# gold buyer adds



## Geo (Nov 14, 2012)

is anyone else getting adds at the bottom of the screen next to the Kitco ticker?

im not apposed to Noxx advertising to raise capital, but if im the only one, i need to find out why.


----------



## MMFJ (Nov 14, 2012)

Geo said:


> is anyone else getting adds at the bottom of the screen next to the Kitco ticker?
> 
> im not apposed to Noxx advertising to raise capital, but if im the only one, i need to find out why.


I am not getting any sort of ads

[edit] - and, just as I said that, I got ads........ (but not gold buyer ones, just Google stuff) - looks like they put an ad banner on the forum...


----------



## Palladium (Nov 14, 2012)

I don't see them?


----------



## Palladium (Nov 14, 2012)

Wow! as soon as i submitted that post i seen it between screen refreshes.


----------



## Palladium (Nov 14, 2012)

https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/?sig=ACi0TChoxrB0ebMP0BUadr7odvwvy67NV89wYrCcGafvifOPY2nxoGum9w3K-PnX4qVAfiV0OR3ZnVTf1RN6uYG_prLHUPr4BwoshyII7_yM6dN1epJPFLroe2gpTjvAFgI7x6JQHqn4uVSoT_4azU0L5nsl8iWqHXRCpwfcV9Wirk1HHM0u4SE8kw5YkHRPclSxg99yZlyKO1sOhReJbLvlfbYS4lXHgo69120C_9L4uTcoysq0LHobhLalozncFUeNk6ENdlhL6FVgY0XicLTYYk7pFgguYu4Cz7aK9j97lSbbhcpkLNGu9wOqvU6MU8ckrI-UeCs6hIk8fngI3To80QFFo2F3u8Qt6xgnozg9lS1l6dXHn-1OEJO7kzBgeUxQ5XqeiqHF9cRoEeJ0o2O9epVadt9j0TqYdvEmULYk3J6E74OEWYLPY9PxfeIyAGrWjPaCHmng&hl=en


----------



## glondor (Nov 14, 2012)

none here.


----------



## jimdoc (Nov 14, 2012)

I use Firefox adblock plus so I don't see them. And hope I never do.

Jim


----------



## Golddigger Greg (Nov 14, 2012)

Palladium said:


> https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/?sig=ACi0TChoxrB0ebMP0BUadr7odvwvy67NV89wYrCcGafvifOPY2nxoGum9w3K-PnX4qVAfiV0OR3ZnVTf1RN6uYG_prLHUPr4BwoshyII7_yM6dN1epJPFLroe2gpTjvAFgI7x6JQHqn4uVSoT_4azU0L5nsl8iWqHXRCpwfcV9Wirk1HHM0u4SE8kw5YkHRPclSxg99yZlyKO1sOhReJbLvlfbYS4lXHgo69120C_9L4uTcoysq0LHobhLalozncFUeNk6ENdlhL6FVgY0XicLTYYk7pFgguYu4Cz7aK9j97lSbbhcpkLNGu9wOqvU6MU8ckrI-UeCs6hIk8fngI3To80QFFo2F3u8Qt6xgnozg9lS1l6dXHn-1OEJO7kzBgeUxQ5XqeiqHF9cRoEeJ0o2O9epVadt9j0TqYdvEmULYk3J6E74OEWYLPY9PxfeIyAGrWjPaCHmng&hl=en


Thanks Palladium! They were there..., now they are not! 
Edit: The one that was on my screen when I clicked your link disappeared, but as soon as I hit "Submit" for my post the follow-up page had a different ad in its' place. Oh well...
Edit 2: Now my default Google language is Portugese! Yay, it gets funner!
Edit 3: I'm back to English, now on to the ad issue....


----------



## Geo (Nov 14, 2012)

same here.


----------



## CBentre (Nov 14, 2012)

Just seen one here too.


----------



## Noxx (Nov 14, 2012)

Yes, I'm experimenting with some kind of banner implementation. I don't wish to annoy the readers. 

I wish to put a banner which is related to what we discuss here.

I still need to learn how Adsense works.

Please give me your opinions on this. 

The hosting plan I have is $120 quarterly. Donations help (Thanks guys!) but sometimes I'm paying from my own pocket.

I will comment back in a week and see how much revenue it generated.


