are looking for product placement only. Sponsors on the other hand have a more direct link, association, vested interest, in Stardock and benefit from its popularity in the customizing community.
I believe the benefits afforded by allowing/using sponsors as a revenue source far out weigh any downside. And it's not because subscribers would get more goodies, it makes good business sense.
I say yes.