I would resectfully suggest a better plan then. This site should be costing nothing in hosting, almost nothing in tech support, obviously building does cost. The tech consultant, who i don’t doubt is good, should be helping steer you guys on setting very specifc goals for the site. After that, if he is good, he will admit that you will very rarely need him.
There should be no, running of the site other than comment moderation and of course Chris’s articles. Thats a spererate topic though.
I don’t see why the hosting is a major cost either… I have purchased hosting for friend’s companies that have unlimted capacity and very high bandwidth for such low prices. They are always so shock at how cheap it is.
[quote] P.S. - Erik, you need to get a saleable product. I don’t see that at
the moment, the crash course IS FANTASTIC, sell it and it will be on
every torrent site in a week. Get a product and then ask us for money. [/quote]
It is already possible to download the slideshow, just using firefox. You can right click next to a slide go ‘Page info’, Media tab, look for the embedded file and save as…
I think advertising is a good choice for income, just don’t bloat out the sitr with them.
I appreciate your candor and excellent suggestions. I’m sorry that my letter offended you, but I really don’t understand your logic. You say that you’re sure Chris should never have to pay a dime out of his pocket to put this message out, but you seem offended by the obvious solution that we need to change the business model so that Chris doesn’t have do subsidize the site any longer. That is, inherently, a conversation about money and advertising. I don’t know any way around that.
The idea of a PayPal link button is excellent, and I’ve already asked our Web site consultant to look into setting that up. If it generates enough income that we can forget about advertising, I’d love that.
Thanks for the excellent suggestion. Live Webinars (or conference calls with Chris) were already on my list.
The initial thinking was that we would offer these FREE to paid subscribers. That would give everyone a regular opportunity to actually PARTICIPATE in an event with Chris, ask questions, etc. My thought was that we would then make the audio recording (meaning no opportunity to ask questions) available to registered non-subscribers a week or so later. The idea being that anybody who’s interested can listen in for free, but if you want the right to participate, you have to sign up as a paid subscriber to the site.
I’ll be starting a discussion in the forums about how to best structure this, and welcome any and all feedback.
I never thought about the number of registered users thing being important either, until recently when Chris and I had a con call with the person in charge of grants for a major foundation. It really is something they take seriously.
After reading all these comments, I’m starting to think that what we really need is a "Help The Cause" button that takes you to a screen where several things are explained in plain language:
We welcome everyone and are committed to keeping the online crash course free
We really need your help, so if you can afford to donate, please use this PayPal button to do so.
It really helps us when you register (include explanation about grants). Please do so here now... We promise not to abuse your privacy.
We need YOUR help passing the word about the Crash Course. Please make a conscious effort to tell all your friends about what's available here. The good news is it will always be free. The bad news is because of that, we don't have money to advertise the Crash Course, so we need your help spreading the word.
I’ll start working toward that end.
Your comments about "neutral content ads" were taken to heart. However, as you allude yourself, there is a conundrum here. Take your own example of buying Gold. Chris sincerely believes that everyone concerned with these issues should consider gold as a dollar-proof investment. The idea of making a high quality "how to buy gold" video has already been discussed. And yes, some gold dealers have stepped up and offered to fund such a project if their services are mentioned. That’s the rub.
Chris is completely capable of staying objective and not allowing commercial interests to bias his statements. But frankly, you’d have to know Chris in order to believe that. The appearance of an ulterior motive would be way too strong. This is a really frustrating issue for me. We really should welcome financial support from anyone, including commercial interests who have a profit motive. The key is to remain objective and unbiased and not allow the commercial interests to derail the objective quality of the message. I can’t figure out how to do this without creating all the wrong appearances. (And don’t worry, we won’t do that!). Suggestions welcome…
im following this site since some weeks, and the Crash Course quite changed my views and my awareness. Chris, you did a great job. The media of online videos, and the way you did them, provide the required objectiveness and urgency of the problems.
I agree to the grass roots approach that is required for the society to wake up. Im from Germany, and as I see it, our society has quite similar problems, that are described in the Crash Course (deep debt, unrealizable promises to future retirees, reliance on foreign fossile energy sources,…) Nevertheless, government and media still calm the peoples, and politicians on both political sides, (socialist and conservative) suggest that we can continue increasing government spending and our excessive lifestyle by ever more economic growth.
I think we need someone like Chris here in Germany/Europe. It would be great to have the Crash Course in other languages as well, even though it is actually easy to understand for non-native english viewers.
With Chris`permission, some chapters, could simply get translated, since they are universal, others should be re- or newly written,to cover the special national/european context(s). Otherwise they will say its an american problem, as politicians tried to state here the last days.
My question: is there anyone with the ability and dedication to start this? I can contribute, but im just a poor computer artist, and dont have deep knowledge about finances and economics, and of course absolutely zero reputation in this area. I COULD help with translation (not 100% professional), video/graphics, and maybe help finding a narrator. Maybe we could discuss this in a forum thread.
Gary-
More of my thoughts can be found at my online journal: http://integraljournal.typepad.com/ .
