Can you make money off a forum?

[=MGN=RedEagle]

Hi guys,

I have never run community sites for money, however, I wonder if making good money on a forum is possible. Well... I am sure it is "possible." I am more or less asking if that is something that happens relatively often to alexa 125,000+ ranked forums.

Please do vote and feel free to share your forum/story.


I run a non-forum community site that is would be around option 4 if I took any money from my site.

 

[Shelley]

I would have added an additional no as some no can be no because they provide for free. Another no option would have been for those trying to make money but with no success so the poll may not reflect accurately.

But I voted No because the resources/service I provide is free.

 

[=MGN=RedEagle]

I would have added an additional no as some no can be no because they provide for free. Another no option would have been for those trying to make money but with no success so the poll may not reflect accurately.

But I voted No because the resources/service I provide is free.

Seems I cannot change it now

 

[rdn]

I voted for what I'm earning atm.

 

[craigiri]

Some secrets I don't give away, but I think I (and a few others here) have indicated that they have made a living from their sites for many many years.....

I make 1/2 to 1/3 of what someone with ambition COULD make, because my focus is on content and community and I never make sales calls.

 

[=MGN=RedEagle]

Wow, 2x people voted 12K +

 

[=MGN=RedEagle]

Some secrets I don't give away, but I think I (and a few others here) have indicated that they have made a living from their sites for many many years.....

I make 1/2 to 1/3 of what someone with ambition COULD make, because my focus is on content and community and I never make sales calls.

Did you vote for 12K +? That is amazing. Any tips for the rest of us?

 

[Adam Howard]

Socially Uncensored is hobby, not a business. With this said, we attempted to place ads on our site once. We used Google Ads and even tried ads with both forum runner & tapa talk.

In 1 years time... We made a total of 1 cent, despite having over 100 members online daily throughout the year.

We're ad free now.

edit: If that sounds surprising... Keep in mind that every site I visit... I don't see ads. Zero, none, nothing... I can't be all to surprised others don't click on what they, themselves, most likely don't see.

 

[craigiri]

Did you vote for 12K +? That is amazing. Any tips for the rest of us?

I didn't vote......cause I don't tell......
But it's up there....

 

[=MGN=RedEagle]

Socially Uncensored is hobby, not a business. With this said, we attempted to place ads on our site once. We used Google Ads and even tried ads with both forum runner & tapa talk.

In 1 years time... We made a total of 1 cent, despite having over 100 members online daily throughout the year.

We're ad free now.

edit: If that sounds surprising... Keep in mind that every site I visit... I don't see ads. Zero, none, nothing... I can't be all to surprised others don't click on what they, themselves, most likely don't see.

Wow, you got the ad-block niche .

 

[Brandon Sheley]

Anything is possible, in otherwords you can make as much as you put it.
It's not impossible to make big money running forums.

 

[Adam Howard]

Wow, you got the ad-block niche .

Basically, yes.

 

[SneakyDave]

Basically, yes.

Your site wouldn't be able to pass the TOS for Google Adsense. It doesn't allow that type of content.

Program Policies - Content Guidelines
http://support.google.com/adsense/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=48182

Publishers may not place AdSense code on pages with content that violates any of our content guidelines. Some examples include content that is adult, violent or advocating racial intolerance.
View full content policies.
Sites with Google ads may not include or link to:

Pornography, adult or mature content
Violent content
Content related to racial intolerance or advocacy against any individual, group or organisation
Excessive profanity
Hacking/cracking content
Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia content
Sales of beer or hard alcohol
Sales of tobacco or tobacco-related products
Sales of prescription drugs
Sales of weapons or ammunition (e.g. firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns)
Sales of products that are replicas or imitations of designer or other goods
Sales or distribution of coursework or student essays
Content regarding programs which compensate users for clicking ads or offers, performing searches, surfing websites or reading emails
Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others
Publishers are also not permitted to place AdSense code on pages with content primarily in an unsupported language.

 

[Slavik]

Did you vote for 12K +? That is amazing. Any tips for the rest of us?

Niche markets have much higher values than general ones.

Eg starting up a "it hardware forum" would probably never make any real money today unless you became huge and successful like toms hardware or guru3d.

However, launching something specific, like a pokemon forum, would give you a much more saleable market to approach advertisers and you then command a premium rate.

Simple supply and demand. Eg, Nescafe vs Kopi Luwak

 

[Hoffi]

No Profit at all. All income will be invest again. It's a Hobby.

 

[erich37]

so which "niches" are the best ?

... besides Pokemon

 

[Adam Howard]

Your site wouldn't be able to pass the TOS for Google Adsense. It doesn't allow that type of content.

Program Policies - Content Guidelines
http://support.google.com/adsense/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=48182

Good to know... No one ever said anything.... So oh well.

Doesn't matter now. We don't use them any more.

 

[=MGN=RedEagle]

Good to know... No one ever said anything.... So oh well.

Doesn't matter now. We don't use them any more.

Which term does your site break?

 

[James]

Which term does your site break?

His site is socially uncensored, I imagine it breaks a fair few of their terms!

 

[Adam Howard]

Which term does your site break?

Before I answer that, let me explain why.....

Socially Uncensored is an uncensored community. We believe everyone has the right to free speech, without censorship, and that everyone has a voice, include YOU, and that no one has the right to deny YOU that voice.

The "draw back" of that (if you want to call it that) is that you can't claim to be uncensored without taking the good with the bad.

With this all said ..... And so you'll understand why; when I say we would currently be in violation of their agreement, if were using them (which we are not at the moment) under the following terms;

Green = confirmed
Blue = debatable (depending on your point of view).

• Pornography, adult or mature content
• Violent content
• Content related to racial intolerance or advocacy against any individual, group or organisation
• Excessive profanity
• Hacking/cracking content
• Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia content

The ones listed as "debatable" really do depend on your point of view. For example, we once received a "hate complaint" & "violence complaint" because someone was pro abortion (the right to choose) and the argument was that we were allowing content that "encouraged" the "murder" of unborn children.

"Truth" is more than often in the eyes of the beholder.