# Who is the owner of MTBR.COM?



## nitecrwlr (Oct 8, 2008)

Just curious who owns this site and who is profiting from our posts and ad clicks?


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## SkaredShtles (May 13, 2007)

What is this "ad" you refer to?


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

http://www.mtbr.com/helpuscrx.aspx

Francis Cebedo, Founder
Gregg Kato, Site Manager
Adam LaBarge, Site Admin

Jim Thomas, Sales Manager
Forrest Arakawa, Sales Manager

http://www.consumerreview.com/channels/consumerreview/data/main/bios.html

Dadi Akhavan-President, CMO & Co-Founder
Kamran Amjadi-Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder
Francis Cebedo, Founder & General Manager


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## nitecrwlr (Oct 8, 2008)

SkaredShtles said:


> What is this "ad" you refer to?


Ads are along the top and right side of the page and include classifieds etc.


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## SkaredShtles (May 13, 2007)

nitecrwlr said:


> Ads are along the top and right side of the page and include classifieds etc.


Sorry. Don't see any.

AdBlock+ FTMFW!!


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## Moustache rider (Jun 1, 2007)

Woosh.


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## Burn1 (May 12, 2011)

"Profiting" is probably the wrong word for it as a VBulliten deployment of this size requires a lot of resources to run smoothly. I would be surprised if they do much more than break even--advertising revenue is usually pretty modest.


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## [email protected] (Oct 17, 2009)

SkaredShtles said:


> Sorry. Don't see any.
> 
> AdBlock+ FTMFW!!


I just installed AdBlock. Used the offered Fanboy English filter list, restarted firefox, and verified the Ad-on is active. I see no difference. Is there a different filter subscription I shouldb e using?


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## jacklikesbeans (Feb 18, 2011)

I like this site and all the work they have put into it! If it gets them some kind of revenue to click the ads why not?


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## ecosse (May 24, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> I just installed AdBlock. Used the offered Fanboy English filter list, restarted firefox, and verified the Ad-on is active. I see no difference. Is there a different filter subscription I shouldb e using?


Hit refresh?


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## nitecrwlr (Oct 8, 2008)

jacklikesbeans said:


> I like this site and all the work they have put into it! If it gets them some kind of revenue to click the ads why not?


I visit everyday and welcome the ads. I am their target audience. I was just wondering if it was a big corporation behind it. It must be profitable as they have been running them for a long time and for several sports including road and golf. It's an interesting business model as they are the go-to forum for mountain biking.


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## anthony.delorenzo (Aug 17, 2006)




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## tim208 (Apr 23, 2010)

why do you make it sound like making a profit is a bad thing? without a profit they can't reinvest in themselves.


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## jacklikesbeans (Feb 18, 2011)

tim208 said:


> why do you make it sound like making a profit is a bad thing? without a profit they can't reinvest in themselves.


I don't think anyone is complaining about the website being profitable unless I am reading it wrong.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Hey, thanks for asking!!

I'm Francis Cebedo and I started this site in 1996 as a hobby. It grew, I quit my job and I've been doing this gig ever since. The good news is through all the ups and downs, I'm still here and this site still holds true to it's vision. It helps mountain bikers share experiences and buy better products.

We have always been advertising supported and have never been highly profitable. Last year was a big loss for us and we're trying to recover and be back in the black this year.

Some factors:
- Mtbr and roadbikereview have almost 2 million monthly users and our server costs are enormous.

- Ad blockers really harm us.

- Some of our users don't really buy through us or support our advertisers. We're trying to change this!

- Our site is old and starting to look old. We upgraded all our software and are now redesigning.

So, that's it in a nutshell. We have 10 sites, as you see in the footer of this page. We have about 12 employees running all our sites. The best/biggest site of all is mtbr. 

With your help, we can rebuild this thing and be around for a long time!!

regards,
fc


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## nitecrwlr (Oct 8, 2008)

Thanks for providing a great service and forum for like minded consumers and advertisers to connect. While I'll always shop for the best price, I'll continue to utilize your links when they provide the best deal. :thumbsup:



francois said:


> Hey, thanks for asking!!
> 
> I'm Francis Cebedo and I started this site in 1996 as a hobby. It grew, I quit my job and I've been doing this gig ever since. The good news is through all the ups and downs, I'm still here and this site still holds true to it's vision. It helps mountain bikers share experiences and buy better products.
> 
> ...


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

Francois, what ever happened to FlyfishingReview? Used to be big in 2000 or so.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

RandyBoy said:


> Francois, what ever happened to FlyfishingReview? Used to be big in 2000 or so.


