Re: Ad-based Server Software

From: Michael Martinez <Michael_at_xenite.org>
Date: Wed 15 Nov 2000 10:25:05 -0500

BRAD JENSEN <brad_at_elstore.com> WROTE:
> 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.

This is currently being done by several services, of
which EZBoard seems to be the most widely used. They
offer highly customizable forums and their software is
very similar to the popular Ultimate Bulletin Board
system.

> 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.

If I understand you correctly, you're saying you would
change the model so that only people who wanted to see
the ads were shown them? This would definitely be
unique, but you'd probably have to set up immensely
powerful enterprise services. Your system would
almost certainly be database-driven, and all the
database-driven forum systems are slow as molasses.
They are simply resource hogs.

> I hear that advertisers don't like bulletin board
> visitors, and I'm wondering if this is really the case.

I have been told this by a number of people. My own
attempts to run ads on forums have shown that if the
ads are relevant to the discussion topics people will
click on them.

> 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?

I think the assumptions used in current forum software
need to be revised. I'm currently stuck with UBB
software running on Linux servers and have lost
approximately half my user communities, although many
people have said they'll return when I've replaced the
UBB forums with something faster.

I'm having to write my own forum software and I assure
you, it ISN'T database-driven.

Finally, I've looked at a lot of forums out there on
the Web from free services. The vast majority have
little to no traffic. People have to participate in
their own forums, and stay the course until lurkers
turn into posters. Most people who set up forums
don't seem to understand this.

Five people posting five messages each a day would be
fantastic for most forums. That's because most forums
never achieve that kind of traffic.

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Received on Wed Nov 15 2000 - 09:25:05 CST