this great new website...

[Mark]

Hi

Our small advertising budget (?20) is coming to an end soon and it's time to ask you for help with promoting this site. All we ask is that you please mention the East Dulwich Forum to people, whether they be friends, family, that bloke down the pub, the nice lady in the shop, your angry neighbour, the person behind the bar, that chap who's always complaining about the state of the street or just a random stranger.

Next time someone asks you something about East Dulwich or when it next comes into conversation, say "Have you checked out the East Dulwich Forum? It's a great website where you can find out information about the area and you can discuss local issues as well as find out what's going on. Go to eastdulwichforum.co.uk and have a look, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how useful it is."

We would also like to put up some small posters or postcards in local shop windows, saying something like:

"Got local issues? Get help using The East Dulwich Forum"

"Get it off your chest on The East Dulwich Forum"

"The East Dulwich Forum - The Forum for East Dulwich" (a personal favourite of mine)

"Why should you put up with it? Share your frustrations on The East Dulwich Forum"

"Where can I find a local cleaner/builder/enlightenment?- The East Dulwich Forum of course!"

"That &!*?%!@! builder ripped me off, if only there was somewhere to warn others about him? There is - The East Dulwich Forum"

Do you have any decent ideas for what we can say on a small poster? Do you know where we could put up a small poster or postcard?

All help is greatly appreciated, such as SE22 magazine who are doing a small piece on local websites in November's issue and we're mentioned in there, which is nice. Oh, and if you can link a website to this website that would be brilliant.

Anyway, it's going well at the moment (161 unique visitors and 1,460 page views on Tuesday 24th October 2006) so thanks to everyone who uses it. (747 unique users and 24,630 page views on 24th April 2007, 6 months later - blimey! - Mark)

Take care

Mark

The East Dulwich Forum

Just a note about me, I live in East Dulwich and, as I work with the internet, setting up this site this has been a bit of a fun self-teaching session for me. I've spent ?20 to advertise on Google Adwords (plus I got a free ?30 voucher from Google). This site's intention is not to make money, it's to give people round here a place to be heard, to discuss things and to hopefully make life a little better in East Dulwich.

[Mark]

The discussion that follwed this posing has now been move to here

[beatnic]

Mark, have you considered subsidising the site with google ads or similar?

Once you'd covered your costs, if you're not in to making profit, we could collectively choose a local cause/charity every x months to which the proceeds could be given.

[Quaywe]

Beatnic, while I applaud your "proceeds to charity" suggestion do we really need to have Google ad's on EVERY web site on the internet? It's quite refreshing not having stuff pushed in your face every time you hit a page on this site. I think it's one of the reasons I now use this site more than I use movethat.co.uk. It gives it more of a "for the people" community feel.

[Guest]

I would agree. I find ads annoying most of the time

But to digress, occasionally they are amusing. A site on Killer Sudokus (with solutions of course) was suggesting I looked at "Pest Killer Solutions" :-)

[Mark]

I did toy with the idea of Google ads for a nanosecond, but like most people I generally don't like adverts especially as they take away from the main content. I want to keep the East Dulwich Forum as simple (on the eye) as possible. Ok, adverts might become a necessary evil but if they do come onto the site I intend for them to be 1) subtle and 2) locally relevant or to promote the forces of good.

[SteveT]

You never ever change a winning team, just let it win.

With all the success you have had in the relatively short time its been going, I think you have hit on the right formula, easy to use, and easy on the eye. I have one criticism I only recently discovered the forum by accident from SE22, which I occasionally drop in the recycle bin unopened.

It was great to post my opinion on Best Television Programmes and Keef posting a GOOD CALL on I Claudius! So someone else is out there who is on my wave length. It feels like I have unwittingly joined a club of like minds, with wide ranging knowledge, diverse views, and hilariously caustic comment.

You get a big thumbs up from me.

[SeanMacGabhann]

SteveT

You've put into words there exactly how I feel about this place - with the added bonus of reading something from ANCIENT HISTORY (relatively speaking anyway.... has it only been just over a year?)

[kford]

Have you considered Zagat/Time Out/Square Meal window stickers for our favourite ED places? THAT would be a sound endorsement.

[SeanMacGabhann]

True kford but how would we arrive at a consensus... I've just read the Sema Thai thread and found both yours and Bellenden Belle's reviews at loggerheads.. Normally I like reading both your posts so who do I believe?

