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  • From: "Joanna Wolfe (919)677-0977" <wolfe AT oup-usa.org>
  • To: Paul Cory <paulwcory AT yahoo.com>, InterNetWorkers <internetworkers AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Justifying a Web Presence
  • Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 14:05:13 -0400 (EDT)


Speaking from the point of Oxford University Press, which is a department
of Oxford University, and is not-for-profit in the US. There are certain
restrictions put on 501c3s in the US as to allowing revenue.

First, I'd see whether or not the WCPSS is in violation of its tax
status if it were to become a profit center.

Second, affiliate programs do provide a minimal amount of revenue.
But aside from being in the education market, being in the book market
we can't play favorites by who we tell folks to go buy books from.
Amazon, B & N, Borders, PetSmart, and a host of lesser e-sites are
willing to have you step up and implant their brand identity on
your site.

Remember the hoopla over advertising on Television in the classroom?
What will happen if you are putting up banner ads for Nike and Reebok?

As to profitablity of banner ads. Within a week of receiving a Gartner
Report on the viability of banner ads, I received another report that
was opposite in the findings of whether or not banner ads provided a
solid revenue stream.

Then there is the question of overhead - are you willing to become a
service department to the advertiser. After all, they are paying for
the content they put on your site. This brings up issues like service
level agreements - are you going to give the paying customer better
service than the School System?

If you can get out of it, my answer is don't do it. Who needs another
can of worms. What happens when your click through for an ad ends
up at another site with click throughs for sites selling or hawking
something inappropriate or questionable. Given the amount of adult
sites out there, this is a reality. Six clicks of separation?

My $.02

Regards,

Joanna

Joanna Wolfe
Technical Support Manager
Oxford University Press, USA
2001 Evans Road
Cary, NC 27513
v: (919) 677-0977 ext. 5242
f: (919) 677-2654
c: (919) 244-7696
e: wolfe AT oup-usa.org
w: www.oup-usa.org

>All,
>
>I find myself presented with a problem at work: a push to turn the Wake
>County Public School System's Website into a profit center.
>
>The folks pushing this idea believe that there is pile of easily obtainable
>money to be had in the form of banner ads and affiliate programs.
>
>My question is: are they right? There has been mention here lately of banner
>ad networks and affiliate programs either disbanding or cutting back
>severely on their payouts.
>
>What is the state of Web advertising today? Are the big banner ad networks
>paying out a lot of money, or are the returns modest? Is selling ads into a
>local market easy, or is the competition with other local media (TV, radio,
>newspapers) fierce enough to keep the bottom line thin?
>
>How would you suggest a public school system use its Web presence: to
>directly generate money, or to enhance the value of its services, or to make
>it easier and cheaper to communicate with customers and partners, or some
>combination thereof?
>
>Any feeling on whether, if you were buying Web advertising, you would buy it
>on a public school system Website? What would be your reaction to finding
>advertising on a public school system or other governmental Website?
>
>Any suggestions as to where I could look for this type of info on the Web?
>
>I am looking mostly for general information that I might be able to use as
>background material for a report my department has to present to the Board
>of Education (don't worry, I won't quote anybody or mention names without
>permission). This is not a fishing expedition for corporate secrets or
>anything like that.
>
>Thanks for any help you can give me.
>
>Paul
>
>
>
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