![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 10 to 34 of 61. Go back in thread:
Posted by sar on November 19, 2001, at 17:24:17
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 18, 2001, at 21:25:30
hello,
as a babbler now, i probably wouldn't mind paying a reasonable fee for use of the site...however, if i'd never used it before, i'd immediately be turned off. (in addition, i don't have a credit card--ahm, some of us have "impulsivity" problems...!)
i've been plenty of psych boards that're pretty lame...so if i had to pay to get into this one, what would i be expecting/risking? i wouldn't take that risk if i didn't know how cool this place is.
do you mean that ppl who asked questions to the professional of the week (or whatever) would be charged, or everyone would be charged? i've never asked the guest speakers any questions, so that's not a service i'd want to pay for. personally, i don't care if we have guests, but i'more of a psycho-social babbler, so maybe i'm different in that respect...
can you tell us again, Bob, how this site is being funded? i know it was brought up in another thread, but i think a refresher course would help put things in order.
and this may be controversial, but i think that most respected psychs earn enough $$$ to do a free bit of online-counselling...it's not a service that i expect, but what if you chose from a pool of professionals who were willing to do the service for no charge? or do you feel that would hurt the integrity of PB?
eek,
sar
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 19, 2001, at 23:52:53
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by sar on November 19, 2001, at 17:24:17
> as a babbler now, i probably wouldn't mind paying a reasonable fee for use of the site...however, if i'd never used it before, i'd immediately be turned off.
>
> i've been plenty of psych boards that're pretty lame...so if i had to pay to get into this one, what would i be expecting/risking? i wouldn't take that risk if i didn't know how cool this place is.First, a fee for PB is something I've thought about before, but that's a different issue. But, like registering, it would only be to post, people could still see how cool it was for free. :-)
> do you mean that ppl who asked questions to the professional of the week (or whatever) would be charged, or everyone would be charged?
Second, charging for questions wouldn't happen here, it would be a separate operation. I think I never should've brought it up! :-)
> can you tell us again, Bob, how this site is being funded? i know it was brought up in another thread, but i think a refresher course would help put things in order.
I pay for it. I do use the donations that I get:
http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
I also get "referral fees" from Amazon. iGive has been a flop. The grand total since March? $2.80.
> what if you chose from a pool of professionals who were willing to do the service for no charge? or do you feel that would hurt the integrity of PB?
It would change the feel of PB, but that's life. What pool of professionals?
Bob
Posted by sar on November 20, 2001, at 0:54:01
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 19, 2001, at 23:52:53
> First, a fee for PB is something I've thought about before, but that's a different issue. But, like registering, it would only be to post, people could still see how cool it was for free. :-)that's true, but it took me at least a month to realize how cool it was, because posters generally don't automatically respond as warmly to a newcomer, if they do respond at all...so much of it has to do with familiarity...
> > do you mean that ppl who asked questions to the professional of the week (or whatever) would be charged, or everyone would be charged?
> > can you tell us again, Bob, how this site is being funded? i know it was brought up in another thread, but i think a refresher course would help put things in order.
>
> I pay for it. I do use the donations that I get:can tou afford this? i remember reading that you get some insane number of hits daily...i've no idea how much how it costs to maintain a website...
why do you do this? why do *you* run this site?
>
> I also get "referral fees" from Amazon. iGive has been a flop. The grand total since March? $2.80.yeah, i looked over your donations. a gold fortune, eh? ;) i wish i weren't an urchin-gypsy...maybe one of these days i'll spend my weekely drinking money on a donation for the site. ya gotta understand tho, i drink cheap wine, so the cash wouldn't come in bundles... :)
> > what if you chose from a pool of professionals who were willing to do the service for no charge? or do you feel that would hurt the integrity of PB?
>
> It would change the feel of PB, but that's life. What pool of professionals?what pool of professionals? whatever colleagues you could get your hand on. i would imagine that there are some professionals who would be delighted to help out the commonfolk for no charge (refer to my post on selfish atruistism :) )...i dunno, i feel like the best information i've gotten is from the other posters...
and i know this has probably been brought up before but have you thought about advertisements? totally tacky,yes, but with all the hits you get and devoted babblers...i mean, if it's hurting your pocketbook...