You will find a champion for pretty much any establishment on here from more than one person so in theory every place could have a sticker. (by the by I very rarely venture into Mon Petit'Chou but did last Sunday and had a fab bowl of chili... just the job for a wet and grey afternoon - so that would be a new addition to my (tu) list)

Maybe anyplace that gets more than x number of votes?

[AllforNun]

Pin badges - stand at the stations and give them away - love it very ED

East Dulwich Forum

Debunking the myff of sarf London

Cue Applause

[AllforNun]

what happened to my post !

[eca00cdy]

East dulwich forum - forumulate your opinions?

[tomwalkerhome]

Hi Mark

I am doing some research...can you tell me how EDF was set up...by who? Who 'owns [email protected] is it funded..is it a Charity?

Thanks Tom

[Huguenot]

I'm sure Mark will find the time, but you may find it's not too complicated. Why do you want to know?

I met Mark during the set up period, and it's fair to say that initially it was a small scale exercise in setting up an open source bulletin board using Phorum software.

To much amusement, Mark himself was several of the initial users in late 2006, but there was probably a hardcore of around 40 to 50 individuals only for the first 6 months.

So far as I know the site is still moderated by a group of voluntary, reliable and highly committed locals to a consensus opinion that manifests itself in a partially written traditionally liberal set of user guidelines.

Apart from the addition of sub forums and some tweaking to get the ads working, it's not had any major changes I can recall over the last 6 years.

I'm guessing that the small amount of cash generated through the 'Donate' button at the bottom and some limited advertising probably doesn't quite cover the serving and occasional administrative costs so Mark probably still pays some of this himself.

If he's set it up as a charity I'd be extremely surprised!

[Michael Palaeologus]

Eeeee, those were the days.

[robocop]

Hi Mark

I have emailed you, and it probably got lost in the madness of life. Cab you tell me how many visitors you got this Fab 2013? It would be amazing to know.

Thanks

Jane

[caggog]

Hi Mark,

After 6 fab years in East Dulwich where Ive used the EDF on many many an occasion to buy and sell things, as well as find out what's been going on in my lovely area - Ive moved home to SE9. :o( Ive got to say that aside from my lovely neighbours and Lordship Lane, the big thing I miss is the EDF! So much so that I would really like to set the same thing up for New Eltham. It's a great place but is seriously lacking on online community. I was wondering if I could ask to pick your brains about how I could set the same thing up myself for my new area?? Id really appreciate any advice!

Thanks

Caroline

[lom2mom]

I'm sure local shops would happily display your post cards. You could offer them a free thank you on the site! See how many shops pile high the Artist Open House brochures in the Spring! Volcano cafe has free ad space. (west dulwich but very close to you)

[jansoudley]

I had to write and thank you for this brilliant website. We were only in London for six days, but I sold most of my daughter's flat contents through the East Dulwich Forum (she has relocated to Australia, but don't worry, she's offered us a free holiday there for doing this!!). We met some lovely people during the process and I've told anyone who will listen how great the Forum is.

[serioussusan]

You could try Sainsbury's - they have a poster board

[Latha]

Help me please

Please help me to post my message,

[Mahogany Rush Steve]

Mark,

thanks for setting this site up, although I have now lived in Cornwall for 20 years, I used to live in Underhill road 19 years previous to that.

I was looking for a band called Shadowfax that I used to roadie for and a google search found a link somehow to this site.

There was a thread about the band and I may now be able to contact people that I knew all those years ago.

Not everybody uses Facebook, I myself do not use twitter, and other social media sites.

One I wouldn't mind mentioning though is one called ello, as like your site they do not use advertising.

Thanks again and keep up the good work.

Steve.

[1921]

Hi Mark

I am really sorry, I am trying to add photos to a for sale post and can not work out how to as it doesn't have add photos when you edit.

What do I need to do.

Thanks

Louisa

[KH_CT]

If anyone is looking for a decorator, I would highly recommend Ray Murray. Ray recently redecorated our hallway and stairwell, and also our kitchen. He did a fantastic job and was very reasonably priced. He is also a true Gent and a pleasure to have around the house. As well as spoiling our cats (including looking after them for me whilst I was away overnight) he helped out with various things including taking in parcels (both for us and our neighbours), swapping things over with couriers, and generally being a great help. I would be happy to speak with anyone who wants a personal recommendation. Ray?s telephone number is 07927 239023. Cannot recommend him highly enough.