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Author Topic: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.  (Read 77431 times)

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Offline Manny

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Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« on: March 11, 2015, 04:29:37 PM »
So I thought I would start a topic on site funding, as it does crop up from time to time, and again today:

How does one become a supporting and or sustaining member.

** Donation Link Here **

That question was as a result of a query about the upload image feature having been turned off some months ago (edit: now switched back on).

So I will dial back first with some history.

When the site was started way back in 2007, it was on the usual few dollars a month 'GoDaddy' shared type of hosting. After moving hosts a few times because such services are crap except for Mom and Pop type sites, traffic was such that we had to use a non-shared environment to avoid lag and downtime. That typically means private servers, dedicated servers or VPS/VDS type deals that cost more. We were hacked once or twice which necessitated off site backups (which are not free). Then we had to move the site out of the US in order to avoid DMCA's, threats of lawsuits from US agencies and other American legal silliness. So we now host in the UK.

Everyone says "Oh, hosting is dirt cheap". Yes it is, if when your site goes down you have to open a ticket, and two days later a bloke called Gupta in India replies it and says "Did you try to reboot your computer?" and then its two days till the next response.  :'(   We have a host where if something breaks, I call up, and a bloke called Brian or Geoffrey fixes it while I am on the phone. That level of service has a price tag.

In the 'golden' days of the 'mail order bride' business, which we caught the tail end of, advertisers were coming out of the walls and queuing up to pay our bills. Now the MOB business is a shadow of its former self, we find sites like the huge Aweb and former industry darlings like Elena's don't want to pay their bills to sites like this (or in the latter case need to be chased for 6 months to pay). Why you don't see their ads here any more. We used to use Google to serve ads here too, but Google classed us as an 'adult' site as there are a few photos of scantily clad ladies around the site and other unspecified 'adult' content, so they now refuse to serve ads here. As time allows, I am looking at other ad servers, including adult networks (!), but it takes time to put in place.

Meanwhile, the site trucks along full of eight years of photos and content, growing daily, costing money every month. Our image folders are *huge* and a few months ago when we were again running out of space, I suspended image uploading in order that I can manually review what images we need to keep. For example, an Obama joke image from four years ago in Off Topic on page 75 of a 500 page topic probably isn't important (we need not pay to host that). A blokes photo on a TR of the Potemkin Steps is more relevant, and that can only be done manually. So over a few months, I am up to page 751 of several thousand pages of our images.

It has always been the way that the site must be self-funding. As with any enterprise, it has to pay its own way to be viable. It also has to carry some reserves for ongoing tech work, software upgrades, new ideas, etc.

However it is done, the site needs a little bit of cash every month, generated from itself, to survive without costing me money personally. So a while back, I put a "Donate to RUA" on the ad rotator. So far, only two members have done so as a one off, and earned the heady title of "Supporting Member". I will find the direct link for anyone that wishes to throw a few coins into the bowl and post it on the topic.

But looking forward, with a shortage of advertisers that want to actually pay, and with minimal member contributions, apart from ads like "Wet Chloe Wants You Tonight on Cam" how does a site like this generate a few thousand dollars a year in order to be self funding in light of the MOB industry being on its last legs?

So, lets discuss, and I will happily answer questions.
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline shakespear

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2015, 04:45:06 PM »
So, lets discuss, and I will happily answer questions.

What percentage of the monthly operating costs (including perhaps a 10% reserve) does the monthly ad revenue cover?
"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun" - Katharine Hepburn

Offline Manny

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2015, 04:55:37 PM »
So, lets discuss, and I will happily answer questions.

What percentage of the monthly operating costs (including perhaps a 10% reserve) does the ad revenue cover?

At the moment, I am probably subsidising it a tad. On a good month it may break even. The last few months we are teetering on falling into the red if we haven't done so already. The 'accounts' are not to the dime you understand as the site isn't big enough to be ring fenced that way as we run a few sites on the server, but we are probably just dipping into the red as RUA goes.

None of this is big money, so not critical, but the site should self fund, so even a few dollars in the red is nonetheless, red.
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.


Offline shakespear

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2015, 05:21:05 PM »
None of this is big money, so not critical, but the site should self fund, so even a few dollars in the red is nonetheless, red.

I agree.  But you are placed in the position of trying to self-fund promotion of the buggywhip.

I'd suggest you impose a $5 per year fee on members once they get to 25 posts.  A lifetime membership would be $50.  If anybody that regulary posts on this forum is too cheap to send you $5 a year by PayPal then we really don't need them here cluttering up the place. 

Might thin out the deadweight on the forum.  Moby would have to pay at least $25 per year for all of his alias ids.

In that spirit, in spite of the fact I am now poor as a churchmouse and I have zero intention or interest in finding a wife in the FSU, I want to be your first Lifetime Member.  I pledge $50.  You're a good bloke. 
"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun" - Katharine Hepburn

Offline Anathema

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2015, 07:08:53 PM »
I'm a member of several forums with paid subscriptions, I've also donated when asked, and I click ads to help out, purely because I really like the sites and would hate to see them disappear.  One is very similar to this forum.