Thank you


----------



## CBentre (Nov 14, 2012)

Noxx said:


> Yes, I'm experimenting with some kind of banner implementation. I don't wish to annoy the readers.
> 
> I wish to put a banner which is related to what we discuss here.
> 
> I still need to learn how Adsense works.



Hey Noxx. Should be some info on that on YouTube. Some of the guys I know use the same thing on their YouTube channels. I had a feeling that's what was happening. I'm not opposed at all if it helps keep the forum up.


----------



## joem (Nov 14, 2012)

$120 QUARTERLY !!! INSANITY.
I use 3ix for $24 a year.


----------



## Noxx (Nov 14, 2012)

When running a larger forum like this one, what limits you is not the space usage but CPU usage.

When there are 30-50 members online doing search/posts, etc. it puts more load on the server than a regular website.


----------



## joem (Nov 14, 2012)

I did a little reading on the topic and have learned something new.
Are you paying for a virtual server, private server, or shared server?
oh and as for the ads - it's just part of making money on the web. Most times I don't even notice them anymore.


----------



## Noxx (Nov 14, 2012)

I think it's shared since I have a semi-dedicated plan.


----------



## Palladium (Nov 15, 2012)

I think when it comes time to pay the bill if you are short you should post it. Make a thread dedicated to that topic and when you are short post it there and we can make extra donations to make up the difference. No reason you should have to come out of pocket for a resource we all share. That's my thinking anyway.


----------



## joem (Nov 15, 2012)

Noxx said:


> I think it's shared since I have a semi-dedicated plan.


I found a canadian site that gives you virtual server for $12 a month


----------



## joem (Nov 15, 2012)

Palladium said:


> I think when it comes time to pay the bill if you are short you should post it. Make a thread dedicated to that topic and when you are short post it there and we can make extra donations to make up the difference. No reason you should have to come out of pocket for a resource we all share. That's my thinking anyway.



Second that.  I make donations but I never knew how much it costs.


----------



## Geo (Nov 15, 2012)

Palladium said:


> I think when it comes time to pay the bill if you are short you should post it. Make a thread dedicated to that topic and when you are short post it there and we can make extra donations to make up the difference. No reason you should have to come out of pocket for a resource we all share. That's my thinking anyway.



agreed. please dont let it get out of hand. this forum is much too important to let a few hundred dollars interfere with it staying online. there is more than enough business that transpires here to cover all of that and then some. 

making a donation now.

EDIT : donation made. come on guys and step up. i know things are hard everywhere and as far as im concerned its hardest right here. i struggle every day to make ends meet and one way i do that is by using the knowledge i received right here. i owe it to the forum as well as most of you.


----------



## MMFJ (Nov 15, 2012)

Noxx said:


> Yes, I'm experimenting with some kind of banner implementation. I don't wish to annoy the readers.
> 
> I wish to put a banner which is related to what we discuss here.
> 
> ...


I think you will be disappointed in the revenue generated from the ads being on just some pages (I presume you intentionally did that) and at the bottom of those pages. There is a reason ads are typically placed on the top (or high on the sides, pop up, etc.) of the page - that's where they get seen - and clicked on much more often (which is the only way you get paid....). One disadvantage to this is that, once clicked, you lose the person to the other page (which likely happened because they were more interested in that topic anyway, so not a huge problem most of the time).

Although I agree with 'post a notice and folks will pay up', I also feel there are some other methods that would bring a bit of revenue to keep the forum paid (and cover something for the admin costs of time as well as out-of-pocket expenses) and be more 'fair' to everyone - not just the same folks paying all the time.

A couple ways to get the forum to pay (spelled 'cover expenses without constant reminders', etc.) are;

- *post the ads on the top of every page and give an option to pay a fee to not have them* (not much, but maybe $2 a quarter - a simple cookie control should do the trick). This one is troublesome as there are many blockers out there and also many people just ignore ads.

-* sell ads yourself *(there are plenty of folks on here that sell items, services, etc. that should support this). As this is your own code, blockers don't work as effectively (the code works more like the Kitco banner) and ads are targeted within the forum and by forum members, which should help advertisers and forum revenue. There are many places to use the ads - on login, every page, occasionally, etc. - all of which can be a different payment plan for the advertiser (although keeping it simple is best, at least to test things out)

- *make a special area on the forum for advertisers* (like some other forums) - to me, this is one of the worst ideas as advertisements are only seen for those that visit the special area - that idea is like going to Times Square just because I want to read the billboards!

