Okay, kiddos, grab your cocoa, and have a sit down. We need to have a talk. Specifically, we have to talk about the future of the site. I’ll make this as gentle as I can, but it’s also something that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. I want to keep these discussions as transparent as possible, because this site is as much about our community as it is about our content.
As most of you know, without being conceited about it, we truly are the #1 fan-run Stephen Colbert fan site on the web. We are a 100% volunteer-run site, and for a couple of years now, we’ve been generously hosted, with no cost to us, by our friend Jen over at DrakNet. She has not only moved us from server to server as we’ve grown, she’s also done all the server maintenance on her own time at no cost to us. (And trust me, she has put a LOT of time into this site for us). We have done our best to keep ads to a bare minimum, and taken the small amount of money raised from said ads to run contests and other rather small expenses that the site has accrued.
However, our site is big. It’s too much for any shared server that DrakNet has in its network. Not only are we getting over 75,000 unique visitors a month, and over 4,000 page views a day, but we are using nearly 2 gigs of memory all on our own. We sucked down 70 gigs of bandwidth last month. Every time we get the honor of being on the front page of ColbertNation.com, it adds hundreds of hits per day. And that’s not even counting the additional weight of carrying Colbert University on our hosting service. Most importantly, No Fact Zone is very resource intensive. And unfortunately, with a WordPress blog, there’s not much we can do about crunching down that bloat.
In a nutshell, we are officially too big for our britches, and we need to move to a dedicated server. This means that somehow, we have to come up with the funds to move to a dedicated server. Jen has done some research and come up with an option for us that would allow us to move to our own server, and would allow her to manage that server. Unfortunately, to handle our current load and to allow room for growth, we’re going to need a dedicated server with a cost of $110/month, and that’s with Jen pulling strings with people that she knows to get us an excellent rate.
Here’s the inevitable ugliness that I’ve avoided for three years – we need to monetize the site. I just don’t have the discretionary income to pay that out of pocket every month.
We’ve got a few options to generate income to help pay for this new resource:
Ads
- I don’t think that a simple Google Adsense account is going to cut it. I don’t even know exactly where I am going to put any ads we put up, but we may have to move a few things around or even get a new template. I can see about joining ad networks, and I might be able to recruit ad sponsors (which is the ideal situation for me), but we’ll have to see. At this point, this seems like the most reliable and likely option for the majority of our monetization.
Tip Jar
- Another option would be a Tip Jar, where readers can put together a dollar or two each month, if they are able, and help support the site. We can even set up a network where we have people “subscribe” to the site, for a $1/month donation or something, and hopefully have this “subscription” status be reflected on the site, either on a Sponsor page or possibly within the comment structure. There are quite a few options, but all of these would depend on the generosity of our readers.
Affiliate Sales
- This means that we would be pushing our Amazon links a lot more in the content of the blog as well as the sidebar, and encouraging people to purchase Stephen Colbert related product from our site. I have also brought up the idea of selling No Fact Zone related merchandise – we could sell that at a rate that would help us to pay some of this monthly cost.
We’ll explore other options as well – we’ll do whatever it takes to keep this site running without totally annoying the readers. We will also do our best to find ways to monetize the site that do not depend on our readers and their pocketbooks. It is also very important to us that we continue to keep the grassroots, genuine feel of our site. We have always been by the fans, for the fans, and have never done this site to make profit. This site has been purely a labor of love since Day 1.
But if we can’t pay for a proper server, we won’t have a site at all. That’s the cold, hard truth.
So here’s my question to you, the Zoners who have been with us all these years – how do you feel about these changes? These changes are necessary, and they will be happening. But I want to get any feedback from you about your thoughts on this issue.
Thank you for your understanding.
Avidly love the site, DB; will trust your judgment about what has to be done.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I’m a big supporter of NFZ, and would willingly pay a “subscription donation” per 6 months, per year, whatever. Money is tight for all of us, but I so appreciate the atmosphere at No Fact Zone I’d like to do my part to contribute to its quality upkeep.
Is there a snail-mail address and/or Paypal address you could establish where donations could be sent? I know there are many loyal readers here who probably wouldn’t mind parting with $5-$20 once in a while in the name of the worthy cause of Colbert Journalism. :) It’s a thought.
