The Future of Jokeroo

[jokaroo]

Hi everyone,

I've been debating with myself for the last few years. Do we close Jokeroo or do we keep it? If we keep it, how do we sustain it? Servers, developers, and managing a board the size of this is not an easy task. It took us an entire week of debugging, cleaning and fixing the forums to get it to the state we have it now (and there are still problems). For he past 3 years, I've kept Jokeroo alive with zero profit, and its hard to keep paying for something when it doesn't make any money.

So I'm asking everyone for ideas (I started with putting banners on the site, only to see it doesn't make anything because people use ad blockers). I need ideas on what we should do with Jokeroo? Maybe introduce half the forum as free, half as paid? Maybe banners will help when the traffic grows? Maybe someone else has another idea?

I'm open to discussion.

 

[kipper]

[QUOTE="jokaroo, post: 4968301]Hi everyone,

I've been debating with myself for the last few years. Do we close Jokeroo or do we keep it? If we keep it, how do we sustain it? Servers, developers, and managing a board the size of this is not an easy task. It took us an entire week of debugging, cleaning and fixing the forums to get it to the state we have it now (and there are still problems). For he past 3 years, I've kept Jokeroo alive with zero profit, and its hard to keep paying for something when it doesn't make any money.

So I'm asking everyone for ideas (I started with putting banners on the site, only to see it doesn't make anything because people use ad blockers). I need ideas on what we should do with Jokeroo? Maybe introduce half the forum as free, half as paid? Maybe banners will help when the traffic grows? Maybe someone else has another idea?

I'm open to discussion.[/QUOTE]


Maybe give us a ball park figure of the cost it is to run will help us with ideas.

 

[KingHomie]

That's true Kip, but some of us are on fixed incomes and we also love the Roo and hate to see it go by the way side.. but money is tight, month to month. I have no idea's as I do not know what goes on behind the scenes and come here to enjoy the comradely and fun with my friends here.. personally I do not mind the banners, they don't bother me and if it helps the future of the Roo I am all for it.

 

[Goodgrief]

Hummm. So we have to watch ads. They bring income, don't they? Aren't we part of the Jokeroo empire? So, do you seriously think most of us will buy all of the products on the ads forced upon us? Perhaps some will, but it's like T.V., many record shows so they can skip the ads.

Please be honest and tell us how you can make money while running Jokeroo. So far, it's been a big mystery.

Should you stop paying people for putting up stupid videos? This is pretty much like cable T.V.
Our rates keep going up and up. Yet, as everyone knows, the rates for advertising are going up too.

Oprah's fat ass I'll suffer. But if you guys can't figure out your finances, please give us a warning on how long it will take to shut it down so we can make sure we have all of our friend's contacts before you panic and bail out.

 

[Bamber]

I too wold be interested in seeing how much it costs.

There are less than 40 regularly active members left here, but overall most like and are used to the layout and format. Get it stable and development and management costs should be minimal. Moving to cloud hosting is not excessively expensive as far as I can see, which would free you from server worries.

I can't see any way you are going to make money from a forum board, the dearth of members shows that. Maybe you need to do as Wikipedia does, and survive by donation; if you decide to pull the plug is there a chance of a member buying it? I think some of us would be willing to keep it going that way (by donation), or at least try to.

 

[roadkill]

what if all and i mean ALL members agree to disable ad blocker on this domain?
or you make it so that ad blocker must be disabled to enter as some web domains are requiring that it is?
with your guarantee that R-rated ads would not and would never be allowed..such as ADULT FRIEND FINDER and
those ads like it!!!!
would that be of help?

 

[Romford Lad]

I am not a technical person in any way ~ especially on computers ~ but I do agree with a couple of comments above, that some indication of the running costs would be an advantage because without that, it's a bit like asking how long is a piece of string!
The other point, which is purely emotional and not cost/technical in any way, is that there have been, andI sure will be in the future, members who looked/look upon this forum as a 'home' to share worries, laughter, illness and the lost of someone close ~ to take that away would be cruel ~ therefore a closer analysis of costs is the first step in finding an answer to both sides of the problem.

 

[Manzy]

I agree with the others let us know the costs so we can figure it out from there. I believe we've asked before the cost to buy the forum. I understand the ad's bring revenue but isn't it only if someone clicks on it and purchases something? Would you be willing to give permission to some so the forum can be updated and problems fixed on a regular basis? I don't know all that it entails but it doesn't hurt to ask. There are some threads here that have become memorials to friends and family who have passed. There is a LOT of history here, a LOT of memories it would be a shame to lose it all because of the cost. Please come back and respond soon.

 

[stevent222]

I have no idea on how to make a sustainable income here. I also agree with all of the ideas that have been said too. KH said it best for me, I don't mind the ad's and would take off my ad blocker but hey once doing that here it takes it off my computer and I get the totally worthless junk form all the others. I wouldn't mind the adds here for Adult friend finder but please don't put them in every other freaking post.

