Topic: Ads on chumby

What are the plans for ad content on chumby?

Ads would be a major turn off for me. I don't mind something small and unobtrusive while I'm getting my Google news or whatever but if larger ads kept turning up, chumby would probably end up in a cupboard.

I'm wondering what your intention is here and if you plan to have free widgets with ad content and premium, ad-free content by subscription?

This is just a guess...not based on anything factual...for those that might read more into the question.

Re: Ads on chumby

I don't think anything's been decided there just yet.

We don't want to go out of business, so there will have to be *some* sort of revenue coming into the company.

Chumbys will probably be put out there pretty much at cost, so that's not going to cover it.

Re: Ads on chumby

*LOL* Feel free to start sending commission cheques or share offers to the forumers with the best ideas when this takes off...do you think we are doing a good job of developing this product for you? Monetary feedback is always welcome... wink (only kidding...)

Re: Ads on chumby

Current thinking -- as with everything at Chumby, certainly subject to change at any time smile -- is that you will get some widgets for free when you buy a chumby, i.e., basic information such as news headlines, weather, horoscope, some RSS feeds, etc., but that there will also be some clever widgets interspersed that may be sponsored or may promote a product (AKA ads).  Of course we will try to set the bar high so that they are entertaining and reasonably "targeted" (so not likely to be inappropriate for you).  The ads basically cover the cost of allowing Chumby to stream widgets to you and, as Duane said, because we're trying to keep the cost way down on the hardware, we have to stay in business somehow.  My idea of an ad for *some* people (and based upon the other types of widgets that someone selects that might indicate that they would be amused by this) is something like the pretend "Fruity Oaty Bar" ad: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid … 5471634315 -- okay, maybe this one doesn't thrill you smile , but, again, the idea is to make them clever and viral and appropriate.

Current plan, though, is also to enable someone to subscribe to the Chumby Network at a reasonable annual fee in order to get many more widgets and share widgets and content across the Chumby Network (see a widget you like and share it with your friends).  Subscribers would also be able to opt out of ads -- though of course we'll try like heck to make the ads so interesting and entertaining that no one would every want to miss them, even if they could smile

st

Re: Ads on chumby

I like the idea of being able to opt out. I only have so much brain capacity for info and like to keep the brain food high in fibre. You are what you eat. This is going to be as tricky as all hell in an international marketplace...good luck with it.

Re: Ads on chumby

Maybe you could also make the ad's relavant to what widget you have. Like lets say you have a MAKE widget, maybe it would have an ad for the magazine on the side. Or a receipe widget would have a food channel ad. Almost like battle.net and their ads for gaming gear. Target audience for the porduct. I think this would be nice, and would be the most efficient and non intrusive ad deployment IMHO.

Re: Ads on chumby

As Steve said... that's the plan... they are targeted.

Steve Tomlin wrote:

Of course we will try to set the bar high so that they are entertaining and reasonably "targeted" (so not likely to be inappropriate for you).

Re: Ads on chumby

definitely video ads would be extremely cool.

and sort of fun game ads. not like "click the monkey" or anything, but like the nissan car game advert thingy.

need upload space for the forums or a chumby blog? right here then
http://www.nophus.com/useru
username is chumby
password is chumby

Re: Ads on chumby

I am considering buying a Chumby solely as an alarm clock (when certain functionality gets added) and I can say that if all I use it for is an alarm clock ANY advertisements would be a dealbreaker. What kind of $$$ would it take to 'opt out' of ads but still fit your business model? What kind of subscription costs will I be paying just to have a (hopefully really cool) alarm clock?

Re: Ads on chumby

I know some people will not like this one but...

What about some type of small monthly or yearly fee so commercials can be turned off.  I would be willing to pay something on a monthly or yearly basis not to see any commercials but still produce revenue for the company.  Being a Tivo user my tolerance for TV commercials has become pretty low.  If I start seeing video advertising I would get rid of the Chumby.

I think ads would push the hacking community to create alternatives of their own so the device would not have to connect to the chumby network to get content.  People would write their own alternative linux mod os and widgets.

I don't think I've seen any type of advertising, interactive or not on the web that was something I would want to see on the Chumby.

Thanks,

Re: Ads on chumby

I realize that this is probably pretty closely held, and under discussion and such...but any even general order of magnitude type numbers on the annual subscription? Like $25 (Flickr-ish, no big deal), $50 (I'd still do, with a bit of gentle grumbling), or more (which I'd have to think seriously about). And just my vote...though marketing types might disagree, I'd much prefer an annual fee to a monthly one. Monthly fees would either be so low as to be a nuisance, or high enough that they'd quickly hit my limit (I mean, I only pay $15/month for WoW, and $19 for Netflix). Annual much better, IMO.

Thanks for giving us what info you have...it's great to see the bizdev side being open as well as the hw/sw et al. Great company karma.

Re: Ads on chumby

Are you saying that some widgets that we are now using, we might have to pay for in the future?

(|-|U/\/\B'/    0\/\/|\|Z

Re: Ads on chumby

I don't understand why people are still complaining about this.
Personally, I do not have any issues with the occasional ad-supported widget in order to keep the service free.
Honestly, I look forward to see what kind of widgets advertisers come up with to use on the Chumby. We will get to see how creative they can be on a new medium.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."