Dear members,
I want your advice on an issue related to this website. The site needs a new server badly and I want to buy a 2U rack optimized server with redundant power and disks in case of a breakdown. I'm also about to do a major upgrade where I will implement a CMS (content management system) so it will be easier and faster to update the site. This will also allow participants to write articles etc. directly into the site with a username and a password which will make the site grow even more.
Anyway, the donations thing isn't really working. Perhaps I get $10 each month on an average so I thought of another thing: How about donating to the site by uploading manuals? Here's my idea: If I charge $3 or $5 for each manual this would probably be enough to finance the site and everything else can be free and open for everyone.
This means if you need a manual it's a small price to pay and at the same time you donate to keeping this site alive and becoming better.
Please comment.
All the best,
Andreas
Your advice/comment is wanted
Moderator: Andreas Wideroe
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Andreas Wideroe
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Your advice/comment is wanted
Last edited by Andreas Wideroe on Mon Mar 01, 2004 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Andreas Wideroe
Filmshooting | Com - Administrator
Please help support the Filmshooting forum with donations
Filmshooting | Com - Administrator
Please help support the Filmshooting forum with donations
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Santo
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super8man
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I know what you mean when it comes to providing infrastructure for this great site. The problem is, by charging for anything, the internet is pretty good at giving away the same information for free at a later point in time.
For instance, I was searching the internet for scanner frequencies for NASCAR races. Well, this is a pretty popular search and all sites wanted to charge some ridiculous fee (I am only going to one race yet most services were for 12 month updates, etc). I then stumbled across http://nascar.about.com and sure enough, all of the NASCAR frequencies were listed FOR FREE. Updated by guys who feel you should not have to pay for them.
In the case of manuals, once someone downloads one, they will be tempted to share it directly through a PM, email, or whatever - especially when a newbie complains they don't do paypal and this is a one-time deal, etc. So, I would predict that while the service would start out with a bump up in revenue collected, it woud later taper down to the usual $10 or less per month...just a guess. I wonder how that Craig guy does selling his manuals. I never enquire myself since I would rather ask someone for the favour of sending me a page or a jpg of the important page (typically the specs page).
Anyhow, I freely share information on my website and just this past week jpg'd and emailed the french version of the Bauer Royal 8e manual to a guy in France. I only did this to foster goodwill and not anything more. I don;t store them on my site since the bytes are too big and I have no intention of overlaping this site.
Just my rambling thoughts. In the meantime, good luck and I hope you do well. Personally, I think this site is great just as it is and hope you do not have to put more of your own money into it...That was the main reason I gave up the domain name on my site...it simply did not pay.
For instance, I was searching the internet for scanner frequencies for NASCAR races. Well, this is a pretty popular search and all sites wanted to charge some ridiculous fee (I am only going to one race yet most services were for 12 month updates, etc). I then stumbled across http://nascar.about.com and sure enough, all of the NASCAR frequencies were listed FOR FREE. Updated by guys who feel you should not have to pay for them.
In the case of manuals, once someone downloads one, they will be tempted to share it directly through a PM, email, or whatever - especially when a newbie complains they don't do paypal and this is a one-time deal, etc. So, I would predict that while the service would start out with a bump up in revenue collected, it woud later taper down to the usual $10 or less per month...just a guess. I wonder how that Craig guy does selling his manuals. I never enquire myself since I would rather ask someone for the favour of sending me a page or a jpg of the important page (typically the specs page).
Anyhow, I freely share information on my website and just this past week jpg'd and emailed the french version of the Bauer Royal 8e manual to a guy in France. I only did this to foster goodwill and not anything more. I don;t store them on my site since the bytes are too big and I have no intention of overlaping this site.
Just my rambling thoughts. In the meantime, good luck and I hope you do well. Personally, I think this site is great just as it is and hope you do not have to put more of your own money into it...That was the main reason I gave up the domain name on my site...it simply did not pay.
My website - check it out...
http://super8man.filmshooting.com/
http://super8man.filmshooting.com/
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aj
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If you think it will bring in some money.
This would mostly come from passers-by I guess. Who use google or something to find the manuals? Do these people all have Paypal?
Frequent forum users are very limited in numbers and are not contributing then. Should they all download a manual every now and then. While they use much of the resources.
There should be something for micro-payment. Where members are charged cents and dimes for watching mpeg etc. The bigdata stuff so to say. Or like watching the video's from CNN.com and others I suspect. By subscription. But still not everybody who contributes.
This would mostly come from passers-by I guess. Who use google or something to find the manuals? Do these people all have Paypal?
Frequent forum users are very limited in numbers and are not contributing then. Should they all download a manual every now and then. While they use much of the resources.
There should be something for micro-payment. Where members are charged cents and dimes for watching mpeg etc. The bigdata stuff so to say. Or like watching the video's from CNN.com and others I suspect. By subscription. But still not everybody who contributes.
Kind regards,
André
André
I'd be happy to pay $5 for a manual. But there is always those that would then share those elsewhere.
