Tim
01-18-2007, 11:24 PM
Web site page views for 2006. The site was started in January 06... for the first 3 weeks I think I was the only person posting anything :) I remember thinking "maybe I should just take it down - how many more rabid speed bag enthusiasts could there be?" ... shortly thereafter Alan linked to the site from http://www.speedbagcentral.com in Feb 06 and it's really taken off since then! It's very gratifying to see that all of you have embraced this forum and contributed. I look forward to even more speed bag fun in 07.
http://www.speedbagforum.com/images/pageviews06.png
You may be wondering how people find this site... the top 3 referrers which provide 90% of the visitors are:
1. Google Search
2. Rosstraining.com (Mostly to the online workout timer page)
3. SpeedbagCentral.com
The other thing that gave this site a shot in the arm was the Online Workout Timer ... I added that in February and that accounts for a large number of the visitors.
The other thing I should mention is that running a site like this (forums based) is rediculously simple and inexpensive, and doesn't really require a lot of in-depth knowledge. Here's an itemized list of costs:
VBulletin Software - Lifetime license $160
VBulletin Updates -$35 /yr
Domain Name(s) - 2 @ $5.99 per year
1and1.com Hosting - $90 per year
What's even better, due to the magic of Google Adsense ads... the site almost pays for itself
You do need to possess a basic understanding of how web pages work, simple database concepts, FTP to transfer files, etc. Being handy with a graphics editor is optional, but definitely helps. It also requires a never-ending vigilance for updating the software to patch security exploits. If you let the software fall 2-3 releases behind the script kiddy hackers will have a field day (I"ve had that happen multiple times on other sites I used to run.)
If anyone else is interested in more details on how this was all set up ... feel free to PM me.
http://www.speedbagforum.com/images/pageviews06.png
You may be wondering how people find this site... the top 3 referrers which provide 90% of the visitors are:
1. Google Search
2. Rosstraining.com (Mostly to the online workout timer page)
3. SpeedbagCentral.com
The other thing that gave this site a shot in the arm was the Online Workout Timer ... I added that in February and that accounts for a large number of the visitors.
The other thing I should mention is that running a site like this (forums based) is rediculously simple and inexpensive, and doesn't really require a lot of in-depth knowledge. Here's an itemized list of costs:
VBulletin Software - Lifetime license $160
VBulletin Updates -$35 /yr
Domain Name(s) - 2 @ $5.99 per year
1and1.com Hosting - $90 per year
What's even better, due to the magic of Google Adsense ads... the site almost pays for itself
You do need to possess a basic understanding of how web pages work, simple database concepts, FTP to transfer files, etc. Being handy with a graphics editor is optional, but definitely helps. It also requires a never-ending vigilance for updating the software to patch security exploits. If you let the software fall 2-3 releases behind the script kiddy hackers will have a field day (I"ve had that happen multiple times on other sites I used to run.)
If anyone else is interested in more details on how this was all set up ... feel free to PM me.