Yes... We know elgg and setup cool websites within hours or a day...

But how do we monetize those websites ?

Lets brainstorm -

Monetizing options -

1. Google Adsense, adbrites using tidypics or others can be applied with coding or using adsense plugins available in here.

2. Offer Premium memberships ( but only if we are on that kind of premium niche and have some nice resources to give to premium members).

3. Create plugins/offer elgg web developement solutions ? NO - coz Im talking about monetizing from/with sites developed with elgg, not selling our elgg knowledge & expertise.

4. Putting in banner ads on top, in spotlight, popup ads in login... can be done thru coding. The problem there is we have only one spotlight one header and one side banner...

5. I dont know if you can insert google ads inside your pages or blogs, I think it cant be done.. but then we are loosing a very bigamount of our virtual realestate. Blogs & Pages can be monetized in its real sense only if we have the ability to insert ad codes like in normal Blogs & html,php pages. or revamp and customise elgg and make it advertise friendly, which indeed is gonna cost you $$$$

6. Get local ads, list them on our websites.  For that we have to have a plugin like directory listing, no free plugin available, but if you may say that if we want to make money you will have to pay first to develop a plugin or purchase some plugin readily available.

Now.. I know there are many sites built with elgg, some webowners in our community has members over 5000 & 10,000... I wonder how they monetize their sites, Because as members grow in and eat up our server and bandwidth there myst be a way to pay our bills from the sites we monitor 24/7/365. Its only natural and human to expect something back from the websites that we spent much time adminstering and tidying up

Comments...Ideas... Suggestions... Feedbackss.... all are welcome :)