legoburner wrote:Dakka makes enough to cover costs and that is all we are after. Traffic is certainly high enough that we could make a living out of it if we plastered ads everywhere but that would take away from this being a fun hobby project for us and would kill our interest so it wont happen.
Totally understood -- wasn't suggesting at all an ad barrage so much as using the traffic numbers to create a good marketing opportunity for a captive audience that's self selected and ready for targetted merchandising/ads (all subject to opting in) -- and perhaps a way to leverage the traffic numbers in a way that would create a better experience or increase interest in the hobby and Dakka. One idea would be to coordinate with the manufacturers to produce a special Dakka mini -- or special member's only discount or special tournament or special minutatures case -- all of that stuff becomes more appealing to manufactures (and to members as far as pricing) if there's significant interest and numbers.
I think there's a big difference between spamming your members with crap and constant ads and sending out a newletter or something similar every now and then with highlighted content from the forums and member's only specials offered by e.g., the war store or something along those lines only open to Dakka members. I'm sure something could be coordinated with
UK/
EU/Oz retailers too --
In any event, wasn't suggesting that the site turn into a slick money hustling place at all, just a couple ideas to continue to foster, cultivate and develop the community further.
Separately, one technological addition which could be helpful is using a SEO software to convert the URLs in threads from being numbers to the title/subject of the thread. I've seen that used to great positive effect (and not just from a traffic standpoint but from a membership experience standpoint) on other forums.
Anyway, just a couple thoughts, not trying to stir the pot at all!
