Project PF Proliferation - Free Gold Membership

[ellipsis]

It seems the concerns about a drop in gold membership registration are unfounded. That drop in revenue would be negligent compared to the increase in ad revenue, as well as the value of having increased traffic volume.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

It seems the concerns about a drop in gold membership registration are unfounded. That drop in revenue would be negligent compared to the increase in ad revenue, as well as the value of having increased traffic volume.

Sorry I am not following. What is this about?

 

[ellipsis]

Sorry I am not following. What is this about?

The Proliferation program is a worthy enterprise, but PF users (aside from ad-revenue) should be willing to provide some financing. Your business-model is your own business, but you should consider letting us in on it...PF is valuable and should not wither due to lack of funding.

turbo's concern is unfounded, because it seems like Project Proliferation will bring in a lot of quality members (and thus people willing to finance this wonderful place).

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Project Proliferation will bring in a lot of quality members

It is and does :)

 

[turbo]

It is and does :)

I'm so happy to hear that. PF is a wonderful resource. I'm an old fart (if 60's is "old"), and I try to steer my young friends and relatives here so that they can get accustomed to dealing with PF members and be exposed to concepts that they won't encounter in our public schools.

 

[Suraj M]

Hi , I'm in 11th grade,and at the beginning of the year i had a lot of doubts in physics and Bio, that's where PF came in, when my teachers got irritated by my repeated questions, PF was there.
Since then I've been trying to get my friends to sign up. I just found out that you guys have flyers.
I pinned up a few in my high school library, but unfortunately, I'm not allowed to take my phone in. So i put up a few in and around my apartment building.. Loads of students, teacher's live in the building, should help them out. Happy to spread the word.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Happy to spread the word.

Well done! Gold for you!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Don't forget you can also get Gold membership by linking to PF from your blog or website!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Let's the flyer program kick started again! Post a photo of the flyer on a board and you get Gold Membership!

We've added a new flyer

Download medium graphic printable flyer here (right-click "save link as"):
https://www.physicsforums.com/misc/PF_flyer_medium.pdf

 

[jedishrfu]

Whose the model?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Whose the model?

Some stock photo girl

 

[micromass]

Yeah, that's noticeable. I actively avoid places and products which attempts to lure in people with pretty girls. So I hope that the majority of PF users is not like me

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I actively avoid places and products which attempts to lure in people with pretty girls.

In a community that is 85% male, I'm taking my chances. Marketers aren't stupid

 

[micromass]

Yes, but scientists are not your average males...

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Yes, but scientists are not your average males...

Of course they're not, but nature usually wins in the end. If someone posts that flyer in the middle of "looking for renters" and "guitar for sale" type stuff, I bet more eyes go to our flyer.

 

[micromass]

Of course they're not, but nature usually wins in the end. If someone posts that flyer in the middle of "looking for renters" and "guitar for sale" type stuff, I bet more eyes go to our flyer.

Sure, it'll get more attention. But is that the attention you want? If you want professionals such as researchers and professors, do you really think they would be attracted by this poster? I have my doubts.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Sure, it'll get more attention. But is that the attention you want? If you want professionals such as researchers and professors, do you really think they would be attracted by this poster? I have my doubts.

Right, I wouldn't use flyers to attract professionals. Flyers are for college kids.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

@micromass, now I am curious, what design would appeal to you?

 

[micromass]

I don't know, I haven't put a lot thought into it. And I'm not image designer. I can just say what I like and dislike. And I definitely dislike the kind of designs that appear to make things "more fun" to people. I don't think that works. I mean, I just googled random algebra texts and this is one of the first things I found:

I mean, does this actually work? Do people actually going to associate algebra with "wow, there is a fun looking rolling coaster on the cover, so algebra must be fun". I think this is pretty pathetic. People are smarter than to be easily fooled like this.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

People are smarter than to be easily fooled like this.

Do you live in the same world I am in?

 

[micromass]

Do you live in the same world I am in?

Of course people will hate algebra if you have educators which underestimate them all the time and which provide bad book covers like this. You're smothering them with low expectations. Trying to make math "fun" is just pathetic, and you clearly see how well it has worked out. It didn't.

But ok, aside from this rant, if you want a business model where you basically underestimate your audience, then go ahead.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

if you want a business model where you basically underestimate your audience, then go ahead.

I add a female (I added only to get a human component) to our college flyer and all of a sudden I am underestimating my audience? Would I get this reaction if it were a handsome guy?

 

[micromass]

I add a female (I added only to get a human component) to our college flyer and all of a sudden I am underestimating my audience? Would I get this reaction if it were a handsome guy?

No, that is not my reaction. I said "people are smarter than to be fooled like this". You add: "do you live in the same world I live in?". This means to me that you think people are not so smart than to be fooled like this. This is to me that you're underestimating your audience. It has nothing to do with the original poster that you presented.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

No, that is not my reaction. I said "people are smarter than to be fooled like this". You add: "do you live in the same world I live in?". This means to me that you think people are not so smart than to be fooled like this. This is to me that you're underestimating your audience. It has nothing to do with the original poster that you presented.

