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| dogtree - 4:57 PM on Dec. 12, 2009 |
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Hi dog lovers,
I want to wish all of you a merry Christmas, and also to say a huge thank you for all your support this year.
Since its launch in February, the site has grown into a wonderful, thriving online community, with almost 4,000 members. The site is growing at a rate I could have never imagined - and it's all happening because of you, our members.
Because we don't advertise, any publicity is generated either through the media, and I will come to that later, or by you - through word of mouth - also referred to as viral marketing.
Most of you know why I started the site, but for those of you who don't, it was because I saw a need for a service linking up dog owners. So many people were crying out for help with their dogs, but didn't know where to turn. Doggy daycare and boarding kennels are so expensive, but sometimes we just need a bit of help looking after our beloved pets.
dogtree fills this gap.
Many of you have arranged play dates for your dogs while you work, and others are dog sitting for each other during the holiday season. And the best bit? It's all free! I really believe in the idea of helping each other out in times of need. Finding someone isn't always easy, but now we have dogtree.
The site also appears to have transcended beyond its original purpose. Many of you are hooking up for walks on the beach, have started groups and are making friends through your dog. Others simply logon to chat to other members or post snapshots of their furry friends. We have a great group running at the moment for you to post your Christmas photos.
You might be interested to know some stats about how you use the site. Each day, between 5 and 25 new members sign up, which is a superb growth rate for a small, not-for-profit site. That number rises sharply when we appear in newspapers or on TV.
In the case of Talk to the Animals, we had hundreds of new members join, and the site even crashed for a while because of the surge. That problem has since been fixed! Other boosts occurred with stories in The Age and Herald Sun, as well as smaller community papers like the Inner West Courier.
About 400 of you login on a daily basis, while others pop back once every few weeks to read their messages or just check out what's going on and to see who else has joined.
On average, you spend 10 minutes on the site, producing 3,000 page impressions a day, or 100,000 page impressions a month!
The success of the site is also largely dependent on two more aspects which I want to talk about briefly.
The first is that dogtree is free to join. That means you, the user, does not have to pay to sign up or to use the site. And I want to make this promise - as long as I am running the show, I will never make the user pay. It will continue to be a free website for everyone.
You may be wondering how I set up the site in the first place, and how I keep it running when it doesn't make a profit. Well, unfortunately the site does cost quite a lot of money to run. It's all the usual business stuff, like web hosting, technical support, insurance, lawyers fees, stationary, graphic designers etc etc.
You also may be wondering why I don't accept advertising on the site to generate some cash. The answer to that question is because I don't have the resources. The administration alone is almost equivalent to a full-time job, without co-ordinating and sealing deals with advertisers. But I am working towards this, so hopefully in the not-too-distant future, the site will become viable for me to continue operating.
Which brings me to my second point. I want to thank a wonderful organisation known as PIAS (Pet Information and Advisory Service), which has generously sponsored the site and helped kept us going this long.
And very, very briefly, I must make mention of our policy prohibiting posts or information in relation to breeding, rehoming, adopting or selling of animals. This is essential for the continued success of dogtree. We want to remain an ethical, socially responsible site, which does not perpetuate the problem of unwanted dogs, or promote backyard breeding. Thank you for your support on this.
So hopefully that gives you a better idea of how the site works and where we are at after almost one year.
For me, dogtree is a work in progress. Who knows where it will be in two years time, I just hope that it continues to be a great, useful tool for dog owners, and that more people continue to join. If any of you can help us do that by spreading the word, that would be fantastic.
And remember, we have posters and business cards that we are happy to send out if you wish to promote the site in your area.
Over the next year, I will continue to bring you a user-friendly, free site, and, if we can secure more funding, the site will be better than ever. I have many ideas about installing new applications and improving the overall usability of the site. I really hope this will happen sooner rather than later.
Have a safe and Merry Christmas.
Britt and Bear |
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| Joshy - 7:29 PM on Dec. 17, 2009 |
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Great newsletter...very informative and so glad this
site has been created...so thanks very much, it just goes to show
that all dog lovers a very nice people......
Keep up the good work and great to support a terrific team
woof woof
from my
Joshieboy too...!!!!
Merry Christmas |
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