What it costs to run my sites, 2023 edition

What it costs to run my sites, 2023 edition

I wanted to be transparent about what it costs to run the sites these days, so check out that link if you're interested.

I'm not going to judge anyone, because a lot of regulars are already doing it, but a club membership helps me out quite a bit in a time when the world of online ads for independent publishers is crap. Your help is appreciated.

I let my membership lapse. I half expected it to re-up automatically but when it didn’t and I started seeing ads I just kept clicking (even followed through on a few that were mildly relevant) and was too apathetic to go look for the button to renew. Thanks for the reminder that things like this cost actual money.

Shamu can help you set up autorenew.

I was going to make that joke, but you did it much better than I would have.

I’m sure the edit history will show a couple of much less punchy versions I tried.

There is value in persistence.

I'll admit I let my paid membership lapse and just dealt with the ads, but since I don't click on them and don't generate any revenue, I will re-up for the cause.

You used to sell CoasterBuzz merch. Maybe you still do.

Brainstorming...

What about looking at different was to bring in some money. Think like a YouTuber. Sell merch (if you don't already.) Sponsors that make sense to the amusement industry?

For example, "This CoasterBuzz thread has been brought to you by Sketchers, offering the perfect footwear to wear while walking around a theme park."

YouTubers offer extra benefits to their Patreon members. Maybe something next to profile names in their posts that show how long someone has been a CoasterBuzz member, with different tiers, like Gold and Platinum?

Like a lot of people, I never click on ads. You should look for other perks to paying members besides the ad-free experience. Simple things may go a long way. Maybe this post will get some ideas flowing, if you are even interested in anything like that.

Merch never made any significant money. Members get the site without ads. It's the only thing I have to give. 🙂

I've got this month covered, thank you. Only 11 more to go for the year!

I appreciate what you have done with this site. I'm not a very active user, however I have certainly posted over the years and should pitch in. $2760 a year is not chump change, and you could hit a lot of theme parks in a year with that money! I am grateful you have kept the site alive (I don't think you could quit.) Most parks are opening this weekend and I will be out there :)

Is there a paid ad-free version over at Pointbuzz as well?

There is not. I did a bunch of work to do that a few years ago and we had like five people sign up.

I went back and looked at the data so far this year, because things look pretty grim again. The ad revenue crash, in one chart.

Look, I'm not gonna give up on it, but as I've said before, if you go to the big platforms for the communities that you're interested in, independents lose, and Zuckerberg threatens to fire another person who wants to work remote.

Patreon? Sell CoasterBuzz merchandise again? Bring back a few events each year? Do like Wikipedia and ask for donations at the top of each page? There has to be something you can do. This is still the greatest website on the entire internet, ever.

Maybe just remind everyone who visits the site to turn off their ad blocker?

Disable my ad blocker?

I think I'll just buy a membership again.

I'm genuinely intrigued at your costs. I pay around $300 a year for my hosting account, which operates ten different domains, a busy set of forums, and collectively delivers between 8-10GB data transfer a day.

Domain renewals for .coms cost me $10 a year. The .ie and the .club cost a bit more, but not much.

Have you looked at ways to optimize what you're paying?

CoasterBuzz has been a staple in my life since I was in 10th grade back in 2000. After seeing the rise and fall of so many niche communities, I’m always glad I can return here. I hope we can go another 23 years (or more).

I try to stay up on my membership. If there is an auto-renew, I’d love to turn that on. Really, I’d want to do whatever I can to keep this place around. Feels like home.

> It's another reason to reduce or eliminate the big social platforms from your life.

I got rid of facebook years ago when it was clear it was nothing but an outrage/disinformation machine, and dumped twitter during the Musk takeover. I'd never really used any of the others, so have been social-media free for a bit now.

In the first few weeks/month after giving each one up, there were definite moments when I missed checking in with friend group <whatever>, or being able to kibbitz live about some sporting event. But, not long after, I realized I was happier and spending less time down a rabbit hole. I read more news sources now, and even more of my time is in books. (Shout-out to the public library that offers a solid collection for digital lending.)

There are still a few moments when I am shut out of a community of interest only on FB. But, there's lots of other ways to spend my time.

+1 for autorenew. Or at least an email reminder. I find it takes at least a couple months before I notice the ads are back.