It had no revenue stream, specially back in 2000. No online sales and online ads for that demographic a few years ago. Things have changed but there's bigger fish to fry 

It may come back some day. But first I'm working on beerreview.com 

francis


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## wookie freeride (Apr 10, 2007)

*With almost 40 thousand posts...*

Shiver Me Timbers defiantly owns MTBR.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

wookie freeride said:


> Shiver Me Timbers defiantly owns MTBR.


Big time posters:
http://forums.mtbr.com/memberlist.php?order=DESC&sort=posts&pp=100

Revered reputation:
http://forums.mtbr.com/memberlist.php?order=DESC&sort=reputation&pp=100


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## Drop the Seat (Apr 6, 2008)

That's some serious posting. Almost 40K!!

If you use AdBlock, you probably shouldn't advertise that you use it. I'm sure a lot of revenue is lost from people using AdBlock. I believe even some modest income is generated from simply loading and displaying ads, let alone the click-thru.


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## bvibert (Mar 30, 2006)

I'll never understand people who actively use a site like this, and then brag about using ad blockers. To me that's kind of like going into a restaurant and bragging about how you never pay the bill (or otherwise support the business) after you eat.


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## MadMacMan (Mar 6, 2011)

tim208 said:


> why do you make it sound like making a profit is a bad thing? without a profit they can't reinvest in themselves.


Clearly he is not a Ferengi


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

francois said:


> ....
> 
> Revered reputation:
> http://forums.mtbr.com/memberlist.php?order=DESC&sort=reputation&pp=100


damn skippy i'm number 2.....

love the site FC...keep it up Jefe' :thumbsup:


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## Zen_Turtle (Sep 22, 2005)

CHUM said:


> damn skippy i'm number 2.....
> 
> love the site FC...keep it up Jefe' :thumbsup:


THAT can't be right....


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## RSWMTB (Jun 7, 2011)

And here I thought it was Mr. Burns...


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## [email protected] (Oct 17, 2009)

francois said:


> Hey, thanks for asking!!
> 
> I'm Francis Cebedo and I started this site in 1996 as a hobby. It grew, I quit my job and I've been doing this gig ever since. The good news is through all the ups and downs, I'm still here and this site still holds true to it's vision. It helps mountain bikers share experiences and buy better products.
> 
> ...


Francis, were you at the north american handmade bike show?


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## schnauzers (Oct 3, 2005)

bvibert said:


> I'll never understand people who actively use a site like this, and then brag about using ad blockers. To me that's kind of like going into a restaurant and bragging about how you never pay the bill (or otherwise support the business) after you eat.


Because the ads are big, colorful, and blinky. I think more subtle google adwords type ads are more pleasing and targeted. Having some chick in a bike outfit staring at me is cool, but I'm married and have no intentions of finding singles in my area.

In the world of IntErWebZ advertising, targeted relevance is key. This sites ads have none of that. The data is out there, but you have to spend money to make money. Time to ditch the blinkies and put up google ads.

As for the comment of MTBR looking outdated, until you move away from vBulletin and towards a new social networking platform, it will not get better.

My .02 worth of honest opinion. Take it or leave it.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

CHUM said:


> damn skippy i'm number 2.....
> 
> love the site FC...keep it up Jefe' :thumbsup:


Not acceptable, gotta get you to #1, more rep.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

CHUM said:


> damn skippy i'm number 2.....
> 
> love the site FC...keep it up Jefe' :thumbsup:


I just repped you man. I swing a big bat too 

Sparticus is a good guy but you are Norcal and I hear you're going to ride bicycles again.

fc


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## dirt farmer (Mar 28, 2005)

francois said:


> Big time posters:
> http://forums.mtbr.com/memberlist.php?order=DESC&sort=posts&pp=100
> 
> Revered reputation:
> http://forums.mtbr.com/memberlist.php?order=DESC&sort=reputation&pp=100


Wow! Those are some serious numbers. Atta boy Shiggy! (Sorry, never have heard of Timbers).

Curious, what was Jerk Chicken's post count before the ban?


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

[email protected] said:


> Francis, were you at the north american handmade bike show?


Yessir. I was the one drinking a beer while interviewing peoples in Austin.

fc


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

dirt farmer said:


> Wow! Those are some serious numbers. Atta boy Shiggy! (Sorry, never have heard of Timbers).
> 
> Curious, what was Jerk Chicken's post count before the ban?


Some call them Post Ho's.

