Sponsors, whats it worth.?

[mick_dundee]

Umm, you mean like this one... sorta...
http://www.ksrc-au.com/index.php?menuid=19" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
PhotoMike has been adding em, not sure if its up to date..
Mike.??

We do have the thread at the top of General Discussion though...
it is free....

I reckon that's more than sufficient personally although hyperlinks would be worth adding I reckon.

[Gosling1]

.......Umm, you mean like this one... sorta...
http://www.ksrc-au.com/index.php?menuid=19" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
PhotoMike has been adding em, not sure if its up to date..
Mike.??

We do have the thread at the top of General Discussion though...
it is free....

yes, thats *exactly* what I was thinking........I just head straight to the forums to post monkey-porn.....

[Glen]

Not that I regularly frequent other forums (welll other than Gos's Mnkey Porn site ) but I reckon the formula here is pretty good. Asking a sponsor to lob a grand in to become a sponsor smacks of a little too much self importance I think. The best sponsors I reckon are the ones who want to be involved not only as a sponsor but with the forum community in general eg Pete from Kaneg, and Richard from Narellan when he was around and now probably Flywheels

[BikerBoy]

Had an interesting conversation with a Kawi dealer the other day.
They mentioned they had been approached by another online forum / riding group who had asked them if they wanted to be a site sponsor and have a link / add on there page.
The cost to have this add / link was...... $1000.
Comments please...

Mate, its the easiest way to make money to maintain your site...

A small permanent banner section on the bottom of your site or even a google style banner to the right of screen
could bring in a lot of advertising money. Yes they are annoying, but business is business..

+ they should still be giving member discounts because they are still competing for our business against one another..

[Daisy]

...A small permanent banner section on the bottom of your site or even a google style banner to the right of screen
could bring in a lot of advertising money. Yes they are annoying...

I don't know about anyone else, but these types of ads are the first things my blocker hits, therefore they are wasted - and if they are forced in I simply won't go to that site.

I will choose who comes to my computer and the manner in which they come.

[Stereo]

Another site I used to frequent did pretty much the same thing..... and charged heavily for it...... It was a rolling banner (moving gif) and I have to admit I found some great deals through them..... I think its a good idea.... just a small moving gif at the top the page that scrolls through the various sponsors...... once it has loaded the first itme your computer cashes it anyway.... so its not an additional download.

You dont have to charge them for it........

[BikerBoy]

...A small permanent banner section on the bottom of your site or even a google style banner to the right of screen
could bring in a lot of advertising money. Yes they are annoying...

I don't know about anyone else, but these types of ads are the first things my blocker hits, therefore they are wasted - and if they are forced in I simply won't go to that site.

I will choose who comes to my computer and the manner in which they come.

Which is my point exactly.... who cares.....
Banners will make the site money.. whether you choose to click on it or not is your perogative

In the end it makes no difference to the functioning of the site.. or if it did the differences should be positive because the owner of the site
will have more money to make the site more interesting.

[Daisy]

Banners will make the site money.. whether you choose to click on it or not is your perogative

I think you missed my point. If my blocker is working as it should, I will never see the ad. For every person using blockers the sponsor is wasting money. They are only likely to cough up if they know their ads will be seen. I used to be on a forum where the owner decided that he would force ads. He had a 'sponsored ad' every few posts and threatened to ban any member found to be telling people how to block them. I left, as did many, many others. That site is now dead.

In the end it makes no difference to the functioning of the site.. or if it did the differences should be positive because the owner of the site
will have more money to make the site more interesting.

More interesting than what? KSRC is great the way it is. I don't mind buying the merchandise and if need be, I will donate to keep it ad free. Failing that, I would simply leave.
Oh, and if I wanted to buy something from a sponsor I can find them easily enough.

[Neka79]

I will choose who comes to my computer and the manner in which they come.

i bet u say that to all the boys??

More interesting than what? KSRC is great the way it is. I don't mind buying the merchandise and if need be, I will donate to keep it ad free. Failing that, I would simply leave.
Oh, and if I wanted to buy something from a sponsor I can find them easily enough.

meeeeeooowwww!!

ur a fiesty one today arent ya??

[BikerBoy]

Banners will make the site money.. whether you choose to click on it or not is your perogative

I think you missed my point. If my blocker is working as it should, I will never see the ad. For every person using blockers the sponsor is wasting money. They are only likely to cough up if they know their ads will be seen. I used to be on a forum where the owner decided that he would force ads. He had a 'sponsored ad' every few posts and threatened to ban any member found to be telling people how to block them. I left, as did many, many others. That site is now dead.