(thanks, Bob...)
love,
sar
Posted by shelliR on November 20, 2001, at 0:54:13
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 19, 2001, at 23:52:53
>
> > can you tell us again, Bob, how this site is being funded? i know it was brought up in another thread, but i think a refresher course would help put things in order.
>
> I pay for it. I do use the donations that I get:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
>
> I also get "referral fees" from Amazon. iGive has been a flop. The grand total since March? $2.80.
>Dr. Bob,
I confused about this:
If you go straight to the PB page, you don't see anything about contributions. I don't even know about igive. How would anyone even get to "support.html" to realize that contributions would be greatly appreciated.
Why isn't the suggestion of donations on both the PB page and the SPB page? I don't see it. (Am I missing something; it wouldn't be the first time?)I still think a fund drive would be a worth a try to see if it would work. We went around and around in circles last year with the net conclusions zero. I still think that charging is a bad idea, but I would be willing to send in a contribution once or twice a year. I would also be willing to help set up an early spring fund drive, if there's anything I can do. You give a speech on the board for a week (maybe two) and break it down. For twenty-five dollars a year, psychobabble is just costing you ____cents a day. For fifty, etc. etc. And you explain without the contributions of the members, the life of PB is always in jeopardy.
You said before that it isn't like PBS (in terms of their fund drive), because they have so many members. But they also have a much much larger budget, of course. If everyone gave an average of $35 dollars a year (some $10, $25, and up to $100.) would this be enough to be helpful?
Again it would be a lot easier to accept credit cards, but if that's too confusing then just use checks through the mail. I guess I feel that I don't want to be the only one contributing, but if it's a group project then it would make it much easier to fork over a few dollars. I think there are very few babblers (I do acknowledge there may be some) who can't afford to contribute a small amount and maybe some others who could afford a much larger amount. The amount of money could be tallied up each day and shared (anonomously as to donator) because having money seems to stimulate more money.
I think it's worth a try. Every time you bring up a charge, I think people get nervous, not because as Sar says we wouldn't pay, but because new people might turn away, even if they can contribute for a while without being charged.
By the way, since this is a nonprofit organization, it is should be eligible to be included in the United Way? I wonder how you become part of that. You don't have to be strictly a charitable organization. Both the boy scouts and NPR, and PBS are eligible for these funds.
I think the last round of deciding how to charge was so painful that I'd be grateful to contribute, just to avoid the controversy about charging for the site.
Shelli
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 20, 2001, at 19:16:11
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by sar on November 20, 2001, at 0:54:01
> can tou afford this? i remember reading that you get some insane number of hits daily...i've no idea how much how it costs to maintain a website...
I can afford it, but it would be nice if it were self-sufficient. It costs $300 per month (for 800 MB; we were over 900 for a while, but I came up with a way to save some space -- 300 MB! -- so we're back under again).
> why do you do this? why do *you* run this site?
Selfish altruism? :-)
> maybe one of these days i'll spend my weekely drinking money on a donation for the site.
Hmm, interesting idea, and people who gave up smoking could donate *that* money...
> > > what if you chose from a pool of professionals who were willing to do the service for no charge? or do you feel that would hurt the integrity of PB?
>
> what pool of professionals? whatever colleagues you could get your hand on. i would imagine that there are some professionals who would be delighted to help out the commonfolk for no chargeI let colleagues know about it, but I don't try to twist anyone's arm. If they come, they come. And there *are* some professionals here, you know...
> i dunno, i feel like the best information i've gotten is from the other posters...
That came up when I asked about who people trusted. Which, BTW, I've since added to the FAQ:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#trust
> and i know this has probably been brought up before but have you thought about advertisements? totally tacky,yes, but with all the hits you get and devoted babblers...
Online advertising isn't what it used to be, and who wants a tacky site, anyway? :-)
Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 20, 2001, at 19:37:58
In reply to Re: an idea? » Dr. Bob, posted by shelliR on November 20, 2001, at 0:54:13
> Why isn't the suggestion of donations on both the PB page and the SPB page? I don't see it. (Am I missing something; it wouldn't be the first time?)
You don't see the box with the Amazon and iGive graphics and the "donation" link? And the "support" links at the top and bottom of every main page?
> I would also be willing to help set up an early spring fund drive, if there's anything I can do. You give a speech on the board for a week (maybe two) and break it down. For twenty-five dollars a year, psychobabble is just costing you ____cents a day. For fifty, etc. etc. And you explain without the contributions of the members, the life of PB is always in jeopardy.