One option might be to enlarge the classifieds section, or take banner ads.
Shoot, I'm planning on making my own small-stock movie this summer, I was planning on placing an ad for crew/talent as well as arranging for some banner space to drum up interest. Or cut a distro-deal with those of us that make movies and sell them on the site? Lot of options here. I'd love to get some of the material from here onto DVD disk for playback on my bigscreen, to get a feel as to how it would work in a theatre.
One option might be to enlarge the classifieds section, or take banner ads.
Shoot, I'm planning on making my own small-stock movie this summer, I was planning on placing an ad for crew/talent as well as arranging for some banner space to drum up interest. Or cut a distro-deal with those of us that make movies and sell them on the site? Lot of options here. I'd love to get some of the material from here onto DVD disk for playback on my bigscreen, to get a feel as to how it would work in a theatre.
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LastQuark
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Can you have a 3rd party handle the hardware part instead to shave cost?
I used to host my site also on a T-1 but I later found out it is much cheaper and even more reliable to have someone handle the server part and just focus in maintaining the php software part.
How much bandwidth do you use monthly and your disk space. Perhaps, I can recommend you something.
ÂÂ
I used to host my site also on a T-1 but I later found out it is much cheaper and even more reliable to have someone handle the server part and just focus in maintaining the php software part.
How much bandwidth do you use monthly and your disk space. Perhaps, I can recommend you something.
ÂÂ
3rd party servers that are cheap AND will handle movies and even zips or act as a download library are not easy to come by. I normally host my own clips posted on this site, which resulted in my being kicked out of two servers for using too much bandwidth. I now pay more than 10 times the amount for hosting, but have no trouble with bandwidth usage.
With an archive like this I think it will be cheapest to host yourself.
I think this is a great site. I use the forum a lot. An archive with articles on various subjects is a good idea.
I must admit, though, that I would not have gotten in to this forum if it wasn't free. I would find someone else that was underbidding. I think most people would. This is the way the internet works: search and you will find...
An idea: I believe Kodak and other super8 companies around the world are rather happy about this site. Kodak even links to this site from their own site. This is like a service to them. Maybe they would be interested in some sort of sponsering deal? I don't know, but maybe worth a try.
cheers,
sunrise
With an archive like this I think it will be cheapest to host yourself.
I think this is a great site. I use the forum a lot. An archive with articles on various subjects is a good idea.
I must admit, though, that I would not have gotten in to this forum if it wasn't free. I would find someone else that was underbidding. I think most people would. This is the way the internet works: search and you will find...
An idea: I believe Kodak and other super8 companies around the world are rather happy about this site. Kodak even links to this site from their own site. This is like a service to them. Maybe they would be interested in some sort of sponsering deal? I don't know, but maybe worth a try.
cheers,
sunrise
Well, thinking back to my punk rock days, our band always made money with the "merch" merchendise that is, T-shirts, stickers, etc. Of course these would require a bit of work and small investment. I don't have any problem with having the manuals be a pay service, if it helps fund the site. Another option is a plain old plea for donations, I think most of the users see the value of this site and a plea for funds to keep it going would likely work. I know that on "creativecow.net" They made a similar plea, (although it was not directly for money, but to patronize their sponsors) And I was motivated to do my part. Anywho... Just a bunch of thoughts I figured I'd through out there.
-Tim
-Tim
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Alex
Picture this.
You click on a the shooting 8mm movie theatre icon and suddenly you are viewing a movie theatre facade replete with a movie screen in the center of your computer. Shooting 8mm "sells" $10.00 a year movie passes and we get to see super-8 movies.
I KNOW that there are uploaded movies already on this site. But I think if they were "presented" as if one were viewing an actual movie on a movie screen it would be more "kitsch" to see the movies.
The only part I don't know is the cost to Shooting 8mm everytime someone views a five minute movie. Is it possible that someone buys a $10.00 movie pass but it costs Shooting 8mm more than that over the course of the year because of the amount of movies that the member has viewed?
Heck, even $25.00 for a one year pass would be reasonable, but would it be profitable for Shooting 8mm? I have 6 or 7 short super-8 movies that I would make available.
You click on a the shooting 8mm movie theatre icon and suddenly you are viewing a movie theatre facade replete with a movie screen in the center of your computer. Shooting 8mm "sells" $10.00 a year movie passes and we get to see super-8 movies.
I KNOW that there are uploaded movies already on this site. But I think if they were "presented" as if one were viewing an actual movie on a movie screen it would be more "kitsch" to see the movies.
The only part I don't know is the cost to Shooting 8mm everytime someone views a five minute movie. Is it possible that someone buys a $10.00 movie pass but it costs Shooting 8mm more than that over the course of the year because of the amount of movies that the member has viewed?
Heck, even $25.00 for a one year pass would be reasonable, but would it be profitable for Shooting 8mm? I have 6 or 7 short super-8 movies that I would make available.