Thanks DB for being so upfront and honest with your readership. This quality (among others) is why you are truly a well-loved blogger.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I’d like to clarify that I’m not advocating that anyone feel “guilted” into making monetary donations. I also don’t think donators should receive any special or exclusive consideration (perks). I know how it is to just not have any extra money. Loyal readers should not feel less valued if they can’t offer financial support right now. The Zoners are in this together!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I’ve been following the site since early on–everyone here does an amazing job. I’d read some articles in the past few days about NPR’s model and about whether Hulu might start to charge a subscription service. After thinking about the Hulu thing, I’d come to the conclusion that good content is important to me, and I’m willing to pay for it. So that totally applies here as well. I’m fine with ads, affiliate sales, and I’d definitely be willing to kick in a donation/membership fee every month or six months.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
FYI, the news about Hulu charging for subscription did not mean ALL their content would be subscription.
But coming back to the main issue, frankly this is one of the best fanblogs i’ve seen and i’ll be damned if i don’t give back. is there a way to set up an automatic monthly payment thing?
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Yep, that’s the Subscription button – that’s only $2/month, and it’s an automatic monthly donation to the site.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
DB, let me say first that No Fact Zone RULES and I don’t think people are going to let it go away. Line for the tip jar forms behind me!
When you think about it, this could really be a very exciting time for the site. I have a podcast that I do with a buddy of mine, and we’ve never had to worry about how we can afford to keep the site going, because we have about ten listeners. Too many people visiting NFZ is a problem, but it’s kind of a great problem. That many people coming in, and loving the site and appreciating what you do, that really is awesome. So… congratulations on your huge hosting bill! :-)
For No Fact Zone merch (which I would totally buy), I recommend checking out zazzle.com — great products, highly customizable, reasonable base prices.
For ads, Lifehacker and other Gawker sites do weekly sponsors — not sure if that’s something that might work here, but maybe it’s worth looking into?
It’s scary, but it’s do-able. I think you’ll find people coming out of the woodwork to help out.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I will do absolutely whatever it takes to keep things up and running here at NFZ. I can’t tell you the hours of laughter and entertainment I get from being a part of this community, not to mention all the wonderful people and friends I’ve met here. I think I would be entirely devastated to learn NFZ could no longer continue on.
I think all 3 ideas are good ones, most especially the merch, which I’ve always wished I could own. And what a better way to find other Zoners in line at tapings?
Since your link on Colbertnation.com is driving more page views and unique visitors here, I think you’d do well to throw up some ads up there. This site gets a lot of exposure, and I personally wouldn’t mind ads here or there — not even a little bit.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
i completly support all of the mentioned ideas. i would actually love to help out by either donation or merch purchase. in all honesty coming to this site is one of my favorite parts of the day. i owe a lot to this place! giving back and helping out just makes sense.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
A couple quick things:
1) I don’t mind bringing in the ads, but that alone is not enough to do it. Especially with the advent of adblock+ and the fact that most users of this site are young & probably do have adp. Also, ads are very low revenue streams, and will only continue to decline in revenues.
2) Affiliate sites: Hooking up with an amazon/borders/barnes and noble is probably a very smart way to go. With all the 6-degrees, the guests promoting their next big thing, there may be some interest to pursue linking directly to the next book/cd/dvd/etc they have coming out. Sinking money into NFZ merchandise I am not sure would be very profitable, and in the end-might just cost more money.
However, if you can contact comedy central and see if they are interested in an affiliate program-this might be doable. The advantage of hooking up with CC is a) they have Colbert & Stewart gear. b) This is a fan site; therefore, people who visit this site are more likely to be interested in that merchandise that they perhaps never actually click on the “shop”.
3) Subscribers. This follows a lot of the new online models. People will pay for content they enjoy and that is not widely available. Many models are something like $4/month, $40/year, $100/lifetime (and it would remove all ads), along with just the addition of a tip-jar for donations for those who don’t mind the ads. Allow multiple easy ways to donate (i.e., next big thing, donating by txt messages now is becoming pretty easy).
