Author Topic: How this site came about  (Read 17167 times)

Offline kcrick

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Re: How this site came about
« Reply #20 on: 01/10/2012 02:17 pm »
Nice thinking Martin. I'll have a think :)

Chris,

don't know whether I'm supposed to ask this but it keeps nagging me :)
Can you actually _live_ off this site? I mean: even enthusiasts have to live off _something_ and this certainly has to take all your time, doesn't it?

Nope. Blimey, we'd get a ton of stuff written if I could do this as a day job. I've got two "day jobs". One of which I can do whilst I'm hanging around on here, so you probably only notice that I'm missing off site a lot of the GMT morning, and that I mainly write articles around this time (past midnight), get to bed 2-3am ish, get up at 8am, back in for about 1pm. Never been a big sleeper :D

I've never taken anything off the site, not a flight to a spacey thing, not a computer (I really need a new PC, this one's sounding like it's in pain, lol), all goes into a account which is ringfenced to pay where the site is hosted in Dallas, Texas (as opposed to say my personal account). So the site pays the site. I top it up if I have to (had to do that a lot in previous years, but recent years L2 and some ad revenue has kept the situation solvent).

We're pushing the advertising side of the site this year, as we've got solid and impressive visitation numbers to show, and we're making the cost of advertising really cheap, so hopefully that pushes on.

Some sites make money via syndication (like when you see space.com articles on Fox News or MSNBC), but that probably wouldn't work for us as we're not mainstream type content.

We're investor-ready by way of we have revenue streams (investment would allow a bulk server buy - which would save a ton of cash - and then a rev split with an investor), but any such situation would only be if I kept editorial and managerial control of the site's content...to the point a reader or L2 member wouldn't see any impact.

So long as I can pay the rent and keep myself in food via my day jobs and this site doesn't break the bank by needing subsidy, I'm cool. Got to remember, I get to report about spaceships, and people actually read the reports! ;D So providing my fingers don't drop off and people like the site, I couldn't be happier about putting the hours in! :)



Thanks for the info Chris !!!
I've always wondered about how NSF got started. So I gather you live in England then (from the above)? But the site is hosted in the USA.

Kevin

Offline simonbp

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Re: How this site came about
« Reply #21 on: 01/10/2012 07:33 pm »
Just another thanks for keeping the site running, Chris. It is really unique, and quite well known by this point because of that (it's always great to see a reference to it, especially when you get an exclusive  ;D ).

Just considering the impact Direct had (a project that could not have existed without the fourm), NSF has certainly made its mark...
« Last Edit: 01/10/2012 07:33 pm by simonbp »

Online Chris Bergin

Re: How this site came about
« Reply #22 on: 01/11/2012 01:00 pm »
Thanks for the info Chris !!!
I've always wondered about how NSF got started. So I gather you live in England then (from the above)? But the site is hosted in the USA.


I'm from here: York. 2,000 year old Roman/Viking city, world's largest Gothic Cathedral and other cool stuff, such as an amazing football (soccer) team - all the UK people chuckled at reading the latter.



Site is hosted here: Softlayer Dallas.

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Offline kcrick

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Re: How this site came about
« Reply #23 on: 01/11/2012 01:02 pm »
Thanks for the info Chris !!!
I've always wondered about how NSF got started. So I gather you live in England then (from the above)? But the site is hosted in the USA.


I'm from here: York. 2,000 year old Roman/Viking city, world's largest Gothic Cathedral and other cool stuff, such as an amazing football (soccer) team - all the UK people chuckled at reading the latter.



Site is hosted here: Softlayer Dallas.



Thanks !!!  Very cool !!
Kevin

Offline dcporter

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Re: How this site came about
« Reply #24 on: 01/12/2012 04:48 pm »
I would think that with some creative outreach, advertising could be a serious serious revenue source. It's not that you have a large audience, it's that you have a highly specialized and influential audience in an industry in which large sums of money regularly trade hands. I would think lots of big companies would want this site's citizens to be thinking about them, and part of any small innovative aerospace company's startup budget should include a NSF ad buy – you've got such a great group of eyeballs here! Okay hitting post before I start hyperventilating.

Offline demorcef

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Re: How this site came about
« Reply #25 on: 01/12/2012 05:24 pm »
Why don't we all pitch in and invest in a Nasaspaceflight.com corporation. We get to ensure the continued growth of this excellent site as well as enjoy some of the profits from the revenue streams.

Offline dcporter

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Re: How this site came about
« Reply #26 on: 01/13/2012 06:03 am »
I just... about the advertising... seriously, this place feels like a perfect storm for high-value eyeball conversions.

Offline astrobrian

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Re: How this site came about
« Reply #27 on: 01/15/2012 04:54 am »
Doesn't feel like it's been 6 years, well done to all involved.  8)

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