In the end it makes no difference to the functioning of the site.. or if it did the differences should be positive because the owner of the site
will have more money to make the site more interesting.

More interesting than what? KSRC is great the way it is. I don't mind buying the merchandise and if need be, I will donate to keep it ad free. Failing that, I would simply leave.
Oh, and if I wanted to buy something from a sponsor I can find them easily enough.

wo wo wo..chill lady.

So you have a pop up blocker.. so even if Madkaw introduced advertising you would never see it so ... to you, the site would look exactly the same..
Whilst it looks the same to you.. the madkaw can be making cash in the background.... why does it matter soo much to you??

And your holding the owner of this site to ransome basically saying that if he/she were to insert banners you would quit the site and never return..

Its a forum website.. its all about the topics and the people that log onto the website to discuss those topics.. whether there's a banner ad on the side or not.. it doesn't change the popular topic of conversation nor does it negatively affect those who frequent the site.

No body likes ads... we get it... but you can't just deny a website you frequent and enjoy the right to make some maintanance money...

[MickLC]

... but you can't just deny a website you frequent and enjoy the right to make some maintanance money...

'cept we don't need to, so I for one would be glad not to see any unnecessary advertising here

[Billz]

I reckon the more money you take for paid advertising, the less incentive there is for sponsors (who then become advertisers, a significant change in status) to give good deals to forum members. Sure, members might still get an okay deal, but if said advertisers have had to pay to get their business, then who is ultimately going to end up paying for the advertising? Not the site, and not the advertisers - it'll come out of the pocket of the members that buy from the advertisers.

From my (admittedly relatively short) time on this site, it seems to run just fine without paid ads. The sponsors seem to be happy with the business they get from the club, the concensus of opinion seems to be against introducing paid advertising and a number of us (including me) would be happy to chuck in a few bucks to keep the site that way.

However, this is not a democracy. Like it says in the forum guidelines:
"If you think that this is an open forum and you can say whatever you like, think again, this forum is owned by me... If you don't like it, save us the time and leave on your own accord!"
So it's up to you, Dave, what happens with it. I just reckon once you start taking cash for comment, there's no easy way back - you're running the site to make a profit, even if only enough to cover expenses.

At that point, the whole dynamic changes. Instead of what is essentially a social relationship between admins, members and sponsors, you've set up business relationships - and they tend to work very differently. It might work out just great, but, either way, it'll quite quickly morph into a very different site.

[Daisy]

wo wo wo..chill lady.

I am chilled. I just don't like ads.

So you have a pop up blocker.. so even if Madkaw introduced advertising you would never see it so ... to you, the site would look exactly the same..
Whilst it looks the same to you.. the madkaw can be making cash in the background.... why does it matter soo much to you??

Not just popups, elements, The sort of thing advertisers don't want. Would you pay money for advertising knowing that most of your target would never see it? It doesn't matter soo much to me. I just don't like ads.

And your holding the owner of this site to ransome basically saying that if he/she were to insert banners you would quit the site and never return..

Ransom? As I already stated, I am happy to contribute to this site's running costs in order to keep it ad free.
Like he'd miss me. Besides the owner of this site asked for "comments please..."

No body likes ads... we get it... but you can't just deny a website you frequent and enjoy the right to make some maintanance money...

Certainly.I frequent and enjoy it because its what it is. If it were something different, I would leave.

[MadKaw]

Yep... good posts guys...

The site has been running as is for a while now and I won't be changing it.
We are not for profit and have no financial ties to anyone, and thats the way it will remain. The site is run for the members not for the owners as its the member that make the site what it is..
Thats why all we ask from our sponsors is for them to look after the members.

My orig post was just to put it out there and see what ppl thought, it was not to instigate any changes.

There will be no cash for comment and ppls opinions can be expressed without fear nor favour... within reason of course (hey S & W ).
The only restrictions I put on comments (as per the quoted line above) is if they are abusive, offensive or slanderous... or its a chopped pic of me in a compromising position..

[mick_dundee]

There will be no cash for comment and ppls opinions can be expressed without fear nor favour... within reason of course (hey S & W ).
The only restrictions I put on comments (as per the quoted line above) is if they are abusive, offensive or slanderous... or its a chopped pic of me in a compromising position..

Like it needs to be chopped? Have seen a few of you in cmpromising positions Dave and no chopping was necessary