I can see it now.

[venomx]

Anyone else think that in a year or so all sites will be membership access only? Most people dont click the banners and they block them and popups/unders all the time. If you cant support the sites you visit then do not cry if they disappear.

[AsianDOC]

The thing is if they don't like the banners being displayed then it's ok if they don't click, popup blockers are alright I believe, because some sites over do it and have a ****** popup on every single page, gets very annoying. A single popup (or maybe 2/3) is alright. I don't very much like banner blockers though, I don't see how they are "annoying".

Luckily hosting is cheap at the moment, and hopefully they'll get cheaper, which means no need for membership type of entry. We can also hope that the internet industry recovers and have heaps of of money invested in advertising.

[Matt]

Greetings,

Like any other established and self-proven medium, the internet will also come to the realization of what advertising is worth.

As Print carry much of the same traits as websites, think of the following...

Print Costs(inexhaustive)
- printing
- shipping
- salaries of many, many employees

Internet Costs
- Bandwidth
- salaries of many, many employees(but, this could also be much lower, as in the case of mass hosting on free hosts)

The point to make here is that costs are very similar. Bandwidth should not be higher than the cost fo printing/shipping your Print medium. To spice it up even more, while some news sites carry a roster of many, many employees, much like their Print bretheren, some sites need not have that many employees. Some FWPs are run by single individuals, and contain thousands of accounts.

Now, if advertising in Print, Television and Radio media has stabilized to allow profitable, stable enterprises, certainly, with potentially lower costs, the internet, with traits similar to Print(including some enhancements), will definitely come into its own. It may take a while for the industry to understand this, as well as get tracking, respectability and trusthworthiness down pat, but it will happen sooner or later.

So, there's really no need to switch to other means of revenue. If you can last the time it takes, you'll be better off than you are now.

Farewell,

[Archbob]

I agree that it is possible to make profit but its rather hard to do so. The Ad market is at an all-time low as of now, I think it eventually will get better.

[jiminsd]

I think the $ can still be made but your going to have to work on meeting your visitors needs. Another words... focused advertising to the typical reader on your site. I've been quite happy with text ads after a poor response to the general banner ads. It may not look so flashy but it gets the job done.

[Archbob]

Just wish CJ ads would convert better.

[Jan]

Originally posted by venomx
Anyone else think that in a year or so all sites will be membership access only?
I certainly won't be going by that route. I make enough to cover my costs (and more) without making it membership only.

[Archbob]

Yeah, as long as I have my CPM bannes and timed pop-unders, I can easily cover costs.

[WabbyTwax]

where banner ads may not be as effective there are different ways of doing it. I think that to be successful in achieving a decent turnover rate with advertising you just have to be creative and find ways to weave your advertising into your content.

Instead of putting banners on top of your page where people expect them to be which is a good reason they ignore them, try placing skyscraper ads on the sides of your website. Or place banners in between segments of your pages. Also textlinks are proving to be more and more successful when placed in the right location throughout your site's content.