The difference with those sites and this one is that they are well run.  They don't let the few trolls ruin the "mood" of the place just to drive arguments to drive posts.  They don't let mods pick and choose to delete posts just because the mod doesn't like the post or member that posted it, like with my posts earlier this week.  They are very transparent when decisions about deleting posts or topics are made.  They do their best to create a good community where users aren't afraid to share content.  Basically, the exact opposite of this forum.

You, Manny, allow a few to poison the water here and are poisonous yourself occasionally.  Your very first post to me when I first joined was condescending.  As a brand new member, only a few months ago, I instantly felt the negative "vibe" here once I started reading threads.  The "MOB" business could be booming right now and this forum would still be sinking unless you actually took measures to foster a good community.  It's obvious you have no desire to do that.

The numerous threads here, telling you there's a problem are ignored, locked, or deleted.  You can point the finger at rising costs and a declining industry; those obviously play a part, but you're not stupid, you know the real problem is the poisonous community you encourage.

There's no way I would donate or pay anything to this site.  There's no way I would ever recommend this site to anyone else.  I think you'll have another failed forum on your hands soon and you only have yourself to blame.

Offline Anathema

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #5 on: March 11, 2015, 09:46:26 PM »
The fact that my previous post will be deleted and I'll be banned kind of makes my point.

There's good information and people here but they're drowned out by the noise and there's apparently no desire to change that.

Offline TomT

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2015, 10:12:59 PM »
The fact that my previous post will be deleted and I'll be banned kind of makes my point.

Since your previous post wasn't deleted and you are neither moderated nor banned, the only point to be made is that you are Anenema. Thanks for your input. (Get it?)

Offline WestCoast

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #7 on: March 11, 2015, 10:43:16 PM »
Manny do you think the ads do much good? How many people like myself have ad blocking software and never see the ads? Many here are very computer literate so I'd assume ad blocking software is common.

Perhaps a tip jar? I know a number of sites that use them. Or perhaps a section that requires a membership fee while most of RUA is still free?
andrewfi says ''Proximity is almost no guarantee of authority" and "in many cases, distance gives a better picture with less emotional and subjective input."

That means I'm a subject matter expert on all things Russia, Ukraine and UK.

Offline Bruce Lee

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #8 on: March 12, 2015, 12:48:14 AM »
There's no way I would donate or pay anything to this site. 
Good for you :thumbsup:

There's no way I would ever recommend this site to anyone else.  I think you'll have another failed forum on your hands soon and you only have yourself to blame.
I assume nobody is forcing you to be here so maybe take some simple steps to relieve your obvious discomfort – take 2 steps away from your computer, log off from this site and don’t bother visiting again – simples!

Like most here you will be forgotten in days – but don’t worry there’ll be another of your ilk to contribute the neggy vibes soon enough!
If you get a minute check out Bruce's TR - Its not quite finished, however its still a pretty good read IMHO.

If I win the lottery I'll finish it this week if not I'll probably complete it when I retire!!! Until then I hope you enjoy the story so far!

Offline ashbyclarke

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #9 on: March 12, 2015, 01:19:36 AM »
How about going to www.paidonresults.com, which is free I believe, use some of their banners to generate income?

I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're gonna feel all day - Frank Sinatra

Online Markje

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #10 on: March 12, 2015, 01:28:26 AM »
I too have ad-blocking software installed.

but as long as there are just "quiet" ads , without huge blinking flash-ads or even worse, full-video with sound. Rua remains on my whitelist of non-blocked ads.
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Offline Volshe

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #11 on: March 12, 2015, 02:02:23 AM »
I think all of us need to send couple of bucks, before we get new adds. Btw, another forum i attend had the same problem with Google, basically it would take renaming the site & not posting semi-pornographic memes & BS (of which there is no use anyway); i think it can be done. OR, we could make part of the forum paid, like many forums do - area which is now for 500+ posters could be for paid subscribers, sth like 50$ a year. C'mmon guys, don't be greedy ;)
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Online andrewfi

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #12 on: March 12, 2015, 07:00:47 AM »
I confess that people who use sites and then at the same time choose to block the means by which the site supports itself always seem to me to be somewhat dishonest. For myself, I have never used ad-blocking software on any site that I use.

Westcoast, man up, turn off the ad-blocker and enable Manny to have the opportunity to fund the site - or bung him some money.

What's the betting that Anathema will continue posting away even though he hates the site and people and can find no benefit to it. One wonders if some people ever read what they write, or think before writing.
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Offline Manny

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #13 on: March 12, 2015, 11:03:59 AM »
How about going to www.paidonresults.com, which is free I believe, use some of their banners to generate income?

General affiliate ads have never done that well here.
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline NS1

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #14 on: March 12, 2015, 11:11:03 AM »

What's the betting that Anathema will continue posting away even though he hates the site and people and can find no benefit to it. One wonders if some people ever read what they write, or think before writing.
I do believe he said a few, maybe you should read before posting also.
There is nothing permanent except change.

Online andrewfi

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #15 on: March 12, 2015, 11:17:32 AM »
NS1, in your ongoing quest to look a fool by missing the point or misunderstanding what you read you continue to follow me around like a sick puppy. If you wish to communicate with me please send me a PM - Oh, that's right, you can't. So, just stop following me around like a sick puppy, there's a good lad.  :'(
...everything ends always well; if it’s still bad, then it’s not the end!

