Ad-based Server Software

From: Brad Jensen <brad_at_elstore.com>
Date: Mon 13 Nov 2000 17:09:41 -0500

After seeing several pc software programs that are ad
revenue based (they display clickable banners in the
top of the top window while you are using them) I'm
thinking of releasing a web bbs (think of something
similar to Webboard from Oreilly, or the online side of
egroups) that is ad based. My idea is to have thousands
of sites with discussion groups all running the same
server software.

Then maybe capture the guy (with his permission, and
the foreknowledge of the web site owner) to opt-in
groups. Obviously only a certain percentage will
opt-in.

I hear that advertisers don't like bulletin board
visitors, and I'm wondering if this is really the case.
It seems to me that these visitors demonstrate
commitment, interactive response, and a greater trust
in the intrernet. I would think they would be very good
customers rather than the other way around. Even if
they click thru at a lower rate, they qwould convert
more often to sales.

Also I wonder if the advertisers would benefit by
repeated presentations of their message. Everyone seems
to be looking for that new, first-time impression. It
seems it would be sensible, at least for certain
advertisers, to balance that with depth impressions to
a selected group of prospects.

The other advantage to this software, is that the
personalization information for prospect preferences
and activity, would extend across a lot of sites, like
it does with doubleclick, et al.

It would also be simple to add a universal registration
option, where the user registers once for one board,
and the other boards can opt-in to allow instant
registration with the same info on their board.

Maybe offer revenue sharing to the web site to juice
it.

What do you guys think of the idea of server software
on a ad-based model? What thoughts do you have about
the pros and cons of discussion boards for advertising?
What experiences do you have?

Thanks.

PS I also have an online learning environment,
www.eufrates.com,
that I'm thinking of presenting on an ad-based or partially
ad-based model.

Brad Jensen brad_at_elstore.com
President
Electronic Storage Corporation Tulsa OK USA
918-664-7276
LaserVault Report Retrieval & Data Mining
www.Laservault.com





Received on Mon Nov 13 2000 - 16:09:41 CST