> if it's a group project then it would make it much easier to fork over a few dollars... The amount of money could be tallied up each day and shared (anonomously as to donator) because having money seems to stimulate more money.
Would you like to volunteer to be fund drive chair? If so, tell me what to do, and let's give it a try. :-)
> If everyone gave an average of $35 dollars a year (some $10, $25, and up to $100.) would this be enough to be helpful?
Who do you mean, "everyone"? Every little bit helps...
> Every time you bring up a charge, I think people get nervous ... because new people might turn away
True. But those who stayed might be more committed?
> By the way, since this is a nonprofit organization, it is should be eligible to be included in the United Way? I wonder how you become part of that.
Good question, does anyone know?
> I think the last round of deciding how to charge was so painful that I'd be grateful to contribute, just to avoid the controversy about charging for the site.
Well, it wasn't me who brought it up this time! :-)
Bob
Posted by Mitchell on November 20, 2001, at 21:17:39
In reply to Re: fund drive , posted by Dr. Bob on November 20, 2001, at 19:37:58
> > Why isn't the suggestion of donations on both the PB page and the SPB page? I don't see it. (Am I missing something; it wouldn't be the first time?)
> You don't see the box with the Amazon and iGive graphics and the "donation" link? And the "support" links at the top and bottom of every main page?
I see the links, but technically, Bob, there is not "suggestion" that people support it. I mean, the presence of the link suggests that they can if they want to but the text does not suggest that they do.
"But if you'd like to make a donation, I'm not going to turn it down, either."
And as much as we might want to deny it, our consumer culture is based largely on motivational language. People pretend advertisements do not work but they probably do or advertisers would not spend their money. And while advertisers often simply present a product and let consumers decide to purchase it, much of direct sales that supports advertising is based on very aggressive, albeit subtle, suggestions. "Would you like to buy now or later?" "What color would you like that in?"
Public broadcasting offers fine examples of what might be appropriate fund raising methods for this site. They use action words. "Pick up the phone now and call." They give reasons to donate and then repeat their instructions. I know there are sensitivities here to people who might tend to be compulsive, but you could address that in a script, and then ask peers to review your script specifically for that purpose - to be sure you have phrases that remind people to only give if they are able, but if they are able, GIVE. Don't ask, tell. That is the way marketing works.
So step one in improving fundraising efforts would be to review the neurolinguistic approach of the current appeals, toward creating a more active appeal. Another method used by many fundraisers is to ask for pledges.
There are privacy issues here that might preclude follow-up procedures that tend to make pledge collection succesful, but you would not have to rely on mailings, which would be the biggest threat to privacy that could develop. The risk would be that people could register then manipulate your process so they could bother somebody by having you send them an unrequested mailing. Mailings are also costly, but you might want to consider letters to select major donors, in an effort to develop them as regular donors. Another way to collect pledges would be to let people make a pledge that requests e-mail reminders when they are due to make a monthly or bi-monthly installment. That would seem to be the more likely backbone of a regular pledge collection process, with mailings or more personal e-mails to major donors. The important thing is to express a desire that people will contribute. It feels better, I'm sure, to say it's okay of you want to contribute, but it is most effective is you ask for a contribution.
The next step would be to improve collection by equipping the site for the basic currency of e-commerce - credit card payments. If compulsiveness is a problem, you could set up a delay system, where you do not collect the e-payment for three days or a week, or even some hybrid of paying and pledging where you verify the payment with an e-mail. Sorry, but e-commerce is based on convienience and impulse. I wish you could change that by not participating but I doubt it and if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. So step two is set up a credit card payment system to collect the donations you will ASK for.
The third step is to work the program. These things can be insidious, once you start they can grow on you. What is a once a month, a quarterly or an annual fund drive can become a daily practice. And once a project gets hooked on a larger base of revenue, it can be stuck with a larger operational system and have a hard time getting back to where it was. But that said, you could have quarterly fund drives where a pop-up window greats site visitors with a fund raising appeal. Pop up windows are easy enough to close or to minimize. Blinking texts can be annoying, but blinking the support and donate tags during a fund-raiser could reinforce the temporary short term effort. The pop-up window could include a chart of money raised so far. Once you have an idea how well it works, you could set a goal, which makes a great fund-raising tool, or even recruit matching funds to better entice donors.
