Haven't had a wash lately? You can talk to us dirty...

As long as it's only about how you would secure the future of this great website and forum PicturesOfEngland.com (POE).

After the initial POE financial crisis is over, considerable thought will need to be given as to how the website can be funded for the future. Therefore, your comments, thoughts, suggestions, idea's are invited but please.

I don't want to get into long discussions about any particular suggestion, whether it would work or not, but I promise to look at everything and will investigate further where I can, even though you may never read about it in the forum again.

So, what I would like is a list of things/idea's from the Members to pursue on behalf of POE to secure the future.

Thanks in anticipation

It occurred to me that if I wish to be a member of any social or sports or special interest club or community there is almost always a membership fee involved. 

Any club will always have finances involved, e.g. for the hire of a hall or rooms for the meetings to take place (equivalent to the POE website).  Costs involved in bringing in speakers or experts, to put on exhibitions or shows (our member's photos) or to send out notices or newsletters, and other costs incurred such as being affilliated to other organisations (in this case the internet host).

Some special interest groups will be lucky enough to get sponsorship from a company who supplies equipment e.g. photographic suppliers and perhaps one of the bigger manufacturers could be approached.  How many members use Nikon or Canon or Sony, etc.?  The suppliers/manufacturers could perhaps advertise special offers on the site to a captive photographing audience?

Duel links could be organised perhaps with English Heritage/The National Trust/etc.

(BTW I just googled England's Historical Buildings and the first that came up was POE!)

POE needs to be free to browse - for "guests" to look at the photos and see what the site has to offer, to plan trips and read of England's history and historical buildings, etc.

For those who would like to participate in some way, via the forums, or ask for suggestions of places to visit or comment on photos, perhaps an annual ordinary membership fee could be levied i.e. GBP5.00

And for those who would like to take advantage of all that POE has to offer perhaps a larger annual premier membership fee of perhaps GBP15.00? (As we have now!)

There is quite a lot of space now down the side columns of the forums and perhaps instead of the "titles" i.e. Abbeys, Beauty Spots, Castles, photos could be used - like on the right hand side but lots more of them so the main pages have lots of pictures - well we are "Pictures of England" aren't we? 

Just a few possibilities - willl have to think some more!

I hope that your thread title is not too obscure Ron - wouldn't like anyone to think I had added a note because I haven't washed lately or am inclined to talk diry! ROTFLMHO

Would there be any possibility of a linkage with the Stately Homes and POE.  Many of them have their own websites and may be willing to either advertise on POE or have a tit-for-tat arrangement linking one site to the other? This perhaps could be done on each "Pictures of ...(stately home) ......page? The same could perhaps apply with the National Trust properties? National Parks.

Another possibility might be a link to the Information Offices in the cities towns and villages?

I'm still thinking, lol

Why don' tyou go to sygyzyjob.com and take an look at the advertising they put up recently on both sides of their pages in their threads...to help costs. I think some day that this alone will probably take down the net..if people don't go to other sites like facebook ro twitter eventually.  But this side page advertising, nothing moving..just an listing about the size of an business card it what appears...no need to delete it to see the thread either. Get ahold of Jim Berkland's web master...he might give you better details on it. Various web master's have told me over the years...there is ususally an small group of the same people always making the contributions...while most come in.... and  go out constantly. Just my thoughts on it all.

I confess, the subject line of this thread kept me away until today, and then I only opened it up out of curisoity. 

Maybe Cathyml is right, change it to something not quite so obscure.  

I put the thread up just a few hours ago Sue and you have just confirmed my purpose for doing it exactly. That is, people will look at it to see what it's all about.

The purpose was to draw attention to it, to allow your curiosity to get the better of you, and for you to then consider the following request for potential idea's to secure the future of POE:

Anyway, thats enough for me on this one and thanks for the idea's thus far, keep them coming please because 12,000 heads are better than one!

Get that Sue?......see our beloved POE has got more than 12,000 members now! lol

Hi Ron:

Every now and again, I listen to BBC radio online and so much of their afternoon and evening programming is audience participation.  People call in and send emails and facebook messages and tweets.  The presenters read a lot of these messages on the air.  Perhaps you who live there could give a listen and send a message to the presenters, just to tell them that if their listeners want to see the BEST site for images of your fair land that they should check out POE.