The effects of the economy on AO/Whyzzat/partner sites

[Wayne]

Hi guys,

Just realized something here. Thought to invite feedback.

As most of you realize, there are Yahoo advertisements on both Amiga.org, Whyzzat, and other sites that I deal with on a daily basis. Since we got screwed by Google several years ago, Yahoo ads have been primarily the way that these sites have stayed afloat.

Not so much Amiga.org which has been paid for by contributors (and I thank them, each and every one), but Whyzzat, the Salem Spectator, AmigaWiki, etc. Of all the sites, Salem Spectator, followed by AO will be the safest.

Now comes a slew of articles about how Yahoo has dropped 64% this quarter due to decreased ad revenues which can be directly attributed to a crap economy.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10071637-93.html

What this means, of course is that revenue is down across the board and we end up with blank advertisement windows because frankly, there's no ad to show, nothing to click on, no revenue stream.

The same has even been noticed over at AO this month, where normally we'd be above the $100 mark at the end of the month and haven't even scratched $50 which doesn't cover the cost of hosting ALL of the sites that I run.

I'm not a greedy bastard, and I'm not asking for donations here. Please do NOT feel obligated. I'm just discussing the big picture as I see it. Amiga.org's donations go 100% to keep the site running (with the extra fees for bandwidth usage, etc) and the little extra that ends up in the bucket is saved up and used for things like software and the occasional lunch when specified by a contributor (thank you Red!).

The Yahoo revenues from all the sites are saved up and used to buy things like hosting and vBulletin upgrades for the Salem Spectator, Whyzzat,, etc which, at $180 per license, is kinda steep. Salem Spectator for example, costs more to run per month but gets FAR more traffic (5x on weekdays) than Amiga.org any more.

I had, in fact, been planning to purchase and upgrade Whyzzat to vBulletin before all this happened, because -- trust me -- vBulletin is a far better system than PHPBB, not to mention it would allow for new member signups with 99% less spammers.

What I do see however -- go ahead and call me a pessimist -- is that Yahoo is on it's way out in very short order. That would mean that eventually unless the economy changes for the better, we may actually reach a point where neither donations, nor advertising covers the costs of keeping all of the sites up indefinitely, and NOBODY has the disposable income they had once upon a time.

In the end, I'm just looking for thoughts as to what to do should Yahoo go under (as it seems to possibly be). Especially since it's the only non-Google advert program out there that pays anything at all.

I'm also trying to put the economy problems into a more personal "what about me?" perspective because most people (like me) don't even realize how it may affect them. In this case, for most of us, it may hit closer to home than we imagine.

Wayne

 

[faethor]

1) Think Microsoft's offer at $33 per stock looks like a great deal now that Yahoo is under $11.

2) Got a Paypal?

 

[Wayne]

1) Think Microsoft's offer at $33 per stock looks like a great deal now that Yahoo is under $11.

2) Got a Paypal?

1) Not sure Yahoo's stock would have been at $11 save for an article by Baumer saying "We have no interest in Yahoo". How is that affected by the ad revenues? Probably not at all, but it certainly doesn't help.

2) I've always had a Paypal account, but again, Please. I'm not asking for donations or anything. Just surprised by the sneaky way that we (AO/Whyzzat/Spectator, etc) are being indirectly affected by this financial fiasco.

Wayne

 

[metalman]

What this means, of course is that revenue is down across the board and we end up with blank advertisement windows because frankly, there's no ad to show, nothing to click on, no revenue stream.

In the end, I'm just looking for thoughts as to what to do should Yahoo go under (as it seems to possibly be). Especially since it's the only non-Google advert program out there that pays anything at all.

I'm also trying to put the economy problems into a more personal "what about me?" perspective because most people (like me) don't even realize how it may affect them. In this case, for most of us, it may hit closer to home than we imagine.

Wayne

The bursting of the housing bubble has put the country in a deflationary Panic

Advertising spending has been dropping for a year, see the effect on newspaper revenues.

Yahoo won't go under, but there will be industry consolidation, as revenue's continue to drop, click payouts are going to decrease from current levels.

The economy has slowed so much that Mexicans are returning to Mexico and the number of new illegals entering is down significantly.

Obama's tax policies have the potential to turn the current panic into a depression, Wall Street has already predicted Obama's comming election and adjusted valuations.

You will be effected even more, than you currently anticipate, plan accordingly.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

Obama's tax policies have the potential to turn the current panic into a depression, Wall Street has already predicted Obama's comming election and adjusted valuations.

Yes, indeed. Letting working people keep more of their income is a recipe for disaster. They'll probably spend that money in local stores and on local services which clearly does no good at all. Everyone knows that the way to stimulate the economy is to let the rich be richer so they can spend a few more weeks in Monaco each year thus stimulating the US economy.

 

[faethor]

The economy has slowed so much that Mexicans are returning to Mexico and the number of new illegals entering is down significantly.

Metalman has it! The Republican plan to drive out illegal aliens is 2 pronged. Get rid of jobs and depress the $ under the peso. Great job Republicans!

Obama's tax policies have the potential to turn the current panic into a depression, Wall Street has already predicted Obama's comming election and adjusted valuations.

McCain's plans and staff are full of deregulators in the banking industry. Deregulation, even admitted by Alan Greenspan, is a large part of the problem.

8 out of 10 economists support Obama. Even among Republican Economists Obama's economic plan has 2:1 Support.

 

[JoBBo]

I had, in fact, been planning to purchase and upgrade Whyzzat to vBulletin before all this happened, because -- trust me -- vBulletin is a far better system than PHPBB, not to mention it would allow for new member signups with 99% less spammers.

You might want to try the CBack CrackerTracker phpbb(2) mod. It appears to be fairly effective.