Jerk Chicken was at 16,481

fc


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

*oops... double post sorry*

Lets finance the forum by clicking on the less relevants ads we see... so this way, they gonna get more for their less populars ads


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Lets finance the forum by clicking on the less relevant ads we see... so this way, they gonna get more for their less populars ads


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## thrash (Feb 9, 2005)

francois said:


> Hey, thanks for asking!!
> 
> We have always been advertising supported and have never been highly profitable. Last year was a big loss for us and we're trying to recover and be back on the black this year.
> 
> ...


Francios,
As you redesign, have you considered an optional annual subscription for those who prefer not to be blasted by ads? It would not have to be a large amount, think less than an average magazine subscription. I personally get far more out of this site than I do out of any of the bike magazines out there, and would be very willing to pay a few bucks a year to make the ads go away. See ArsTechnica for an example of this kind of thing, they've been able to code the site so that subscribers don't have ads, but those who choose not to subscribe do see them.

You might be surprised how many of your chosen demographic would pay $20 or $30 a year to have a site without the ads. Especially considering what we all pay for the bikes and other toys that bring us to this site.

Just an idea to throw out there....

Thanks for listening,
--thrash


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## bvibert (Mar 30, 2006)

schnauzers said:


> Because the ads are big, colorful, and blinky. I think more subtle google adwords type ads are more pleasing and targeted. Having some chick in a bike outfit staring at me is cool, but I'm married and have no intentions of finding singles in my area.
> 
> In the world of IntErWebZ advertising, targeted relevance is key. This sites ads have none of that. The data is out there, but you have to spend money to make money. Time to ditch the blinkies and put up google ads.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure what's wrong with colorful. I don't see any blinky ads though. Personally I find google ads to be ineffective, at least for me. For example; two of the ads I'm looking at on this page now are served by google, and niether is relevant to me.

I do find the number of ads here to be a bit much, in general though.


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

Yeah a fee based plan would be ok. I pay a couple r so tenners to bikemojo---it gets the ability to edit posts and to post pictures that appear without having to wait for moderation..and a supporter banner.

Consumer Review is owned by Invenda (E-centives "renamed"), experts at advertising and digital marketing. The website appears to be dumbed down from several years ago where one could actually find how much each operating unit was really in the red or black and what future outlook was.


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## michaelscott (May 23, 2011)

francois said:


> Hey, thanks for asking!!
> 
> I'm Francis Cebedo and I started this site in 1996 as a hobby. It grew, I quit my job and I've been doing this gig ever since. The good news is through all the ups and downs, I'm still here and this site still holds true to it's vision. It helps mountain bikers share experiences and buy better products.
> 
> ...


Francois,

You should take a look at the software XenForo. It was created by a bunch of guys that used to work at vBulletin. It is WAY easier to manage and the license cost is much lower.


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## [email protected] (Oct 17, 2009)

francois said:


> Yessir. I was the one drinking a beer while interviewing peoples in Austin.
> 
> fc


I think I might have spoken to you briefly at the airport afterwards.


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## picassomoon (Jun 16, 2009)

I choose the "mtbr" option in the "how did you hear about us" drop down every time I buy something from Price Point. Its not exactly true, especially after the first time, but I like to hope it helps the site in some small way. 

I'm not a computer development wiz or anything, but I like v bulletin the best of any forum software I've seen/used. I don't know if the actual forum software is out dated or just the way its being used.


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## SkaredShtles (May 13, 2007)

Look - the internet if FULL of really annoying ads. I block them all without discrimination. I don't want to see them. If that means MTBR goes belly up... so be it.


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## nikojan (Jun 18, 2011)

David C said:


> Lets finance the forum by clicking on the less relevants ads we see... so this way, they gonna get more for their less populars ads


Lets not make posts like that mate, if google thinks for a second that the site owner or anyone really is asking for clicks their adsense account gets pulled.


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## SilkMoneyLove (Nov 1, 2010)

*Thanks!*

I like the site and I will visit it no matter what ads you have or software you use. As a married guy, I do think the "find singles" ads are annoying, but they are everywhere not just here. I am also told it has more to do with search history of the user as opposed to something the site admin has set up.

Th singles ads are on Hotmail, most motorcycle forums and MTBR. I am not sure that my cruising CNN, Hotmail, Moto and Biking means I am the target audience, but it could be. Hey, at least for me the pics are of women, so they have that part of the advertising done correctly.


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## schnauzers (Oct 3, 2005)

SkaredShtles said:


> Look - the internet if FULL of really annoying ads. I block them all without discrimination. I don't want to see them. If that means MTBR goes belly up... so be it.


+1

But what is the alternative? Pinkbike? f88me?

Gag!


