Classified Ads

[Mopar1973Man]

Hey gang...

 

I added a another plugin for the site for classified ads. I'm in the process of setting up and getting categories setup. As for the old forum area it will delete once the new classified ad software is set up. Now I'm going to need a helping hand from others out there for different field information and such for each Generation of truck.

 

I'm going to make it a requirement for all ads to have at least 1 picture. Then also contact phone number a requirement for the ad.

 

As for non-donating members I would like to change a fair fee per week or per month to run ads. creating a bit of extra income for the site. As for member that already donated maybe a much lighter fee for silver members and lighter as it goes go towards platinum members. We are clearing 600-900 people viewing the site per day so I know the classified ads would be seen. As for like truck part I was think like a flat fee of some sort for week or month ads. As for truck sale ads do a percentage possible like 1%. So like if a $10,000 sale was to happen the site could make $100. As of right now nothing is setup really. I'm flexible... So lets hear some ideas...

 

[Mopar1973Man]

18 views of the thread and no comments? Wow!

[dave110]

sounds like a good idea. Generate some revenue and maybe a few more members. I like the idea of a picture and contact number requirement.

[Mopar1973Man]

How about fees for advertising? (Limited, Standard, Silver, Gold, Platinum donated members?) How about period of time for advertising for the said fees? (Weekly or monthly)

 

Here is what I've got to setup...

[hex0rz]

I like it Mike! Sounds like your on the right track, Mr!

[Mopar1973Man]

So that is 2 people that skipped the pricing... Anyone else with feedback on a fair price of classified ads on the site?

[flagmanruss]

I don't have things to sell at this point but the site has costs which need to be paid.  Only fair to encourage donations by those who use the site.  I don't know anything about fees butI'm sure it'll be more than fair. 

[Wild and Free]

I personally think the classifieds will be a dead zone at that point as there are too many free online classified sites and as far as I know most forums I see are free to use as well. Don't see this as a income booster, folks will just quit using it unless they are already a site contributer and get it as part of the donation package.

[Mopar1973Man]

OK so it can be part of the donation package to posts ads but everyone can can see the ads to give the best coverage. So how do we split it up so silver gets less than platinum. Come on more feedback.

[Wild and Free]

About all I can add is maybe the number of pics in the add and the length of time the add runs for set donation levels.  

[Mopar1973Man]

Ok.

 

Guest, Limited and Standard members can read but no posting of ads.

 

Silver Member - 30 day ad - 0 Renewal.

Gold Member - 30 day ad - 3 Renewals.

Platinum Member - 30 day ad - 6 renewals.

 

Staff members - 30 day ad - 12 renewals.

[dave110]

That looks about right to me.

[joecool911]

I think it matters whether you want the classifieds ads to draw folks to the forum or be a service to the members. There are lots of free places. You probably won't ever see a huge volume of ads. But you probably don't want folks coming in just to post to classifieds either. I like the proposal. But it's got to work for you ultimately.

[Mopar1973Man]

What it allows us to do is ultimately custom tailor the ads for each type of object. In other words if people are selling parts or looking for parts then we can tailor the ads for certain information required or optional. Like year, make model, etc. I just need help getting it tweaked into full run. Then we can kind of do away with the old ad forum then... 

[diesel4life]

I still think it would be very acceptable to charge a small membership fee. Then with the membership paid now you have access to the downloads, classifieds, etc. I'm not talking much, even if you left it up to the discretion of the individual and make it on a donation basis. I see at the top of the page how far behind you are in donations, I do donate every year to help the cause but obviously it's a small amount in the scheme of things. I understand how times can be tough, which is why I mentioned the donation rather than set fees.  Keeping this site up and running isn't free, and it shouldn't come out of your pocket to benefit all of us.

[Mopar1973Man]

I need to bring this back to the table once again. I've got standard members (Non donating members) wanting to post adverts on the classified section. Some how I got to make it profitable for the site to operate. I can't continue to give away everything for free. I want feedback from members on what they think is proper fees and usage of the site. My problem is I'm watching the site traffic grow a slow pace but not long from now its going to push me to updating servers and the cost goes up from there. I'm trying to avoid the Google Ads and such I would rather work with the people of the site.

 

Feedback people...

[diesel4life]

My thoughts are stated above. i don't think charging for classifieds only is going to do much if anything to help you out. I don't see a lot posted there and the traffic will probably diminish even more if you charge for it. A small annual membership fee should be a big help and a very minimal investment for the people. If 10-20 bucks (minimum) annually is too much to donate, we probably should be driving something smaller and more economical. That is a small price to pay to have access to all the articles and FSM's that are available here.

[Hawkez]

I'll offer some feedback and this is coming from someone who has yet to donate to the site. 

 

Requiring money for services that people can get for free elsewhere is a tall order.  Especially for classifieds, the vast amount of free classified sites have destroyed things like the "Big Nickel" and the news paper industry (remember how we used to hunt for cars and trucks?).  I understand the need to keep up with costs but charging people for putting an ad in the classified isn't going to bring in any money, people will simply go somewhere else. Of course, you will have onsies and twosies, but not enough to support the site, and the one or two items for sale on that forum will never generate enough traffic and this is what is needed to entice people to post there--kind of a catch 22. 

 

Honestly, I enjoy this site and I need to throw some money in rather than continuing to leach off those that do contribute.  So what is the answer?  If you require a membership fee, there will be some that stay, but I would bet that most would opt out.  Not that your site isn't worth it, but there are other sites that offer similar services for no cost--many member on here often share info that they have gathered off those sites.  Obviously forums are better with a larger pool of people participating as it brings in more experience to offer--that is what makes a forum attractive.  I don't think the answer for the extended life of this site is membership fees or cost for classified ads.  Have you ever polled others for their thoughts on Google ads?

 

Just my thoughts

[Wild and Free]

I hate the sites with Google adds and pop ups but they all offer paid subscriptions to eliminate them. Might just be the way forward even though it sucks from a user stand point.

[joecool911]

Many forums do not allow access to classifieds until you have a certain number of posts. That weeds out surfers with spam and users trying to use the classifieds for free.