Oh and just wanted to say if Jokeroo does get shut down I want my friends here to know this:
I am on Face Book and go by the name of Steven Thomas Ganz only because that is my name, ha!
I also have Yahoo Messenger and go by: [email protected] (don't ask me how I got a United Kingdom email address because I don't know) LOL!
I am on Skypes also as: Steven Ganz same yahoo.co.uk addy.
I am only saying this because all of you have become my very best friends in the Whole~Wide~World. And it would crush me to lose any of you.

 

[squirt]

I have some notions, but I'll have to come back when I've got more time, soon promise! lol
:inlove:

 

[Country17]

Any chance you could meet with Mark Zuckerberg, owner of Facebook and get some pointers?

Also, there are web designers out there who could write up and maintain a forum like this and not be that expensive.

 

[Sexylady007]

[email protected][/EMAIL] (don't ask me how I got a United Kingdom email address because I don't know) LOL!
I am on Skypes also as: Steven Ganz same yahoo.co.uk addy.
I am only saying this because all of you have become my very best friends in the Whole~Wide~World. And it would crush me to lose any of you. [/COLOR][/B][/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

This made me cry dear Steven I can't even tell you how much you all mean to me I Love you all like family that's because you are... this is a sad day for are beloved Jokeroo a place we called home for so many years

 

[stevent222]

And if you'd like my home phone give me a Private Message.[/COLOR]

 

[essex boy]

Half pay,half free would never work,we tried that before with the unmoderated section.
One thing I think could bring income is have a Adult section,let the Mods let in those who ask to join.
That section could then have more adult ads to pay for it,instead of the charge for option we tried before.

 

[jokaroo]

Hi everyone,

I won't be shutting the Roo down, too much history for everyone (this place is like a historical website now!). The only way I shut this down is if I can't afford to sustain it (which I don't foresee). For the past few years, I've just been donating out of my own pocket to make things float and that's cool. There haven't been ads for years, and I just decided to put them back up and help out. Here's what I've learned:

1. These forums are so large, our database is over 10GB which is extremely difficult to manage. Its not as easy to just move us to a cloud environment unless we start with a brand new forum (which defeats the purpose of the Roo). This history is too rich so we need to keep it here and manage it as is
2. I will keep the ads on the Roo, its not much, but it helps and stops from introducing a membership fee. Disabling ad blocker would be helpful (I will keep the ads PG and clean). Additionally, you do not need to click on the ads and buy things (all ads these days pay by the view or click, not the purchase). So all you need to do is turn ad blocker off on Jokeroo, and just do your thing (and ignore the ads if you like)

Here's what I'm thinking for the future (this part is up for discussion):

1. I will make the Adult oriented forums membership only (all other forums will still be accessible). Every single member who is currently registered on the Roo will get access to these forums for free, for life. But new members would have to pay. There will also be no ads on this forum.
2. We need to revive the community and try to get more traffic back on the forums. Hopefully this will drive more ad revenue and help get us above water again.
3. Maybe introduce a new service, like the option for people to get a Jokeroo email address, or something of that nature.

If anyone has any ideas on what services Jokeroo can offer, both for free or for a fee, this would be fun to brainstorm.

 

[Sexylady007]

[QUOTE="jokaroo, post: 4969147]Hi everyone,

I won't be shutting the Roo down, too much history for everyone (this place is like a historical website now!). The only way I shut this down is if I can't afford to sustain it (which I don't foresee). For the past few years, I've just been donating out of my own pocket to make things float and that's cool. There haven't been ads for years, and I just decided to put them back up and help out. Here's what I've learned:

1. These forums are so large, our database is over 10GB which is extremely difficult to manage. Its not as easy to just move us to a cloud environment unless we start with a brand new forum (which defeats the purpose of the Roo). This history is too rich so we need to keep it here and manage it as is
2. I will keep the ads on the Roo, its not much, but it helps and stops from introducing a membership fee. Disabling ad blocker would be helpful (I will keep the ads PG and clean). Additionally, you do not need to click on the ads and buy things (all ads these days pay by the view or click, not the purchase). So all you need to do is turn ad blocker off on Jokeroo, and just do your thing (and ignore the ads if you like)

Here's what I'm thinking for the future (this part is up for discussion):

1. I will make the Adult oriented forums membership only (all other forums will still be accessible). Every single member who is currently registered on the Roo will get access to these forums for free, for life. But new members would have to pay. There will also be no ads on this forum.
2. We need to revive the community and try to get more traffic back on the forums. Hopefully this will drive more ad revenue and help get us above water again.
3. Maybe introduce a new service, like the option for people to get a Jokeroo email address, or something of that nature.

If anyone has any ideas on what services Jokeroo can offer, both for free or for a fee, this would be fun to brainstorm.[/QUOTE]

All I can say is a heartfelt thank you for keeping the Roo for us & may you have a very merry Christmas & the most happy new year ever...((God Bless you))

 

[Bamber]

People would be more likely to turn off the ad blocker if they didn't encroach on the posts. If a post containing a video is first or last on a thread page the controls to that video are not accessible.