> > I would also be willing to help set up an early spring fund drive, if there's anything I can do. You give a speech on the board for a week (maybe two) and break it down. For twenty-five dollars a year, psychobabble is just costing you ____cents a day. For fifty, etc. etc. And you explain without the contributions of the members, the life of PB is always in jeopardy.
The participation of volunteers in a fund drive can be an important psychological tool in recruiting donations. It's not like three boards aren't enough already, but maybe a temporary board for fund-raising sermons could be linked to a pop-up window during fund-raising time. Permanant archives are cool, but the idea that now is a different time than any other time is an important part of the bluster and hoopla of a fundraiser. A temporary board might reinforce the idea of acting now to serve, without asking for anything in return like a permanant archive of your fluent posts. Maybe there could be a more actively worded year-round version of the "support" page, then twice a year or so there could fund raisers, with a special board that will not be there after 10 days and with a pop-up that loads with each page in some unique color or maybe with a higher resolution graphic - something DIFFERENT that directs people to the other board, to the support page, to ways of contributing, and that tells what has been raised so far or what the goals are, and that > > >$ >$ >ASKS FOR MONEY< $< $< < <
> > By the way, since this is a nonprofit organization, it is should be eligible to be included in the United Way? I wonder how you become part of that.
>
> Good question, does anyone know?You apply to your local United Way board, and the directors make a decision based on the merits of your project, their goals as a board and the availablity of funds. It would be hard to get United Way for a nationwide project like this. I think United Way is mostly organized around local organizations, guided by a national oversight group. There might be other grants available, and when soliciting grants, proof that participants are willing to support a project is an important assurance for the foundation or whatever that the project is worthy. So it is often best to start by developing sources of revenue most interested in the project, then appealing to charitable organizations or institutional benefactors.
Posted by akc on November 20, 2001, at 21:37:08
In reply to Re: fund drive , posted by Dr. Bob on November 20, 2001, at 19:37:58
It is one thing to organize as a not-for-profit under the tax code. It is pretty straight forward to do. It is a whole different kettle of fish to seek funding through an organization such as United Way. You are talking drafting proposals, and if you are approved for funding, probably putting yourself under the gun of United Way oversight. I would think very hard before I would go that route -- really only if you are in need of some significant funding. I know that $3600 is significant to many on this board, but that is loose change to an organization like United Way. I think there is probably a lot better ways to fund this, beyond Dr. Bob's pocket (such as the fund drive idea), than going to another not-for-profit organization and asking for funding.
My two cents.
akc
Posted by Mark H. on November 21, 2001, at 22:21:14
In reply to Re: Not-for-profit, posted by akc on November 20, 2001, at 21:37:08
>"under the gun of United Way oversight"?
Ouch! You mean oversight by the organization whose national president spent donations on lavish meals, limousine service and prostitutes for several YEARS before being caught?
(::--)))=
Posted by Mark H. on November 21, 2001, at 22:30:28
In reply to Re: fund drive , posted by Mitchell on November 20, 2001, at 21:17:39
Mitchell's post is solid professional advice. In fact, I know of a non-profit organization that recently spent more than $100,000 over the course of a year for advice on development that was less useful than what Mitchell summed up in about 10 paragraphs.
The key to unlocking its value is to imagine you just paid $10,000 for it out of your own pocket.
I'm impressed.
Mark H.
Posted by akc on November 21, 2001, at 22:32:48
In reply to Re: Not-for-profit, posted by Mark H. on November 21, 2001, at 22:21:14
I don't want my comments used to shoot down a lot of good that United Way does on a local basis -- my point simply is that if you go to another organization for funding, you are looking at the possibility of having to "sell" your program, which depending on the organization you are looking at, that process can be quite complex. Then, if you are successful, you may be placing yourself under more oversight than you wish to be.
I really like the idea of trying to organize some type of fund drive. Those of us who have been here for even a short time who have a bit of change in our pockets might be willing to cough up a bit. This gives Dr. Bob the freedom to continue with his vision without having to worry about some other organization poking around. It also may give us some satisfaction that we have given back to him a little bit, even if it is "only" money.
