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.
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.
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.
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