Dev.SN

Interview: Ask SoylentNews Staff Anything

posted by mattie_p on Wednesday February 19 2014, @01:21PM   
from the no-really-do-it dept.

By now, you have had the chance to read the updates of both NCommander and Barrabas. Nonetheless, you may still be wondering quite a few things about the site and its staff. Here is your chance to ask us anything. These questions can be general in nature, in which case the staff will select a spokesperson to answer it, or it may be specific to an individual. If the question is for an individual, please ensure you identify that person specifically enough.

We will select the best questions from the thread and provide answers to the community. These questions may not be the highest rated, although we will probably use those first.

In keeping with tradition, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one question per post.

• Re:Bottom line (Score: 3, Insightful) by SpallsHurgenson on Wednesday February 19 2014, @07:07PM

  by SpallsHurgenson (656) on Wednesday February 19 2014, @07:07PM (#2952)

  Regarding your options for getting money:

  Donations are fine. I see no problem with a tip-jar even if you are a for-profit website; if you are doing a good job, there is no reason not to accept a little cash on the side or even to solicit donations.

  Advertising is okay, so long as it is discrete, and on-topic. Just be aware that most of your users are tech-savvy enough to install ad-blockers, so most of them won't be seeing the ads anyway.

  Swag is always a fun option, but - unless you dedicate large portions of the site to hawking it - it's also brings in very little money. It's less a way of bringing in cash and more a way to market your brand.

  Paid reviews are probably not a good idea. First of all, it brings up conflict of interest issues; if you accept a paid review for a product, will you later run a story about how that same product catches fire if you plug it in? Second, if there was one message yelled loud and clear during the Slashcott, it was that most people are more interested in the comments than any articles you may put up. We're here for the discussion, not the editorial content.

  Job Listings sound neat, but that's a really hard market to get into and will likely require staff to maintain the listings and handle customer service. Soylentnews.org is unlikely to be the first place recruiters look for new hires; costs would probably fast outrun any income earned.

  Memberships and subscriptions can be tricky; one of the strengths of the Slashdot community was that it was the content of an individual's comments that were value more than anything else. It didn't matter if you got the first post, or were had a low UID - if you sounded like an idiot, you would get modded down. On the other hand, even the lowliest of the anonymous cowards could end up with a +5 Insightful post if he had something of value to say. It was a very democratic and meritorious system. You want to be careful not to upset that balance by giving subscribers any advantage over the hoi polloi. On the other hand, people who pay for a subscription may expect certain benefits. Finding some sort of equitable harmony between these two conflicting desires can be tricky. Personally, I'd be happy with "no adds and a little gold star next to my UID" if I were a subscriber, but others may want more. On the other hand, I would also be less likely to pay a monthly (or yearly) subscription fee than a one-time "membership" fee if that were all I got.

  My two cents, as a joe-average user.

  Parent

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+1
  Insightful=1, Total=1
  Extra 'Insightful' Modifier		0
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		3