| Free Republic 4th Qtr 2024 Fundraising Target: $81,000 | Receipts & Pledges to-date: $20,655 | |||
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| Woo hoo!! And we're now over 25%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless. | ||||
Posted on 04/19/2012 1:22:35 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
I've checked with an ad agency. We can probably raise the funds we need to operate FR at our current level and at the current market price for online advertising if we run a banner ad at the top of every page and at least one rectangular ad in the above the fold body of the page and a couple rectangular ads in the sidebar. If that doesn't generate enough revenue, we can also run pop ups or pop unders and we can even run audio and video ads if need be. But of course, if we go full bore commercial, we'd have to insure strict copyright compliance with very brief excerpting of all articles to avoid lawsuits. And the agency would require that we install a filter to censor out any bad or unacceptable words in our posts.
Or, of course, there's always the membership model. We could setup a members only system where paying members get full access and non-paying members get throttled back, etc.
I don't like either of the above models and think we'd soon lose a lot of our readers and participants. Of course that may happen anyway if we can't fund it and if we cannot get our equipment problem under control, or if my refusal to vote for or support an abortionist/homosexualist/statist who has plans to install ObamaCare, er, I mean RomneyCare into all 50 states runs everyone off.
The donation model has served us very well since 1997 when we first started using it. It's very clean, uncomplicated and we attract participants who perhaps can't afford membership dues but do want to join the discussion and join our rallies, protests, prayer sessions, etc. And the advertising model would probably bring in the revenue, but it comes with strings attached.
I'm sure there are other ways and ways to combine features of various models, sell books, cds, gear, etc, offer no ads for paid subscribers, etc, even ISP services, but all of these also complicate matters.
I'm an old dog and I like to avoid new tricks, new complications, additional overhead, additional accounting, additional rules and regulations, etc, wherever possible. I like to stick to simplicity and with what works.
Thank you all very much for your continuing participation and support.
I couldn’t even read all of it. It was garbage.
Is that your Opus or are you sticking around for the free ride on the backs of us fools?
I mean, you're such a pleasant gal. /s
Hallelujah!
Well, hurry up and get to conservationing them logs, would ya? You're giving us elitist, mean spirited, right wingers a bad name!
LOL
I saw that! Woo Hoo! (and I mean that sincerely :-)
I read most of the posts on this thread. There is a certain amount of regrettable hate trending up.
Most of us are voting for Romney ... I’m sure of it.
The small minority who are letting hate stand in the way of ousting Obama are vocal and omni-present and are straying into abusing those of us who want to get rid of Obama.
I don’t like it. If anything will ruin this site, it’s little cliques who don’t tolerate the opinions of other conservatives.
Yessum. I’ll get a round tuit. ;-)
I asked her why she's hanging with a bunch of zottees. I'll check downthread, but I haven't seen a response to that question yet.
Says a lot about a person when they're consorting with those who've turned their backs on us, doesn't it?
You will either knock off this trashy business immediately or leave FR. One more trashy post in this vein by you and I will consider it your grand opus. I couldn’t care less about what zotted, resigned or disgruntled former posters (now antifreepers) have to say about me, my policies, my friends or anyone else who posts here. You and your pals can take your attacks and your cheesy accusations and shove them where the sun don’t shine!!
First, I think it would be a big mistake going to use of advertising. As soon as someone uses the word "slut" some of the advertisers will run for the hills. This could immediately devastate the site.
Second, I think there should be a way to isolate the "Romney supporters", if that's what we are talking about, so that those not wishing to be soiled by consideration of Romney can be protected. I, for one, believe that Romney will accidently nominate better people for the SCOTUS than Obama would ever nominate.
The Main-Stream-Media gave us the "maverick" McCain in 2008, the result being Obama. This go-around they have given us Romney. Their goal is the re-election of Obama. I will hold my nose and vote for Romney just as I held my nose and voted for Palin.
Third, I own two "FreeRepublic" coffee mugs. The design has faded to unreadability. Where do I get more?
Fourth, I don't completely understand the data describing donations. Am I one of just 79 Kalifornians who donate monthly? It's too bad if there are indigent Freepers who are unable to donate. Let them post but subject them to at least some peer pressure to donate. Put a gold star at the end of every Freeper's name who donates monthly. If they donate more than five times the average monthly donation, then two stars. Three stars for 25 times the monthly average. (Tweak the numbers however you like, as long as there is some pressure to donate at least a little.) I'm against having levels of membership with varying capabilities or privileges.
I owe what little sanity I possess to having FreeRepublic during the Clinton era. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be without FreeRepublic during the Obama era.
Too right about that, but there are lots of 100% staunch conservative patriots who no doubt agree with Jim, and who would be more than happy to advertise here.
So, he wouldn't get Toyota and Four Seasons Inns. I'm sure he'd attract more smaller businesses than he could shake a stick at.
Jim’s FReepathon team puts in countless hours because we love Jim, Free Republic and believe in everything Free Republic stands for.
I stand with our Team, proudly and completely. We stand solidly together. The internet is full of vicious posters and sore losers.
Freep em. They’re nothing to us.
Jim, if a buck a month from 10% or readers covers it......what is the dollar amount if you only billed people who post? I can’t believe if you asked for a buck a month from 100% of your readers via a personal email blast that you wouldn’t be able to raise the cash you need.
12 bucks a year isn’t even 2 packs of smokes over a 365 day period.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m against it. It would also change FR’s tax status and cause headaches. It would just complicate things.
Your cowardice doth speak loudly in accusation.
There are worse things than losing elections. Even one as important as this. When you're being given the choice between two demonstrated Socialists, the answer isn't to bow your head and acquiesce to the very evil you oppose, simply because one of them is wearing your team jersey.
That way lies loss of honor and personal integrity, on the slim hope that you can somehow persuade that beast from eating you. A beast is a beast by any other name, and you ought to recognize that it's your duty to fight it with everything you've got.
Analogies aside, I'd rather cast my vote for someone who stands no chance of winning, than willingly support someone who has a demonstrated record of transgressing against everything I believe in.
As I said a few days ago, better to reject the fraud, Romney, and tell the left to Bring It. It's about time we had this fight anyway.
ref: American Declaration of Independence, 1776.
I’m going to re-post a comment here that I made on another thread tonight. This expresses my deepest thoughts on this whole Romney vs Obama thing:
For me, standing up to the tyranny that now besets us, is more than just lofty rhetoric. I can trace my direct lineage back to an American who fired at the British in anger during the Revolutionary War.
Since his time, a lot of my fathers have shed blood, or have sacrificed greatly to stand guard over this fragile republic. What sort of son would I be if I meekly accepted the left’s terms of surrender in my day? I’m not standing in harm’s way with a rifle in my hand, like so many of them did.
No - I’m armed with only a ballot, by whose markings my fathers shall judge me. I would not even think of sullying their honor by giving my solemn vote to a man and a party, who have essentially gone into abject Treason against the very things my forefathers fought and bled for.
Hi altura!
You could be right, that several or a majority do intend to vote for Romney, provided he's successful buying the GOP-E nomination, but many of us will not vote for him. Not out of hate, however, but on principle.
I can't fathom, how we win, when our side puts up a big government, pro-abortion liar against the other side's big goverment, pro-abortion liar.
I remain praying for Divine Intervention. Yes, I believe in miracles.
God bless and keep you, dearest windy!
Your post is an inspriation!
Right on!
Saving!!!
Thank you, dear friend. I consider that high praise, coming from one as true as yourself.
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