I don’t think there is much of an incentive problem. The removal of ads is sometimes worth it alone for 4 bucks a month. Ultimately, this is dependent upon how many unique visitors you receive a month. Perhaps the guys working at Colbert can hook you up with 2 vip tickets once a quarter(i’m not sure how hard they are to get ahold of but that would be 1 out of about 16 shows..perhaps they’d go for a pair every 6 months?), and only those who are yearly subscribers/lifetime are eligible for the raffle?
4) Have you communicated with the peeps at comedy central? If they can afford hosting all the bandwidth that the videos take up, perhaps they have some room to spare? Also see about what they setup with “the nation’s home” webpage. Sending an inquiry to “the electric pulp” who is credited on the page would not hurt.
5) Write a book and use profits to run the site.
6) Find dirty secretes about Jimmy, and blackmail him until he agrees to pay for the site costs.
*please note that 5&6 are not likely to work–and #6 could get you arrested =p
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I understand where you’re coming from, or as much as I can with little business sense.
I prefer the model of ads on the site and affiliate sales. Not that a dollar out of my account would be a burden even to my student budget, but to pay just to see content would diminish the numbers of viewers, I think. For every person like me who check NFZ daily, there are others who only come in once a week, or twice a month, or have come here a grand total of 3 times just to check out a particular article that showed up on a search engine. In short, I don’t think they would be willing to pay a dollar. With people leaving behind newspapers for their free online counterparts, the less hardcore fans aren’t going to pay a dollar to view an article. I do think, however, they’ll put up with ads and maybe even use the Amazon link on the site to finally buy that Colbert Christmas DVD.
Many of the sites I love have grown from fan-run to the admins having to develop business sense in order to cater to the many different people accessing their work. So I support your decision to have to branch out in order to make this work. Thanks again for keeping the site so smoothly run, and writing those great articles. I hope a good solution presents itself to you!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
The model DB was suggesting did not mean that you could not see content. Merely, I think what was intended was that you can donate a buck or two or however much you want. No accessed is denied to casual observers.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
DB, I’m so broke my wallet should be in a cast, but I’d still happily fork over a couple bucks a few times a year. I know I don’t comment often, but I check in every day, because the content and the feeling of community here makes it one of my favorite places to visit.
Ads, merch, popping out a kid & selling it on the black market, you know, whatever. It just makes sense to help keep a great site like this viable. I know what it’s like to find a great little place to hang out and then have it disappear because of cost or ennui or something, and that’s freakin’ lame. Ennui sure as heck isn’t going to be an issue here, that’s easy enough to see. So if it’s cost, we find a way to help you pay the bills. Simple as that.
Also, just a quick personal note about AdBlock+… Yeah, I have it installed, but sites that I really love, I turn it off on (it’s already off on NFZ, and has been. I figured you’d have needed at least a little bit of ad revenue by now anyway!). That’s only the first step though. To make any revenue, the ads on a page need to be clicked. And you know what? Sites I really like are often going to have ads that interest me and I want to click. So, the kids and their wacky ideas about not being overwhelmed with offers to punch monkeys and whatnot, they’re totally down with helping the little guy/gal/robot overlord pay for the upkeep of an awesome website.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
You do whatever you need to do to keep this site online. I have complete faith that you will do what’s in best interest of the Zone!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I’m reading all these suggestions while I’m cramming b-fast down my throat (i.e., running late for work, as usual!). Will offer my $0.02 worth later today.
reCaptcha: paths or
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
i would happily make contributions to a paypal account, or something a la the “tip jar” idea. i too enjoy the site and would be willing to help in any way to keep it going.
sometimes, it’s a matter of ask, and you shall receive!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Well,I don’t mind bring the Ads as long that don’t polute too much the template of the site,and if this thing of Tip Jar comes true you can count on me,I can’t donate much since I’m a thir world intern (so I have the crappiest paycheck ever!),but NFZ is one of my favorite blogs ever,and my main source of anything Colbert related.
Pretty sure you will make things happen.Good luck.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I wouldn’t mind contributing a couple of bucks to keep this site going.
It’s a great site and it’s where I get most of my Colbert related information.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Whatever it takes, DB! I would be more than happy to help keep this great site going.
