When Skimlinks contacted me about this project, they said they wanted an independent work. That’s why they wanted me to write and edit it because they knew that my focus would be on value, quality and accuracy, above all else. I would write what I thought was best and bring in great contributors to do the same.
They gave me complete editorial control and everything from chapter one through this conclusion, I am responsible for. No one at Skimlinks saw the work as a whole until it was already written.
I am thankful that they thought highly enough of me to essentially say, “Here’s some money, you can write what you want and we can’t change it.” While they know that I like them, it still takes a bit of courage to say that. A lot of companies would have wanted final sign-off.
Of course, the project wouldn’t have worked as well any other way. I’ve been managing online forums since 2000 and I have never found a detailed resource like this, dedicated to effectively and ethically monetizing online forums. Thank you to Skimlinks, Alicia Navarro, Ted Sindzinski and Todd Garland for helping to make this a reality.
While it is a free ebook, our approach was not the same as how many others have approached free ebooks, which is as a marketing gimmick or a teaser to something bigger. I wanted the work to standalone and to be valuable for years to come, not just for a few retweets. I wanted it to be something people would pay for – and then give it to them for free.
I want you to treat this book as if you purchased it, as if you went to an online bookstore and dropped $10 on it. $10 isn’t much, but it is skin in the game and when we have that, we tend to look at things a little more critically.
Did this book help you monetize in an ethical way? Did it help you generate more revenue? Did it remind you of strategies you had forgotten? Did it turn you on to new forms of monetization that you previously did not know existed? If you answer yes to any of these, then we have done our job.
If you have completed the book, I would love for you to review it online or for you to send me your thoughts directly. You can email me at patrick@ifroggy.com.
Thank you for downloading and reading Monetizing Online Forums.
Sincerely,
Patrick O’Keefe