I've had a lot of different people contact me with different ideas. Some small companies that cannot afford to pay a monthly to sponsor the site, some just want to post one truck in the classifieds. I need suggestions to make this fair to the majority of people. I know we can't make everyone happy. The last thing I want to do is push people away that want to learn and share ideas. Thats what makes this site great.
i have one suggestion that may not be related to sponsors but i think would improve the site would be read first unread on new post be on the new post page not the actual page of the link
I can't see the adds on the home page -- if I click on the space, they're there, but it is just a blank area. My suggestion is to have some sort of column on the members list for location and for type of truck. I'd also love to see forum links to various specs and information for the various types of trucks, parts, mechanical help, manuals, etc.. I think you should look for some Japanese advertisers for parts and manuals! Keep up the great work and thank you VERY much for your efforts!
For small dealers, just charge a flat fee per truck with an ad that expires in 60 days, or apon sale of the truck. Or maybe only 30 days. Or do it by number of weeks. Start all ads on sunday(or whatever day you want) and that way you can keep track of them easy.
yeah i think i would go with the price per ad, but then there are ways of getting around that... people will act like they are someone else with a fake sign in and try to get around it. on the other hand, you could set it up to where only established members can post. only if you have at lease XXX number of posts can you post a truck or parts for sale?
Well, not to sound like a know-it-all, but I do run quite a few talk fourms, and have handled these issues,and you asked! I don't know how much the ads are, but if anyone is in the business of selling trucks, unless they are outrageously expensive, it would seem to me that they can afford to buy a banner... My rates are less than $50 per month, and for the amount of traffic here, I would think you should be less than that. I also have no idea what you are paying for hosting, but it shouldn't be more than $20 per month, or $200 per year... If you want to run this site on the server I use, email me... Charging individuals for a one time sale, can be handled by asking them to send a fee in, and then post. Of course, you have to monitor the site, to make sure the rule is enforced... Moderators are a huge help, and will be necessary as the site grows busier. I have found that free ads work best on my site. But, I don't allow commercial posts, or let businesses that are not sponsors run ads... Clifford
This one sounds good in theory but there are a few who have an huge number of postings but are just"hot air postings" certainly they are only posting to see themselves in print. If I were posting about everything I could be a larger poster BUT, I read nearly every post on the forum and respond where I feel I can contribute. That said, I vote either pay to advertise or pay per Advertisment.
I Like Sharing Info And Pics I Think If You Are Here To Sell Trucks You Should By Space For You Business And Pay According To Size Of Ad Display Otherwise ,its Great To Sit Down And Read And Look At Others Trucks And Stories ,some People Want It All For Free ,some Just Want To See Whats Out There And Others Like Me Are Board And Tired Of Searching Dead End Suppliers For What We Need For Our Trucks,this Forum Work And We Can Swap Info Without Wiorring About Advertising, There Is A For Sale Section,if You Profit From It You Should Help The Forum,im Sure Every One On Here Has Learned Something About Their Truck,thats Why Im Here To Gather Intell And Share War Stories And Pics ,,im Just Glad Others Are Appreciating These Trucks Like Me,,i Will Be Buying Stickers Next Week
I come to this forum for information on mini trucks. I want to buy one but.....what is a fair price (classified trucks for sale are few and far between) Where do you get them serviced? and where to buy OEM parts? These questions are what keep me coming back to the forum. I have seen the sponsor ad's but I don't come here for them. I looked and could not find what the cost is to your sponsors, is it a secret?
I'm actually going to modify this rule a bit because its so minimal, we already have links to most of the dealers websites anyways in the reference section. One thing I do not want to do it push people away for "micro managing" the forum. You can put your links back in your signatures, but lets not go crazy. Lets keep everything rolling and we will work something out on the classifieds section. So far everyone has been doing a great job. I just want to have some ground rules before it gets crazy and I would hope that everyone would agree. Thanks everyone!
Well, why don't you you start by getting them to be at least Supporting members...and those that seem to overpost...have another level of support pricing...
Hey Chief, there should be a charge for wanted and sales.......people who sell mini's either a few or many should all be supporting members...two levels if need be....one basic and one with advertising.. the charge for wanted and sales doesn't need to be a lot either.....say $5.00 for parts and $10.00 for vehicles? btw...great forum glenn
Well it is my opinion that you should get something for the advertising but for me I am going to sell trucks in my own area and not really need to pursue anything outside that zone. This is a great forum that we can all use for technical info and such and that's what I think is more important than selling trucks.
I agree - I use it mainly for techincal info, tips and tricks, references, etc. I like the idea of having a location to find other dealers, too. You'd be surprised how many "out of area" calls I get that I can refer to other dealers, especially if I don't have the truck they are looking for. I'm always willing to work with another dealer so we can both make a little money and more importantly the customer has a good experience and gets a good truck at fair price.
