Monetizing CHYOA

Friedman

Friedman

Administrator
Hi folks!

I am very glad that the new CHYOA version has been well received. And we'll add new features such as the long-awaited conditional branches and an extensive search (Elasticsearch) within the next weeks.

But now to a little less popular topic: The monthly costs (I try to be as transparent as possible). Below is a list of each item. Total: 115 USD.

Server (2 Dedicated CPU Cores, 2 GB Dedicated RAM, 100 GB Redundant Block Storage): $ 37.55
Elasticsearch Server (1 Dedicated CPU Cores, 1 GB Dedicated RAM, 50 GB Redundant Block Storage): $ 18.78
600 GB Outbound Traffic: $ 48.00
1 IP address: $ 5.00
Mailgun: $ 6.00

So far I have paid that amount but would prefer if CHYOA covers itself.

I thank you again for offering donations, but I don't think that I can cover the monthly costs this way. Therefore, I will test several sources of revenue this year. This isn't set in stone, I just want to see which alternatives lead to which revenue.

I'm also open to suggestions and improvements, so that the user experience doesn't suffer too much.

We will start with simple banner ads. Starting with A/B testing (see screenshots for samples). Partner: ExoClick. Pay per click. Hopefully unobtrusive.
banner_a.png banner_b.png

If the revenue should exceed the cost, I will introduce a partner program (similar to YouTube) in the long term.

Still, happy reading and writing!

Best regards,
Friedman
 
I personally don't mind ads, especially if its to keep an awesome site like this running, but we really need an easy way to point out ads which are causing problems (lowering viewing speed greatly, phishing, malicious ads).

On the ads, I personally prefer "A" ads in general cause "B" ads tend to get in the way of viewing.

Could you also post examples of ads on the mobile site? I can see it in my minds eye, but I'm sure others would like to see as well.
 
I also prefer the "A" option, but I'm not likely to click on these ads. Is there a reason you picked Cost Per Click over Cost Per Impressions? I am not an advertising guru, but I can assume CPC earns more for sending people directly rather than based on the viewing of their messages to potential customers. Yet, it will really depend on the amount of visitors coming to this site.

Also, have you considered Patreon? It's basically donations (Patreon takes a 5% cut) but makes it easy for users to contribute monthly to the costs. I know one community site which uses this: OpenGameArt.org.

Lastly, what about the idea of sponsored interactives? (i.e. people who pay to promote their story for a certain period of time.)
 
I don't mind ads so long as they're not links to spyware like a lot of xxx sites have. You could also add the option to go ad-less for subscribers.
 
johnhoftb said:
Could you also post examples of ads on the mobile site? I can see it in my minds eye, but I'm sure others would like to see as well.
Click to expand...

Sure, here are screenshots for A and B:
banner_mobile_a.png banner_mobile_b.png

elmer7780 said:
I also prefer the "A" option, but I'm not likely to click on these ads. Is there a reason you picked Cost Per Click over Cost Per Impressions? I am not an advertising guru, but I can assume CPC earns more for sending people directly rather than based on the viewing of their messages to potential customers. Yet, it will really depend on the amount of visitors coming to this site.
Click to expand...

As far as I know CPM is only a metric and is no longer offered. But if you know an ad network which supports it, post it here :) I'll start my experiment with ExoClick, then JuicyAds and TrafficJunky.

elmer7780 said:
Lastly, what about the idea of sponsored interactives? (i.e. people who pay to promote their story for a certain period of time.)
Click to expand...

Good idea!

Zingiber said:
I'd pay to not see ads, via Patreon or more direct donation.
Click to expand...

Nice to hear that and good to know :) I haven't used Patreon yet but it's probably easier to implement a direct billing system (Stripe or similar services) . This way I can automatically disable the ads for users. I'll work on that.
 
I see the ads are up. I've already managed to accidentally click through on the mobile site while trying to [X] one away.
 
Zingiber said:
I see the ads are up. I've already managed to accidentally click through on the mobile site while trying to [X] one away.
Click to expand...

THIS! I've had more than a few problems with particularly news sites where the close buttons are always small and you end up clicking on the ad even if your finger is on the close symbol. I've never once seen a decently sized close button for mobile which makes me believe that it's intentional on the part of ad networks.

As long as I can scroll down, I'm fine with it. I did click on one ad as well as I saw arrows on both ends of the banner and I thought maybe it was some sort of rotary banner, but it's just a ploy to get you to click out of curiosity.

