ADVERTISING

One important means of adding value to The Ridge is by getting more sponsors to contribute financially or with products. This is one of the main ways in which websites gain revenue, and it is how the freebies, etc. can be funded. It can be something mutually-beneficial for both E-Ridge and the sponsor. A very important selling point for E-Ridge is that the publication's readers form a largely homogeneous population of young adults, thus being ideal for sponsors whose target markets coincide with your readers. We propose that E-Ridge be marketed more aggressively, to attract more organisations. On our part, these are some of the features that can help to tap the huge advertising potential, while improving the reading experience too:

Have freebies with contests/voting/points system
This is in line with the ideas under Participation. Contests and points systems are good ways of promoting interaction. With the help of advertisers to provide the prizes etc., all these are made possible.

Shrink advertisements; link them directly to sponsor
In the print version, there were very few advertisements, and the ones that were there were too large. On the web, the advertisements can be resized into small clickable boxes, and linked directly to the sponsors' websites (or other information about them). This frees up space, allowing for more advertisements and sponsors. It also adds value to both the organisation (due to the direct linkage) and the reader (who can easily find out more about the products/services if interested).

Put advertisements together with relevant articles
An advertisement of a tour agency, with links to online reservations, can be placed side by side with an article on travelling, for instance. This presents a logical connection and a convenient way of reading.