I am for “tip jar”, subscription or ads. Like I said, whatever it takes.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Dear DB, as a Canadian member of the Colbert Nation, I have to say that I visit your site every day because you and your collaborators have the Best Site. You all do wonderful and amazing work, and your site truly honours the brilliance of Stephen in all that he does. I often wonder where you and your collaborators find the news that you bring to us? So I read, view and enjoy. ColbertNation.com and the American Comedy Central sites are pretty much useless to me because their content is blocked up here in The Great White North (and the Canadian Comedy Central site is, well, not that great a site since it does not offer all the episodes of TCR). Oh, and Hulu does not work up here either.
I will go with any option that you will decide upon. You may want to use different options just to ensure that you do get your monthly budget covered, and I agree that ads alone would not do the trick since many of use would block them or just plain ignore them. Paypal does permit a Canadian to subscribe to a Tip Jar, so you can count this Canuck in for this option (mind you, our Dollar is only worth about .91 US, but I would compensate).
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
My opinion: A “Donate to keep nofactzone.net running!” option on the site, preferably with PayPal. The option to donate to the running of a site you love is awesome, and with all the hits you get, so long as it’s in a noticeable place, including a percentage scale of some sort (“We have reached 72% of our needed funds to run the site this month”), I’m sure you’ll well exceed what you need every month. Merchandise is also a plus. (I’d love some nofactzone.net merchandise like a bumper sticker or mug!)
The only thing I’d be against is the ads. So many sites I frequent are overrun with ads, and some of these ads are just terrible and incredibly annoying, and I find many of them morally reprehensible. I say let the fans support the fansite, not the advertisers!
I’d be willing to bet that the only problem you’ll have if you set up that donate option is what the heck to do with all the extra money! ^_^
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I’m totally with you on the coffee mug. : )
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Oh no…. This really sucks. I’m a dane, and I LOVE this site so very much.We trust that you will do what has to be done. I just don’t have enough money to pay for the site, so if that happens to be your choice, I can’t visit anymore. But I understand that it’s only fair to do, and I totally get it.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
DB: I forgot to ask a question: When does the move need to happen? In August? Immediately? ‘Cause I’ve got a little money burning a hole in my checkbook right now, if you’ve got a PayPal account. :)
(Seriously, ever since I read this post this morning, I’ve been itching to donate some cash to my favourite Colbert resource.)
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
We installed some caching plugins last night for DB, and optimized the database, and are looking at the resource number averages today. We’ll know from those how soon it needs to happen and whether we made any improvement.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I’m open to tipping every once in a while, and merch would absolutely be in my vocabulary for this issue. I also would not be bothered by a few adds here and there. The central community of people will never change, the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere of the Zoners themselves, so I’m not too concerned with annoying little adds corrupting that.
Whatever must be done must be done, and clearly we all support the necessary in order to keep the site up and available for all of us. This kinda sucks, but always remember DB that it’s only because the site is too awesome and amazing for its baby server. Training wheels come off with a price, but freeing ourselves from them could expand our boundaries =)
We all trust your judgement, DB. You’ve never let us down before. “Go with wutcha know,” and KOKO!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
DB, I support whatever you need to do. This is my favorite site on the web, and it is the first thing I check on the computer every day. Even if I will not be able to give money, whatever you need to do is fine by me. NFZ merchandise is my favorite idea. I am sure a lot of people would purchase this. I have confidence in you guys!! You can figure it out. It is definately not as hard as colbert puzzle.
Another idea is selling certain size adds. The biger, the more they cost. THey could go on a sponser page, in the banner of NFZ, on the side bar, etc. You could even have the different kinds of posts be sponsered by people. (e.g. Weekend Brunch, Six Degrees, Fan Girl Suit Report) It would be hilarious if Starbucks sponsered!!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I think we’re all willing to help out however we can to keep this going.
Having said that, we are also a very creative group of people. I have no doubt that we will be seeing some very inventive and fun ways to raise money…
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
DB- you must be so proud that the site needs a bigger server!
Like many have already suggested, I am all for a tip jar/paypal option. Could the site raise funds similar to the NPR model–twice a year? All who donate [no matter the amount] could be placed in a raffle for VIP tickets or other fun merchandise. A No Fact Zone-o-meter could be placed on the site to alert everyone once we have achieved the goal for 6 months [or beyond!]
