• andrew December 2010 Permalink

  Starting today, we're going to be experimenting with adding some ads to certain pages in Cookbooker to help pay for the hosting of the site. The Challenge page, cookbook pages and some other places will see Google Adsense ads. I hate websites which are cluttered with ads, so they're going to be modest in number and placement, and I've opted out of all the objectionable categories you can opt out of (get-rich quick, adult services, politics, weight-loss etc).
  
  I can see offering an ad-free membership for a modest annual fee as an option. Let me know if that's something people might be interested in. I'm also open to other options to bring more value to the site, things which might be worth paying a subscription for.

• aj12754 December 2010 Permalink

  Sounds like a common sense solution to the realities of managing and financing a website. I find it easy to ignore ads I am not interested in, so an ad-free option is not necessarily something I'd pay for -- but the other features of the site, e.g., the ability to create what is virtually a personal database of recipes, are appealing enough that I would certainly consider a paid subscription if necessary.

• friederike December 2010 Permalink

  I don't mind the ads either (as long as they aren't moving too much) and think that for maintinaing the site it's a very good idea. I'd also pay an annual fee for the ability to add reviews of my personal recipes.

• andrew December 2010 Permalink

  Thanks @friederike and @aj12754 - In the new year I'll be looking into some advanced features and see if I can put together a package that would be well worth paying for. The basic site will always be free.

• Queezle Sister December 2010 Permalink

  I don't mind some of the ads, either. I really like this site, and recognize the need for some $$ influx.

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