Hello, on 02/17/2010 02:42 AM Nathan Rixham said the following: >> People need to have motivation to do what they do. Authors only submit >> their packages to PHPClasses site if they gain something from it. What >> the site provides them is attention. > > I know - I'm an author ;) [or was, well still am, can't delete profile > so left some files up their for anybody who may find them useful] - and > as for attention, the last class I put on phpclasses was getting 5 > downloads a week, and 1k+ a week on sourceforge. Rest assured that the download numbers of PHPClasses are accurate. Unlike sites that do not provide the option to the authors to require user authentication, the PHPClasses site does not account downloads from Web robots because robots usually do not log in sites. How many robots downloaded your work from Sourceforge? Can you know how many real users have downloaded your work at least once? >> As I explained in another reply, if an author leaves the login >> requirement enabled, the site can keep track of the users that >> downloaded the packages. That can be used for sending alerts when a new >> version of the package is released, or a new blog about the package is >> posted. >> >> The site can also build download charts that lets authors see their >> progress in user interest and motivate them to continue to submit more >> packages or update existing ones. >> >> In the end everybody wins. > > and it can do all this with the user being in control and choosing to > give that info.. as implemented on millions of other sites.. Does Sourceforge send e-mail alerts to all users that have downloaded your package when a new version is published? Can you have a blog in Sourceforge for each of your packages and when you post a new article in a package blog all users that downloaded the package before be notified to come and read the blog? >> This site is not really interested in your personal information. The >> reason this site does not remove accounts is because it is used to >> prevent several types of fraud. I am just not going to enter in much >> detail here in public on what happens to not give ideas to cheaters that >> may be reading this. I hope you understand. > > as stated, you could just remove the public pages of said user and keep > the username + email taken; quite easily Yes, I can disable your account permanently. If you want that just let me know privately your access name. >>> I do hope it all goes well for you and the community, and that the right >>> choices are made - when in doublt just look at the big guys like >>> sourceforge, github etc and see how they do it - the better your service >>> and easier it is for users, the more chance you get of full donated >>> hosting and investments - I guess a good measure will be when you have >>> several of the big PHP projects / libraries on there. >> Well, those sites are not exactly for the same purpose. They are for >> hosting the actual project development. The PHPClasses site is more for >> distribution. Each type of site needs to find a business model that >> adequates to the type of activity that goes one in the site. >> > > if you made the site more accessible; didn't lock in users, took off the I think you are missing the point. As an author, you are the one that can remove the login requirement from your package files. > registration, cut down the ads (not remove), improved the templates, I suppose you have missed that there was a design contest to let users submit new site templates and have the users vote on which they prefer. > promoted the developers by giving their details free and showing off Do you work for free all the time? No? So why do you want the PHPClasses site to provide free advertising to all PHP developers, when they can make good money from the advertising they get? > their fine work; hell why not even integrate with these fine project > hosting sites (that'll cut the bandwidth..) then maybe - just maybe I am not sure what you mean, but being able to synchronize projects from CVS/SVN/Git repositories is something that is on my to do list for a while. > traffic would rise; people would enjoy the site more; use it more and in > turn the money maker which is the job ad's would get more exposure and > boost revenue for you. That is a wild guess. I do not see any PHP specific site doing what you are suggesting and boosting their revenue. > you've got everything there to make a great community which would in > turn fund you and be a fine business - there are other ways to do > things. I know it's been 8 years but you can always change / tweak. > > ultimately though, it is a business the focus has to be on making sure > the money comes in & that has to be priority #1 (?) Of course. The reality is that it is impossible to please everybody. I have chosen many years ago to please the authors because I am one of them and if the authors do not have motivation to contribute, there is no reason for rest of the users to come to the site. If the users do not come, there is not much of a business. So it all boils down to provide the authors things that they do not get elsewhere because in other places things work differently. It is sort of making the "competition" irrelevant. That is a well known business strategy called Blue Ocean. I reviewed a book about that some time ago. If you are interested, you may read it here: http://www.phpclasses.org/reviews/id/1591396190.html -- Regards, Manuel Lemos Find and post PHP jobs http://www.phpclasses.org/jobs/ PHP Classes - Free ready to use OOP components written in PHP http://www.phpclasses.org/ -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