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## Timo (Jan 13, 2004)

Jesus from M.E.M.P.H.I.S owns everything.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

CHUM said:


> damn skippy i'm number 2.....
> 
> love the site FC...keep it up Jefe' :thumbsup:


Number 1 now.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

dirt farmer said:


> (Sorry, never have heard of Timbers).


So, you never visit the DH/FR area?


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

nikojan said:


> Lets not make posts like that mate, if google thinks for a second that the site owner or anyone really is asking for clicks their adsense account gets pulled.


C'mon, Google Adwords use the IPs addresses to check for that kind of frauds... Which means that it will only flash the system if the clicks are all coming from the same bunch of IPs, and with that many members here, I do not think it's a problem...

In fact, I was suggesting to improve the values of the ads by playing with the offer/demand function of Adwords, that is the higher bid between advertiser win the place to advertise on the page...

Thanks anyway for paying attention to this, but don't worry, I know my stuff, I'm in this business all week long as a webmaster


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## phoeneous (Mar 7, 2005)

An IT guy has to ask, what kind of hardware is running this lovely place?


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

I think they are using Vbulletin, but not sure. 

David


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

David C said:


> I think they are using Vbulletin, but not sure.
> 
> David


That would be software me thinks.


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

francois said:


> I just repped you man. I swing a big bat too
> 
> Sparticus is a good guy but you are Norcal and I hear you're going to ride bicycles again.
> 
> fc





AZ.MTNS said:


> Number 1 now.


*I HOLD THE POWER!!!*









too much?

:lol:


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## Wherewolf (Jan 17, 2004)

*Thanks!*

Thanks for this site! Virtually everyone I know and every ride I've done is due to this site. But please ask the moderators to tighten up a bit on the non-mountain biking posts that keep cluttering the place. Recently Passion is looking more like an Oprah or Dr. Phil forum.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

CHUM said:


> *I HOLD THE POWER!!!*
> 
> too much?
> 
> :lol:


:cornut:..


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

phoeneous said:


> An IT guy has to ask, what kind of hardware is running this lovely place?


It's about 15 machines. The forums, galleries, wordpress, classifieds are Unix. Our product reviews are on PC, DotNET platform. Then there's load balancers and SQL Server database machines. I think they're mostly Dell server class machines.

fc


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## wookie (Jan 24, 2007)

francois said:


> It had no revenue stream, specially back in 2000. No online sales and online ads for that demographic a few years ago. Things have changed but there's bigger fish to fry
> 
> It may come back some day. But first I'm working on beerreview.com
> 
> francis


My two favorite hobbies-beer & bikes. :thumbsup:


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## trailbrain (Feb 22, 2005)

francois said:


> It's about 15 machines. The forums, galleries, wordpress, classifieds are Unix. Our product reviews are on PC, DotNET platform. Then there's load balancers and SQL Server database machines. I think they're mostly Dell server class machines.
> 
> fc


Virtualized Servers? If those are physical servers you should look at virtualizing them instead of the maintenance and upgrade costs on the physical ones. The initial investment of virtualizing servers with something like VM Ware can be high, but the long term benefits are worth it.

And no I do not work for them.  IT for a living and riding is everything else.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

joltz said:


> IT for a living and riding is everything else.


Thats the way I roll :thumbsup:


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

joltz said:


> Virtualized Servers? If those are physical servers you should look at virtualizing them instead of the maintenance and upgrade costs on the physical ones. The initial investment of virtualizing servers with something like VM Ware can be high, but the long term benefits are worth it.
> 
> And no I do not work for them.  IT for a living and riding is everything else.


My dad spent about $4k on a server with a bunch of RAM and I set him up with ESXi. He virtualized all of his systems that had been running their website, email, etc. I think he got a bonus for it. I got "thanks." 

I'm so spoiled by VMware now; I hate dealing with physical systems.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

francois said:


> We have always been advertising supported and have never been highly profitable. Last year was a big loss for us and we're trying to recover and be back on the black this year.
> 
> Some factors:
> - Mtbr and roadbikereview have almost 2 million monthly users and our server costs are enormous.
> ...


there are ads done right...and ads done wrong. animated banners and sidebars full of ads on one page are a bit much. I didn't used to use adblockers here, but I started using one here awhile back when an ad here started creating a security problem for a lot of people. I've also run into a couple other websites where an ad caused my browser to flip over some security risk. so, I block them in general for that reason. I also block the really irritating ones that animate or expand to cover the screen if you mouse over them.

I do use the hotdeals portion of the site when I'm hunting for some gear. you get revenue from those clicks, right? right now, that area is kinda disorganized. I'd like to be able to search for an item type (like helmets, or brakes, or hydration packs) and see the current hot deals in the category rather than seeing things sorted by vendor.