I appreciate this site so much and totally trust your judgement-thanks for being so upfront and honest!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I don’t post very often (but that is way more than I post anywhere else!), but just want to chime in with another offer of support. The “tip jar” concept sounds great. And, with the content and format that you put together, I’ll be able to live with ads as well.
My husband loves board games, and (very) often frequents a site called BoardGameGeek. I believe they started small, and are actually quite a huge site (with employees) now. They have ads, but also offer a subscription service (higher than a couple of dollars a month) which allows users to bypass the ads, as Roland describes above.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I don’t mind ads at all. some of my favorite sites give me pop-ups, or have big ads all over. I don’t know how much money those actually earn, whether they’d be enough, but I wouldn’t mind seeing any of that. I guess the deal would be making the site still presentable to new viewers, or those just stopping by to see a particular story.
$1 a month for a little recognition thing I could deal with. honestly, if it got much more than that I wouldn’t participate. I do almost everything I can these days to avoid spending money, I don’t even download music right now.
I love the idea of NFZ swag whether or not I bought it right out of the gate! as long net profit is to be had that’s a great idea.
also, promoting the Amazon store or affiliates. I’m not sure what affiliate means, but I don’t mind it when it’s decent websites like that. I ordered my Colbert Christmas DVD from Amazon but not through the NFZ store because somehow it wasn’t sufficiently in my mind that I remembered to. I am sorry about this looking back, but I bet there are others like me who just weren’t sufficiently aware of it at that time.
it makes me very glad to see all the Zoners so enthusiastic about keeping this wonderful site going. I am sure we can find something that works!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Thank you so much for all of your work and all you continue to do to keep this wonderful site running! I don’t mind ads (can’t I just get rid of them with my pop-up blocker?) I visit another fan site for another hobby of mine and they have ads from both amazon and ebay and work on a “supporting” basis. Meaning not everyone has to contribute to access the site. I’m broke and every dollar counts. So I don’t know if I’ll be able to visit. But good luck in your endeavors to preserve this work of art!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I myself would be more than willing to pay a subscription fee for all of my much needed colbert-goodness content. I think I prefer that over all of the other options. DB thanks for keeping us in the loop!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Ads, affiliates, merchandise, tip jar, all of the above – it’s totally worth it and paypal is definitely the best payment option, IMO, for those who’d like to contribute a nominal fee. And congrats for getting so big that you have this problem!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
DB, thank you for sharing this problem with the Zoners so that we can help. Like others have already said, I will do as much as I can to keep this site going. I value the content you provide as well as the online community you’ve built. NFZ (and the relationships I have with other Zoners because of NFZ) has added so much joy to my life, I’m not willing to let it go. I carefully budget my money each month but I’m sure I can find a way to add NFZ into my budget.
My only worry about a tip jar or voluntary subscription fee is that people might forget about it after awhile. I know you wouldn’t want to keep asking for money all the time so you will need to know you have a dependable source of income. I like the idea of placing some sort of graph on the site to show how much more is needed for the month. That might help us all remember to contribute if we can do so. Also, if the funds are low one month and others have a little extra, they will know to go ahead and donate it.
I’m fine with whatever you decide needs to be done to generate the necessary funds. I trust your judgment. I know we can do this. This is the Colbert Nation after all. We can find a way to make this work.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I absolutely adore this site. I can’t imagine going anywhere else for my Stephen Colbert news, honestly. You guys report diligently and responsibly and it seems that sometimes you work in conjunction with the TCR crew. I trust you implicitly. So, if you need some help, I’d be willing to try to get some money together to donate. As I’ve said, I am a poor college student, but to keep this site alive, I think I could wrangle together a few bucks. I also don’t really mind the idea of ads on here. If that’s what it takes to keep the site going, then I’m up for it. I’d honestly rather have some ads staring me in the face than no No Fact Zone at all. So, I trust your judgment!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I’m afraid I don’t know much about the realities of creating revenue streams, so I don’t have any idea what would work best. I suspect you’ll end up having to put together a patchwork of solutions. I’m not crazy about ads, but if they’re relevant and reasonably unobtrusive it’s probably not a bad way to go. Merchandise would be fun, but I expect after an initial burst, it might go down to a trickle (i.e. I don’t need a new NFZ mug every month). The Amazon shop could be a real boon if you figure out how to remind us to use it, even when we’re not buying TCR related stuff. I know a charity for diabetic cats which runs almost entirely on the 8% kickback it gets from purchases at an online pharmacy that come through its site.
