Please Support Car-Seat.Org: Advertising, Sponsorships and Subscriptions

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Admin

Admin - Webmaster
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Please Support Car-Seat.Org


Unlike many popular online community forums and websites, Car-Seat.Org is privately owned. It is operated primarily by volunteer moderators who are parents and child passenger safety advocates themselves! Many forums are owned by large corporations, have been purchased by "vertical forum integrators" or were sold long ago by the original founder to another party who simply monetized it for profit. These entities often care little about the topic or community beyond its potential for financial gain. We mention this because Car-Seat.Org is now big enough to be very expensive and time consuming to maintain. We rely on our visitors and members to help us continue with our mission, so we can avoid selling out or moving to facebook, like many other online communities have.

The forum and related websites are now primarily supported by advertising. We do not directly sell any products or services. The easiest and best way to support Car-Seat.Org is to use our links to sponsors and advertisers, including Amazon, when you make a purchase. It doesn't cost you anything but a few extra seconds to use our links or to bookmark our Amazon link or to use our links below!

As many of you know, our websites continue to grow and require increasingly expensive hosting services. As of September, 2013, just the forum alone generated around 5 million page views a month from over 200,000 unique visitors, transferring 100 GigaBytes of data, according to Google Analytics. Based on Quantcast data, our forum and blog combine for over 10,000 unique visitors on an average day. Our forums have nearly 20,000 registered members, of which 750 visit on a typical day. Well over 1000 members and visitors are browsing the forums at most times during the day. The growth in the last few years has put the server resources used by our websites beyond the limit of most standard hosting packages. The database that is over 2GB and is approaching 2 million posts alone puts our forums beyond many e-commerce hosting service capabilities, let alone the 300+ concurrent visitors that visit the forums at any instant during peak times. Combined with the cost of the software and chat room, the additional costs of a very high end dedicated server needed to host our database quickly and reliably has increased the cost to operate the forums to a very significant amount. Until mid-2007, the costs had been much lower, so it was not necessary to accept subscriptions, sponsors or advertising of any kind. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case.

Finally, I ask that you please consider NOT using advertisement-blocking software/settings here, or at the very least put www.car-seat.org into your whitelist. While many of us don't like ads, the reality is that our sponsors and advertisers track who visits their websites from our forum and that affects if they will continue to advertise and how much they are willing to pay. You will see fewer advertisements over time if you register and become an active member, and almost no ads appear for subscribers. Car-Seat.Org does not use any type of pop-up, pop-under, intra-page or other intrusive ads that force you to interact or close them before you can read the content on a page. So, if you must use an ad blocker here, please consider supporting us in other ways listed below.

Please contact Admin by email at webmaster "at" car-seat "dot" org, by private message, or use our contact form for advertising rates, details and how to arrange payment.

How to Support Car-Seat.Org:

We accept banner and other advertising:
  • Premier Sponsor: In addition to features given to Car-Seat.Org Sponsors above in #3, premier sponsors will also receive a 200x53 static banner link in the premier sponsor section of the foooter on every page that appears to all visitors. They also get various link backs from our page rank 5 forums and static webpages at Car-Safety.org. This helps to improve search engine rankings and website popularity. As an optional upgrade, premier sponsors may choose to add top banner advertising or a sub forum sponsorship.
  • Top Banner Advertising: This is an upgrade for Premier Sponsors. It includes a 300x250 top banner advertisement (to the right of the "Your Ad Here" text) that appears an all pages to 98% of visitors, with the main exception being subscribers who do not see most advertising. This banner may be rotated with no more than two other Premier Sponsors. For an additional cost, we can also arrange that this banner would be exclusive, such that no other banners in the same placement rotation would be from competitors in your specific area of business (child seat manufacturer, baby gear retailer, automobile brand, etc) and no more than one other Premier Sponsor could be rotated in the same placement.
  • Sub Forum Sponsorships: This is a less expensive upgrade for Premier Sponsor. You may choose to have a static text link advertisement at the top of an individual sub-forum. This link will appear to guests and non-subscribers who browse that particular forum. The link may go to your website or to your sponsor sub-forum. You may also request a "sticky" post in that sub forum with information about your business. Both of these will appear in a manner such as, "This Forum Sponsored By Your Business".
  • Home Page Text Link Sponsorships and Promoted Posts: This is a simple text link advertisement that appears only on the Page Rank 5 home page in the default style for all visitors and members that are not subscribers. It is limited to about 22 characters at bottom of the left sidebar column. Please Contact Us for Rates.
Please contact Admin by email at webmaster "at" car-seat "dot" org, by private message, or use our contact form for advertising rates, details and how to arrange payment.
 
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cpsaddict

New member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

I just wanted to say that I don't think the costs are unreasonable at ALL. As much as I come here, it is worth it too me to donate. This website provides such a great service to so many people!

Thanks again for running this forum!
 

Connor's Mom

New member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

I don't think that the cost is unreasonable at all especially thinking about all the time and possible money that this site has saved me. I have CC in hand. :)

I have a question though. I am 3 months and just a few rep points from being a "Senior Community Member". Am I reading it right that if I pay the $36 and become a "Benefactor" I can access the Carseat Swap, the Senior Community Member private forum and live Chat Room, plus read-only access to the Technical Professionals forum even before I reach the "Senior Community Member" level.
I am just wondering because I have been told by several members that the chats are quite fun. :)
 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

Am I reading it right that if I pay the $36 and become a "Benefactor" I can access the Carseat Swap, the Senior Community Member private forum and live Chat Room, plus read-only access to the Technical Professionals forum even before I reach the "Senior Community Member" level.