I have come to appreciate websites/forums that try to keep the ads down (or gone altogether). I patronize a couple of sites where there's a subscription level of service that provides extra features and removes ads, or where they are donation-ware that removes ads and gives you access to off-topic forums. that business model seems to work for the sites that use it. not sure if it would work here. but might be worth looking into. a subscription level could add access to certain boards, and provide access to pro reviews while eliminating ads



> - Our site is old and starting to look old. We upgraded all our software and are now redesigning.
> 
> So, that's it in a nutshell. We have 10 sites, as you see in the footer of this page. We have about 12 employees running all our sites. The best/biggest site of all is mtbr.
> 
> ...


cool. if I might share my 0.02, I'd like to see a cleaner design with less clutter.


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## dexetr30 (May 8, 2008)

I normally don't clicks the adds here. Knowing the site took a hit last year, I'll take some time every so often to click away. ;-)


Starting now. I have 10 minutes to kill.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

To all you people offering suggestions, trying to help out, etc. etc........

Thank you. I really appreciate it.

I give you a sneak peak a the new forum page format I'm working on.
http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=176

It's the same. But better!!!

fc


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

francois said:


> To all you people offering suggestions, trying to help out, etc. etc........
> 
> Thank you. I really appreciate it.
> 
> ...


FWIW, I strongly dislike the wider ad space on the right.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

If it helps pay the bills then I am for it, I do not dislike the current format however FWIW.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

AZ.MTNS said:


> If it helps pay the bills then I am for it, I do not dislike the current format however FWIW.


The only problem right now is on the first page, you see almost zero content. We force the user to scroll down past the ads to see any threads.

On the new layout, I'm seeing the first 7 threads on my small monitor.

fc


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## phoeneous (Mar 7, 2005)

francois said:


> It's about 15 machines. The forums, galleries, wordpress, classifieds are Unix. Our product reviews are on PC, DotNET platform. Then there's load balancers and SQL Server database machines. I think they're mostly Dell server class machines.
> 
> fc


Awesome that you guys use Unix :thumbsup:

I'm mainly a network guy but get to work with sql a lot. Dell is actually good with their servers, I manage 20 and half of those are virtual. You should definitely look into virtualization, saves on hardware and energy costs. VMWare is your friend.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

francois said:


> The only problem right now is on the first page, you see almost zero content. We force the user to scroll down past the ads to see any threads.
> 
> On the new layout, I'm seeing the first 7 threads on my small monitor.
> 
> fc


 I may be the odd man out but I honestly do not have an issue with having to scroll down to read the content. I will continue to peruse the site whatever version is used. Appreciate the hard work you guy's are putting into it, thanks. :thumbsup:


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Hey François,

I was wondering how much is the monthly cost for you guys to run up this whole site and how much are the ads helping to pay the bill?

You are certainly supported by other web hosts, but I was curious to know if you are really tight in budget with this "new" job... (hope not)

Thanks,

David


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

I think you should have more ad space on top, instead of on the right side.


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## SparxFlyer (Dec 29, 2010)

nachomc said:


> FWIW, I strongly dislike the wider ad space on the right.


Given the way screen real estate works (more width than height), I am good with less ads up top and more on the side...

Interesting topic... Please keep up the good work!

S.


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## yo EDDY (May 22, 2006)

SkaredShtles said:


> Look - the internet if FULL of really annoying ads. I block them all without discrimination. I don't want to see them. If that means MTBR goes belly up... so be it.


:madman:

Your attitude is exactly what is sooooo wrong with so much in the world.

You are obviously here because you like the site and clearly post a fair amount. Why not try to SUPPORT this place....If you choose to block the ads which are this guys income stream from this forum, which again, you seem to utilize don't you think it reasonable that clicking through an add before adding to your cart would be a nice thing to do and no additional effort really at all?

Let me guess, you would not pay for a subscription either???? Shakes head...take take take, I'm entitled....etc.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

AZ.MTNS said:


> __________________
> This space for rent....


I can give you one cookie/week to use those 125 characters to say :

" WTF is a SS ?? "


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

David C said:


> I can give you one cookie/week to use those 125 characters to say :
> 
> " WTF is a SS ?? "


Click a couple ads for Francois and its a deal.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Click a couple ads for Francois and its a deal.


I got a lot of things to buy now for my new bike, so you will be pleased and François either.

:thumbsup:

Pss.. Put some "chick's ads here too... lot of guys would like to meet local singles riding SS... I'm just sayin'


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## Whirlwind Holocron (May 24, 2009)

Just want to express my appreciation to Francois and others involved in running the site. I can't begin to list the many ways I've benefited from the people here. It's awesome. 

