Sorry about the all caps in the title but it's impossible to come into contact with Ryan North and not get at least a little excited. And not in that way either (not that there's anything wrong with that…).
Anyhow I'm trying out the auction-model advert service Ryan whipped up called Project Wonderful. There's three little ad boxes in the upper right hand corner that will show the ad of whomever is currently bidding the highest for it.
I've also been trying out buying ads on it just to see how easy it is to use and then to see how well it works (I haven't done any advertising for Comixpedia in over a year at least.) The ad I'm running now is on the right – I'll probably be looking for better ideas down the road. Anyone else buying or selling on Project Wonderful want to share their experiences so far?
Another bonus, as evidenced above is that Ryan North is a gentlemen and proffesional of the highest order. The response time for a question or issue is incredible.
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Nerdcore: The Core Wars
I love using the advertising, and I'd like to be able to put ad boxes on my site as well, but I see it's by invitation only. I've sent a request through my account on the PW site, but I'm just wondering how long until new advertisers will be allowed to use the system?
I approve about 10 requests a day, sometimes more, just so that we can manage server load. The rest of the time is spent inventing new ways to keep the server load down! So, it shouldn’t take too long to get a code to you. If it does feel free to drop me a line and I’ll take care of it for you!
I like it a lot. Before it started, I used to sell small ad button spaces following DJ Coffman's idea of sponsor buttons. They did well, but it was a high maintenance thing (I had to upload each one individually after getting payment and graphic from the advertiser, deal with the email requests etc.etc.). It was a good way to sell affordable ad space, but PW basically does the same thing but it's completely hands off – and although I haven't done the maths, I think that the money is better.
The hands off part is what I really dig about it. There's a lot of minute admin work in running a webcomic site that really gets to me when it starts piling up, especially because I'd rather spend the time drawing. Having at least part of that admin work done automatically is great. All you need to do is just cash in now and then.