I would add a disclaimer or link to this thread for people who aren't aware of this ongoing experiment below the ad before they start rioting. Something like... Why ads?
 
Friedman said:
Sure, here are screenshots for A and B:
View attachment 67 View attachment 68
Nice to hear that and good to know :) I haven't used Patreon yet but it's probably easier to implement a direct billing system (Stripe or similar services) . This way I can automatically disable the ads for users. I'll work on that.
Click to expand...

Patreon also uses Stripe amongst other payments (except Paypal because this is a NSFW site). The good thing about Patreon is that it will allow people to pledge any amount. So even $1 (which will amount to around 90 cents after taking into account the platform and payment cuts) will be enough if you have hundreds to pledge.

The important thing is to be transparent since this is a site of user-generated content. Again, I'll point to opengameart.org where the front page shows exactly how much is being pledged monthly and what it entails (I don't know if the owner is getting that information dynamically from Patreon or the owner is updating it by himself).

Whether you implement a similar platform or integrate with an existing one, give users an option to donate one-time or monthly at any amount, and I would be transparent with the costs and current progress to achieving sustainability.
 
I'd gladly pay myself over seeing ads while reading my favorite stories, or trying to find inspiration for my own for that matter.
Patreon is a great way to do this, as long as there's enough of us willing to pay some to keep the site running.
Just like elmer 7780 already said it's fully possible to pledge any amount, which I think is a good way to keep more people interested.
(I have seen one patreon site with $5 minimum pledge though, so I'd guess that this can be changed when subscribing. I'd much prefer the $1 minimum, as it makes the idea by far more attractive to a larger amount of subscribers.)
 
I'd also like to add that ads like these might just hurt the site in the long run, as I believe that many people (like myself) does not enjoy seeing pop-ups on a site they're not all that familiar with. To a regular chyoa-member, it might not matter so much as we know what it's good for, but to any newcomer it's like screaming: Stay out, or we give you the crabs! ; )
 
Vain said:
I'd also like to add that ads like these might just hurt the site in the long run, as I believe that many people (like myself) does not enjoy seeing pop-ups on a site they're not all that familiar with. To a regular chyoa-member, it might not matter so much as we know what it's good for, but to any newcomer it's like screaming: Stay out, or we give you the crabs! ; )
Click to expand...

Again, this is why it's important to be as transparent as possible and explain to visitors the changes that are being made and what can be done about it. Currently, there is no announcement section on the front page which is going to be a problem since many might not know to visit the forum to learn about the changes, why there is suddenly ads, etc.
 
I dont have enough info on how to approach this kind of subject, but:

- consider adding some sort of cute non intrusive informative message for those that use adblock, this could be very important (edit: oh I just noticed it's already there :))
- consider opening a patreon account\space

gl and thanks for what you did :)
 
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The B adds just get in the way and will be x out almost every time because they are in the way of the story. While A will only get seen until the reader scrolls down. Maybe a c option where the add appears to the side just below the story title but above the about section. Though if I had to pick a or B or rather go with A.
 
Murakami said:
Be careful with Patreon. There have been issues with NSFW sites and patreon in the past. Make absolutely sure we don't fall into a clause before you do it or money can vanish.
Click to expand...

You won't be able to use Paypal and would have to process through traditional credit (You can't integrate Paypal directly either so it's not like this is a huge issue). The Patreon page also won't appear in their search results.

Here is their guideline for NSFW works or in this case, platform:
Patreon is not for pornography, but some of the world’s most beautiful and historically significant art often depicts nudity and sexual expression. Because of that, we allow nudity and suggestive imagery, as long as it is marked NSFW. Think of the policy as allowing “R Rated” movies... but not porn. In keeping with our strong commitment to safety, we have zero tolerance for content that sexualizes children in any way.
​
From: https://www.patreon.com/guidelines

It sounds okay (is writing on this site considered sexual expression?), but if Patreon is considered, then it might be good to get in contact with them just to be sure. I do see some erotic authors on their platform.
 
Oh thank lord for conditional branches. I've been relying on the honor code for 'Senior Year' ever since I began writing it. Also -- loving the new layout. Looks sexy.

Even though I'll probably have to reformat my entire story once conditional branches come out, I eagerly await it!

Could I have a rundown on how conditional branches might work?

Edit -- forgot to say, I'm perfectly fine with ads. Whatever you want them to be, wherever, as long as they're not intrusive (like opening up a new window every time you open a page) and they aren't too large, I'm perfectly okay with you guys doing ads.
 
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