- *long-term access fees for everyone*. Oh, I know this won't be popular for many, but as Geo and others say (and all should admit), there's plenty of value in long-term relationship from this forum. If you aren't making some money from what is learned here, then you aren't actively using the forum! My suggestion here is something like 'free for two months (some 'reasonable' learning period), then a contribution of $0.50 per 6 months, $2 for three years, $25 for "lifetime"' - a bit of work on the numbers to see what is 'fair' (and covers the cost of the Paypal fees, which, at $0.30+ per transaction, is really a stickler on having a bunch of small payments....). Nothing to break anyone and with the number of people signed up here, there should be plenty of cash to keep the forum open, no need for 'we need money' posts and everyone gets a fair shake. 

There is an old adage that says that you get the most value when you put something into the game and I can bet you that those that have contributed to this forum are those that are making the most money, and because of what they gain here. This option simply allows (maybe encourages is a better word...) everyone to make money from what they learn. To me, this is the overall best solution as it spreads the cost over many, keeps the forum clean of ads (really, I don't like them either, but support the necessity) and allows everyone a chance to learn for 'free' and pay only as their knowledge level (and income) increases. 

-* have some boards free, some for paid members only*. Provide access to the more 'intense' information only to those willing to put something in to gain access. This type system also keeps down the plagiarism, which has been an issue lately. This one should be simple to implement as it is a common to have paid areas on a bbs.

I'm happy to discuss any/all of the above (and certainly open to other useful ideas/mods), should there be questions.


----------



## joem (Nov 15, 2012)

> EDIT : donation made. come on guys and step up. i know things are hard everywhere and as far as im concerned its hardest right here. i struggle every day to make ends meet and one way i do that is by using the knowledge i received right here. i owe it to the forum as well as most of you.



Just sent the portion of books sales to Noxx. Sales have been slow but I sent anyway.


----------



## its-all-a-lie (Nov 15, 2012)

joem said:


> Just sent the portion of books sales to Noxx. Sales have been slow but I sent anyway.



I think this in itself could support the forum. If a portion of profits from materials/services advertised on the forum was donated there would probably be plenty of funds to keep the forum up and running. I also feel that paid areas of the forum would be beneficial, a place for the more dangerous processes such as wet ashing and special information to be provided to those who are willing to pay for the detailed info they need for a specific project or maybe plans to build a piece of equipment for their lab. A thread to let everyone know funds are needed is a good idea to remind everyone this information costs someone money to provide it to all of us and nothing is free.


----------



## poudouche (Nov 15, 2012)

Hi fellow members ,
It is a must to support the forum , the topics are very interesting and the free knowledge available is tremendous , let's propose the month of december as the fundraising month from December the first to December 31 . every year so some funds will be available for improvement and expansion. Also we have to make clear where and how to make donation, last time that i wanted to give some contribution to the forum , i had to ask for help, by not knowing how to do it could have prevented me to make my donation. Other way we could contribute is to send some materials like phone boards , computer boards , sim cards ,cpu 's , memory ram etc ,that can be auctioned off and the proceeds go to benefit the forum .
In Bar and Grill i posted this thread to promote support for the forum
http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=15185
kind regards,
poudouche


----------



## Palladium (Nov 15, 2012)

I agree! We need to make the forum donation button available from any page on the forum. Much like the Google ads but instead it would be a forum donation button.


----------



## gold4mike (Nov 16, 2012)

Another thought on donations...

We seem to have an almost endless stream of newbies who want to spend 10 minutes on the forum and then make a post asking us to lead them through all the steps to process their material.

Let's let them read all they want on the forum for free. When the time comes that they want to post a question they must make a donation. Given the number of newbies recently we could probably support the forum simply by asking each newbie to donate $1.00 to ask that first question. 

This will not only help pay for the forum, but it will also encourage those who are lazy to do a little reading before they have to ante up. It might eliminate some of the duplicate questions that clutter the forum.

Edit to add: I recently used JustAnswer.com and got help to fix a cuckoo clock. You find an expert, get an answer, then pay for the answer only if it helped. It is an "honor system" type of thing but that model could also work here too.