Due to a combination of various types of capital, Chris and Erik are in a position where they can launch something that will really make a difference. However, the extrapolation of the work done so far will not make a difference.
I envision a world where we would not spend our lives sitting in front of a screen – regardless of whether it is for work or pleasure. The amount of energy devoted to online activities is overwhelming. There are far more enjoyable things that most of us could be doing. The good news is that due to the energy crisis many of us will have to grow food. The bad news is that we will not be doing it on our own terms unless we come up with a different model. We need to shift the current model of banking from credit to equity. Most of those with 401ks are going to lose everything that they think they have since what they have is paper. A prudent investor would want to have his assets secured by something that is real. You can’t get more real than land that can grow food.
One of my models is exclusiveresorts.com . Wealthy people do not own the various multi-million dollar properties that they have access to. In return for a membership deposit and dues, they have access to dozens of properties. My idea is to expand the concept to modest living quarters on organic farms. The structure would be run as a university since the original university – prior to training specialists – was the foundation of the renaissance.
Since it appears that we have delayed the collapse of the market for a few days or maybe even a few years, serious discussion of an alternative by a majority will be delayed until that 401k statement reads $0. Now is the time to pay the penalty and shift assets to something that has long term value.
If you are going to do this then I’d prefer to have two sites, one "free" site with advertisements and the other without for subscribers. This I believe is a better model because having subscribers means a steady stream of revenue while advertisements do not. Especially since online advertisement revenues in general are falling.
For many people this site is a major source of news and opinions and for me the less clutter (blinking ads) the better. And I am willing to pay for that.
issues but it does sound like the starts of a grassroots movement. I totally agree with your point of having too many venues to vent our frustrations on, instead of using that energy to get out there and take action. The biggest logistical problem I see is for investors who want to participate but can’t get access to product because you’re dealing with shipping produce and perishable goods. Organic produce also doesn’t ship as well (blemished product normally fine for consumption rots easier than in other product which is blemish free but is coated with pesticides). I like the resorts idea, I have often dreamed of setting up an educational/interest itinerary for communities such as this who want to learn for the enjoyment of learning. Ideally it would be a collection of members who have become experts in their area or bringing in lecturers or speakers on useful topics … the great thing would be that this is held within a structured, well thought out program yet is not bound by the requirement of degrees or useless exams. I am an ex-hedge fund manager that would be more than happy to lecture on topics of capital markets, the truth behind alternative strategies, the search for alpha and real market neutral strategies. Anyways, I’ll read up on your website but it’s good to know there are others out there who have this sort of idea in mind.
Like you, I have been following this site for a number of months now and it is excellent. I live in the UK and have been happy to privately translate the US perspective into a British one.
I think there might be mileage in your suggestion of creating a European subgroup. The issues are very similar to the US but there is a need for European perspective building on Chris’s excellent work.
I used to be a Senior manager in Marketing with Bank of Scotland/ no HBOS /no LLoyds TSB, - how quickly the dominos fall! but a change of direction resulted in me becoming a Science Teacher. No, it was not a mid life crisis more a considered decision re quality of life, communitariasm etc
I have, on an adhoc basis, been sending Chris links to websites/ articles that I thought would be of interest from this side of the Atlantic.
Not quite sure where to take this now, what are your initial thoughts?
Any forum would absolutley need to maintain and respect Chris’s brand identiy
is the thought of attracting younger families to this cause where we try and live a good life without making an impact on the world we live in (materials wise, hopefully we’ll make a positive impact!). The problem with younger families which includes me is that the kids require education but if there are other families in the same situation then we can share education costs have benefit from much smaller class sizes. Home schooling programs are out there and kids can take standardized tests in any region that parents would want them to have access to in the future.
I have been following along as the chapters are completed for a while now and when you got the last chapter done I sent this out to my entire e-mail list urging my friends to educate themselves. My husband also passed it to a few work associates. The response was very positive. The credit crisis seems to have caused many people to begin looking for answers. Your course is a wonderful tool for getting the dialog going. Thank-You!
Also, I find it easy when leaving a thoughtful comment on an online newspaper article to leave a link to one of your chapters as well. Anyone can do this and it is one small way to broaden the audience and get new members.
This is a great site, and has a high degree of integrity.
Please do not put advertising on it. If this site had advertising on it, we would not have originally become subscibers. I don’t trust sites with advertising. Ads completely change the character and feel of a website. Readers have come up with a number of different ideas on how to increase income without introducing ads. Here’s another thought.
Much info is given for free here. What if the Crash Course and other general info was free, but only the
first paragraph or two of the udates was visible. To read
the whole article folks would need to register - supplying only their
email address with the assurance that it would not be shared. After a
free trial period (of say, one month or so) their free trial runs out
and they can either join with a paid subscription or not. But if they
don’t subscribe, they don’t have full access to the updates.
Two elements are important here. First, it is completely appropriate that Chris make a fair wage for his time and effort. Second, the site needs to stay Chris’. What I mean by that is that his approach, attitude and perspective should not be altered. There are many ways to run a business. It is my hope that this business/site does not change course too dramatically.