We all know this is not about the money with Dr. Bob -- that is like a side-issue. The time he puts into this is great. And he continues to work hard to make the site work better and better -- from a interpersonal and technical sense.
Anyway, I'm rambling now -- I hope we can figure this out -- this thread has really evolved.
akc
> >"under the gun of United Way oversight"?
>
> Ouch! You mean oversight by the organization whose national president spent donations on lavish meals, limousine service and prostitutes for several YEARS before being caught?
>
> (::--)))=
Posted by Mitchell on November 22, 2001, at 17:13:56
In reply to Re: fund drive Mitchell, posted by Mark H. on November 21, 2001, at 22:30:28
> ...I know of a non-profit organization that recently spent more than $100,000 over the course of a year for advice on development that was less useful...
> .... imagine you just paid $10,000 for it ...
Thanks for the positive feedback Mark, but you would get much more if you paid for this advice.
For $10,000, each member of your board of directors would get a 95 cent presentation folder with the proposal printed on high quality paper, the consultant's secretary would have read the proposal for grammatical errors and it would have been spell checked at least twice.
For $100,000, the consultant and the secretary would attend several of your board meetings, they would each be dressed in very expensive clothes and they would make the members of your board feel very good about themselves. ; )
Posted by sar on November 22, 2001, at 17:32:38
In reply to Re: Not-for-profit, posted by akc on November 20, 2001, at 21:37:08
> My two cents.
>
> akchey akc, you could contribute more than 2 cents yo, ya cheapskate... ;)
Posted by sar on November 22, 2001, at 17:39:02
In reply to Re: Not-for-profit » akc, posted by sar on November 22, 2001, at 17:32:38
Dr. Bob,
i don't think i'd ever noticed the "support" link until i read about it on this page. i think that it's all in good taste that it's small, but there are alot of klonopinheads out there who might miss the small print.
*anyway,* i am glad you put an address in the support section for the folks who don't have credit cards.
thanks,
sar
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 22, 2001, at 18:30:29
In reply to Dr. Bob, posted by sar on November 22, 2001, at 17:39:02
> i don't think i'd ever noticed the "support" link until i read about it on this page. i think that it's all in good taste that it's small, but there are alot of klonopinheads out there who might miss the small print.
I know. But if I went to a site all the time myself, I'd rather it had it in small print. Easy enough to find if I looked for it, but not in my face all the time...
> *anyway,* i am glad you put an address in the support section for the folks who don't have credit cards.
I think checks for donations are fine, but any required charges, because of the volume, would need to be by credit card, so they could be processed automatically...
Bob
Posted by sar on November 23, 2001, at 12:17:24
In reply to Re: the small print, posted by Dr. Bob on November 22, 2001, at 18:30:29
> I know. But if I went to a site all the time myself, I'd rather it had it in small print. Easy enough to find if I looked for it, but not in my face all the time...yer goddamn classy, doc, and i think that's grand. thank ya.
:)
Posted by jay on November 25, 2001, at 9:48:44
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 19, 2001, at 23:52:53
> I pay for it. I do use the donations that I get:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
>
> I also get "referral fees" from Amazon. iGive has been a flop. The grand total since March? $2.80.Dr. Bob:
There are many Canucks on the board (myself included), and I buy a LOT of material through the Canadian version of "Amazon.Com". It is called Chapters-Indigo, and is at www.chapters.ca
I don't order through Amazon because of the Exchange rate, shipping, all that stuff. Chapters is great also because many folks can find exclusive Canadian content, that may not be available elsewhere.(Us Canucks have more than beer and doughnuts...we also have great research
centers :-)I'd highly suggest checking out their affiliate program, which is on the main page, and the info link third down from the "Info Desk" in the lower left-hand corner at www.chapters.ca
Hope you can use and like the idea!
Jay
Posted by shelliR on November 25, 2001, at 10:49:32
In reply to Re: fund drive , posted by Dr. Bob on November 20, 2001, at 19:37:58
Would you like to volunteer to be fund drive chair? If so, tell me what to do, and let's
give it a try. :-)I would volunteer after the first of the year, as long as I have a co-chair who is
is definitely more computer savvy than I am (which includes almost everyone), and can write HTML code, and develop pop up windows, etc.Would you do that stuff, Dr. Bob, or do I need to find someone to actually write the code?
