Vote***financing Fauna***vote

[chondrogal]

I like that the site has remained free, even for advertising and in appreciation ran this ad here recently:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61821


I received two inquiries total as a direct result of this ad. I wound up working a trade offer plus $1100 cash. The buyer asked if I'd take $1k even (which was perfectly fair to ask!) and part of my response to him was:


>
> I got your email earlier, just couldn't respond till
> now. I really thought a lot about that extra $100,
> .... I really do want to support Fauna Classifed,
> and since trade is involved, I'd still like to
> contribute my pledge. And.... my hubby would still
> rather downsize and just outright sell them for
> "lots of money" so I would still be able to give him
> $1000 for expenses/bills etc. I've got a balancing
> act to pull off around here too.
>

So, the buyer responded positively and we sealed our deal and I'm committed to donating $100 upon completion of our deal. I thought this was a pretty cool way to help support this site.

I also support a yearly reasonable advertising members fee.

 

[John316]

Actually Rich,
Without naming names I was thinking of a few of the well known members who evidently think that everyone enjoys their ramblings, put downs and childish name calling. It is obvious by their sheer number of posts and warning points that the BOI is an important part of their lives. Once again by lowering the warning points and raising the fine you can either get rid of the troublemakers and make your job easier or get paid for putting up with their bull.
The service you provide is very useful if one can manage to wade through the muck that always ends up cluttering an otherwise useful thread.

 

[DaveyFig]

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Sponsorship pages from the drop down menu line are now available for you to put in a graphic banner and short text description of your business or service provided. You can have your business presence presented to prospective customers at the click of a button on the drop down list for only $25 per year. This is a first come, first serve offering, whereby the first ones taking part in this special offer will get the premium positions at the top of the page. So don't delay!

Graphics logos are 120x60 pixels and can be in either JPG or GIF formats.

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Furthermore, anyone interested in getting a listing for one year on the front page of the FaunaClassifieds.com site under the FEATURED SITES section can do so for only $25 per year.

I really feel that those who can afford to, or wish to are doing what they can to help the site already. I know $35 dollars is not a lot of money, only pennies a day, yadda yadda, but look at the price of advertising on the site. You can be listed on the featured site list for a year for only $25 dollars. If there aren't enough money making businesses that think that they would gain anything by advertising here, what makes people think that the average Joe is going to want to pay 35 dollars to look? The Big companies that make all the money wont even pay to get listed. Ok, some do, but if all of them thought it was proffitable and paid for the service, Fauna wouldn't be in the bind it is in now. The business side has to be impressed with the service for the hobbiests to follow suit.​

I don't know what it would take to get all the big players to advertise here, but if that were done, Fauna wouldn't need the money from forum members. When the site benefits the sellers, sellers will advertise. When sellers advertise, dollars fly into Rich's pockets. When money is in Rich's pockets, he can pay the bills. When the bills are paid, Fauna doesn't have to ask for money from people who have a snake they want to sell.​

 

[freezeframeplus]

In general I agrre with this post:

Originally Posted by KelliH

I vote that all the forums, including the Board of Inquiry, remain free to read and post in, but that members must pay to post ads in the classifieds.


I am new to this area and was glad when I found Fauna. I've been enjoying it a lot and learned a lot! I think all forums should be free and members must give a percentage back when they made a sale from their classifieds on Fauna (like Ebay). I am not in posotion to pay/ contribute financialy at this time but sure will when I could. If I had to pay when I joined Fauna, I will probably skip it. But now (after less than 1 month) I know how good Fauna is, I am more than willing to chip in when I'm able.

Priscilla Neergaard

 

[Karen Hulvey]

I think a general fee overall would not be a good idea. Here's why: I have read quite a few BOI threads where someone has posted 2 or 3 times to add to the legitimacy of the thread. That's all they posted. They only registered to post on that particular thread. If they had to pay, I doubt they would have added to a BOI thread.

Just my .02 cents worth.
Karen

 

[E2MacPets]

I vote that all the forums, including the Board of Inquiry, remain free to read and post in, but that members must pay to post ads in the classifieds.

Disagree.

The classifieds section here still struggles to compete with KS. Charging for it will only diminish it further.

What I could see (which is probably not feasible to implement) would be charging to have your classified listings tied to a BOI post about you. Tied both ways.... so your Ads would have a link to the BOI thread about you, and your BOI thread would have an listing of your active ads. This would be of benefit to the 'good guys' who also actively support and promote Fauna, as it would serve to simultaneously enhance buyer confidence and promote their items.

 

[The Reptile House]

I post adds in the classifieds, sometimes I do very well and sometimes I do not sell a thing, however if you look at alot of the classifieds sometimes people don't post new adds for 3 days on alot of sites. Some no post for 6 days and counting. I have noticed that it has really slowed down quite a bit in the classifieds especally( not just because of the season). To charge a fee to post in them is OK but we need to do something to increase these sites, get more people to post here at Fauna. I don't know just something that I have noticed. I also agree that the BOI needs to remain free. If there is going to be a charge for the classifieds I also think you should have alot more picture space than you are giving now so we do not have to post in the gallery and link it to our classifieds(example-in the forums when we post a pick to not have that affecetd by how many pics we can post in a classified since we can not modify or delete our forum pics(if that makes since)Keep that seperate if possible. If I am going to be charged to post in the classifieds I would want to be able to have a pic on my add. Shanell

 

[Dennis Hultman]

Side Note

After voting take a little trip up to the Fauna Fund. It is just right at the top of the page. If you see something you just can’t live without, Bid! Or if you have something you just can’t stand looking at anymore put it up for auction.

