About a year or so ago I wrote a post about what I consider one of the best forums out there for those of us that enjoy dabbling around on the internet in pursuit of that (all to elusive) internet riches.
The Pond is one of those rare commodities on the web these days, as it has stood the test of time and is as helpful today as it was at it’s inception a few years ago. Run by a husband and wife team, a pair of Brits, it has been kind of a familiar friend to many. Sure, some names have come and gone, but there is the vast majority of members that have been checking in every day or two since I first discovered it, a sure testament to it’s worth.
It’s a well run forum. “Zenduck Dave” is very active, appearing almost daily. I particularly enjoy how he lets the members have pretty much a free reign within the forum, & encourages some healthy debate, yet is not afraid to jump in and put the brakes on a thread that is threatening to go sideways.
He’s also not afraid to show some tough love when it’s needed. I recall recently posting a link to a website that had the crap kicked out of it by some Penguins and Panda’s & asking the members if it was worth spending anytime trying to resurrect. Amid a handful of very polite responses Dave jumped in with some pretty harsh comments along the lines of “you’ve got to be kidding me – it’s crap” or something like that. It kinda pissed me off a bit as that was a favourite project, but you know what, he was dead right – it was pretty sleazy and I just needed to be told so. And Dave did!
My Favourite Pond Features
Community Websites
Without a doubt one of the better features is the “community” websites that are run where members can contribute content with a few strategically placed affiliate links. One of the sites is themed on hobby of mine, gardening, so writing a blurb on a pet project or a particular product is easy for me. This page on lawn fertilizer spreaders pays a commission on each sale that’s sufficient to pay my Pond membership each month – & I sell more than one every month in season, wink, wink!!
The ideas for documenting my recent 10 Day Detoxification were sparked from Pond members even!
A Pool of Talent
There’s some super talented people aboard this forum that offer some excellent services at very decent pricing. I’ve had ebook covers made for dirt cheap, ebook formatting done, proofing, logo’s designed all at very affordable prices. Heck if it wasn’t for the Pond I would never, ever attempted tackling an ebook – but “Gardener Don” has five out now!
The advice from the fellow members
A lot of forums seem to have some people involved that have a “holier than thou” aura about them, and who seem to love deriding fellow members, hijacking threads etc – you know what I’m talking about. Well there’s none of that here. All I’ve ever experienced was a real sense of “family” – all just ducks paddling in the same Pond and all very willing to jump in with advice when called on.
It’s one of those forums that get’s a visit from me almost everyday – this online stuff can be a bit lonely sometimes and the Pond is great place for a timeout!
And there’s tons more features, believe me.
The price. Just a tenner – (Brit talk for $10!)
At ten bucks a month this won’t break the bank. Up until recently the Pond was populated strictly by word of mouth, and why Dave had never had an affiliate program beats me, but happily he now has (full disclosure blah blah) and thankfully is only open to Pond members, so it’ll still be promoted mostly with word of mouth but now likely from a few more of us.
Yep – this is a shameless plug, but c’mon, ten bucks? Pick up one good idea (and you will) and it’s a no brainer!
