Ways to generate revenue for the site besides solid content

[-SpectraL]

Here's an idea I've been chewing over for awhile now. We make a special link right in the banner trademark-logo itself which, when clicked on, allows you to purchase one... and here we go, folks... one... "BuckZoks". No more, no less than one. You click the BuckZoks link... that opens up a payment sheet for PayPal, Credit Card/Debit, once the transaction is processed, one BuckZoks is delivered to the user's PM-box. Every BuckZoks has a unique identifier (serial?/password?) which can be validated. Every week, a random BuckZoks identifier is announced. The buyer of the winning BuckZoks receives a prize of about $20 in value, and upcoming prizes are announced weekly. User is only permitted a limit of one a week.

Not sure about whether licensing, registration or permits are required for this, but it sure sounds like a really fun, and perhaps profitable, idea.

[ysr2096]

I'd hazard a guess that expenditure would exceed income with that idea...

I think the best way to recruit new members and consequently increase revenue (since when was Zoklet about money?...) would be, IMO, good ole public controversy. The only problem is that people like to talk about this stuff but no one ever does it. If someone were to take it upon themself to spray paint "zoklet.net rulez" on a TV network's building, smashing a few windows in the bargin, the station would fixate on this 'catastrophy', attracting innumerable visitors to the site. This newfound nortoriety would additionally give Zoklet the kind of identity is so sorely needs - no longer would it have to stand in the shadow of Totse and all that jazz.

[AngryOnion]

Sounds like it could be fun.
Maybe they could add some prizes from cafe express with some Zoklet stuff on them.
Just don't use PayPal I Hate PayPal.

[Dog]

It would be a lot simpler to just allow people to buy extra features, like avatars, custom titles, and so forth. You could even keep those retarded little contests, so that kid(iots) wouldn't be excluded from getting such features too.

[Metafire]

Sounds alright, as long as we made a new name for the credits, made many methods of payment, and added forum features and Zoklet merchandise to be available for purchase.

I would be down for it, but I'm not sure if enough members would use it.

[My Mom Is Dead]

Originally Posted by -SpectraL

Ways to generate revenue for the site besides solid content

Lulz--without solid content, there's no point in leeching our hard earned money.
It's not like Zoklet sucks for lack of funds. Shiiit no, it's because the the administration can't pull its head from its collective ass and work on delivering us a finished website. Can't effectively do anything around here.

With that being known, you're proposing the users here should have any reason to trust you guys won't somehow manage to fuck this up as well? That's rich.

[-SpectraL]

Originally Posted by My Mom Is Dead

Lulz--without solid content, there's no point in leeching our hard earned money.
It's not like Zoklet sucks for lack of funds. Shiiit no, it's because the the administration can't pull its head from its collective ass and work on delivering us a finished website. Can't effectively do anything around here.

With that being known, you're proposing the users here should have any reason to trust you guys won't somehow manage to fuck this up as well? That's rich.

My idea is a site suggestion which would benefit the community in two ways. It would provide community entertainment and a chance to gamble $1 for 20 times that much... and regularly, and it may also generate enough revenue for administration to want to invest more time into this project of theirs. We can only get so far with content alone, as any truly sensible person would recognize. We need ways to generate interest on both sides of the equation here.

[bornkiller]

Revenue making entertainment for zoklet sounds pretty fuckin cool to me.

[My Mom Is Dead]

Originally Posted by -SpectraL

It would provide community entertainment and a chance to gamble $1 for 20 times that much... and regularly

So even if we DO stroke their egos and throw money at them, it's still ONLY a "MAY also generate enough revenue for administration to WANT to invest more time into this project of theirs."

That's not even a guarantee they'll do it IF they get butt-tons of our cash. Really, all that is just a vague suggestion that it may make them feel somewhat like they should be taking care of their website, but no promises that they would even need to follow through with that slight compulsion... oh, and no promises they'll feel even that compulsion to begin with.

We can only get so far with content alone, as any truly sensible person would recognize. We need ways to generate interest on both sides of the equation here.

Yeah, I'm seeing that--but not from a sellout mod's perspective. I'm wondering what sort of interest they're generating for me? As a webmaster, whoever's running this community has the responsibility to offer up first. It's bad form to ask the community to pull all the weight around here--not that that's stopped them.

http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=4072
http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=17165
http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=16732
http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=70729
http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=26492
http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=55542
http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=70721

I do declare unglorified members have done more work on this site than he has. A user title is a shit reward for all the creative talent our members have put time in.
You're telling ME your revenue concept is give and take? I'm telling you that's bullshit.
Jeff Hunter gave Zoklet a prominent mention on the coffin of totse.
We gave Zoklet our community.
Zoklet gave us a bunch of useless titles, and is asking us to single-handedly build it into a successful website.