I started trolling here back in 2003 when I really got crazy into mountain biking. 

I still remember laughing all the way through the big argument about wether Trek was going to ruin the Klein brand. It was long and just a great funny read.

I have found many online companies here which have saved me a lot of $$$ on bike stuff.

I found Cracks and Racks here and was surprised to order and install (and really like) my own roof rack with their help.

I am currently doing a custom build of a Yeti ARC which will end up costing almost 50% less by using the online retailers advertised here on MTBR. 

I have learned soooo much here. 

So...I don't mind the ads. 

and one more time....Awesome website!!!

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!


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## Jaybo (Mar 5, 2008)

*Hmm*



francois said:


> It had no revenue stream, specially back in 2000. No online sales and online ads for that demographic a few years ago. Things have changed but there's bigger fish to fry
> 
> It may come back some day. But first I'm working on beerreview.com
> 
> francis


Too bad you didn't come up with the Facebook deal


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## Cipher (Jun 4, 2011)

nachomc said:


> FWIW, I strongly dislike the wider ad space on the right.


Just wait until someone updates the Greasemonkey MTBR script and all will be right in the e-world once again.

15 boxes to run this site? That is some serious mismanagement right there...


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## Porschefan (Jan 14, 2011)

francois said:


> Big time posters:
> http://forums.mtbr.com/memberlist.php?order=DESC&sort=posts&pp=100
> 
> Revered reputation:
> http://forums.mtbr.com/memberlist.php?order=DESC&sort=reputation&pp=100


Don't mean to side-jack this thread, but this brings up a confusion on my part and I haven't been able to resolve it by searching here.

What is "Rep" and what is "Rep Power"? I see that one can add to the "Rep Power" by clicking on a post. But that doesn't seem to correlate to "Rep"--the little green squares. And I see that there are only a very few posters (less than 50?) that have more than one square of "Rep."

If this is covered somewhere just point me to it....I did find something, but it didn't explain it well enough to penetrate my denseness.

I like the site a lot. Don't mind the ads, actually find them helpful.

There is a car-specific forum (Rennlist) that has ads, sponsored members and regular members, as well as "free" memberships. Paid subscribers can do more; paid sponsors can do some limited advertising. I certainly wouldn't mind paying for a membership here--it's certainly more valuable than, say, a magazine subscription.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

MTBR is the most substantial contributor to the focusing of the mountain bike culture that I know of. In a sport that is still so young and so individualistically concocted it is a vital mechanism for bringing us all together. 

MTBR consistantly attracts the most powerful, thoughtful, and dynamic personalities in our sport. While we may not agree on many things the temper is, over all, one of respect and conducive to the positive evolution of the community. It is a location for widely divergent attitudes and opinions and styles yet only the most excessively obtuse, irascible characters defient of the basic rules find themselves unwelcome. 

Absent such a cultural support we are left with the other aformentioned sites which are clearly.....more representative of the more marginal aspects of the sport.

We are lucky to have this; a place to be us.:thumbsup:


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

Singletracks is also a fantastic site. With a pretty cool way of recognizing members. Instead of rep one is ranked by contribution. X number of points for ea vid, photo, trail review, product review, GPS log and etc. It's a pretty neat way of handling business.



Berkeley Mike said:


> MTBR is the most substantial contributor to the focusing of the mountain bike culture that I know of. In a sport that is still so young and so individualistically concocted it is a vital mechanism for bringing us all together.
> 
> ....


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Are you implying that is a bad thing?*



nitecrwlr said:


> Just curious who owns this site and who is profiting from our posts and ad clicks?


And I gotta say. It's not like Francois is exactly lighting his Cubans with $100 bills while Jeves flys him to Madagascar in his Gulfstream for an afternoon ride with the Suntan of Brunei.

Meh... the site rawks. My bike world has grown tons since frequenting this site since around 2000 or 2001 or so.... major bonus points for being 'free', as in free beer.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Porschefan said:


> Don't mean to side-jack this thread, but this brings up a confusion on my part and I haven't been able to resolve it by searching here.
> 
> What is "Rep" and what is "Rep Power"? I see that one can add to the "Rep Power" by clicking on a post. But that doesn't seem to correlate to "Rep"--the little green squares. And I see that there are only a very few posters (less than 50?) that have more than one square of "Rep."


Info is here. It is as clear as mud so I reposted this. It will be more obvious in the future.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=8179740#post8179740


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

On your test page, Francois, it's nice that you've pulled the forum rules and the forum search box out of that ad box near the top. I've never even noticed it until I had to really look for it one day. It just blended in with the advertising. I've always thought it should be in the MTBR banner with the Home and Forums links. Thanks for making this forum a great place to hang out when I should be working!