One more point against ads is that for those of us still on dial-up, ads slow things way down.
Yes the advertising people would say the "trick" is to embed. They are in the business of working for their clients - the advertisers. May I suggest that the considerations are how to stay true to the vision while securing revenue and recognising the profile of the visiting pubic; and just how much revenue is required!
e.g. 1000 people who visit 3 times a week for 6 months @ 1 unit a visit will generate 78,000 units of revenue; while 15000 people who visit just once every couple of months @ 2 units per visit will generate 90,000 units of revenue in the same period.
Looks better for the advertiser and as business but I suggest it won’t be in keeping with the core "business" of the site and long term sustainability will be an issue.
Personally I would rapidly reduce visitation rates with embedded advertisements because they empose a cost on me in terms of time, distraction from the message, and actual download costs. As a new visitor I would probably not get as far as assessing the site in terms of subscribing to eliminate the adds - largely its a case of add, ten second scan, get out of town and find somewhere with similar content that isn’t disrupted by adds.
Regarding the forums -not suggesting that they be removed - just that viewing be limited to registerd users - maybe even people that have done the course - so that the discussion even if extreme at times is not based on uninformed opinion and casual visitors are not given a false impression. Similarly, I don’t think Chris should, or possibly even wants to, respond to every post. Forums gain a life of their own and have merit as such but there needs to be a clear demarcation of "owner" content and that of "subscribers"
Probably most who visit this site agree that Chris has extraordinary analytical and communication skills. He also seems to be very altruistic as he has given up high-profile work to live a simpler, more fullfilling life and to share his knowledge - basically, for free.
I believe that Chris has worked and maintained this site for as long as he has because it is something he thinks is important and enjoys doing. As for spending his own money - well, people have varying hobbies for which they spend varying amounts because it is something they like or want to do.
Did Chris request you to join him because he needs to earn more money?
This site already a mechanism in place for earning revenue: subscriptions. Want to earn more? Sell more subscriptions, raise the prices, or do both.
If not working full-time isn’t as glamorous as you like, you could do something altruistic too (not figuring out ways to make money from others) such as, maintaining the Website and server in order to free Chris to study and create new site content.
Welcome aboard, Erik. I’m glad that Chris is getting some assistence. You may feel like Rodney Dangerfield after some the comments, but there seems to be plenty of positive suggestions too.
I would like it you could avoid advertising too, but do what you’ve got to do.
Erik has stated on several occasions that he is not working for hire, and that he has no profit-sharing agreements. He is acting altruistically, or at the very least charitably. Questioning the particular type of help which a person offers is fundamentally unfair and incurably hostile. I can’t imagine how you can visualize something positive resulting from such a comment.
This site is great and I’ve learned a lot. However through my life I generally find that when someone wants to help me with financial advice it ends up costing me and rather dearly at times. I’m sure I’m not alone so it should not be surprising that people are skeptical about what looks like very good, but free advice. Truthfully I have been waiting for the shoe to drop. When the site was upgraded recently and I tried to view it, it asked me for a logon name. The one I had used before didn’t work, and suddenely I thought "Well they finally decided to make it a pay-only site, and just before bringing out the anticipated final chapter in the Crash Course". Thankfully it must have been some start-up glitch. But we need to have skepticism when our money and futures are at risk. You are asking us to be skeptical (thank you!) of Wall Street and Goverment. So please don’t take it personally, try to see it from our perspective. If you were handing out $100 bills on the street you’ll find some people wondering "what’s the catch?".
I am against ads. How will you vet them? Do we assume every ad is endorsed by the site? For a site like this I think an ad carries an implied endorsement by the site.
I am interested in the subscription, but I think it has not been sold very well. It’s not clear what extra good it would do for me for the asked for price. Maybe you are giving too much away for free.
I think a donation button is a great idea. I do donate to sites that I find are helpful to me. I imagine there is data out there as to how well it works (or not).
If a company wants to help with an issue (say on buying gold) then I have no problem with a sponorship message, IF Chris knows they are reputable.
Listen folks, this discussion is getting ridiculous. I’ve been tolerant of the misguided criticisms so far, and have pretty thick skin. But these comments are frankly pretty insulting, and I don’t deserve them.
Catfink, I am doing something altruistic myself. I’ve found a cause I really believe in (Chris’ work), and I’ve volunteered my time and money to help spread the word.
Catfink, after I saw the Crash Course, I sent Chris a $5,000 donation. You didn’t.
Yes, Chris called me and told me he didn’t know how he could continue doing this on his own. I responded by dropping what I was doing and volunteering my time, at least half-time, probably closer to full time this week, to help with the cause. For free, because I believe in it. You didn’t.
Catfink, if you want me to take your baseless condescending criticisms seriously, please do the following:
Send Chris a $10,000 donation to show up my $5k donation. Make me look like the small time guy you seem to want me to be
Sign up to spend at least 20 hrs/week of your own time working for free to help with this cause.
When you’ve done those two things, I’ll start taking your feelings about my motivations seriously.Until then, we have work to do getting the word out about the crash course to all of America, and I don’t have time to waste on your insults.