Support chronicles!

[I, Brian]

I'm running a little experiment to try and help chronicles, by setting up a couple of affiliated stores with Amazon on chronicles - one for UK, and for USA.

The money from this will be pennies - I'd need sales through Amazon of £7500/month just to pay for the server!

More important, what it does is give a taster for promoting books via chronicles - if I find people do use the links, I can look at setting up something a bit more advanced to help promote and support authors on the chronicles network.

So, in the meantime, if you were planning to do any kind of Christmas shopping at chronicles, feel free to use the links at the left.

NOTE: I'm only setting up the store image links on the main forum style - people using the "All Posters" style won't see any ads for the Amazon store at all, if that's your preference.

ADDED: I'm also about to publish another graphic, as I've done a deal with a small electronics retailer for US members.

[scalem X]

I think the idea in general is great, but the problem seems to be that we now have text that starts somewhere near the middle of one's screen and well it's mm a little inconvenient. That's all posters for me then. Is there no way to sneak this in on the bottom or on top? or maybe both sides so that the forum messages stay in the middle?

I'm not complaining It's my poor neck .

[Marky Lazer]

Well, I'm all in favor of the idea, but in my opinion it's a wee bit wide.

[I, Brian]

I'm still playing around with options - at present the store ads are on the left, but I could always move them either to the right, or even under the top navigation as suggested.

[Marky Lazer]

I was thinking to make it longer. So not two books next to each other, but just one book. I don't know, I'm not the web-savvy dude...

[I, Brian]

ADDED: Okay, now moved to the right.

Still too squashed?

[pyan]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

NOTE: I'm only setting up the store image links on the main forum style - people using the "All Posters" style won't see any ads for the Amazon store at all, if that's your preference.

I'm on "all posters", and whereas there are no Amazon ads on the indices, they show at the "posts" level. I suppose it's a necessary evil - if it helps pay the costs of the site, it can't be all bad.

[j. d. worthington]

Definitely prefer them on the right. When they were on the left, sometimes it'd shave off words or parts of words from a post, but it doesn't seem to cause any problem with the poster's info when on the right.

[I, Brian]

By the way - everyone feel free to give your input.

For example:

Are the stores even something members would use?
Would you buy books from authors on chronicles from them?
Do they take too much from the chronicles experience?

Simply an option to explore.

[pyan]

Hah! I've just noticed that the "Ads by Google" links match the thread subjects! Is my brain totally addled, or have they always done this?

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

Are the stores even something members would use?
Would you buy books from authors on chronicles from them?
Do they take too much from the chronicles experience?

While I don't personally care for ads, the option given above takes care of that problem. And, as moving it to the right has taken care of the other beef, I think it may be a good idea.

As for members using the stores ... I think so. There's certainly interest in Teresa's and Mark's books, and having this up will enable people to find them more easily, and a lot of people on here, from what I've seen, use Amazon for their book buying, so I think it's a good choice. And, while I think the space is a bit much, that may simply be because it's a different look -- it's a bit crowded, but not that bad, and it may just be a period of adjustment.

So I think I'd come down in favor of keeping it, overall.

[Joel007]

Originally Posted by pyanfaruk

Hah! I've just noticed that the "Ads by Google" links match the thread subjects! Is my brain totally addled, or have they always done this?

That's the whole point of google ads

they scan the page and put the relevent ads there. Companies pay just to have their products added to google's list of links.

Yay Mark's book is the 1st one advertised!

[SpaceShip]

I'd prefer it across the top - cos theres a great white strip going right down the page once the ads have finished - waste of space!

[nixie]

Ok now I'll end up speding even more money on Amazon

[Rosemary]

I think it is a good idea Brian, although I am afraid I won't be able to make use of it...