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## Jdub (Jan 12, 2004)

francois said:


> - Ad blockers really harm us.


Curious, do you use a Tivo / DVR at home?


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## Porschefan (Jan 14, 2011)

francois said:


> Info is here. It is as clear as mud so I reposted this. It will be more obvious in the future.
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=8179740#post8179740


Thanks, Francois..... I'll go over it in detail and see if I can work my way to the top .....should be there in about 100 years....

One thing--I don't see any link to feedback "at the bottom" of my account page. Or is that because it's just a new system?


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

girlonbike said:


> On your test page, Francois, it's nice that you've pulled the forum rules and the forum search box out of that ad box near the top. I've never even noticed it until I had to really look for it one day. It just blended in with the advertising. I've always thought it should be in the MTBR banner with the Home and Forums links. Thanks for making this forum a great place to hang out when I should be working!


Good eye. Great suggestion!

Fc


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

ArmySlowRdr said:


> Singletracks is also a fantastic site. With a pretty cool way of recognizing members. Instead of rep one is ranked by contribution. X number of points for ea vid, photo, trail review, product review, GPS log and etc. It's a pretty neat way of handling business.


How many participants do they have?
How many do we have here at MTBR?


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## mtn.skratch (Oct 19, 2008)

francois said:


> Hey, thanks for asking!!
> 
> I'm Francis Cebedo and I started this site in 1996 as a hobby. It grew, I quit my job and I've been doing this gig ever since. The good news is through all the ups and downs, I'm still here and this site still holds true to it's vision. It helps mountain bikers share experiences and buy better products.
> 
> ...


Thanks Francis, stoked to have this site! keep up the good work:thumbsup:


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## dirt farmer (Mar 28, 2005)

mtn.skratch said:


> Thanks Francis, stoked to have this site! keep up the good work:thumbsup:


His name is Francois, not Francis...


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Mine is H Piddy.


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## Metalized (Apr 1, 2009)

SkaredShtles said:


> Sorry. Don't see any.
> 
> AdBlock+ FTMFW!!


Me neither. Firefox with Adblock Plus and NoScript = no ads anywhere.


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## camino4 (Aug 22, 2008)

great site with good ads


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## NorKal (Jan 13, 2005)

Metalized said:


> Me neither. Firefox with Adblock Plus and NoScript = no ads anywhere.


How do you know what to buy?


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## mtn.skratch (Oct 19, 2008)

dirt farmer said:


> His name is Francois, not Francis...


Oh. Sorry. Francois, Thanks.


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## mtn.skratch (Oct 19, 2008)

francois said:


> Hey, thanks for asking!!
> 
> I'm Francis Cebedo and I started this site in 1996 as a hobby.
> 
> dirt farmer, I was confused because Francois addressed himself as "Francis" when he originally explained he started MTBR earlier in this post.


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

dirt farmer said:


> His name is Francois, not Francis...


You are confusing screen name and real name. See the first post again where Francis states his name is Francis.


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

I do this on a site I run, works really well.



thrash said:


> Francios,
> As you redesign, have you considered an optional annual subscription for those who prefer not to be blasted by ads? It would not have to be a large amount, think less than an average magazine subscription. I personally get far more out of this site than I do out of any of the bike magazines out there, and would be very willing to pay a few bucks a year to make the ads go away. See ArsTechnica for an example of this kind of thing, they've been able to code the site so that subscribers don't have ads, but those who choose not to subscribe do see them.
> 
> You might be surprised how many of your chosen demographic would pay $20 or $30 a year to have a site without the ads. Especially considering what we all pay for the bikes and other toys that bring us to this site.
> ...


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## jollybeggar (Feb 2, 2004)

Bottom line MTBR is the best source for MTB info any where. Keep up the good work Francois and team.


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## Hollis (Dec 19, 2003)

does this mean "Stolen Posts" are coming back?
That was always fun


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## nuclear_powered (Apr 18, 2007)

I have started visiting this site using TapaTalk from my Atrix. No ads, no polls, no nothing other than posts & pics. It's the way to go.

I'd pay a subscription though, if one was set up.


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## Diggidy (Jan 1, 2008)

francois said:


> - Our site is old and starting to look old. We upgraded all our software and are now redesigning.


FWIW, I'm really fond of the low-tech look of MTBR. I strongly dislike the way newer forums look, and hope you plan on keeping the lay-out and overall look the same. I'm 22 years old also, so this isn't some old man stuck in his ways saying this.