Offline NS1

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #16 on: March 12, 2015, 11:37:08 AM »
NS1, in your ongoing quest to look a fool by missing the point of misunderstanding what you read you continue to follow me around like a sick puppy. If you wish to communicate with me please send me a PM - Oh, that's right, you can't. So, just stop following me around like a sick puppy, there's a good lad.  :'(
I do believe they same as you, I can post on comments as I wish.
If you are to stupid to realize you were once again, one of the ones being spoken about, no help for you there. Follow you, not in this life time, keep dreaming :chuckle: Of course, if you don't like my comments,could always just piss off.
Or put me on ignore, won't hurt my feelings:)
There is nothing permanent except change.

Offline Manny

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #17 on: March 12, 2015, 04:19:54 PM »
You gentlemen are not helping the cause here.  (:)
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline ashbyclarke

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #18 on: March 12, 2015, 04:37:35 PM »
How about going to www.paidonresults.com, which is free I believe, use some of their banners to generate income?

General affiliate ads have never done that well here.

Just a suggestion, but perhaps those who come to this site aren't one's who are seeking a partner or need an advertising banner for  a dating site, often they're not quite the ones many here would suggest anyway.

If there was links to something more useful, say inter flora FSU (similar but not so expensive) so members can send flowers, or perhaps an underwear firm who deliver directly to the FSU might be more helpful?

Whilst others are suggesting members pay, it's perhaps those who don't contribute in written form who are those who you could exploit further, I know for me I'd be more than happy to know a firm whom I can order flowers online in english at a reasonable rate to be delivered on say Women's Day or similar. There must be more similar type products? Polski shops that deliver online, paying commission?

Just think the dating links are used here more for fun, the more usable aspects seem be missed IMO.

But then I don't run a forum!!
I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're gonna feel all day - Frank Sinatra

Offline Manny

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #19 on: March 12, 2015, 05:13:45 PM »
I've trialled affiliate stuff here in the past. As have similar sites. Because of the nature of our traffic it doesn't work. How can I put this..... a lot of our traffic are the chaps obsessing about free sites. They do not want to spend money; they are not consumers of the stuff our context might sell who are receptive to embedded links (such as viglink provide).

We already have an underwear firm on the rotator who deliver to the FSU, sales from here are zero. Remember, 95% or more of our traffic never get on a plane, so don't buy flowers or underwear like you or I might.

Aside from Google ads that deliver based on location and browsing history, which we cant have any more, I am led to think we must cater to the 95% of our traffic, those who are mostly silent, that never get on a plane. We must cater to our browsing demographic and use pay-per-click over pay-per-purchase. Most readers here are single low/middle income, middle aged American men. They are adult media consumers.

I see little option other than some adult ads.
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.

Offline Volshe

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #20 on: March 12, 2015, 06:45:44 PM »
How can I put this..... a lot of our traffic are the chaps obsessing about free sites. They do not want to spend money;
What a great prospects for eventual brides... (:)
I see little option other than some adult ads.

 :duh:
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Offline TomT

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #21 on: March 12, 2015, 08:47:44 PM »
You gentlemen are not helping the cause here.  (:)

If you levy a one-dollar fine for each stupid post, your coffers shall runneth over.

Offline Donhollio

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #22 on: March 12, 2015, 09:11:08 PM »
I see little option other than some adult ads.

  The late great Bon Scott once sang out,

''And roll them loaded dice
Bring on the dancin' girls and put the Champagne on ice
I'm goin' in
To sin city''

 :party0031:   


 

Online Texan77

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #23 on: March 12, 2015, 10:19:03 PM »
What I personally would buy if you had the links here would be discount travel. I need hotel rooms and plane tickets. I do not need underware or sex sites. I would not stop coming here if they have their add here but would not buy.

Other things I buy is English classes, Driving classes, and photography classes for her in the Ukraine. Flowers in the Ukraine that are not too expensive. For English I am using AEC American English Center I very much like their service. She is learning very fast and very little cost. They have centers all across the Ukraine and number of other FSU countries.

When I was first looking; dating services. I did click on some of your adds then but I did not used them. I also bought your book. Maybe members that bought your book maybe more willing to spend money. Maybe a special page for dating services where on this page their are only dating services where you get paid per click, No chat or forum just adds for those who are looking for dating services. Maybe the dating services here could offer your members a discount on some services to encourage them to use this site to access their service.

Personally I think when the war in the Ukraine ends it will likely be a big boom for this business.

Maybe you should try to get other members to talk about what they do buy.
3) There has been no "threat" to invade Ukraine. The US invented that and fed it to a complicit media.

Offline NS1

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Re: Site Funding. Supporting Members. Q & A.
« Reply #24 on: March 13, 2015, 02:55:27 AM »
You have changed the direction of the site slightly.
How are your numbers now compared to before the change?
Has it been long enough to see numbers?
Your site, how its run and the target group
you wish to grow here has a direct relation to advertising.
There is nothing permanent except change.