Look at yourself for example--your ideas and suggestions, your on-top-of-it-all moderating, your attempts at resolving shit peacefully, etc, etc...
You're getting used. Nobody else seems to give a shit (Dfg doesn't count, he just wants attention). You're proposing we give a website our money, in return for more of the same?
And with Zoklet's track record of depending on the users for everything, how can we expect the higher ups to organize this?



TL/DR:
This website won't see a dime out of me until I see some heads pulled out of asses, and some much deserved attention given to the community. Your plan is asking for a godawful lot of trust, and I don't think Zoklet deserves that yet.

[-SpectraL]

Originally Posted by My Mom Is Dead

...Yeah, I'm seeing that--but not from a sellout mod's perspective....

Oh, that's rich. Just because someone wants to move up the ladder in order to affect change that's long past due, that immediately makes him/her a sellout, huh? Your logic leaves much to be desired, D... I mean, son.

As for the issue of who's going to fart first, my reasoning has always been that even if the poorer of the available options are open, and the rest are closed, then it's best to at least take the poorer option for the time being... as long as it's a step forward, rather than waiting for options that just aren't going to come. It's better to move forward with half a solution than none at all.

[Actor]

Would that technicaly be legal? It's kind of like a lottery.
[edit] Better idea, write to bill gates and ask him for money. $100,000 is what a penny to him?

[My Mom Is Dead]

Originally Posted by -SpectraL

Oh, that's rich. Just because someone wants to move up the ladder in order to affect change that's long past due, that immediately makes him/her a sellout, huh? Your logic leaves much to be desired, D... I mean, son.

I didn't call anyone a sellout, just stated what I was not.
(And I ain't your son, bro)

As for the issue of who's going to fart first, my reasoning has always been that....

That was just vague enough to sidestep giving any class of answer. What little substance that was composed of is lost on the fact that I'm not talking about what's the best step forward. I'm talking about how we have no reason to believe administration won't fuck it up or exploit us like they're exploiting us already--we're the laborers of this site, yet have no say in it (I don't remember voting on this gay star banner... oh wait...).
To evidence that exploiting is not beneath them, http://www.cafepress.com/Zokletdotnet need I go further?
Those are totse's highlights, but despite this website keeping an ambigious line between what Zoklet "is" and is, they're marketing them just the same.

For all the taking this website gives, I find it a bit out of line to be suggesting more taking. A website is built by the community, yes, but it should never be depended solely on us for progress, and merely policed by the higher ups. This website's been falling into more and more disarray since the get-go, and the few things that have been done to push forward have relied completely on the creativity of the userbase--NOT the administration.
Why should we attempt to help fund them to dick us around all the more?
This plan sounds like it'll turn into a clusterfuck on the grounds that the administration can't be arsed to administrate.

[Dr rocker]

It is a lottery / gaming of sorts and so would require licencing. If we want new members, think what brought you here, and lets replicate it. I was probably looking for fun things that go boom probably - so maybe some more things on that would bring more. What do people who we want here look for on the net?

The other place had notoriety - think of the public stunts that were pulled / atributed to members. New members = more advertising revenue.

I would never suggest anyone does any thing illegal to advertise the site, really, but how much does it cose to get some business cards printed up at a machine you see in a shopping centre?

In the UK, you can get 50 for a few quid. Spend your money one these with 'ZOKLET.NET - So Very Good To Hear It - the things they did'nt want you to know' (or some thing similar) and leave in places potential members would be

- the chemistry / physics / computing department of your local university / your local bookmaker / skate park / slide them inside PC monthly, porn mags or Guns n Ammo at your local newsagents/ where ever. Where ever you would like to see new members come from.

Just dont expect them to be brilliant from the start - this place needs to grow where as the other place evolved.

If this is wrong for this thread, let me know and I will make it a post in GS.

[My Mom Is Dead]

Originally Posted by Dr rocker

If this is wrong for this thread, let me know and I will make it a post in GS.

I would say at least part of your post could have been used to make a new thread in this same forum (Ideas and Features, pertaining to the idea aspect).
But it doesn't address the fact that this website sucks in the content respect.... so, while your idea is by all means great, it fails when those people the business cards attracted find out that this is just 4chan with usernames.

[Cegstar]

We could do a 50/50 draw.

$2 / entry.

Winner takes half of profits, Zoklet takes the other half. So if we raise $50, winner gets $25 (23 profit), Zoklet makes $25. Winner could also get an avatar for that month as a "lure". Either that or a personalized status.

