I see ads!! Ads by Google! Fantastic.
No Kidding! That's great!
maybe the op thought that you had to qualify for google ads?
anyway, we did get rid of them for awhile, we were using the ad space to bring attention to items in our own store.
Unfortunately we had to bring the ads back because donations only cover about 1/3 of the cost of the servers, and so the ads are necessary to keep the site free. Especially since we are going to have to add another server in a couple months probably.
we will probably be running a couple other ad spots in the near future as well.
The one thing we won't be doing is using any popups or popunders.
Thanks for the explanation, Heath. I figured that was probably the reason when I saw the add today. Don't know if I should congratulate you and Jackie or not, but I will say "thanks" for thinking of us and trying to keep the site free and up and running!
I noticed the ads for CC store are gone now.
Does this mean the store will be going away? downsizing? non-compete clause w/ google?
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obviously we need to donate more and buy more from the CC store
Oh no, the store will remain, and a banner ad will go up whenever we are announcing a sale or a new product.
The store is being re-focused however. Carrying all the same products as other stores was not really doing us any good, so we are focusing on the things we are known for, Americolor products and CC brand products. The dust line will continue to grow with new colors being added each month.
There is no non-compete agreement for running google ads, but one of the reasons it was easier to bring back google ads is because we are not trying to sell all the same products as everyone else anymore.
It is too soon to say if the ads will be effective. If they do not result in the revenue we need, then you may see them go away again.
...I am a sucker for 'em!
if nothing else they are a reminder that i need to do better about donating !!!
here is a link to info on this program:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adwords
ok...I just have to say this...but before I do and "catch" lots of flack.....not everyone will agree with me and I am apologizing upfront!!!!
Maybe it is time to have a membership fee.....I find CC, all the members and their experience invaluable and I am very willing to pay a membership fee. I KNOW NOT EVERYONE CAN DO THIS BUT I DO THINK THAT WE ALL WANT TO BE ABLE TO UPLOAD AND TO ACCESS CC FASTER and more servers make everything easier.
I have given a donation and I have purchased from the store....but it's not enough and it's not enough no matter how many people have done this....if we CC'rs want this to continue maybe we have to start thinking about a membership fee.
Jackie and Heath you have busted your chops trying to keep this a free website and I truly appreciate all you do...this is quite a community you have here and I am so glad I am part of it.
I hope I haven't offended anyone and I am sorry if I have.
ok...I just have to say this...but before I do and "catch" lots of flack.....not everyone will agree with me and I am apologizing upfront!!!!
Maybe it is time to have a membership fee.....I find CC, all the members and their experience invaluable and I am very willing to pay a membership fee. I KNOW NOT EVERYONE CAN DO THIS BUT I DO THINK THAT WE ALL WANT TO BE ABLE TO UPLOAD AND TO ACCESS CC FASTER and more servers make everything easier.
I have given a donation and I have purchased from the store....but it's not enough and it's not enough no matter how many people have done this....if we CC'rs want this to continue maybe we have to start thinking about a membership fee.
Jackie and Heath you have busted your chops trying to keep this a free website and I truly appreciate all you do...this is quite a community you have here and I am so glad I am part of it.
I hope I haven't offended anyone and I am sorry if I have.
I appreciate the thought behind the post, We definitely won't ever move the site to a "membership-required" type of situation, but in the future we may add some premium content for subscribers, or some such idea.
Before we go down that road though, we are working on optimizing all of the components of the site to try and get everything running more efficiently.
The site is running better than it was 3 months ago, so at least we are having some success keeping up with the growth.
Our goal will always be to keep this community free so that anyone who wants to participate can, regardless of their financial situation.
God, I admire your fortitude..keep up the great work. You and Jackie have done a superb job of "parenting" CC!!!
I think that is great for you all to want to keep it free. I used to read a photog site, and in order to get the really good expert info you had to pay a fee. That is not always easy to do when you are trying to work our way into starting a business.
Heath and Jackie,
You have done an awesome job with CC! I have only been a member here for a short while but I am on here everyday trying to learn something new. I have truly fallen in love with this website and the fact that you are continuing to keep the community free for those of us that can't afford extra dues right now shows that you both are givers from the heart.
God will continually bless you in all your successes because you aren't doing this only for your gain but you are looking out for others as well! Keep up the good work!
Veronica
Jackie and Heath I take my hat off to you both. In the winter months I am mostly house bound due to a mobility handicap and sometimes I dont know what I did before I found this site. I also thank you for trying to keep it free for us I appreciate this more than my words can express and always remember what goes around comes around and you will both be truly blessed for being the wonderful people that you are. I feel like I belong to a community of like minded people and I have to say it's a very nice place to be. Again thank you both.
First off I would just like to say THANK YOU for cake central. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not on here.
I would like to ask a question though. I've notice that under the members link there are THOUSANDS of people. Is there a way to see when the last time someone logged in and if it's been more then say... I don't know... 90 days could they be deleted? Wouldn't this clear up some space with the servers? Or am I completly off base with this, I don't really even have a clue about how they work.
First off I would just like to say THANK YOU for cake central. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not on here.
I would like to ask a question though. I've notice that under the members link there are THOUSANDS of people. Is there a way to see when the last time someone logged in and if it's been more then say... I don't know... 90 days could they be deleted? Wouldn't this clear up some space with the servers? Or am I completly off base with this, I don't really even have a clue about how they work.
actually, if they are not active, they do not put any strain on the servers. Our challenges are not an issue of space, its a function of processing power.
Every time you click on something, the cpu gets a request, and with all the people online at one time, that is alot of requests.
especially with a sight that is this busy 
I don't mind it being slow as long as I can still read
especially with a sight that is this busy
I don't mind it being slow as long as I can still read
Thanks Heath, I thought I may have been on to something 
Oh well, maybe I should stick to cakes and leave the computer stuff to you. HEHEH.
Again, I LOVE CC and am so thankful for all the time you put into it.
Sorry heath that wikip[edia totally confused me! For now I will click google ads while I wait for things to load! I love my tab browsing!
makes it so much easier and I can have so many things open! Thanks again for this site!
basically, yes it is a pay-per-click system. However the important thing to remember is only to click on an ad if you are genuinely interested in the content of the ad.
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