Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 03:10 PM

Fine by me, just as long as I don't get a phone call at dinner.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: Max
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 03:09 PM

MMario, I have not seen specific details on that, but I assume they are carefully monitoring the validity of clicks. Google is a large and successful company, so I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be able to trick them.

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: Bassic
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 03:08 PM

Its descrete, relevant (to some degree), and brings in the cash. I say go for it.

"A few clicks a day keeps the crashes away!"

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 03:06 PM

go for it Max!

is this one click per IP address per day - like many of the charity sites, or every click on an ad?

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: open mike
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 03:03 PM

we specialize in blickies it is
good that some can benefit our favorite cat!
i don't mind that it is sort of like a banner
go for it max!
a good way to get passers by to add to the "kitty"
those who get the good things from this site
but do not join or donate will now have a way to
add their .002 cents or however much...
glad to share the load!

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: nutty
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 02:58 PM

Max ..... anything that keeps this site up and running is OK by me.
I am great fan of Google as well, in fact I rarely use any other search engine.
I can't pretend that I understood everything you said but I have been on the site long enouh to know that you would not willingly do anything to damage Mudcat, so I trust your judgement. Go for it.

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: Ron Olesko
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 02:58 PM

I vote yes! If it helps Mudcat, I can live with it.

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: C-flat
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 02:58 PM

I wouldn't be put off by a few sensibly placed ads and had already clicked on the "gorilla" one before reading this thread. So I would say YES, it makes good sense to get a little extra help with the funding, but too much advertising can be tiresome and can clutter up the site.
C-flat

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 02:58 PM

I can click!

Subject: RE: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: Amos
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 02:55 PM

Well some of those clicks were from reg'lars trying to suss out what the experiment was! :>) But I won't object if they show up regularly, because intheir current trial location they are discreet, not intrusive. Just my $.02

A

Subject: Max's Experiment & Mudcat Funding
From: Max
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 02:47 PM

I was going to wait another day or so to talk about it, but I will explain it now. I do business with Google a lot. I am a huge fan and supporter (and customer) of Google. They have given me great service and have helped the businesses I have associated them with immeasurably. Plus their search engine rocks. In short, can't say enough good about them.

So, while doing my usual business with them, I came across their service which they call AdSense, which is a relevance based ad system that pays per click. I signed up to see if their technology can work on the fly fast enough to keep up with our forum. Less than 2 days in, I am impressed with what it can do. It's not perfect, but a good percentage of the time, it can figure out a relevant ad to show for a particular topic of a thread or song. When it can't it puts up public service ads that we get no credit for. But public service is cool.

Most importantly, since I added that test code to the bottom of the thread message page and the bottom of the songs (now less than 24 hours), The Mudcat has raised $1.64. That is pretty easy money. So this morning I started asking questions like: What if I moved it to the top of those pages? What about other pages? What about my promise to not do banner ads? What if I posted a thread encouraging our users to be patient with their presence and to click them now and then?

Now, the reality of Mudcat is that we have our core members that spend a lot of time here, whom I care about very much. What we also have is millions of passersby that stop through every month. It's probably 80% strangers, but lets just say that 50% of the Mudcat traffic is members, and 50% is strangers. So the time and expense of running the Mudcat half due to anyone that might read this message, and half from people we know won't. Currently we're funded only from our members. Not quite fair, so maybe this is a way to balance the game.

Anyway, I just started thinking about this yesterday. So far, I can't ignore that in less than 24 hours, unannounced, and at the bottom of only 2 pages, we've already gotten 9,230 impressions, 15 clicks and $1.64.

So what do you think?