MACNA & RAG
The MACNA thread now becomes interesting! I trust all future communication between RAG and MACNA will be friendly, polite, and productive.
Moderators attention:
I am the only one that will close or prune this thread.
I have enlisted MDP the RAG business advisor to deal with RAG's participation with MACNA.
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Originally Posted by Steven Pro
I think it would be best to have a reality check at this point. RAG is not the third largest message board:
Board Members Threads Posts
ReefCentral 142,885 980,341 8,719,274
reefs.org 32,971 ? 1,132,238
Saltwaterfish 31,118 234,740 1,813,512
TheReefTank 18,311 87,903 928,753
ReefFrontiers 15,172 20,590 233,426
AquariumAdvice 12,691 ? 754,618
Reefland 9,097 18,827 139,011
RAG 8,721 42,676 364,192
Of the boards I am aware of, it is 8th in terms of membership, 4th in threads, and 6th in total posts.
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Nice how he twists what I said. This is what I really wrote:
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Originally Posted by Patrick
This has always worked well in the past having Reefs.org, Reefcentral.com, and ReefAquariumGuide.com getting this deal . . . been here since the internet revolution and have an EXTENSIVE userbase and database and 99.9% of the people visit these three. Additionally most of the other boards have started as an offshoot of these boards.
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Now even though, RAG had a lot more users before I took over. I deleted all the inactive members from the userbase with ZERO posts. That took care of 50% of the members at that time. Then figure another 2/3rds were culled for having inactive email addresses. So lets do the math with REEF CENTRAL then and get some real numbers for comparison. So that means that RC actually has 47,000 active members in the last year. Compared to RAG's almost 9000, now doesn't that put it in perspective.
RAG has led the industry once again by culling inactive members. The other boards will tell you they do not cull inactive members as it makes them look bigger thus able to charge more for sponsors. Score one for RAG for honesty.
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Originally Posted by Steven Pro
But, as I said previously, I don't want to have to try to assign a value to any message board. I much prefer to use the values that the administrators of said boards have determined. Additionally, in every instance, I used numbers that are in your favor in determining the dollar for dollar swap (9 months versus 8 1/2 months of actual advertising and $75/month versus the discount rate). I do this so as to help everyone as a courtesy and to get the greatest number of participants. I would like to see everyone involved in the largest marine aquarium related event in the US.
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Doesn't want to try and assign value? Wow, looks like that is what he is trying to do to me! The largest marine related event in the US? Shall we look at the history of Boston, the fiasco at D.C. the quality of Louisville, or what went on last year? I will let you do a search and find out the details to this, no need for me to rehash them here!
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Originally Posted by Steven Pro
But the larger issue is that this series of communications is precisely why we came up with the policy that we have Everyone is treated the same. Now I understand that you will man your booth at all times and do things like the popcorn machine. To that end, there is some wiggle room. I can make sure you get a premium space in appreciation of what you do in comparison to other message boards.
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Twists what I say again! Wow! This is what I really said!
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Originally Posted by Patrick
As for the market share, there is a reason I do not have many sponsors nor charge even close to what RDO and RC do. Basically, I do not do this to make money, if the server fees are paid, I am happy. Plus, there is no way in HECK that I want to deal with all these vendors whining about each other etc etc.
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I never said we would man our booth at all times!
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Originally Posted by Patrick
I usually have one other person there besides myself and we spend 99% of the time in the booth and not attending speakers. The quality of speakers are not sufficiently advanced enough to warrant me taking the time to attend them.
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Originally Posted by Steven Pro
I believe I have layed out our policy as clearly and politely as possible. Whether or not RAG plays a part in MACNA is entirely up to you. I hope you will consider being part of the show, but in the event that you chose not to, I miss you my sincere best.
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Really Steven, we only asked for what we have received in the past. We have been doing this for years and now we are not even given the basics that we have received in years past. Steven, your in the tank maintainence business, this is equivalent to you paying someone to take care of their tank, while doing whatever you can to make sure they get a raise at work.
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Originally Posted by Patrick
If MACNA cannot come close to these simple accomodations in relation to the things we do for these shows, then quite simply we will not promote the show.
Honestly, all the advertising for these shows are internet based. That is a given. This is an internet show, very little advertising except for flyers put up by the local club at the local fish store is done except for the internet.
I am not asking for 30 registrations with banquet like the other board, where these 30 people sit in the bar and drink between speakers and just use and abuse the show. We actually man the booth, and serve out TERRABYTES of webcams during the show. The last webcams were larger than the previous even considering that RC removed every thread about them on their boards during the show.
Why should I groom my members to go to these shows, promote these shows, use my bandwidth and my business just to turn around and spend thousands of dollars more just to attend a show that has attendees that are already on my board? Wouldn't I be better off spending that money on more SEO(search engine optimization) and an ad in magazines like we are running now than to come and talk to my members at a show whom I can already communicate with here on my board?
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So basically, he wants to advertise on RAG for FREE, have RAG convince all our members to go to MACNA, to pay to go to MACNA, and on top of that pay them for the priveledge of giving them FREE advertising! I think not!
On our sponsors rate pages here is a quote that is very poignant!
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RAG and ASAP4U are professionally managed and administrated sites. Administrated by a business professional with the credentials, education, and qualifications needed to be viable in the e-commerce world.
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