Official Forum Brainstorming Thread
Jan 5, 2008 3:57:54 GMT
Post by admin on Jan 5, 2008 3:57:54 GMT
It is a tricky thing to let it be known that SBG is balanced between its requirement that it be income producing, yet also provide accurate information on the industry as a whole.
However, I have a few basic guiding principles that keep it on track and ensure that I do not compromise my integrity and transparancy (if I don't feel proud doing it, I don't/won't do it)...
The overridding principle is that the needs of sword enthusiasts must come first. If that means promoting a good product or service 'for free' sometimes, so be it (happens regularily in the forums of course) . Anything to do with stocking a particular brand in the SBG Sword Store or recommending a particular sword is based first and foremost on this principle - and then, as a secondary consideration, if possible I try to find a way to make it work to fund the site.
An example: my association with Cheness Cutlery came about this way. Someone who bought one on ebay a couple of years ago sent me in a glowing review that I put up on my site, and around the same time they became the talk of the town on SFI. I eventually ended up talking to Paul Chen through this customer and fan, and bought a couple of the swords myself at wholesale to try out. In the back of my mind, I was thinking - if they are good, then I might sell them locally to the Australian market..
Well, as you all know now - after trying them out I was more than impressed. And my plan to sell them within Australia changed when after chatting to Paul Chen he offered a dropshipping deal. This eventually led to SBG making just enough money to risk going full time (my job at the time was also being eroded away from under me, so the timing was fortitious to say the least)...
Darksword was the same kind of thing. A raving fan approached me about it and I put a review in the sword buyers digest. There were no advertising fees or any other deal behind the scenes - I just put it there for the sake of the info. This led to lengthy discussions with Eyal, but before I would consider anything - I had to make sure the product was 'all that'. So as you know, I put their medieval knight sword through the ringer and was left thinking 'man, this is good steel'! So only after it was proven as a good thing did I finalize how to monetize it.
This is the principle. Product integrity first, then - if possible, see how I can make it work to fund this whole endevour (trust me, I spend 7 days a week working on SBG, answering emails and general questions on swords, planning new content, etc, etc - if it was a part time endevour 1: I wouldn't be able to afford to buy the swords and run the competitions and 2: there is no way I would be able to justify spending all my free time on it, there would likely be a couple of reviews and the forum - and that would be it).
As to donations, I don't like asking for money for nothing. And I totally agree with Jonathan actually - the site should be funded through sales of tangible products - swords, accessories, cool T-shirts, etc. I don't really want to just accept donations. Just doesn't sit right with me...
The only exception is the credits for the forum. The forum is essentially the property of those who post in it. I don't censor anything - maybe lock a few threads when Rammstein and Chopchop go at it ( ), but I haven't deleted a single thing. When I look at the traffic on SBG, quite a lot of people end up coming off the main site to the forum. No doubt, many of the recommendations made here to what are effectively 'my competition' cost me a lot of money in lost sales, etc. But hey, the site is about sword info - the store is just a means to an end - not the other way around. Yet, in this case (and in this case only), I think it is fair to ask for forum credits from time to time.
These credits are used to buy page views without proboards automatic inclusion of THEIR google ads, and I put mine on instead. This means that for every $7 contributed by a forumite, the money is made back and a little over by the adsense ads at the top.
In truth, the amount of money these credits make is very small (maybe $50 a month at best). And when you consider how much money may be 'lost', from a purely business point of view - the forum probably costs me a lot of money.
But as long as I can make enough money from the sales at the SBG Sword store to survive - I wouldn't have it any other way.
There have been that many opportunities to make 'easy money' that I have left on the table or ignored that it isn't funny. So many more products I could stock, etc - but unless it is a good deal for my visitors, it ain't going to happen. That's just not who I am. I need to be able to look myself in the mirror and feel proud about this site - and I do.
When I get emails from delighted customers who bought their first Cheness, or hear a story of a woman who bought a SGC for Christmas for her son, and he had tears in his eyes...
Well, you just can't put a price on that...
Man, I have been rambling in this post!! Lol.
Anyway, the I like the ideas presented so far. Probably my favorite is to expand the cafepress part of my site. Some cool T-shirts and other bits and pieces would be great. Accessories may be harder for me to manage as my customers are pretty much all in North America - and I am stuck here in Sunny (and very hot at the moment) Australia...
But yeah, keep the ideas coming. Especially those that first benefit the community - and help out SBG as a side effect.
P.S. Business is not too bad overall. I really do put a lot of effort into making sure my customers are well looked after as a matter of personal honor and pride. After all, SBG has a reputation to look after - and for the sake of longevity, that will not be compromised no matter what.
Cheers all, and sorry for the extra long post! I didn't actually intend to make it that long when I started writing it, but I am a firm believer in transparancy and always want people to know that I actually, genuinley believe in this community. You don't find people with such a sense of honor, fair play and sense of chivalry as you do within the sword community. And I am 100% committed to ensuring that those who deal in the symbols of these values do it for more than the $$$.
