After talking with a lot of users here, I've decided to start taking ads from local businesses to help with the cost of the server. here are the details if you're interested in advertising:

1.You must be a local business or group, owned and operated within the Buffalo area. This includes (but is not limited to) promoters, record labels, screen printers, distros, record stores, blogs, etc. Bands may advertise as well, but only for a upcoming or recently released record.

2.Nothing offensive in the ads. People of all ages and backgrounds visit this site everyday at home and work. No offensive language, nudity, sexist/racist/homophobic/derogatory material.

3.Ad size is 468x60. Jpeg or gif format only. It will be a rotating banner ad somewhere in the top half of the forums, not sure exactly where yet. Most likely under the calender and before the posts. The banner with change with every page hit or page refresh and will link to your website.

4.Price is $5 a month for 2 designs. If you only want/have one design then I'll put that design into your second slot. I decided to give each advertiser 2 designs so that there is a lot of variety popping up. Obviously, if you want 4 designs in the same month, then it would be $10. There's no limit to how many spots you can buy a month (unless it becomes a problem where one business buys a crap load thus making it almost impossible to see anything but their ad.

5.Early adopters will get the 2nd half of this month and all of October. Advertising will normally run with the calender. If you want an ad to run in November, best get it in before November 1st.

All advertising inquiries should be emailed to me at derekneuland@gmail.com. Once your banners are approved, payment arrangements will be made (paypal, cash, money order, etc..). At the beginning of each month I will disclose to the board how much was brought in from advertising, how much was put towards the server, and then the rest we'll decide as a community how it should be used.

I like this idea. Bands should only make a banner if they have a brand new release out or coming out. No banners just to promote the band.

that sounds fair to me, what does everyone else think?

+1

motion carried

the powers have spoken.

Pedal Printing just became our first advertisers. Thanks guys! Ads should be up later in the week so there's still plenty of time to get your ads in.

The price should be higher.

1. It will discourage crappy ads.
2. This site gets pretty good traffic and a banner/link on this site is worth more than you think.
3. It is better to have fewer, high paying ads than many, low paying ads, especially if you're serving the ad and supplying the bandwidth.

Also, these forums need a better template than the standard phpbb3 theme.

I think a 728 x 90 banner might work as well. Also, you could replace the default logo image with a rectangle shaped banner or at least an actual buffaloshows logo of some kind.

where were you when i emailed you last week asking for your input?

anyways, I've already had someone pay me/the site so we'll go with my plan until end of october and see how it goes.

You could also just not allow crappy ads.

Well, there's my input. I'm a busy man, Neuland. I've got bills to pay!

my thoughts exactly. i like to keep it cheap, that way almost anyone who wants to can advertise. We may change the size/placement once we get going though.

I think such cheap ads might make for some amusing content. Maybe someday i'll invest a fiver in some of my favorite swears.

banners are now live! i also made a few other changes to the site which i'm sure most of you have noticed by now.

You know, it wouldn't offend me if the banner was a little bigger.