Tip jars & voluntary subscriptions would probably do well, given the core of readers who are really appreciative of and committed to the site. But as Jenny w/a Y says, you have to worry about people forgetting, and if you remind/ask too much, feeling nagged.
I like the idea of going with an NPR kind of model, where you do “pledge drives” maybe 3 times a year. That way you get the funds you need in a concentrated burst – people know when to donate, but they don’t get tired of being asked all the time. Budget out what you need for the next 4 months, and then make the pledge drive an event. You’d put up a goal thermometer or something, so people can see how far we are from reaching the goal. Entry to the site could be through a “Donate to NFZ” page (and a button to “enter site w/o donating now”). You could plan special features, contests, raffles, to drum up excitement and keep people visiting throughout the drive (say a week or two). The more they visit during the drive, the more likely they are to pledge. I know I’m much more likely to listen in on public radio pledge drives when they’re fun and entertaining (and yes, I do donate!). There are lots of creative people here, it could be a great community building opportunity :)
As everyone else has said, we’re ready to help do what needs to be done to keep the site thriving! And I really appreciate that you’re letting us in on the planning.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Since the Colboards were taken down, this is the only site I worship! Pleasee pleaseee I’ll do anything to keep it running!!!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I am a passionate believer in paying for public media that provides quality entertainment. To that end, I subscribe to several of the local public radio stations and our PBS affiliate. Now I know many people right now are feeling the money pinch (myself included), so I am strictly speaking for myself, but I grew up with pledge drives in the background on the TV and in the car, and I consider pledge drives an un-fun but necessary fact of life. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are smarter, more nourishing TV than most anything on commercial television right now, and if we have to go through a few pledge drives to remind us to keep getting the news we need about them, then so be it. I’ll set aside a few bucks now in anticipation of the first drive. ;)
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
My solution suggestion is to lose some weight. Plus there are sites like http://www.freeservers.com that can hold a great deal of info and options with the cost being that there are barline ads and occasional pop-ups. You can also pay a small fee yearly to have no advertising show. And you are aware of the fee for maintaining your domain name. My site hosted at freeservers does not have an addy like a myspace one where the host site is in the domain name first. I get my own domain name apart from their host service. They have base templates to build from but anyone with average html skills can create any style of site desired.
Most of us are active at ColbertNation which provides plenty. You give the day by show in a modified transcripts form and have the vote option for segments which is entertaining. You scan the media blips for us to bring us the latest news available which is cool. And the segments projected during the show break weeks have power.
I’m a real fan but hardly use any of the other features this site provides. Perhaps this ColbertUniversity thing could be its own site with links to pop people back and forth between the two.
Yay for the people who are in my opinion overly obsessed. And thank you for so much time being put into this place. If fans want community networking then come to ColbertNation.
peace out
U
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I just want to mention freeservers shoudn’t be an option for anyone – they host so much malware that standard mod-security rule sets block anything and anyone linking from them.
Colbert University (no offense to whoever’s doing it) is not the issue. The front page of nofactzone.net is the issue.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Thanks for the comment. I was just in the email area that my freeservers provides along with my site and got my notice of reply to this post. I was not aware that my type about that site would create an active link. If you read my post it actually states ‘SITES LIKE THAT’ so I’m not plugging them specifically. Hopefully this will be worked out soon and my vote remains that there may be more content here than is really necessary though it is neato. =) U
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I understand – I just felt that I needed to point out that freeservers (and freewebs and the like) have extremely bad reputations.
The issue, however, is the site is too resource intensive to share resources. Shared servers are just not an option at this point, anywhere.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
DB, I’m with pretty much everyone here in that you should do whatever it takes to keep the site up and running. You all are my favorite people, and I’m here multiple times a day, usually.