Before we get to a pledge drive, about the board set up everyday:I think that Mitchell and I have similar ideas about ways the board needs to be changed that are not related to the idea of a pledge.
Like Sar, I’m grateful also that you don’t want us (us meaning those babblers who come quite often to the board) to find the board visually annoying, but you do want for people to at least *see* your link to contributions. (I think the fact that Sar and I never even noticed it can not be a good sign. Maybe some new design work is in order.
At the very least, you could raise the font size in that line from 9 or 10 to 12 and change the color, either to blue, or if you are feeling a bit more adventerous, dark violet. It's really not going to be annoying.Now if you’re willing to hear a bit more changes, I’ll just throw in an idea, still fairly conservative, but it does involve actually moving text.
One idea would be to move the amazon rectangle over to the left, totally in tact minus only the donation line. Then create a smaller rectangular to the right with the heading Psychobabble Needs Your Help.and underneath in small but not tiny letters: "A donation may be made out to the University of Chicago " And a link which directly leads to your Support for Dr. Bob Page. If you put both the amazon box and your box
on a light gray background, it will also be more noticable, but not tacky.
And as long as I’m in my critical , judgmental mode, (actually Mitchell had a very similar thought), why is the need for money presented in such an ambivilent manner on the support for Dr. Bob page: "but if you'd like to make a donation, I'm not
going to turn it down, either. " I think it is here where you should be saying how important contributions are to the board; although it is not a criteria for participating on the board. Perhaps you could expain why you have phrased it this way, aside from the fact that you’re a nice guy?As far as the pledge drive, I do think life would be much easier if credit cards could be adopted as an option.. (and of course, checks would also be accepted). This has been broght up before. I know you’ve been very busy, but have you have looked into this? Because I think this is the first thing that needs to be set up before a pledge drive. The issue that Mitchell brought up is the privacy issue. But can’t encrypted cards solve that problem?
The University of Chicago has a page on the internet called "Giving to the University of Chicago, which takes credit cards and you can choose the category you want your money to go to. Other groups include the library, a theatre group, and various subjects. Have you ever tried to become a part of this? I can’t get there by copying the final URL, for some reason I can only get it to work by filling in http//www.alumni.uchicago.edu and then on the new page when I hit "online giving", it will bring me to a donation page for both alumni and non-alumni. This page takes credit cards and you can choose the category you want to give to. I wonder if you could get psychobabble in there as as a choice. The only problem is that it says alumni under the last page, so it would be better to set the browser to go straight to "Giving to the University of Chicago; that page divides the submissions to either alumni or non-alumni. Unfortunately if I copy the url of that page: https://onlinegiving.uchicago.edu/default.asp. I can't get it to come up.
In case that didn't make sense, I'll try again. There is a link for giving online contributions to the university of chicago, giving you a choice where your money is to go. (1) we have to find out if we could get psychobabble printed on that link, and (2) we need a way to directly send people to that link.
If not, we really need to go another route so we *can* collect credit card payments.
Once that is done, I like Mitchell's idea of a pop up window. I do find popup windowsa bit annoying, but it would only be for a week or so, AND the advantage, besides being noticable, is the basic site during non-drive times would not have to be touched.
So can we start with the credit cards?Shelli
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 14:15:25
In reply to Re: an idea?..Dr. Bob, Chapters/Canadian Affiliate » Dr. Bob, posted by jay on November 25, 2001, at 9:48:44
> There are many Canucks on the board (myself included), and I buy a LOT of material through the Canadian version of "Amazon.Com". It is called Chapters-Indigo, and is at www.chapters.ca
> I'd highly suggest checking out their affiliate program, which is on the main page, and the info link third down from the "Info Desk" in the lower left-hand corner at www.chapters.ca
I'll give it a try, thanks for the tip!
Bob
Posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 15:06:13
In reply to To the good doctor..., posted by Greg on November 14, 2001, at 12:46:32
I know a lot of my ideas are lame, so if this one is too, DONT tell me :-) Please forgive me if these suggestions have been previously discussed, but this IS a discussion board for mental health issues, and therefore subject to....(whatever you want to call it)
1. If donations were part of the registration process, not part of the requirements,(an FYI) people would be aware with out being 'in your face all the time'. Maybe something like-Psychobabble will accept contributions in any amount, however, you are neither required nor expected to donate in order to use this site. (or whatever...). An e-mail address could be setup & with an auto-responder to deliver the needed info.
