SNOWEST FORUMS: Member Comments on "Letter to All Members"

[dsp81]

From your sources:
Google has been looking at new ways to make money from the popular video-sharing site. Mr Schmidt said that the company would be experimenting with new advertising formats on the site, such as pre-roll ads, to build a bigger revenue share. Google’s chief financial officer, Patrick Pichette said these new initiatives were already helping to make YouTube more desirable for customers.

“We’re really pleased, both in terms of YouTube’s revenue growth, which is really material to YouTube, and in the not long, too-long-distant future, we actually see a very profitable and good business for us,” he said.
[/I]

Hmmm, so a company that was purchased for $1.65 BILLION is not showing a profit, NOO WAY ! ! ! NEWS FLASHHHH they will be writing off losses for as long as the law allows. IF you read the whole article they go on to say that they are looking at new ways of making money and none of them apparently seem to be a fee based system.

It's also been widely reported that YouTube has had difficulty turning traditional banner advertising into cash. They have done creative things like putting links to purchase music in the video box. They also have considered pre-roll adds. So as long as you are okay with pre-roll adds (full page ad before you get to content) or somehow SnoWest can figure out how to make commission off sales of music, then it's not really a good comparison.

It's no big secret that online banner advertising is failing to pull in enough revenue. Many newspapers are considering moving to a pay model. Big Rupert has already moved the WSJ to pay, and plans to move the rest of them in the next year or so. It's hard to make the change when you've been giving it away free for so long.

I'm not saying you can't make money with ads, I'm just saying you can't pull in enough.

and from the other source:

The company says it has been profitable by one measure -- earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA -- for the past five quarters. Zuckerberg reiterated Tuesday that the company expects to generate positive cash flow in 2010.

Note that they aren't going to a fee based system either and plan on showing a positive cash flow.

It is quite ironic to prove someone is wrong just by looking at their own information

That's awesome, they're profitable before they pay any expenses!

And besides, this whole comparing SnoWest to YouTube and FaceBook thing is apples to oranges. First, the pool of advertisers on those sites is much, much larger. Second, the traffic they see is insane. So let's make comparisons at 1:1. It would be a little like saying that SnoWest can charge the same price for a full page ad as, say, the New York Times.

 

[Sturgis Sledder]

It's also been widely reported that YouTube has had difficulty turning traditional banner advertising into cash. They have done creative things like putting links to purchase music in the video box. They also have considered pre-roll adds.

It's interesting that you also ignore the FaceBook article.

It's no big secret that online banner advertising is failing to pull in enough revenue. Many newspapers are considering moving to a pay model. Big Rupert has already moved the WSJ to pay, and plans to move the rest of them in the next year or so.

I'm not saying you can't make money with ads, I'm just saying you can't pull in enough.

reread my edited post as I added the info from Facebook.

 

[dsp81]

reread my edited post as I added the info from Facebook.

No, you re-read mine

 

[RMKcowboy]

If SW becomes a pay site, it's the last you'll see of me. One of the most absurd, assanine, stupid things I've ever heard of in my life.

 

[bigbadjohn]

If SW becomes a pay site, it's the last you'll see of me. One of the most absurd, assanine, stupid things I've ever heard of in my life.

I'm sure you are not the only one

 

[pow4brains]

You guys should do some research online in regards to other forum boards that have implemented new “ideas”. Powdermag.com is now a ghost town due to management wanting to control the community and edit the content to make it more appealing to sponsors. Flyfisherman.com tried something new, and like others, the members jumped like rats from a ship; it too is now a ghost town.

I’m not going to rant, just remember everything that is this forum is from the members.

Good luck.

 

[HOBB-Z]

CHRISTOPHER, YOU STILL HERE ?

Sure is a lot of reading to get done, that is if you really intend on
ready all of it.

PLEASE REPLY TO SLIM, HE HAS A VERY SIMPLE LIST, HE'S BEEN HERE SINCE THE BEGINNING............IT'S THE LEAST YOU COULD DO

 

[ruffryder]

That's awesome, they're profitable before they pay any expenses!

ha ha. Yah, that is what I gathered too..

Hmmm, so a company that was purchased for $1.65 BILLION is not showing a profit, NOO WAY ! ! ! NEWS FLASHHHH they will be writing off losses for as long as the law allows.

Writing off the losses? Please explain.

Kramer is that you? ha ha

Seinfeld - Write off

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

I've been giving this a good deal of "attempted" unbiased thought.
And I've come to this realization.

True story...
I'm somewhat of a novice gun collector and I'm always interested in finding a new addition to add to the safe so about 4 years ago I started getting interested in trying to build an AK-47 from a De-milled Polish Under folder kit. (Just hang on, it'll make sense!)

I started googling AK and Kalashnikov and tried to zero in on as much information as I could get.
A few of the links on how to build one sent me to sites that were paid sites so I very simply hit the "Back button" without giving it a single thought.
I eventually found a site which had so many links and videos with step by step instructions that I ended up joining that site and have used it and contributed to if for years now.

