Re: I miss posting pic\'s here
Certainly this is a topic on which there is much discussion and many ideas to be had. I too would like this site to be free from the burden of advertising. I don't question your integrity nor that of this site, but being ad-supported can be a precarious situation to be in. However, I don't know that there is really anything to be said, positive or negative, about any of the burstnet advertisers. I say this as I have yet to see a 4x4 product advertised on their banner. I don't know whether they are a large source of revenue, but I don't see how they would influence the content of this site. That being said, the advertisers of 4x4 products may be the ones to look at. I don't have the figures on your income and output as far as this site goes so I can't talk monetarily. However, if the goal is to remove companies that may be somehow able to wield undue influence upon the content of this site, then those advertising 4x4 products may be the ones to look at. I don't doubt the integrity of your advertisers but there is always a pressure not to bite the hand that feeds you. That being true, I can't remember any examples of nor imagine any future situations in which someone on this 4x4 site would have something to say about lowermybills.com, simslots.com, casinocentral.com, or any of the other companies advertised in the banner over the forums. I can however recall situations where certain 4x4 parts retailers were recommended, in part, because they were "supporters", meaning advertisers, of this site. As well, those who question certain advertisers have found that their ideas receive a very cold reception.
Additionally, I've always valued this site being free. While some may say this is an indication of my being "cheap" I would counter only by saying that indeed if this site cost money I would pay for a membership. My thriftiness aside, one of the things that I believe attracted many to this site is that it is free. While certainly we could spend hours in the library copying microfiche and then hours more copying pages from ancient 4x4 magazines, we discovered that the money spent on those copies is indeed sometimes saved via a visit here. Furthermore having the content of this site freely available allows those who may become contributing/donating/sticker+shirt-buying members to see what exactly they're getting into. While creating a membership fee may do away with some-odd number of posts like "Hey someone pull my finger quick", I fear it would also create a barrier to those who perhaps have not been here before who want to post something along the lines of an "Alternative shackle flip." If I was in a situation in which I wanted to spread the word about a clearance sale at some 4x retailer or a recall or some other valuable information and encountered a site that wanted to charge me to share that information, then I would feel somewhat put off and that sites members would likely not find out that information and perhaps never hear of it at all.
While I don't want to ask you to do anything you are uncomfortable with and I don't mean to pry into what may be considered your private affairs I believe that this discussion would benefit from everyone having the figures on what percentage of the sites bandwidth, storage, and other fees come from which forums/sections. As well what portions of the sites income come from which advertisers. This would allow myself and others who choose to do so to make more educated suggestions and perhaps help avert the site from financial trouble as well as keep it free to all users.
Additional note for those users that wish to discuss the above mentioned burstnet advertisers. As this is generally recognized as a 4x4 site you may find better and more productive conversation on boards elsewhere. I don't mean to ask you to leave, I only want to suggest that your endeavors may well be more satisfying and fruitful if pursued in other areas separate from this site.
-Aaron
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AGM73k5 --
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