----------



## Geo (Nov 16, 2012)

im sorry guys if i ruffle any feathers, thats not my intention. we have enough core members that are steady posters that if each one donates $10 twice a year, that would handle the cost as it is now. $240 for six months is 24 members donating $10 apiece every six months. i can spare my ten.im not calling anyone out because thats not my intention, im just saying theres no need to try and generate a cash flow. Noxx, please place a "Donate to the forum" button so it will be easy to access. i log in and use the feature that i dont need to type my username and password each time so i had to hunt the thread with the donations link in it. easy access and visible reminder on each page may help keep it in mind.


----------



## gold4mike (Nov 16, 2012)

I have the same problem, Geo. I try to remember to donate $10 once or twice a year but always have to search for the darn button.

This forum is one of the best bargains out there.

Here's a link to the button...

http://www.goldrefiningforum.com/donations.html


----------



## joem (Nov 16, 2012)

I don't have feathers. But I do donate and I have added the donate link to my signature. Everyone should try to do this.


----------



## Palladium (Nov 16, 2012)

:?: 

http://phpbbandbbcodes.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=294


----------



## Geo (Nov 16, 2012)

i donated through paypal. it was quick and easy for me as i already have an account.


----------



## MMFJ (Nov 16, 2012)

Noxx said:


> The hosting plan I have is $120 quarterly.



On the donations page, it still says 



> It costs me $US 100 for 1 year of hosting.



Noxx, you should update the donation page to reflect the latest hosting plan/costs - when I first saw the hosting figure, it seemed a 'non-issue' to donate more than once a year at $10 as just a few helping (as it states on the donation page) would more than cover it. But, needing to raise $500 a year (taking into account a bit for admin time/effort/electricity at home, etc...), that's another story!

Still, though, I think there are methods of 'charge for knowledge' that would, as some others stated, help curb some of the newbie questions and/or have those that get the most from the forum (long term users) footing the bill. I do not agree that "the few" should have to do it - to me, that's like saying something like 'Donald Trump should be paying your mortgage since he has already learned how to make money from real estate'..... Those that benefit (and ALL those that benefit) should contribute in some way.

(my .0004 g .9999 Au @ 1713.79)


----------



## CBentre (Nov 16, 2012)

MMFJ said:


> Noxx said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, I'm experimenting with some kind of banner implementation. I don't wish to annoy the readers.
> ...



MMJF, I like this post. Very informative and strait to the point.
I've seen this before on other forums and think this forum would benefit greatly by having a Private members area. Only those who donate or pay a fee to have the privilege to a section for the elite of the elite. There is enough information throughout the whole forum for a newbie to gather and use to their benefit and this new area would allow for new topics or discussions in a closed setting.


----------



## Geo (Nov 16, 2012)

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=9451

been there, didnt happen.


----------



## CBentre (Nov 16, 2012)

Geo said:


> http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=9451
> 
> been there, didnt happen.



Geo you got that right. Guess I should of searched before I posted. It looks as though it's been discussed in great detail for over a year now but came up under different circumstances. Sorry about that.


----------



## Anonymous (Nov 28, 2012)

Noxx said:


> Yes, I'm experimenting with some kind of banner implementation. I don't wish to annoy the readers.
> 
> I wish to put a banner which is related to what we discuss here.
> 
> ...


I have been using AdSense for years now on all of my websites and it does generate income for you on autopilot. there are a few things you must know to get the most out of AdSense.
*
No#1.* Place only the most relevant keywords in your *META="keywords"*. Don't overload it with keywords that aren't searched for as often as the highly searched keywords. 

Because of the nature of this site, you can target keywords that don't get much search results, but it'll still bring in more visitors than expected.

*No#2.* The *META="description"* should be more descriptive in explaining the nature of this website, eliminating any words that don't, or won't be related to this site/forum.

*No#3.* Place more than one AdSense banner or (text ad) on the forum/website. Since you're trying to raise money, this will benefit you greatly, and also, not being too intrusive or obstructive to the members and (or) visitors to the site.

*No#4.* The "Title" of the forum/website should have more relevant keywords in them so the search engines can pick them up when they are searched for.

*No#5.* There is something about AdSense that can only be discussed privately because of the drawbacks it could bring if someone malicious, or you, tell them about or ask them to do. Once you're banned from AdSense, there is no way to get another account with them. Google AdSense bans are for life. There are exceptions, but who want to chance that with getting FREE money/income, for the life of your website/forum?

