Reprinted from the TV_Vote Google Group:
On Jul 23, 8:23 am, judist63 <cjmass...@comcast.net> wrote:> "See just how popular this site is! It will be a shame to close it down."
The growing popularity of TV_Vote is great. In fact, I just checked and we received more weekly visits than ever before from July 13-19, with 56,963 visits. The previous record was March 25-31 with 47,411.
Although the site has always been kind of an fan arts project, time and money have intruded on the TV_Vote universe. Big Bads are lurking...
The main reason that TV_Vote is closing is that I just can't keep up with the work load anymore. What used to be an hour a day now stretches into as much as three hours daily, and I just can't justify the time.
I also made a grevious error trying to switch the site to its own URL (web address) last January with a different provider and paid a year in advance. The provider (Network Solutions) fumbled our live transition to the new site and no one from Europe could get in to vote so I gave up after one week and we went back to the current site (never should have left!) The advance payment was already made, so I was stuck with a pre-paid site I didn't need for a year.
I should point out that I had decided to end the poll one year after the move.
We had Google AdSense ads running here and although we averaged less than $.33 a day from that I could have made up the loss eventually but Google AdSense decided to drop us on June 4, 2008 because (they said) they didn't believe our growing hits fit into their Terms and Conditions (too many repeat hits from the same IPs) They said that wasn't fair to their advertisers and they kept the money we'd made in the previous eight months. I assumed one of their advertisers complained. We had AdSense ads from CBS and Fox and Hillary Clinton, but I doubt any of them blamed us for anything.
One of Google's AdSense advertisers, however, was Hey Nielsen, who I thought of as newbie competition until I finally went in and looked at their site carefully last week.
Turns out I was wrong about Hey Nielsen (Sorry, Jstn!). They are, in fact, owned by the same Nielsen Company that rates TV shows for the television industry (and, therefore, are at least somewhat responsible for getting your favorite shows cancelled.)
Interesting coincidence that Google cancelled our AdSense contract, which featured ads from TV's #1 Big Bad? Or dire plot?
Anyway, I do, as always, thank everybody for making the site a popular success. I used to say that there are always other polls and plug Hey Nielsen as a possible successor, but from what I've seen of that site it appears to be just a bogus front to ward off criticism of the Nielsen Company's inept TV rating methods.
So beware the Powers That Be, future independent pollsters. The Truth Is Out There, but Trust No One!
:o)>FLAtRich
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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2 comments:
Right there with you, Rich. I "inherited" my Tallymister mantle from
another Browncoat, a few weeks before Firefly passed Xena, last year.
Stats took a few minutes to cook and post on one board. Over time,
I've gradually expanded my self-imposed responsibilities beyond
Firefly and that one board to eight shows (Firefly, Battlestar
Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Babylon 5, Dark Shadows,
Blood Ties, and Moonlight, plus a couple more I track, unofficially),
and over a dozen boards. It now takes me from about 8:30am ET (or
whenever the stats post) to about 11am to run my templates and post
them all. I do it out of love for the shows, and also out of love and
respect for my fellow TV Voters. They cast the votes that spell the
success of our shows, and if I can inform and motivate them, I'll do
my level best, every single day.
There are folks out there who just don't "get it," but those of us who
do get it understand the meaning of Fan Power! Aside from bragging
rights, there is the shared fun, the camraderie, and crossing the
boundaries of fandoms to share with folks who love different shows
what you love about your own.
But, yeah, it's not like it's a paying job, and though I'll miss the
fun, it'll be nice to put it to bed.
Yours in the cause,
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
Thank you for hosting this, though - it was fun to vote and follow the results. Nice to see some old classic shows do so well.
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