The Chair, Richard Harrison, called the meeting to order on February 3, 2009 to be conducted on the IAGW-CM list.
The following directors were present: Richard Harrison, Barbara Hug, Sharyl Ferrall, Mark Christian, Rich Lowe, Don Kelly, Constance Diamond, Greta Thompson, Karen DeGroote-Johnson, Gail Kilgore.
There was no published agenda.
Rich Lowe presented the report:
In early August, the Friends of IAGenWeb board voted to authorize a Google AdSense trial on the Iowa Gravestones Special Project site. February 1 was to be the date of the final report. I have uploaded a screen shot report that includes more detail that I'll include in this message. It is at: http://web-iowa.com/genweb/AdsenseReport-020109.JPG As I reported earlier, we sensed revenue dropping off in mid-December. Page hits were off, perhaps because of the holidays. In January, page hits were at near record levels, but income per click dropped from 16 cents per click to just 10 cents per click. It's my understanding that advertisers can "bid" on sites for their ads and Jeff suspects that a big advertiser or two may have moved on to other sites. Or perhaps this is a reflection of advertisers scaling back as a result of the current economy. The column headings on the report, left to right, Page Impressions, Page Impressions per Day, total Ad Clicks for the month, Click Through Rate, Earning per Click, eCPM*, Earnings per Day, Total Earned for the Month, and number of days in the month. *Effective CPM from a publisher's perspective, the means effective cost-per-thousand impressions (eCPM) is said to be a useful way to compare revenue across different channels and advertising programs. Bottom line is that in 176 days, we have generated $1,016.66 in income. If this rate of earnings holds for a full 12 months, earnings might be expected to total $2,108 in a full year. I recommend that we continue with AdSense on GPP at the very least and consider expanding if the board is in favor. Rich Lowe
The Treasurer, Barbara Hug, presented the report:
I got the bank statement this afternoon and just finished putting the latest figures on the web site. We have a balance of $605.93 in US Bank $1,882.86 at Pay Pal Our net worth is -$6,002.99
I have put the February treasurer's report on line. Our financial situation is looking much better with the regular income from AdSense. I have also added the a summary of the income and expenses for the AdSense project. Please let me know if this is what you wanted. The amounts received per month are in the checking account site.
It was moved by Rich Lowe and seconded by Barbara Hug that:
Votes For: Constance Diamond, Don Kelly, Sharyl Ferrall, Greta Thompson, Rich Lowe, Barbara Hug, Karen De Groote-Johnson, Gail Kilgore, Mark ChristianI move that the GPP Goodle AdSense program for the benefit of Friends of IAGenWeb, in existence since Aug. 9, 2008, be approved to continue until a time the Friends of IAGenWeb Board votes to terminate same. And that Rich and Jeff Lowe be allowed to add the WPA Graves Project to the AdSense Program program under the same arrangement.
The Chair declared the motion passed.
Karen De Groote-Johnson presented the Cafe Press report.
This is the report that was prepared on 2/11. We need to add the credit card to the account if we wish to keep the store open. We also need to encourage the marketing of the store as it has grown to be a lovely source of IAGenWeb items. I know that the state of the economy is dim right now but I believe we can make the store a profitable venture for our organization. As soon as I receive my tax return I plan on investing in some items that I have had my eye on this winter. We will be adding the new and lovely Civil War logo just as soon as I can get a large version. Does anyone have any input with regard to the store? It has been a long, rough winter and with the warmer weather, I think many people will be opening their purse strings for a nice IAGenWeb shirt or tote. Respectfully Submitted, Karen De Groote-Johnson Shopkeeper
The meeting was adjourned by the Chair on June 6, 2009.