*No#6*. Submit. Submit. Submit. I have software and other sources to submit to that it brings in many people per day, without any hard work. Ironically, when I became a member here, I never advertised to my sources that I have that can bring an average of a few thousand people here per day. I do it all the time on different websites and it works like a charm. They'll come. Real visitors and interested people too.

AdSense can, and will generate income for you on autopilot. Your Alexa ranking is great *(208,912)* right now. Get the Alexa toolbar and you can see you ranking go towards no#1 real soon. The goal with Alexa is to get to No#1. So, according to your Alexa ranking, of all the websites on the Internet, you're 208,912 in rankings according to the relevancy of what the site represents and how the site is optimized compared to other websites. I can take a website with a ranking of 10 million and bring it down to under 1 million within a weeks time. It's not hard to do.

For what you're paying in server fees (shared hosting) you can get a DEDICATED hosting account (no one else on it but you) for under $380 per year!!! and have UNLIMITED space, data transfers, and much more. And you can host unlimited domains too. So, if you have more than one domain, you won't be paying any extra fees.

That's my take on this, and I hop you (Noxx) and all the forum members realize that you are doing your best to keep this website/forum open for FREE for all of us to benefit from. If at worst, the members should accept the ads and not look at them as distractions.

Kevin


----------



## joem (Nov 29, 2012)

As mentioned earlier:
I think the location of the add is good since we all scroll down to read and once we get to the bottom I bet most of check the price of metals as well. The ads are right there and I have clicked on a few myself ( that I saw interesting).


----------



## MMFJ (Nov 29, 2012)

Noxx said:


> I will comment back in a week and see how much revenue it generated.


Any data yet?

My adsense amounts seem wildly different than the checks I get every month (not sure why), but the reports do at least show some ideas (happily, the daily reports seem to be less than the checks, which I like!).

All the mods on this are looking good, though, as testerman suggests, I would consider some changes to the meta tags as well.
<meta name="description" content="Large worldwide forum discussing about precious metals refining and recovery from various sources.">
could use a little work - I'd suggest more like what you are doing on the other thread (about the new 'index' page) that is a pretty good slogan coming along. You can also make the meta description LONGER than just a slogan - around 200 characters is what I've been told to shoot for.

Making that more appealing might just help with traffic (if you feel this forum needs more traffic..... 

If you want some copy-writing suggestions, I'm sure there are many on here that would help.


----------



## Anonymous (Nov 30, 2012)

I wouldn't get too technical with blocking traffic right now until you understand AdSense and have been a member for YEARS.Yes, years. They change, and then you must change. Sometimes it's good to "follow-the-leader". Keep yourself updated on their policies and changes and it'll keep you abreast of what to do and what NOT to do.

The reason I say it is because, with all of my websites, to this day now... I have never blocked traffic to my websites. Remember this much.... Google is so SMART, it knows automatically which type of traffic to block from your website. Yes, you can block traffic, but I would not do it until Google sends an email stating a problem. If they don't send any emails, then you're doing good.... at least until they contact you.

For what you're getting per day on average (_I deleted amount - It's against Google's Terms to publicize your earnings_)... you're doing GREAT. AdSense pays out on $100 per month, which means you would need to get $3.33 per day, on average to get a check mailed to you every month. I hope you know that certain keywords can bring in $25, $50, and even $120 per CLICK... DEPENDING on the keyword.... AND the algorithm Google uses. Yes,, again, there are people making 10, 20 30 and more THOUSANDS of dollars per month using AdSense.

I'm going to do something for this site that I want nothing in return. 

I'm going to not only submit to my sources, I'm going to make some ads to attract visitors. *REAL* visitors.

I will PM the date and time I do it, and all I ask is that I'm informed on the visitors that come (the count only), so that way I can see what is working and what isn't.

I love you *Noxx, Harold_V, LaserSteve, butcher, goldsilverpro, Lou, Oz,  Geo, samuel-e, qst42know, Palladium, patnor1011*, 

and whoever I didn't mention, I know who you are. I Love you too, and I appreciate what you do on this forum. Much Love!!!

Lets help *Noxx* keep this forum the way it is intended to be.

Kevin

*[EDIT]* I deleted what is in the red above. Google don't allow for AdSense members to publicly tell what you make and post it on websites.


----------



## fasTTcar (Nov 30, 2012)

Paypal sent. Next quarter is on London Gold Buyer.

I very much value this place and appreciate your hard work.


----------