That is correct. The only Senior Community Member feature you won't be able to access as a Benefactor is the actual title of "Senior Community Member." At least, not until you reach the necessary thresholds.

Incidentally, those thresholds were increased recently in part due to the rapidly increasing number of users getting access very quickly and also in part to the possibility that subscriptions would be necessary at some point. So, you might want to revisit them if you haven't checked recently.

Again, prices and features are subject to change, especially before the system goes live. I want to stress that the subscriptions really should be considered as donations. The perks are more of a "thank you";-) I could probably figure out how to get the system to rename subscription to donation, but I don't have time at the moment to look into it. That may be fixed before it goes live.
 

Connor's Mom

New member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

Incidentally, those thresholds were increased recently in part due to the rapidly increasing number of users getting access very quickly and also in part to the possibility that subscriptions would be necessary at some point. So, you might want to revisit them if you haven't checked recently.

Is it now 6 months, 100 posts and 50 rep points to be a "Senior Member". That is the threshold I was basing my PP post on. If I remember right it was just increased here recently because I was much closer to the title just a week or so ago I think.
 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

Is it now 6 months, 100 posts and 50 rep points to be a "Senior Member". That is the threshold I was basing my PP .

That's it. I don't anticipate any changes to this, at least not for a while. These numbers have moved both up and down since the system started late last year, based on trends with members' posting and reputation.

Great signature, by the way. It is a nice model for the maximum height that should be used for the combined total height of images+text ;-)
 

Connor's Mom

New member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

Great signature, by the way. It is a nice model for the maximum height that should be used for the combined total height of images+text ;-)

Thanks, I was worried it might be to big. Good to know I am with in the guidelines. :D
 

CRS

Senior Community Member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

Sounds great! Would love to "donate" !
 

Erika Ruth

New member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

I don't mind paying the $36, as I have learned SO much, and I enjoy all the details that are probably in the forums I can't access, as I can't become a tech for at least 6 months to a year (We are moving, and I'm having a baby).

Erika
 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

No tentative. I just spent 30 minutes convincing dh!!!

Don't worry, it wouldn't change much higher or lower I think. Still surfing other websites and forums to see what is typical but so far it seems in line. Also trying to balance not charging too much for what is really a donation with trying not to have a huge influx of people overloading the chat room.
 

nisi

Senior Community Member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

Just a couple ideas. I don't really need a response.


Will there be an option to donate an amount of our choosing? Some may want to donate, but at a level lower (or higher! :thumbsup:) than the subscription levels.

What about a "one time donation" option? I realize since the subscriptions don't automatically renew it's essentially the same thing, but a one time option might be more appealing to people who have found the forums helpful but don't necessarily plan on sticking around. I know I've visited a few forums where I would have used that. Sort of like "Thanks for all your help, here's $5, buh-buy!"

Oh! I've seen a few forums allow members to change another member's title (temporarily) to something of their choosing in return for a small donation. It might be a pain to administer, but it's fun.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

Just a couple ideas. I don't really need a response.


Will there be an option to donate an amount of our choosing? Some may want to donate, but at a level lower (or higher! :thumbsup:) than the subscription levels.

What about a "one time donation" option? I realize since the subscriptions don't automatically renew it's essentially the same thing, but a one time option might be more appealing to people who have found the forums helpful but don't necessarily plan on sticking around. I know I've visited a few forums where I would have used that. Sort of like "Thanks for all your help, here's $5, buh-buy!"

Oh! I've seen a few forums allow members to change another member's title (temporarily) to something of their choosing in return for a small donation. It might be a pain to administer, but it's fun.


Good question. It hadn't been posted so as not to confuse this option with the in-forum donations that will be available soon. You can indeed donate outright if you aren't a member, want to donate extra, don't care about forum features, etc. Since it isn't tied into the forum system, no forum changes will result. There is a donation button at the About Car-Safety.Org webpage and you can also send from within a Paypal account to donate "at" car-seat "dot" org . Arrangements can also be made to send a money order to the address listed on that webpage, but you need to send a PM to Admin in advance to do so. Please DO NOT donate in this manner if you want your forum account to have the Supporter/Benefactor designation added to it.

As for titles, I'm not sure the admins and mods want to be policing custom ones lol. Mods for forum enhancements generally add to the resources used by the forums and can also decrease security so none have been added other than the chat room which is mostly external.
 

chloespurple

Senior Community Member
Re: Please Support Car-Seat.Org

I think I can speak for alot of parents here on how valuable this site is! If I would not have stumbled on this site months ago (while researching for the next seat up after an Infant seat) then Karli would be FFing now because I would have thought that is what you are suppose to do.
I can also Proudly say it is because of this site & the great people here that I want to become a CPST (hopefully this Oct.). I want to be able to help others the way I have been helped here!
The only question I have (and I assume the answer is yes:))is ...... will new and visiting people still be able to post and view questions in the Safety Topics Forums, without making donations? Since that is the whole reason for everyone being here.
I will donate yearly to keep just that feature alone, I refer people here all the time, so anything it takes to keep it going is worth it:p.
Michelle
 
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You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

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