However, I have a few basic guiding principles that keep it on track and ensure that I do not compromise my integrity and transparancy (if I don't feel proud doing it, I don't/won't do it)...
The overridding principle is that the needs of sword enthusiasts must come first. If that means promoting a good product or service 'for free' sometimes, so be it (happens regularily in the forums of course) . Anything to do with stocking a particular brand in the SBG Sword Store or recommending a particular sword is based first and foremost on this principle - and then, as a secondary consideration, if possible I try to find a way to make it work to fund the site.
An example: my association with Cheness Cutlery came about this way. Someone who bought one on ebay a couple of years ago sent me in a glowing review that I put up on my site, and around the same time they became the talk of the town on SFI. I eventually ended up talking to Paul Chen through this customer and fan, and bought a couple of the swords myself at wholesale to try out. In the back of my mind, I was thinking - if they are good, then I might sell them locally to the Australian market..
Well, as you all know now - after trying them out I was more than impressed. And my plan to sell them within Australia changed when after chatting to Paul Chen he offered a dropshipping deal. This eventually led to SBG making just enough money to risk going full time (my job at the time was also being eroded away from under me, so the timing was fortitious to say the least)...
Darksword was the same kind of thing. A raving fan approached me about it and I put a review in the sword buyers digest. There were no advertising fees or any other deal behind the scenes - I just put it there for the sake of the info. This led to lengthy discussions with Eyal, but before I would consider anything - I had to make sure the product was 'all that'. So as you know, I put their medieval knight sword through the ringer and was left thinking 'man, this is good steel'! So only after it was proven as a good thing did I finalize how to monetize it.
This is the principle. Product integrity first, then - if possible, see how I can make it work to fund this whole endevour (trust me, I spend 7 days a week working on SBG, answering emails and general questions on swords, planning new content, etc, etc - if it was a part time endevour 1: I wouldn't be able to afford to buy the swords and run the competitions and 2: there is no way I would be able to justify spending all my free time on it, there would likely be a couple of reviews and the forum - and that would be it).
As to donations, I don't like asking for money for nothing. And I totally agree with Jonathan actually - the site should be funded through sales of tangible products - swords, accessories, cool T-shirts, etc. I don't really want to just accept donations. Just doesn't sit right with me...
The only exception is the credits for the forum. The forum is essentially the property of those who post in it. I don't censor anything - maybe lock a few threads when Rammstein and Chopchop go at it ( ), but I haven't deleted a single thing. When I look at the traffic on SBG, quite a lot of people end up coming off the main site to the forum. No doubt, many of the recommendations made here to what are effectively 'my competition' cost me a lot of money in lost sales, etc. But hey, the site is about sword info - the store is just a means to an end - not the other way around. Yet, in this case (and in this case only), I think it is fair to ask for forum credits from time to time.
These credits are used to buy page views without proboards automatic inclusion of THEIR google ads, and I put mine on instead. This means that for every $7 contributed by a forumite, the money is made back and a little over by the adsense ads at the top.
In truth, the amount of money these credits make is very small (maybe $50 a month at best). And when you consider how much money may be 'lost', from a purely business point of view - the forum probably costs me a lot of money.
But as long as I can make enough money from the sales at the SBG Sword store to survive - I wouldn't have it any other way.
There have been that many opportunities to make 'easy money' that I have left on the table or ignored that it isn't funny. So many more products I could stock, etc - but unless it is a good deal for my visitors, it ain't going to happen. That's just not who I am. I need to be able to look myself in the mirror and feel proud about this site - and I do.
When I get emails from delighted customers who bought their first Cheness, or hear a story of a woman who bought a SGC for Christmas for her son, and he had tears in his eyes...
Well, you just can't put a price on that...
Man, I have been rambling in this post!! Lol.
Anyway, the I like the ideas presented so far. Probably my favorite is to expand the cafepress part of my site. Some cool T-shirts and other bits and pieces would be great. Accessories may be harder for me to manage as my customers are pretty much all in North America - and I am stuck here in Sunny (and very hot at the moment) Australia...
But yeah, keep the ideas coming. Especially those that first benefit the community - and help out SBG as a side effect.
P.S. Business is not too bad overall. I really do put a lot of effort into making sure my customers are well looked after as a matter of personal honor and pride. After all, SBG has a reputation to look after - and for the sake of longevity, that will not be compromised no matter what.
Cheers all, and sorry for the extra long post! I didn't actually intend to make it that long when I started writing it, but I am a firm believer in transparancy and always want people to know that I actually, genuinley believe in this community. You don't find people with such a sense of honor, fair play and sense of chivalry as you do within the sword community. And I am 100% committed to ensuring that those who deal in the symbols of these values do it for more than the $$$.