How does a forum make money?
- Thread starter Seattle
- Start date
DaveC426913
Valued Senior Member
With ads. Your experimental technique is suspect. 
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Just snapped this above your last post...These ads are getting double exposure on this thread, do I get a cut of the dosh?I'll have to review my experimental system.
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DaveC426913
Valued Senior Member
It took quite a few seconds for the ads to kick in. Otherwise, it looks blank.I'll have to review my experimental system.
Odd. Usually ads load first.
You don't see ads if you're a logged-in registered member.I'll have to review my experimental system.
DaveC426913
Valued Senior Member
He knows that.
I think he may have mentioned logging out in the thread that inspired this one.
When I checked, it took a good ten seconds for ads to appear. Until they did, there was just white screen, so it could have been missed.
I hate to answer a question with a question, but by “making money”, do you mean staying afloat (covering the operating expenses), making a profit, or both?
I’d also like to bring in Facebook as a second concrete example for the discussion. It’s branded differently, but the same thing at it’s core. Users create accounts for free, contribute content, then interact with each other.
I’d also like to bring in Facebook as a second concrete example for the discussion. It’s branded differently, but the same thing at it’s core. Users create accounts for free, contribute content, then interact with each other.
DaveC426913
Valued Senior Member
How would that change the answer to the original question?
Advertizing.
Collecting less than operating expenses would technically be losing money, but still making greater than zero. Is the original question related to generating any cash at all regardless of loss, breaking even, or profit? In my world, you aren’t “making” money unless you’ve collected any amount over operating expenses, so the answer wouldn’t be as simple as advertising.
Another aspect to the question is the level of engagement with advertisers. It’s one thing to simply land a handful of people to peddle random stuff. Another to actually design the platform to target products based on how the site is used, or to relay the data between online retailers (amazon, ebay, etc).
SciForums uses a third party forum product (phpbb or invision power board or something - correct me if I’m wrong) hosted somewhere with a smattering of random ads. I assume adverts are probably an add on module for the site, and Sciforums doesn’t have it’s own team of developers and business analysts creating a full blown advertising product behind the scenes. No booths set up at internet forum conventions or anything.
Going back to facebook (as an example), a second thing they seem to have monetized is the selling of user data.
DaveC426913
Valued Senior Member
I totally get that.
The question still remains: how would that change the answer to the question: "How does a forum make money?"
If it does not change the answer, you need only list one way fora make money.
If it does change the answer, why not say how the answers would be different?
MLM Software India
Registered Member
Forums Earns money like the other website after showing ads on their website. For example Amazon, Alibaba shows their ads on various websites and platform and giving some amount of money if website drawn some leads or traffic to particular website.
Beaconator
Valued Senior Member
If Amazon shows adds for its own products is that embezzlement?
DaveC426913
Valued Senior Member
Amazon doesn't have its own products. Amazon is a service. It has other company's products.