DSXchange

thoughts:

1) it certainly weren't hurt to have a donation jar (Paypal, or similar) regardless of the final decision, hopefuly those that use the forum frequently wouldn't mind donating a little, especially those that have found their next position via the site.

2) My guess is it would be hard to get enough from advertisers to cover all costs, but again it wouldn't hurt for some small charges here.

3) While the DSXchange is the best place to find talent since it has the largest pool of talent to be found (by far), I have a gut feeling recruiters and companies not deeply familiar with the site would just stick with the big job websites, but again its a feel thing, if they'd be willing to pay to find talent and talent would be willing to pay a fee for placement then go for it.

4) The merger with ASCL and ADN depends on what ASCL would offer. Also it is important to note there can be more cooperation and coordination without a complete merger or selling of the site


In the end I think a mix of all the ideas may work..they more of the choices that are implemented the less the charge would be to each group and the more likely the charge would drive anyone away or change the success of the forum.

I have no experience with "business and raising money" on the web.
However, it seems to me that Ascential has a lot to gain from the existence and continued operation of this forum. The more readily information and assistance is available, the more likely it is that professionals will continue to use and promote the Ascential tool set. Having ready and free (or VERY low-cost) access to a resource such as this (including the most valuable asset, the people who collaborate here) goes a VERY long way towards making it sensible, effective and easy to decide upon selecting, using and promoting Ascential software tools and methodologies. In spite of my lack of long-term expertise, I can comfortably use, and confidently promote, DataStage mainly because I know that if I don't already 'know it', I can find out about it quickly with the most-appreciated assistance of this online community's membership.
Whichever way you choose to go, I do hope it will not detract from the accessibility by all to this most valuable resource.
Best of luck to all.... and, hey, "Happy New Year too!"

Last thing I want to see is merger with ADN. These two distinct places work differently.

I'd say get some pop-up advertisement and make users to be able to chose between normal and premium services. If the user doesn't sign up, bomb them with pop up, if the user is willing to pay, then eliminate pop ups.

One of my favorite sites http://www.airliners.net is working this way .

I would be very wary of anything (such as funding from Ascential) that would constrain the independence of DSX.

Sure, sell them advertising space, but never control over content.

Sponsored links, like those at Google, might raise some funds too, maybe
from headhunters and the like.

The donations box is a good one, but does anyone have any stories about whether these are effective or not? Right now, in the wake of the Asian tsunami, the donation dollar is being stretched as never before.

It would be really funny if Google had an AdSense agreement with Informatica and their software picked "ETL" out of the site content to place an ad by them

These guys put out a CD of the best their site has to offer, which you can buy on line.

Good idea, "the best of dsxchange", released and updated annually or even as a paid subscription. There are so many posts on this site that people are bound to miss some good ones. Of course editing it is a pain.

I like advertising links. I would like to see banner ads for Ascential related products such as training, conferences, books or novelty condoms. I think this site would be more interesting with ads!

Recruiters would be interested in this site from the point of view that it reaches a lot of people who aren't looking for a job and don't go visiting job sites. There is also a need to connect DataStage experts to those who need them such as companies starting on a new project, without either party having to announce it to the entire forum. The Talent / Looking for Talent forums are a bit intimidating for some, members need a more discrete talent service. Members of the forum willing to pay an annual subscription can register themselves or their company as available for hire with Ascential products and make their profile known to companies looking for consultants. Companies who pay the fee can access the list.

I can not see how one solution can be THE solution.

People want to donate. Give them a nice tag "A nice person..." tag or something like that.

Companies want to advertise? Let them.

Ascential want to help and fund some portion of the site? Let them. Heck, it would be great if you get some referral bonuses. "I heard about QualityStage on DSX..." Bam! 5% of the licensing fee to DSX.

There's a lot of options out there. Don't limit yourself to one.

I don't have a problem with Ascential funding DSX. But I do have a major problem with them assuming that this would buy editorial or any other form of control.

Dan Marshall said that the site's most valuable asset is the people who collaborate here. This is definitlely true. The ability of the community to help you resolve your problem in a few hours is certainly the best asset. I guess that's also what makes it hard to sell/ rent/ charge for/ etc... this forum... and it leads me to Ray's point that Ascential funding may be fine, but Ascential ownership/control would risk ruining a good thing.

I also agree with Vincent in that seeing some relevant banner ads might actually be more of a nice thing than an annoyance, espcecially if the ads remain relevant to ASCL products and general best practices.

Finally, its looks like T42 also agrees with me on the fact there is no reason to try just one method. Whatever mix feels right probably is right and hopefully funding changes won't affect the success of the forum any

IMHO,
No matter how I try to look at it Ascential (mainly) and Partners/Sponsors are still the main benefitiaries from the existance of this place.
I think that letting this place remain a free spirit is also in their best interest.
Also havving some adds to make this a better place is a small price to pay (who knows it might be even to our advantage if they are relevant to our work).

This post really made me wonder how high are the costs?
I do realize the value of this site's existance which is why I try to contribute as much as I can.

An idea.

How about approaching Ascential for a deal where they top up a discounted rate for certified practitioners to access premium services?

They could use discounted access to DSXChange as another incentive to get certified.

Another idea.

Can DSXChange be a site through which the certification exam could be taken? The fee structure would, of course, need to be worked out.

Interesting that while we are talking about premium services for developers Michael Curry from Ascential has a new blog with a link to a java blog titled "Developers Don't Buy Things, They Join Things".

http://blogs.ascential.com/soa/
http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/jonath ... buy_things

The three things developers on this forum keep asking for that they might spend money on is certification (as noted by Ray), DataStage books and sample software (via some type of subscription).

I agree with the statement about Ascential having an interest in seeing this site continue as it reduces the amount of support they have to provide. I also understand that we would not want them to have any control over the site. If it is known that Ascential "sponsored" the site I am sure they would also want to let it be known they are not responsible for the content for legal reasons.
One person asked what costs need to be covered. Is the cost for hardware, software, site hosting, or what? Is it reasonable to expect sponsorships to cover the costs?
As a user of this site I gain assistance with resolving errors or answering general questions. If the site does not exist I would have to use Ascential support.
I am sure others are getting development help to find out how to do a certain task. This is where Ascential and other vendors may be interested in trying to sell services.
Maybe there should be a section available for only those who pay for programming examples, howtos, etc. and a free section for debugging and general questions.
Please understand these ideas are brainstorming and maybe not completely thought out. Only thoughts to be considered. My company is not responsible for any of my thoughts. :D