The fund has been going for awhile. How about a little more participation.

I have already won two auctions. Get a little creative, have fun with site and support it!

Who knows what Lucille is going to put up next. LOL

 

[robin d.]

I vote that all the forums, including the Board of Inquiry, remain free to read and post in, but that members must pay to post ads in the classifieds.

agreed and may for people who want over a certain limit on image galleries/// but i also agree with what monte has said in this..............

. . isn't there some business model or consultant that Rich can use to help him with this? Why should you ask us? I think you are just asking for trouble.

I certainly don't mind paying for the BOI and I support Rich, but I think he has to decide what HE wants this site to be - and hire someone to help him figure out a way to increase revenue streams. Getting ideas from herp people seems a little pointless - esp. if you're shelling out as much dough as Rich is.

I don't know about you - but I don't get my teeth cleaned by my podiatrist and I don't go to a church led by my electrician. They may know about something about Feet and Jesus - but I want a trained person to help and guide me.

a professional consultant might be a good way as well... and i dont know what monte's second post was about but maybe i am missing something or he is talking to himself or thinking outloud LOL

 

[Peacemaker]

Various plans at individuals choice!

Hi All:
I don't post a lot on here, but when I need to find out about something or someone this is where I come, and when I have something for sale I want to use the Fauna Classifieds so in light of this and being a reasonable person I think it should be left up to the individual as to what they want to spend to have what they need from the site. My idea of this would be to offer a group of plans to choose from.

Bronze Plan= $10.00 yearly for Bio's only!
Silver Plan= $25.00 yearly for Classifieds only!
Gold Plan = $35.00 yearly for Bio's and Classifieds combo!
Platinum Plan= $45.00 yearly for total Fauna use!

These are just my opinions and thoughts! Feel free to add to or take away from as you desire. I will be on Fauna reguardless!

 

[WebSlave]

Bronze Plan= $10.00 yearly for Bio's only!
Silver Plan= $25.00 yearly for Classifieds only!
Gold Plan = $35.00 yearly for Bio's and Classifieds combo!
Platinum Plan= $45.00 yearly for total Fauna use!

LOL!! Have you been talking to my graphics designer?

Further, I do wish everyone would read these two side-by-side threads more carefully to determine what I am proposing. I am NOT talking about shutting the site down completely and put a toll booth up on everything. The fee(s) I am talking about would be restricting only some access on this site, not everything.

Also, sorry, but I am just not of the mind to implement anything at all that would take more money out of my pocket in order to hire my programmer to do it. So any complicated scheme that cannot be done with the site "as is", or with very minimal expenditure, is out of the question. Actually I could not even do what I am now proposing up until very recently. Charging any sort of subscription plan would have required that I do it fully manually. So I was caught between a rock and a hard place even when I first thought that charging a fee for access to the BOI was the ONLY realistic way to ratchet the credibility up a few notches. I could not charge a low enough "credibility fee" to where most people wouldn't feel the pinch, and yet I wouldn't get killed trying to handle every single transaction and modifying the status manually in a user's record. Could you imagine what this would be like if even just 500 people went along with the program? I would have to drop everything else I am doing for DAYS to try to handle it.

So no, several things had to fall together all at the approximate same time for me to even start thinking seriously about this. Some of the factors are not obvious, but they are there, nonetheless.

Oh, and PLEASE just forget about the increased fines. The ONLY way that system would work effectively is if I ALSO implemented the $10 posting fee on the BOI along with the ability to READ the BOI. Losing the ability to READ threads in the BOI would be a huge incentive for those people suspended and fined to pay their fine. But the drawbacks of doing it that way should be obvious to everyone. Otherwise those people fined just come in as guests or re-register as someone else and they are right back on the BOI in less time then it takes to read this paragraph.

Oh someone asked about banning IP addresses. Nope. It only works on those people relatively new to the internet and don't know how to circumvent it. And there are some ISPs that it will NEVER work on right off of the bat. I WISH it were that easy.....

As another aside, I have had a flurry of people signing up for the Contributors subscription membership, and I do thank you for this. But honestly, it seems to take some sort of crisis for people to get the message that maybe sometimes I need a little help forthcoming. I don't know, I guess it makes me feel like some homeless guy staring at you all through your windshield trying to guilt-trip you into giving me a handout. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY appreciate you pitching in when it looks like the chips are down. But I shouldn't really have to be put in that position to keep this site alive, should I? I have tried everything I could think of to give you all extra value for the donated money. Banner ads, highlighted classified ads, fancy contributors' icon, text line ads, sponsor links in forums, sponsor ads, etc., etc. Can anyone truly say that I haven't tried hard enough to keep this from becoming a limited access site without paying a toll? ALL of those extra options COST me money to implement to try to find alternatives, you know, and some of them have not even paid for themselves yet, much less put anything into the black.