Ah I understand now, thanks. I wouldn't call it fooling. Honest marketing just takes advantage of psychology. Adding a human to a flyer should get a few more looks than just text. Adding an attractive lady will get even a few more looks. Simple as that. No fooling or underestimating.

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

lol . . . I didn't know there was so much thought in creating a simple flyer!

 

[Fervent Freyja]

I add a female (I added only to get a human component) to our college flyer and all of a sudden I am underestimating my audience? Would I get this reaction if it were a handsome guy?

Why not a photo of a sweet, intelligent little boy playing with the toys he loves? Building, creating, and experimenting in his geeked-out bedroom? A natural, unforced moment? Something that probably reflects truth about most PF users or those in physics would be better for morale.

Greg, I know you don't mean harm here, but physics consists of predominantly above average, highly intelligent males. A female face isn't an honest reflection of the field in general, so that leads me to believe that such an advertisement is meant to invite social opportunists on board or to scare potential members away? Highly intelligent females that love science seem to be quite welcome and come on their own, but they have to try to earn their places the exact same ways as the others do before they receive it. Attempting to recruit females just because they are female and not because they love science doesn't make it a healthier place for anybody, it isn't fair for highly intelligent young men to see unfair opportunities being given, and it isn't fair for those few highly intelligent young women to have to deal with the consequences.

 

[Drakkith]

Greg, I know you don't mean harm here, but physics consists of predominantly above average, highly intelligent males. A female face isn't an honest reflection of the field in general, so that leads me to believe that such an advertisement is meant to invite social opportunists on board or to scare potential members away? Highly intelligent females that love science seem to be quite welcome and come on their own, but they have to try to earn their places the exact same ways as the others do before they receive it. Attempting to recruit females just because they are female and not because they love science doesn't make it a healthier place for anybody, it isn't fair for highly intelligent young men to see unfair opportunities being given, and it isn't fair for those few highly intelligent young women to have to deal with the consequences.

I'm sorry, Freyja, I literally cannot equate what you've just written with what Greg has done or with what has already been said about it. I think you're reading too much into this. It's just a flyer for a forum with a photo to catch people's eye, not a representation of the gender breakdown of the field of physics.

 

[Garlic]

I also posted some posters around my school, the german high school in İstanbul.
I posted a total of four high quality posters (printed in a printing centre, and used heavy papers), two of them were A3 sized and two of them were A4 sized.
When I'm at school, I'm going to talk with our physics teachers about the PF.

Note: I realized that the poster doesn't fit in the form of standard paper size, so while printing, there is always an excess white part on and under the poster and it's a little bit annoying.
(You can't see this in my photo, I've cut that part)

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I posted a total of four high quality posters

When I'm at school, I'm going to talk with our physics teachers about the PF.

Awesome work! You're Gold!

I realized that the poster doesn't fit in the form of standard paper size

Thanks for the info. I need to fix that! :)

 

[Garlic]

Thank you,
It feels good to contribute

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Thank you,
It feels good to contribute

The members make the community, the more you give, the more you get :)

 

[Garlic]

Thanks for the info. I need to fix that! :)

Other than the form not fitting standard paper size, just because the format is .pdf, computers are putting an extra blank frame around the image (as if it were a text file).
This is an uncut print (see image)

 

[mfb]

Printers can rarely print up to the very last millimeter.

Why not a photo of a sweet, intelligent little boy playing with the toys he loves? Building, creating, and experimenting in his geeked-out bedroom? A natural, unforced moment? Something that probably reflects truth about most PF users or those in physics would be better for morale.

At least in Germany, if you do that you risk a massively negative reaction on social media. Which is not always a bad thing.
"How can you enforce the stereotype that only boys play like that!"
http://www.frogged.de/pixi-das-rassistische-schulbuch.html (video), in German, didn't find an English source, and don't use machine translation - it won't get the irony right. Basically a group of feminists complaining that a group of 3 children does not have a uniform female to male ratio (it is 1:2), that the three names chosen do not include literally every name of school children in Germany (sic!), and similar complaints.

We've added a new flyer

View attachment 88829

Didn't see that before, but the thread looks familiar ;)

Combine approaches? A girl or woman playing with toys or building something? A group building something?

 

[Fervent Freyja]

it won't get the irony right.

Oh, I do see the irony. It's a touchy subject here too, but it is often seen acceptable to male-bash, even if they are our http://www.businessinsider.com.au/science-has-finally-shown-that-girls-are-smarter-at-school-than-boys-2015-1. I don't find it okay to put one gender down in order to lift up the other. A boy also has value, but that's just my opinion, apparently.

Everything has relevance, as it's part of a collective effect- even a flyer using a female to attract males. Men really aren't that shallow. They have other interests just like women do.

 

[CoreanJesus]

Is this still going on?