Posted on 04/19/2012 5:38:57 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
RimJob Cries Uncle!
Last edited Thu Apr 19, 2012, 04:44 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)
For fifteen years, the Wizard of the cesspool FreeRepublic has been beyond adamant that his little sewer would never -never- adopt an advertising, pay, or membership model. Well, what have we here?
... the beginning of the end? One can but hope.
"Alternatives to donor based, ie, freepathon business model" April 19, 2012 | Jim Robinson
Posted on Thursday, April 19, 2012 16:22:35 by Jim Robinson
I've checked with an ad agency. We can probably raise the funds we need to operate FR at our current level and at the current market price for online advertising if we run a banner ad at the top of every page and at least one rectangular ad in the above the fold body of the page and a couple rectangular ads in the sidebar. If that doesn't generate enough revenue, we can also run pop ups or pop unders and we can even run audio and video ads if need be. But of course, if we go full bore commercial, we'd have to insure strict copyright compliance with very brief excerpting of all articles to avoid lawsuits. And the agency would require that we install a filter to censor out any bad or unacceptable words in our posts.
Or, of course, there's always the membership model. We could setup a members only system where paying members get full access and non-paying members get throttled back, etc.
I don't like either of the above models and think we'd soon lose a lot of our readers and participants. Of course that may happen anyway if we can't fund it and if we cannot get our equipment problem under control, or if my refusal to vote for or support an abortionist/homosexualist/statist who has plans to install ObamaCare, er, I mean RomneyCare into all 50 states runs everyone off.
The donation model has served us very well since 1997 when we first started using it. It's very clean, uncomplicated and we attract participants who perhaps can't afford membership dues but do want to join the discussion and join our rallies, protests, prayer sessions, etc. And the advertising model would probably bring in the revenue, but it comes with strings attached.
I'm sure there are other ways and ways to combine features of various models, sell books, cds, gear, etc, offer no ads for paid subscribers, etc, even ISP services, but all of these also complicate matters.
I'm an old dog and I like to avoid new tricks, new complications, additional overhead, additional accounting, additional rules and regulations, etc, wherever possible. I like to stick to simplicity and with what works.
Thank you all very much for your continuing participation and support.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2874129/posts
Actually, I sort of like the capitalist model. The nice thing about being conservatives is that we get to use it proudly, they have to use it hypocritically and guiltily. Nothing funnier than a street vendor selling a "Smash Capitalism" t-shirt for a profit. Well, yes there is - the guy who buys it.
Count me in.
So far. :p
The gaming thing just doesn’t flutter my putter.
Ive been to Vegas a couple times on business and I had a riot, but by my nature I was resistant to it.
I would have never gone if it wasn’t for work.
I know gazillions of people love the game of chance, but I’m not so sure any semblance of gambling would reflect well on FR.
And again, I am not familiar with gaming regulation.
But don’t they have those neat little gold stars for donors?
Here’s a clue to help you figure it out. The people at DU are Rimjobbers.
Make your decision based on free market capitalism principals.
I’m no gamer, haven’t and never will go to Vegas for any reason.
I guess I’m thinking along the lines of a Live Thread that just happens to have a bingo game going on the lower-right corner of the screen.
Like we have debate live threads with drinking words? I dunno, just an idea.
I have wondered why a conservative site like Free Republic has what is in essence a PBS model of holding fund drives to pay for it’s operational budget while Democratic Underground draws a significant portion of it’s budget from a very capitalistic model of having ad revenue.
It really is past time to make a change that would provide Free Republic with a more predictable monetary stream. Other conservative forums have a model that includes advertising. It need not be anymore imposing than the current FReepathon posts on the top and in the thread pages.
Oh!
Well drinkin words are different! LOL
> Nope,can't say that I do...
It has to do with a type of oral-anal sexual activity involving a tongue and a sunless place. Just thinking about it is 100% EEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. As the man said, "Don't go there, son, it's just not a good idea."
Using that name on Jim is a disgusting slur, which sadly is typical of DU.
It’s a sexual term of course. After all, these are liberals and that is their schtick. It’s in the same vein as teabaggers.
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
Free Marketing, baby!
Maybe....
How about for those who donate $5 a month you get a white star, for $10 a month you get a green star, for $15 a month you get a blue star, for $20 a month you get a red star and for a dollar a day donor, you get the gold!
:p
or instead of stars its your name on the bottom of the posts?
“Maybe Rush would advertise it for ya once or twice.”
Club Gitmo redistributor.
And "principles" too. The man's got 'em, may as well use 'em! :)
Accusing others of what they do has always been a liberal hallmark.
Yep. They are contemptible.
But I’m going to offset my disgust with them by making a donation to FR.
I'm already a monthly contributor, and I'd definitely go in for some FR gear, and can think of a number of people who'd be getting such as stocking stuffers, et al if such merch were available.
Then I propose we name the next two liberal members of the Supreme Court after you. Kinda like a legacy.
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