2. I think people would be more willing to contribute, if it were possible to do so in a way that didn't tie them to the PB/PBS board and being possibly 'found out' that it's a support site related to psychological/mental health issues.
Maybe payable to Robert Hsiung, MD and in the memo part for online research and education?
Remember, smelling smoke=me thinking :-)
Kiddo
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 17:57:12
In reply to Re: fund drive » Dr. Bob, posted by shelliR on November 25, 2001, at 10:49:32
> > Would you like to volunteer to be fund drive chair? If so, tell me what to do, and let's give it a try. :-)
>
> I would volunteer after the first of the year, as long as I have a co-chair who is is definitely more computer savvy than I am (which includes almost everyone), and can write HTML code, and develop pop up windows, etc.
>
> Would you do that stuff, Dr. Bob, or do I need to find someone to actually write the code?I think a co-chair is a great idea! If they know HTML, even better, but if not, I can try to do it. I'd need to incorporate it into the site, anyway...
> At the very least, you could raise the font size in that line from 9 or 10 to 12 and change the color, either to blue, or if you are feeling a bit more adventerous, dark violet. It's really not going to be annoying.
How about, um, green? :-)
> One idea would be to move the amazon rectangle over to the left, totally in tact minus only the donation line. Then create a smaller rectangular to the right with the heading Psychobabble Needs Your Help.and underneath in small but not tiny letters: "A donation may be made out to the University of Chicago " And a link which directly leads to your Support for Dr. Bob Page. If you put both the amazon box and your box on a light gray background, it will also be more noticable, but not tacky.
Sorry, I'm having a hard time visualizing your boxes... I did rearrange the current ones a little...
> why is the need for money presented in such an ambivilent manner on the support for Dr. Bob page: "but if you'd like to make a donation, I'm not going to turn it down, either. "
I changed the wording in the donation box a little. And on the support page, I made it: "But if you want to make a donation, that's great!" Better?
> I think it is here where you should be saying how important contributions are to the board...
Would you like to suggest some wording? Obviously, I need help with this...
> As far as the pledge drive, I do think life would be much easier if credit cards could be adopted as an option..
I agree, and I'm working on it...
> Once that is done, I like Mitchell's idea of a pop up window. I do find popup windowsa bit annoying, but it would only be for a week or so, AND the advantage, besides being noticable, is the basic site during non-drive times would not have to be touched.
It's a lot easier to modify the basic site than it used to be, thanks to some recent changes. But I agree, a week or so shouldn't be too bad. Plus there might be a way to program it not to pop up after someone's made a donation. :-)
Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 19:05:30
In reply to Perhaps one more idea, posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 15:06:13
> 1. If donations were part of the registration process, not part of the requirements,(an FYI) people would be aware with out being 'in your face all the time'.
If a charge is required, it would definitely need to be part of the registration process. But wouldn't people be more likely to make an optional donation after they've had some time to try out the site?
> 2. I think people would be more willing to contribute, if it were possible to do so in a way that didn't tie them to the PB/PBS board and being possibly 'found out' that it's a support site related to psychological/mental health issues.
>
> Maybe payable to Robert Hsiung, MD and in the memo part for online research and education?I see what you mean, but right now checks go to the university and in the memo part say "Internet work", so that's OK?
http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
Bob
Posted by shelliR on November 25, 2001, at 19:37:44
In reply to Re: fund drive, posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 17:57:12
I'm starting over because the other post got confusing to me. I will e-mail you at some point about what I meant about the squares, but yes, the
green is an improvement.I sincerely can't put any time into this now because I run a business and have to spend 90% of my time working until Christmas. So either we need need to find two
people who will work now, or wait until after christmas to get someone to help me That would give you a chance to get the credit card stuff in order, anyway.
This is what I don't understand about the contributions page:
You start by saying If you like my work -- and would like to support it -- then you've followed the right link!
This is a 100% volunteer effort. It's not part of my job description, I'm not paid to work on it, and the time that goes into it comes out of my "spare" time (ie, my
life).Okay, you do not get paid for your work on this web site.
Then you say , "This site is and always has been free (and free of advertisements). But if you'd like to make a donation, I'm not
going to turn it down, either."So here's where you ask for money.