I am passionate about the changes coming to SW only because I care a great deal about this forum.
Had I not been a member here for about 10 years or was just new to sledding and SW I really would have a very different outlook on the hope and change going on here and probably would accept it and even appreciate it. (except for the real fluff facebook crap)

If I'm that "brand new to sledding" person a year from now and I Google Snowmobile Forum and I happen upon this site and I'm asked to pay to view it's full contents I'm going to hit the "Back Button" and continue searching.

 

[Sturgis Sledder]

And besides, this whole comparing SnoWest to YouTube and FaceBook thing is apples to oranges. First, the pool of advertisers on those sites is much, much larger. Second, the traffic they see is insane. So let's make comparisons at 1:1. It would be a little like saying that SnoWest can charge the same price for a full page ad as, say, the New York Times.

YOUR the one that did that.

 

[dsp81]

YOUR the one that did that.

No, I simply pointed out to someone else attempting to make that correlation that, in fact, those two entities are having a difficult time making money. I could have made that argument with that person, I just didn't.

 

[Sturgis Sledder]

ha ha. Yah, that is what I gathered too..



Writing off the losses? Please explain.

Kramer is that you? ha ha

Seinfeld - Write off

Businesses write off EVERYTHING they can to show a loss for as long as they can, it's really good for them at tax time (You know that day April 15th when all the liberals like you, insist on taxpayers to pay up so they can GIVE all of the entitlements away to the "less fortunate") .

 

[Sturgis Sledder]

No, I simply pointed out to someone else attempting to make that correlation that, in fact, those two entities are having a difficult time making money. I could have made that argument with that person, I just didn't.

one more time for you:

“We’re really pleased, both in terms of YouTube’s revenue growth, which is really material to YouTube, and in the not long, too-long-distant future, we actually see a very profitable and good business for us,” he said.

 

[dsp81]

Businesses write off EVERYTHING they can to show a loss for as long as they can, it's really good for them at tax time (You know that day April 15th when all the liberals like you, insist on taxpayers to pay up so they can GIVE all of the entitlements away to the "less fortunate") .

Businesses can "carry forward" any net operating loss not attributable to bad debt for a 15 year period after they have met the maximum write-off. The IRS caps the amount a business can write-off. You can carry forward any excess NOL for 15 years. However, if you run at a loss every year, then it doesn't do you much good. You'd need to post a profit at some point. Not to mention that stock holders would be a little peeved if you never posted profits. The corporation would never have to pay dividends.

 

[dsp81]

one more time for you:

“We’re really pleased, both in terms of YouTube’s revenue growth, which is really material to YouTube, and in the not long, too-long-distant future, we actually see a very profitable and good business for us,” he said.

I understand that they might post a profit, sometime. We don't know when, but they will. And you're still ignoring the fact that they do more than just advertising with banner ads.

 

[christopher]

OK, time to jump back in here.
Last Post I read on Saturday Night was #850.

I will pick up from there and start replying to everything posted since then.

 

[DOM]

Last Post

Bad decision....after several years as a contribuiting member, I'm out

The decisions over the past few years to add all kinds of crap that isn't needed is why the site is so demanding. As many have said, it is the members that make a forum like this what it is. This will be the end of snowest.com and with us will go your advertisers. See everyone on hardcoresledder and sledjunkie.

Dom

 

[christopher]

Where does it state that non-paying members will be able to search and read tech info?

I am not sure that it goes into that level of detail anywhere.

All of the forums will still be indexed and searchable.
But only the paid members will get access to the new search engine we have created.

 

[newmy1]

OK, time to jump back in here.
Last Post I read on Saturday Night was #850.

I will pick up from there and start replying to everything posted since then.

Why are you replying at all to the whining posts? Stop giving the whiners your attention and focus only on answering legitimate questions. Playing defense with a whiner will only cost more of us valuable time of our life to read the crap.

For those asking legitimate questions good for you, for those of you whining....DO YOU REALLY THINK IT'S GOING TO HELP?? Heck no, thus the reason why I will consider to support the site and make the best of it.

Truly, we need snow badly. Or depression pills, I've never seen so much whining.

 

[christopher]

kinda sounds like our health care town hall meetings with our stinkin politicians.."we are listening to everyone and their concerns and realize nobody wants these changes and they will cause more harm than good, but we're going to do what the he!! we want cause we know best." Seems to me, we can hollar till our throats fall out, but nothing's getting through. Yeah, we get the token "I'm listening" but its obvious that the only thing for us to decide at this point is to stay or leave, I mean come on, what are we at, like 800 posts or something, most of which say they hate the changes, and look at all the progress we've made...... But at least they're listening!

What you have here is a loud public outcry from those that are strongly against it. But in large part your only hearing the same voices over and over again. I am not sure that we have had even 500 members of the forum post in this thread. A third of the posts here are my replies, another third are the same people jumping in every couple of posts, and the remaining third are the real members.

What this thread does not represent are the hundreds of private messages I am getting from people who are unwilling to be ridiculed or harassed by posting their support in this thread.

Nevertheless, several good points have been raised in this thread that we ARE going to respond to and implement, so this has not fallen on deaf ears.