Try hard to make money using your forum ...

stoli_sambuca · 09-09-2006, 07:03 AM

I think that one of mistakes that many people make is that they don't try hard to make money when they run their forums. Now ... I'm not saying that how much money you make defines you, but you can't be spending hours and hours developing your forum without making any money. If you're not making any money, it's just not sustainable. So try hard to make money using your forum ...

jordan · 09-09-2006, 02:05 PM

Making money from a forum isn't easy. Ads are generally clicked by one-time visitors, not returning visitors. So if you have a large user database and no "unique" visitors then your click ratio will be lower. They key is to get ranking in search engines to receive unique clicks or purchase ads.

stoli_sambuca · 09-09-2006, 07:34 PM

Selling text link ads is another option. You can generate a steady revenue that way. I don't think that affiliate programs work well.

**Lyte** · 09-09-2006, 09:31 PM

I think I jumped too quickly to trying to monetize this forum. I was on NamePros nearly a year (I think) before I saw the owner (RJ) add Google ads, banner ads and the like. I read an interview by RJ over on Admin Fusion and he writes...

What is the most common mistake you see other forum owners making?

"A lot of forum owners focus more on monetizing their ad space than building and participating in their community. I'm not saying running a forum should be a charity project, but if your primary reason for running a forum is to get rich you're in the wrong business."

What do you think?

Lyte

firestorm · 09-09-2006, 10:00 PM

thats a great quote. Obviously his method has worked for him. An even more famous quote is"if you enjoy you work, then you actually never work a day in your life" and "do it for love rather than money".

Timmy · 12-22-2006, 07:04 AM

I think the best way to make money would be from people sponsoring contests or buying links on your forum. Companies would only buy a link if they thought the members would click on them. This means that they would be relevant. So, not only are you making money, but you are providing a resource for your members. It's a win-win situation.

**Lyte** · 12-22-2006, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timmy

It's a win-win situation.

Hey Timmy,

Welcome!

You're right about that!! And it comes down to numbers though... how many members you have and how frequently you have visitors to your site!

Hope you enjoy PC101.

Lyte

Timmy · 12-23-2006, 12:40 AM

Thanks.

There is one easy way to make money in any way - make sure your profits are greater than your losses. Unfortuantly, this is a lot harder than it sounds. Getting any profit in the first place is difficult.