Maybe it is just time for me to call for a major vote of confidence about whether this site is worth it to YOU for me to keep at it. I think I have put in my fair share already, and from what I can foresee, it isn't going to get any easier, or cheaper, in the future.

Dang! I can't believe I just spent an HOUR writing this post....

 

[DAND]

Just to try and clarify what Rich has said a few times already. If a membership amount was implemented it would NOT mean you couldn't read the BOI, Classifieds or any other Forums (except Hell I believe) if you didn't decide to join/pay. It would just mean you would join the ranks of the guests who look but can't post.

 

[Lucille]

You have my vote of confidence. I appreciate what you do.
And I think it is worth some of MY time and money in return.

 

[Lucille]

The two (similar) polls have, combined, about 200 votes.

Please, help toward the goal of 10%, or 1500. Please vote. It makes your ideas count.


Thank y'all,
Lucille

 

[KelliH]

You have my vote of confidence. I appreciate what you do. And I think it is worth some of MY time and money in return.

Ditto on that!

 

[screamdreams]

No doubt Webslave...

I've been a loyal fan of yours since BOI #1.

I hope it's clear to you just how truly invaluable this site has become. I could only imagine the headaches it may cause but trust us, from where we sit, it's totally, 110% appreciated.

Now, for my bright idea...
Rich, the list of things you've done so far to help raise monies was impressive, and covered all of the bases...except one...merchandise sales.
T-shirts, mousepads, etc. I bet you there's a user/member here that owns/operates a screen printing shop OR knows someone that does.
I myself would be MORE THAN WILLING to get both done for you at exceptional prices, but of course there is some out of pocket monies, which is what you really wanted to stay away from, so...how about taking pre-orders?? After coming up with the design(s) you could put 'em right there on the main page, BIG, BOLD, even Tantilizing I'd love to work with you on that, we could get a couple designs together - my treat, get some pricing on quanity, then see what happens. I dunno...but if you wanna give it a spin, call me sometime.
How many members are signed up here at Fauna??

 

[Bill_Leverton]

So, the buyer responded positively and we sealed our deal and I'm committed to donating $100 upon completion of our deal. I thought this was a pretty cool way to help support this site..

Cathy I like that idea if you make a sale form this site you donate a % Look the way I see it is "Rich" Has done a alot for this site by keeping it free up till now.....But this site has grown bigger the Rich had expected I'm sure, and now its costing him more money to keep going . I for one would like to keep this site here and I'll do what i can to keep it going ...short of paying for it myself.Here is a post that Rich has going on the same subject http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57039 I think Y'All should read this if you havent all ready

 

[CrazyBeHive]

So now we've come this far - paying for the privilege of communication. Kind of reminds me of the times I used to attend church, and before prayer we'd give our "offering" and thought about, "why should I pay for the privilege of praying?!"

It just doesn't make any sense.

There are plenty other forums available, and I would not hesitate one bit to switch over.

After all, my experience here in the past has been quite unpleasant. When I was a novice in the field, I'd ask dumb questions that none of the "experts" here ever took the time to respond to. The only good thing about this site is probably the BOI, but I can always contact the Better Business Bureau for that.

 

[KathyLove]

OK, I finally did it...

Although I have had a banner running here for almost a year (and did donate a check a couple of years ago), I just now sent the $$ for the contributing membership. Why? Because, although I was aware of the program, contributing required me to think about it and go find out where to do it, and to actually do all of this while I am here looking through posts that I find interesting. I seldom ever use all of the features listed at the top - just don't get around to it. I didn't know you could just click on the coin on somebody's post and go right to the contributor's page. If there was some kind of really colorful, easy to see (hard to ignore) banner asking you to become a sponsor / contributor on the main page, I probably would have clicked on it long ago. (if there already is one, then I guess I really am blind - maybe it needs to be even MORE colorful!) I like the ideas of various levels of sponsorship, such as contributing, patron, etc, or bronze, gold, etc. Each can have different perks, logos, and different prices. Lots of offline clubs and societies have used different membership levels like that for years. There are probably lots of lazy or busy people who won't bother to find the info for themselves, but would click on it if it was really easy and just a little "in your face" (but not too obnoxious). Seems like that would be one of the easiest and cheapest ways to increase revenue.

I could see charging for ads go either way. A small fee could actually make people perceive the ads as worth more (you get what you pay for) and help build the site. Or it could dissuade people from posting more ads, which is what increases traffic and is the whole reason to post ads. Not sure about which is better, but maybe find a way for supporting members to have special ad features that free members don't get.

 

[The BoidSmith]

Disappointed

Voters: 114. You have already voted on this poll

My vote went for: A general use fee of $35/year, membership would be required to access site. Although after reading the poll it seems I’m part of a minority that think this site is worth quite more than a dime a day.