Many businesses do this, and none I know of have been given grief over it (I haven't researched it, though).

[-SpectraL]

Originally Posted by Cegstar

We could do a 50/50 draw.

$2 / entry.

Winner takes half of profits, Zoklet takes the other half. So if we raise $50, winner gets $25 (23 profit), Zoklet makes $25. Winner could also get an avatar for that month as a "lure". Either that or a personalized status.

Many businesses do this, and none I know of have been given grief over it (I haven't researched it, though).

Could use those profits to create auxiliary areas right off the BBS... free games rooms right off the BBS boards... card rooms... board games... chess, poker, euchre, cribbage, hearts, 21...and integrate them into user-approved popups or embedded windows which could be opened with the show/hide feature... flash mini-applets... that kind of stuff. Could also have enough cash to hire professional help in getting all kinds of screen-shotted tutorials and guides linked right into the BBS to their respective areas... videos... how-to's... that kind of stuff. Once there's cash, it's not too difficult to get these things implemented by professionals who have the time to do it fast.

[Cegstar]

Originally Posted by -SpectraL

Could use those profits to create auxiliary areas right off the BBS... free games rooms right off the BBS boards... card rooms... board games... chess, poker, euchre, cribbage, hearts, 21...and integrate them into user-approved popups or embedded windows which could be opened with the show/hide feature... flash mini-applets... that kind of stuff. Could also have enough cash to hire professional help in getting all kinds of screen-shotted tutorials and guides linked right into the BBS to their respective areas... videos... how-to's... that kind of stuff. Once there's cash, it's not too difficult to get these things implemented by professionals who have the time to do it fast.

50/50's are incredibly cheap to set up. You take a member (non-biased member), and have him/her record themselves putting all the entries in a hat. Then they mix it up and draw a name at random.

My point of this is that it's about making money - not hiring someone to help. The popularity would last only 2-3 months (or so I would suspect), but you might as well profit off it while you can.

Edit : Professionals won't "do it fast" to make sure there are few/no holes in their program.

[-SpectraL]

Originally Posted by Cegstar

50/50's are incredibly cheap to set up. You take a member (non-biased member), and have him/her record themselves putting all the entries in a hat. Then they mix it up and draw a name at random.

My point of this is that it's about making money - not hiring someone to help. The popularity would last only 2-3 months (or so I would suspect), but you might as well profit off it while you can.

Edit : Professionals won't "do it fast" to make sure there are few/no holes in their program.

I was thinking it would be much better to design something site-oriented, such as the idea of a new currency called, BuckZoks... which could, in itself, be used to either circulate or win cash prizes. I like the idea of INTERNAL stuff, something associated in a very transparent manner with everything EXTERNAL, right down to the icons, buttons, messages, names and style of the components of the "game". But you're right, the 50/50 could be tailored to look zoklet-ish in various ways, and then integrated into the board in a discreet manner that is enjoyable.

[Dr rocker]

The only problem is, for every country that a person is in that gambles money, you have to comply with the law of that country. You could get around it but allowing members who do not give money to gamble by creating a zoklet currency where people can earn this currency for doing things on the site - programming, adding text files or what ever. Link the currency up to another type of internet currency, but you would have to account for the money you had and the money you gave out in forms of payment and then adjust how much a zokdollar is worth.

You would then create a bit of a problem in that every man and his dog would submit any old file, copy paste etc and these would have to be gone through.

[supperrfreek]

Well, your idea sounds okay, however I would just like to voice my opinion on the matter of a lack of content: nothing can make up for it. Totse was good because it had content, if not from the textfiles then from what few users could string together coherent thoughts. Anyone who is still in touch with users capable of producing high quality content is going to need to try to enlist them for the cause. The rest of us are going to have to try harder because, frankly, the pictures of the guy squirting shit out of his ass certainly aren't doing it.

[Tunicate]

Originally Posted by -SpectraL

Strictly cash prizes would be better, because people can just go buy their own drugs with it.

at least you're frank about it.

Originally Posted by Cegstar

We could do a 50/50 draw.

$2 / entry.

Winner takes half of profits, Zoklet takes the other half. So if we raise $50, winner gets $25 (23 profit), Zoklet makes $25. Winner could also get an avatar for that month as a "lure". Either that or a personalized status.

Many businesses do this, and none I know of have been given grief over it (I haven't researched it, though).

Apparently if you call something an "opportunity drawing" and don't offer cash then you're safe. I used to volunteer at a theatre that did this. They made plenty of money from ticket sales to pay actors, but when they needed to do renovations they asked people to buy tickets for a drawing for season or year round passes.