A Tip Jar would be great; I’d definitely donate some bux. And as someone above said, you’d need some kind of graph, or thermometer type thing to keep track.
Wren’s idea of a pledge drive a few times a year isn’t bad either. And I would totally buy a mug, T-shirt, whatever with the No Fact Zone logo on it.
I have bought things via the Amazon link in the past. Are all the books there from the authors Stephen’s had on the show? I know I was thinking I should buy Katty Kat’s book the other night. Maybe a direct link from NFZ to her Amazon page would be cool, when you write the recap.
No Fact Zone forever! And, after all, you are my Show Buddy. I must support your site. Whatever would I do without it?
And sometime, we should try to have a meet and greet somewhere. Or have Regional ones, so that most everyone could go. East Coast, West Coast, Mid-West, Great Lakes area. I’d love to actually meet other Zoners, and would go somewhere for a day of fun with fellow fans.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Oh, just another dropping in to say I’m totally behind whatever you need to do to keep the site up and running. I don’t know how or if adblocking software affects ad revenue, but as someone already mentioned, it’s fairly likely that a good number of us have it. IMHO, a tip jar would probably be the best bet. I’d be down with shelling out a couple bucks now and then.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
DB, thank you for including the Zoners in this discussion. I won’t repeat the many great ideas posted above, but I think a combined approach (consisting of your listed options and the Zoners’ suggestions) would work best. I would be happy to support the site in whatever ways I can and I know that you will come up with the right solution.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I will add my voice to the “will do anything to help” chorus. I’m fine with ads, affiliates, whatever. Especially if clicking on, say, the book that was promoted on that night’s show to see Barnes and Noble’s page for it would bring in some money, I’d be all for that. (And Father’s Day would be that much easier!)
Have you considered a model like Fark.com? Everyone can see some articles for free, but have to register and pay a bit per month/half year/ year to see the rest of the articles and participate in some extra features.
I would also go for some merch. Put some of those amazing screencaps on t-shirts, mugs, and caps! Make a euro-style soccer jersey out of Prescott Pharmaceuticals with Colbert #11! Whatever it takes, I’m with you!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Oh DB, you scared me to death when I began reading this post. I was afraid you were going to announce that you were burnt out and could no longer run the site and thus the site would be shut down. Phew!!!!
1. I’d be happy to donate in whatever way you think best.
2. I’d love to buy NFZ merchandise as long you’re sure the profit will outweigh the cost of producing it.
3. I like the idea of maintaining some sort of graph on the sidebar so Zoners know how much more is needed to reach the fundraising goal.
Just think of yourself as Jimmy Stewart at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the Zoners as your community barging down your door to donate:)
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
While I’m unable to donate actual money, I’m eager and prepared to serve NFZ in any way I can. I can help with designing and makng NFZ merchandise, as well as spreading the word about fundraising like crazy!!
I, as well as the rest of these zoners, am completely confident that we can get through this. We’ve faced changes before, and we’ll face them in the again, but the NoFactZone community will always remain strong and keep getting stronger. I have faith that we can unite and keep this little Joy machine running!!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I really love this site! I love the atmosphere and I love the discussions. I’m up for whatever you think is best for keeping the site running.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I love this site and I think all three of your ideas for income are great. Ads really don’t bother me and I know I could pay a few $$$ a month to keep my favorite website around. ;)
Also, the thought of owning an NFZ baby tee is seriously exciting. We could even have a t-shirt design contest and vote on the winner(s)!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
This is the only place I feel free to leave comments and the BEST place to revel in all things Colbert. So you bet, I’d throw a few bucks in now and then. And a No Fact Zone mug…awesome!
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Somebody mentioned asking TCR for VIP tickets that maybe you could sell. I think if you held a raffle for those sorts of items (low cost, high revenue), that’s another revenue stream right there. I’m not entirely sure how often you could do it before it loses steam, however…
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Do whatever it takes imo.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
This is one of my absolute favorite sites, and I definitely say do whatever it takes. I’m all for affiliate marketing, ads (definitely try to find sponsors), donations (I even think you should keep a little donation box up at all times, on the side), NFZ merchandise, etc.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Nothing wrong with selling ad space and some NO FACT merch.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0