How much is this site worth? Blog Discussion

Former_MSE_Andrea

This is a Chat Forum discussion on Martin's 'How much is this site worth?' blog that you can read here.

SimplyAUser

The original post that has been mentioned in this blog

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=107273

System

I agree, this site is priceless. Its worth every penny that i may or may not have to pay for it.

PINGA14

I would pay a fee to keep the site up and running. We all save enough money to pay something back.

rchddap1

In my opinion there are problems with both option i and ii.

i) It might put people off signing up for the email in the first place. The free nature of the email encourages people to sign up for it, and hopefully get hooked on the site (like the rest of us).

ii) One of the good things about this site is that you don't get bombarded by advertising. All the deals mentioned both in the forums and elsewhere are there because a real person had spotted it. The fact that there is no advertising emphasises this point.

My comments probably won't help you in the slightest, but there they are for what they're worth.

safari_2

Good post. I'm pleased the site is successful and that you've found a way to cover your costs, give a big wedge to charity and not compromise the objectivity of the advice.

If you were facing a shortfall, there are a few things that might not be too obtrusive. If moneysavers were to pledge to make up any shortfall, you could give say £20k rather than £30k to charity. You could also ask for some sponsorship for the IT side - if it said "Powered by Oracle/IBM/Intel" etc at the top of the site it would be unlikely to conflict with your recommendations.

If you had to accept advertising, you could probably do a version of Google keywords without compromising the independence of the site.

Finally, if times got really tough (or you got really greedy ) you could charge a subscription for the email but make sure people got it 48 hours before it was posted on the site. I think it would be worth a tenner a year to get a sneaky peak at that week's bargains.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Martin, really interesting to read your perception of moneysavingexpert is a website. Yes it is, but what you've also developed is a community, whose inhabitants both get and give. Looking at finances from that point of view would make any charge for a newsletter an internet poll tax - remember how popular that was!
As moneysavingexpert becomes even more popular and well known perhaps other organisations will want to hang on to your coat tails and share your glory, so selling space to advertisers might not be too difficult and provide a good income stream. I imagine most users wouldn't be that bothered about adverts on the site, most of us don't read 'em anyway and most have developed advert blindness given how prolific they are these days.

Pennywise

I wouldn't like to see either advertising nor any fees. The whole ethos of the site is "not profit driven" and all other avenues should be investigated first. I think advertising or fees would probably kill the site. MSE has done remarkably well and shows how a business (which is what it is after all) can thrive without ripping-off its customers.

But, at the end of the day, it is a business, and sooner or later, commercial implications will have an impact. With absolutely no disrepect intended to Martin, could he really say no if someone offered him a very large sum of money to sell the site? Everyone has their price it is said!

There are other options. How about turning the site into a registered charity - Martin and the team could still be paid for their valuable input and for running the site, but there'd be savings in overheads and taxes.

Alternatively, how about issuing shares to users? If you placed a limit of say one share per person, the ownership of the site could be spread around thousands of people. Users who could afford a share could buy one, but those who have financial problems could still use the site free of advertising and fees. As the popularity of the site continued to increase, there would always be a steady stream of new users who would buy shares, so creating a new "income" stream. That would truly lead to "people power" and as long as there were rules preventing anyone owning more than one share, there should never be problems over takeovers etc as no one person would have enough "clout" to influence the site. Again, Martin and the team could be paid a market rate for their services. This is the way that many "member's clubs" are run - an excellent way to draw in funds, but with no profit motive.

MSE_Martin

I think i do really need to clarify the fact that - the sites finances are hunky dorey, there is absolutely no current prospect of change, and im very happy with the way things are. The blog is purely my musings on the back of a discussion i read in chat

gentlepurr

This site is worth its weight in gold. Mind you, whats the actual wieght of anything virtual? Perhaps then it should be worth its wieght as a paper mountain if the net had never been invented!
Thanks alot martin, only borrowed your book from the library a week ago - read it in a day, and been hooked on this site since!

5limJim

MSE_Martin wrote:

I think i do really need to clarify the fact that - the sites finances are hunky dorey, there is absolutely no current prospect of change, and im very happy with the way things are. The blog is purely my musings on the back of a discussion i read in chat

whilst Martin clarifies that the site is in a 'hunky dorey' financial condition (lucky site!!) am pretty sure that if ever a time came where MSE.com was struggling for pennies, there'd be an internet version of the final scene in 'Its A Wonderful Life' which I've probably just spoiled for some folk (but then again saved them money having to purchase the DVD of the film)