What makes a good pub website?

[Conrad]

Hi Filo,

Not sure what you are asking re advertising. So I will give a broad answer and hopefully get what you are after.

In terms of paid advertising, at the moment we are using Google Ads alone on the main site. We may I guess add them to the forums at some point, but we have to be careful to not alienate people, so the forums would have to be a lot more lively to tempt us into that. The only other form of advertising I think that is likely to tempt us is sensible banners, so Guinness if you are reading this, a nice £1,000,000 banner ad campaign would be welcomed!

In terms of promotion (what I will call uncharged advertising here). As long as you can find a link to pubs then we are realitively relaxed about posting it on the forums. I would say that how relaxed we are is proportional to how visibly you contribute non promotional material to the site, and you have long been a valued contributor to the site so we are very relaxed about you promoting your projects on the forum, preferably with a pub slant . I should say this isn't really that altruistic either as any life in the forums is good for the site as has been pointed out a few times.

Long term I am sure this will all evolve and in a lot of ways the community that grows here will dictate that evolution, but it is my hope that it will stick vaguely to the guidelines above.

Conrad

ps. Dave may be along to correct me in a minute as normally I would get him to check this sort of post before I clicked submit.

[Filo]

Hi Conrad,

I'll sort something out on "Your Favourites" Tomorrow when its less busy here at work.

What I was thinking of was, that all of the sites I have created so far have your logo on it, with a direct link to the appropriate page on your site, for example have alook at:

www.scarborough.manymore.net

note the links at the top of the page which link to the location sites, each of which has a link to your site. there are many more location webpages to come yet and each one will have a link to PG. If you had a tiny option for pubs to contact me with a view to getting a website created for free then each one taken up would mean a new advert & link to Pubs galore.

As for the radio it would mean that any acceptance of adverts would also say how to find the info on Pubs galore eg "....and for more information about The Slaughtered Lamb go to www.pubsgalore.com".

Good Plan eh?

Regards,

Filo

[Conrad]

Hi Filo,

The idea is a sound one, sadly it ties in to part of how we are hoping to open up some revenue on the core site in the future (and I know that is vague, but we are some way off being able to do all we want to on that one, PM me if you want more detail).

Within that we are happy for you to promote in the forums, we do view them as far more relaxed than the core site. And we are never planning to charge to add links to the pub pages as we want to remain as authoritative as possible a source on pubs.

Sorry to be overall negative , I hate not helping out our members as much as possible,

Conrad

[Farway]

My two penn'orth fwiw

I used to contribute to BITE, in fact you will find some identical pictures of mine on PG

However, when BITE introduced pop up ads that nagged away I stopped as it became just annoying

If you do have ads, please please just leave them as text or banners, no flash, pop ups, movies etc

And now I will have to start reading the forums more, it was a bit like wandering in the Sahara, thanks Historian, who I assume has just gone on hols to Devon given new pub postings en route

[Soup Dragon]

Hi Farway

Welcome to the forums

I agree about those pop up ads, as well

Yes, Squire, was it that obvious i have just been away? - got about 10 or so left - Lyme Regis being one area - great time and hope they are useful, even if you may not agree with all thats said.

[Conrad]

Hi Farway,

We do sadly plan on showing more ads as the site does need revenue. The trick is not to cross the line though, we have no plans to run pop-ups (or micro-sites as I discovered they are trying to rebrand to), interstitials (where you can't continue on till you have read the ad), or oversized ads. So at the moment we have the skyscraper on the right, and it would be very easy to slot a banner in at the top. Currently not averse to running Flash ads in a space that size or anything glitsy, but I would say it would have to be in context, so I am not keen to run campaigns for computer games, but happy enough to show a alcohol related ad.

Hope that is not too disheartening,

Conrad

[Dave M]

thanks Historian, who I assume has just gone on hols to Devon given new pub postings en route

It made me smile that we managed to sort out the Branscombe / Masons Arms confusion just before Paul (Historian) got there. He does seem to enjoy pointing out the cock ups on the site!

After being reminded of the place for the second time in a couple of weeks it got me thinking as to how I knew of the place despite never having been there. The lead singer of The Strawbs (who played at this years Great British Beer Festival) wrote the song 'A Glimpse of Heaven' which he often points out was about Branscombe, where he lived for a while - maybe he was referring to the pubs!

[Farway]

It made me smile that we managed to sort out the Branscombe / Masons Arms confusion just before Paul (Historian) got there. He does seem to enjoy pointing out the cock ups on the site!

After being reminded of the place for the second time in a couple of weeks it got me thinking as to how I knew of the place despite never having been there. The lead singer of The Strawbs (who played at this years Great British Beer Festival) wrote the song 'A Glimpse of Heaven' which he often points out was about Branscombe, where he lived for a while - maybe he was referring to the pubs!

I suspect the Branscombe knowledge may have come from the recent [2008?] wreck off the coast & pictures of folk breaking open containers & wheeling BMW bikes etc away

For those who know the area taking salvage from the beach to civilisation is no mean task, single track road for miles, and that is before you even reach Branscombe Village, home of the Masons Arms

PS for Historian -Your review ref Masons Arms and comment on picture ref pub on left behind trees, it on the right behind the trees, you can just about make out the sign, and I can tell the Fountain is even more quaint, old uneven flagstone floor, probably original

[Dave M]

I suspect the Branscombe knowledge may have come from the recent [2008?] wreck off the coast & pictures of folk breaking open containers & wheeling BMW bikes etc away

Ah yes of course, that was headline news for several days, can't believe I'd forgotten where it happened. If someone had just asked me where that happened I would've guessed at somewhere along the Dorset coast between Weymouth & Swanage.

[Soup Dragon]

I suspect the Branscombe knowledge may have come from the recent [2008?] wreck off the coast & pictures of folk breaking open containers & wheeling BMW bikes etc away

For those who know the area taking salvage from the beach to civilisation is no mean task, single track road for miles, and that is before you even reach Branscombe Village, home of the Masons Arms

PS for Historian -Your review ref Masons Arms and comment on picture ref pub on left behind trees, it on the right behind the trees, you can just about make out the sign, and I can tell the Fountain is even more quaint, old uneven flagstone floor, probably original

Yes, mate - there are no trees on the left - but when i visited, i came from the other direction

Think i will get away with that?