 

[Bamber]

[QUOTE="stevent222, post: 4968698]...I don't mind the ad's and would take off my ad blocker but hey once doing that here it takes it off my computer and I get the totally worthless junk form all the others...
[/QUOTE]
You can turn off the ad blocker for this site. If you are using Chrome, click the red ABP icon top right of your screen, then click where it says "enabled on this site" to disable it. It will still work on other sites.

 

[Kryten]

[QUOTE="jokaroo, post: 4969147]Hi everyone,

I won't be shutting the Roo down, too much history for everyone (this place is like a historical website now!). The only way I shut this down is if I can't afford to sustain it (which I don't foresee). For the past few years, I've just been donating out of my own pocket to make things float and that's cool. There haven't been ads for years, and I just decided to put them back up and help out. Here's what I've learned:

1. These forums are so large, our database is over 10GB which is extremely difficult to manage. Its not as easy to just move us to a cloud environment unless we start with a brand new forum (which defeats the purpose of the Roo). This history is too rich so we need to keep it here and manage it as is
2. I will keep the ads on the Roo, its not much, but it helps and stops from introducing a membership fee. Disabling ad blocker would be helpful (I will keep the ads PG and clean). Additionally, you do not need to click on the ads and buy things (all ads these days pay by the view or click, not the purchase). So all you need to do is turn ad blocker off on Jokeroo, and just do your thing (and ignore the ads if you like)

Here's what I'm thinking for the future (this part is up for discussion):

1. I will make the Adult oriented forums membership only (all other forums will still be accessible). Every single member who is currently registered on the Roo will get access to these forums for free, for life. But new members would have to pay. There will also be no ads on this forum.
2. We need to revive the community and try to get more traffic back on the forums. Hopefully this will drive more ad revenue and help get us above water again.
3. Maybe introduce a new service, like the option for people to get a Jokeroo email address, or something of that nature.

If anyone has any ideas on what services Jokeroo can offer, both for free or for a fee, this would be fun to brainstorm.[/QUOTE]

There is a lot to like here.I don't use an ad blocker,they are not to bad,a small price to pay to keep the Roo up and running.

 

[roadkill]

[QUOTE="jokaroo, post: 4969147]Hi everyone,

I won't be shutting the Roo down, too much history for everyone (this place is like a historical website now!). The only way I shut this down is if I can't afford to sustain it (which I don't foresee). For the past few years, I've just been donating out of my own pocket to make things float and that's cool. There haven't been ads for years, and I just decided to put them back up and help out. Here's what I've learned:

1. These forums are so large, our database is over 10GB which is extremely difficult to manage. Its not as easy to just move us to a cloud environment unless we start with a brand new forum (which defeats the purpose of the Roo). This history is too rich so we need to keep it here and manage it as is
2. I will keep the ads on the Roo, its not much, but it helps and stops from introducing a membership fee. Disabling ad blocker would be helpful (I will keep the ads PG and clean). Additionally, you do not need to click on the ads and buy things (all ads these days pay by the view or click, not the purchase). So all you need to do is turn ad blocker off on Jokeroo, and just do your thing (and ignore the ads if you like)

Here's what I'm thinking for the future (this part is up for discussion):

1. I will make the Adult oriented forums membership only (all other forums will still be accessible). Every single member who is currently registered on the Roo will get access to these forums for free, for life. But new members would have to pay. There will also be no ads on this forum.
2. We need to revive the community and try to get more traffic back on the forums. Hopefully this will drive more ad revenue and help get us above water again.
3. Maybe introduce a new service, like the option for people to get a Jokeroo email address, or something of that nature.

If anyone has any ideas on what services Jokeroo can offer, both for free or for a fee, this would be fun to brainstorm.[/QUOTE]

OMG...thank you...thank you ...thank you
you have no idea how happy you have just made me and all us members...darn onions...lol..i need a tissue:sadlike:
YOU SIR have done more for me than words will ever be able to convey by..keeping the best forum on the net going
i cant see the screen to type...lol​
​i will be back when i can stop crying these more than happy tears
thank you so much from my very soul i thank you
and may God as you know Him bless you and your entire family sir

ok now that i can see again...lol
welcome to my family Jokeroo...i am RoadKill RK for short...less typing...very nice to meet you and shake your hand and give a manly hug
i have seen where others are calling you a Christmas miracle...i have to agree..you truly are
as squirt has suggested...a donation thing would not be a bad idea...it would give us a chance to help without being obligated...there are many threads where we as family have been fortunate enough to help one another out with whatever real life has been thrown at that them...i wouldnt mind donating when i am able too ..being on a fixed income is difficult..but some months i just might have a few dollars that i could spare...but not under a monthly obligation

you are a Christmas miracle