Well, we know from the dot.com bust some of the things you do not do, such as ignore profits. Also, don't buy ads on the Super Bowl or sponsor a PPRUNE Stadium.
A few thoughts -- not professional advice! . . .
1. It is early in Internet years. Like the early days of the Model T, when you didn't go anywhere without a mechanic. 15 years is a long time. New revenue models will surely emerge that are not envisioned today. Or, ones not widely accepted today may become more accepted (such as a subscription model). Most people who tried to force Internet profits are broke now. The most valuable asset is the community and user base, and it will become more valuable as these new revenue models emerge.
2. The advertising suggestion above is good. I see a lot of aviation-specific ads, which makes sense. Marketers for non-aviation goods and services -- hotels, clothing, computers, etc. -- should also want to efficiently reach the pilot demographic. I don't see ads for them. Go to those folks directly, if not doing so now.
3. Sell shares in PPRUNE. You might be surprised at the number of persons on this site that would invest a few thousand dollars for a minority interest in PPRUNE. You can keep control. The Farnborough F1 Project tried such a direct investment approach (instead of going public), but I don't know how well it did -- request a copy of their investors package and see if that might not be a model.
4. In addition to personal titles (which I'm still working on :-/), make it easy to accept contributions. (The Amazon Honor System, or Paypal (or equivalent.) Do I want to engage in a lenghty correspondence to contribute $10? No. Will I contribute $10 if I just have to click a link on the home page? Yes. And I'll probably do it again in the future if I continue to use the site.
Last edited by Eboy; 27th Sep 2002 at 17:32.