Also, I'd definitely pay a yearly fee if you offered it. I really don't get much out of the ads here because they aren't bike related a lot of the time, and when they are it's stuff I have no interest in buying or even looking at. For example, the big ad on my screen right now if for a dodge avenger and chamois butter.


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## bamwa (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks, ultralord francis, for a great site. Do you still get chances to ride?


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## halflung (Mar 2, 2010)

*thanks.*



francois said:


> Hey, thanks for asking!!
> 
> I'm Francis Cebedo and I started this site in 1996 as a hobby. It grew, I quit my job and I've been doing this gig ever since. The good news is through all the ups and downs, I'm still here and this site still holds true to it's vision. It helps mountain bikers share experiences and buy better products.
> 
> ...


thanks, love all the info, and making friends.:thumbsup:You know that we all stick together, and this site gives us the chance to talk,, laugh and chat:rant: with each other, plus we find help and other great products. so all in all. THANK YOU.


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## sho220 (Aug 3, 2005)

Diggidy said:


> FWIW, I'm really fond of the low-tech look of MTBR. I strongly dislike the way newer forums look, and hope you plan on keeping the lay-out and overall look the same. I'm 22 years old also, so this isn't some old man stuck in his ways saying this.


I agree...

Disclaimer: I'm an old man stuck in his ways...


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## arcticrobot (Apr 22, 2009)

nitecrwlr said:


> Just curious who owns this site and who is profiting from our posts and ad clicks?


I am profiting from your posts. Of course, I have to filter all the useful info from idle chat, but thank you founders for giving us means of sharing and absorbing priceless information. :thumbsup:


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## EJ_92606 (Jul 11, 2004)

I think its owned by George Soros or Rupert Murdoch and he's making billions off us


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## Minjin (Dec 31, 2006)

If I may make two easy suggestions:

- RBR has a link at the top to MTBR, MTBR does NOT have a link to RBR

- the exact same forum on both boards sometimes have different names (on RBR you have "Hot Deals", on here you have "Where are the best deals?". 

I don't understand why the two don't have a more uniform look. 

Don't switch from vbulletin. I use a whole bunch of forums all around the net and the non vbulletin ones are always crap. Instead, go around and crib some of the tricks that the other guys have implemented in their code. Anandtech has neat automatic picture resizing. Slickdeals allow you to choose "search titles only" right from the search drop down, which is the only way people should be searching 99% of the time. There are plenty more out there.

edit: Oh, and please spend some time on bodybuilding.com to see how NOT to handle the rep system.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

The "cyclocross" forum directs to RBR. :thumbsup:


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## Obi (Oct 16, 2005)

CHUM said:


> damn skippy i'm number 2.....
> 
> love the site FC...keep it up Jefe' :thumbsup:





mrs.obi.one said:


> ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!! Cool, that's Chum, and there's Francois, and there's Berk.Mike, etc-etc..Oh, and you and some of the other crew are on the first page too, you and grrrah are around 62-ish!


All of you guys just made my night, thank you. :thumbsup: That said, somethings wrong with the world when I am in the top 100?  Beer's are on me peeps, just let me know when. I'll pull the rig up with the tailgate loaded at the trail entrance.


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## malathy (May 2, 2012)

You can find the owner of the domain using the WhoisXY.com .


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

malathy said:


> You can find the owner of the domain using the WhoisXY.com .


Or look at the bottom of each page. Or go to the NorCal region forum. 

But nice display of your tech geek-fu......


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

malathy said:


> You can find the owner of the domain using the WhoisXY.com .


Kind of. It depends on how it's registered. If you whois my domain (in my sig) you can determine my registrar but not my name.


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

wrongo



Minjin said:


> If I may make two easy suggestions:
> 
> - RBR has a link at the top to MTBR, MTBR does NOT have a link to RBR
> 
> .....


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

Yes we should all pay and get rid of the stoopid malware infested ads. It's not bad at home because I use adblock but at work mtbr ads create havoc.

I'd gladly pay say 20 bucks a year; I pay that much or more to the local board (bikemojo) just in support of a local organization..I don't even use it that much, just a quick daily or weekly lurk.


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## Flyin_W (Jun 17, 2007)

malathy said:


> You can find the owner of the domain using the WhoisXY.com .


If so, why would you NOT just post the name??

Contributions gratefully accepted, check directives & attitudes at the door.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

Flyin_W said:


> If so, why would you NOT just post the name??
> 
> Contributions gratefully accepted, check directives & attitudes at the door.


Because he is a SPAMmer with no interest in mtbing digging up an old thread (10 months since previous reply).


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