I read this is as you spend all your time on this board and don't get paid for it, and you wouldn't mind getting a donation, or if you change it, (you'd be happy to accept a donation.)
How I understand this, is that you are not paid for this, so you will accept contributions to compensate for this. It sounds to me to say that donations will go
straight into your pocketfor your time. Is this true?Because the other way of presenting this is to talk about how much money it takes to organize and support a website. You are not compensated for any of these
expenses without donations, and so you are asking those who use the site, to help support the site.Then I would think that the donated money is going to the website, not persay directly into your pockets. It is going for web development, web support,
and the services that are provided by this site (all which you provide).Do you understand what I'm saying? Now if you are willing to take money both for the expenses of the site, *and* for your time in the site, I would still present it
the second way. I would not even talk about how YOU are not compensated for the work you do in your spare time, I would only say that the site needs money to
be able to provide its services and that is why you are asking for donations. Andthen go into how helpful the site is, how little it would cost to help donate, etc.
So I guess what I am saying is in my opinion, you need to rewrite the request for donation part in a completely different way.What do you think? I'm a little scared that I know what I mean, but I don't know really how to explain it.
Shelli
Posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 19:42:19
In reply to Re: Perhaps one more idea, posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 19:05:30
> > 1. If donations were part of the registration process, not part of the requirements,(an FYI) people would be aware with out being 'in your face all the time'.
>
> If a charge is required, it would definitely need to be part of the registration process. But wouldn't people be more likely to make an optional donation after they've had some time to try out the site?
Yes, but what I meant was just information somewhere in the registration process-letting them know donations are welcome, but not required to browse, post, or whatever.> > 2. I think people would be more willing to contribute, if it were possible to do so in a way that didn't tie them to the PB/PBS board and being possibly 'found out' that it's a support site related to psychological/mental health issues.
> >
> > Maybe payable to Robert Hsiung, MD and in the memo part for online research and education?
>
> I see what you mean, but right now checks go to the university and in the memo part say "Internet work", so that's OK?
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
Yeah that's fine, I certainly don't have a problem with it :-) I just think it's a little difficult to find/access, unless you know where to look.
> Bob
Kiddo-PS..how did you become DrdashBob?
Posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 21:05:58
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 20, 2001, at 19:16:11
There was a pretty lengthy discussion on this topic here:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20001124/msgs/619.html
Personally, I think using popup windows/ads are a bad idea. They are irritating, a lot of people use ad blocking software, and I think would discredit your site to a certain degree.
I looked at your stats, and you have a lot of hits each month, how much space does your traffric generate? I noticed that it was 300.00 a month then, and it's the same amount now and you freed some space. Is that correct?
I know you do Grand Rounds-do you have medical students that do rotation under your supervision? If so, maybe you could enlist them (for extra credit, part of their grade, etc.) to post responses and have them registered as a med student, so it wouldn't be confusing. Perhaps another view or whatever...
> > can tou afford this? i remember reading that you get some insane number of hits daily...i've no idea how much how it costs to maintain a website...
>
> I can afford it, but it would be nice if it were self-sufficient. It costs $300 per month (for 800 MB; we were over 900 for a while, but I came up with a way to save some space -- 300 MB! -- so we're back under again).
>
> > why do you do this? why do *you* run this site?
>
> Selfish altruism? :-)
>
> > maybe one of these days i'll spend my weekely drinking money on a donation for the site.
>
> Hmm, interesting idea, and people who gave up smoking could donate *that* money...
>
> > > > what if you chose from a pool of professionals who were willing to do the service for no charge? or do you feel that would hurt the integrity of PB?
> >
> > what pool of professionals? whatever colleagues you could get your hand on. i would imagine that there are some professionals who would be delighted to help out the commonfolk for no charge
>
> I let colleagues know about it, but I don't try to twist anyone's arm. If they come, they come. And there *are* some professionals here, you know...
>
> > i dunno, i feel like the best information i've gotten is from the other posters...
>
> That came up when I asked about who people trusted. Which, BTW, I've since added to the FAQ:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#trust
>
> > and i know this has probably been brought up before but have you thought about advertisements? totally tacky,yes, but with all the hits you get and devoted babblers...
>
> Online advertising isn't what it used to be, and who wants a tacky site, anyway? :-)
>
> Bob
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