How much money does DPC make ? - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

12/16/2005 11:14:02 AM · #26

Originally posted by legalbeagle:

Originally posted by mavrik:
It's not really - those are the freeloaders.
or "unpaid content providers".

POV, I know...but still - if someone enters ONE challenge, puts up ONE picture and then goes and uses the bandwidth to vote on 400, adds a few favorites, browses a few portfolios, gets DQd and leaves - well...the balance is probly on the minus side.

There are some VERY good and very important non-members. I agree.

steveh552

Canon EOS-700D Rebel T5i

12/16/2005 11:15:10 AM · #27

Some of the "free loaders" just do not have the funds to contribute, due to other various things. I for one am one of them, geeze, them dang kids think they need to eat 3 times a day and have electric and heat *note the sarcasim*

Id join if I used the site more, I just check the forums and such, I dont recall when I last entered a picture to the site.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

12/16/2005 11:17:04 AM · #28

Originally posted by wavelength:

Originally posted by legalbeagle:

Originally posted by mavrik:
It's not really - those are the freeloaders.
or "unpaid content providers".

Yeah, the "freeloaders" do their work to contribute to the community too, you can't poo on them all the time. We all used to be them at one point remember?

jejejeâ�¢ Not me. I anted up my $25 the same day I joined the site :-)

R.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

12/16/2005 11:28:14 AM · #29

So, allowing for the 17 admins plus SC members on page one:

[(83pages x 30people ) - 17unpaid] x $25 = $61,825 per year profit, not allowing for DPC prints.

That's $5,152 per month profit.

How much does a colocated server plan cost? I couldn't find one for more than $600 per month.
How much does a dedicated server plan cost? I couldn't find one for more than $300 per month.
Didn't search too hard for the above info.

I have pricing plan requests in to sargasso.net, which is where I'm guessing DPC is hosted???

Message edited by author 2005-12-16 11:28:38.

Joey Lawrence

PhaseOne P45

12/16/2005 11:31:33 AM · #30

I'm interested in this too
I've seen a few things around DPC that would generate a little more money not mentioned here.

When you are not signed in, there are google adsense on the pages. These are content-specific ads that pay a few cents for every click. They work well because the visiters are actually interested in what the ads offer.

Another thing D&L probably make some cash on is through affiliate selling. When you explore the equipment and click on the 'Pricegrabber' link on the camera information page, a specific cookie logs that you were sent from DPC and gives D&L a commission if you buy something.

I still don't know if all this gives them large amounts of profit, but it is certainly an interesting question :-)

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

12/16/2005 11:32:42 AM · #31

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

Your initial numbers are gross revenue, not profit.

Profit = revenue - expenses (which I'm sure you already know but just to keep the terms right for anyone else interested in the discussion).

Carry on. ;o)

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

12/16/2005 11:38:01 AM · #32

Originally posted by nards656:

Private enterprise. Private ownership. Profits NOMFB.

I agree...and I think it's pretty tacky to ask. It's like asking someone what they make a year at their job or something...it's personal, private info that is not really anyone's business. It might be idle human curiosity, which is fine, but to have this thread going this long and the implication there that some expect to be privvy to that sort of info is inappropriate IMHO. We pay to be here because we like it here, and that's that. What the creators make from that is neither here nor there.

Jammur

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

12/16/2005 11:40:08 AM · #33

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

That's $5,152 per month profit.

Your initial numbers are gross revenue, not profit.

Profit = revenue - expenses (which I'm sure you already know but just to keep the terms right for anyone else interested in the discussion).

Carry on. ;o)

Ah, accountants, where would we be without them..... debtor's prison?

:)

wewillexplore

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

12/16/2005 11:41:56 AM · #34

Originally posted by steveh552:

Some of the "free loaders" just do not have the funds to contribute, due to other various things.

Id join if I used the site more, I just check the forums and such, I dont recall when I last entered a picture to the site.

Steve - I'm gonna "pick on" you because you have posted - rather than choose some random person.

You last entered in early 2003. You've made one comment on a photo since then. If you visit the site only to make forum reads and posts and you download say 50 MB of data a week - who's paying for that?

This is the "business of DPC post" right? Those are costs - nobody is saying "don't be on this site unless you pay" we are saying "there's a lot of people who don't pay that need to be factored into this discussion.

theSaj

Canon EOS-20D

12/16/2005 11:42:23 AM · #35

More likely than not, the question is "how much $$$ does DPC lose"

There has got to be a whole server nest to store the gazillions of fotos. Plus bandwidth cost. Plus labor.

I wonder if D&L even break even?

$5,152/month

So you found $600/month for a server. Do you really think DPC is running on a single server? I wouldn't doubt it if they're on a server farm.

Thousands of members, tens of thousands of images for non-members, hundreds of thousands of images for paid members. All kept, all delivered. DPC is also a huge bandwidth hog (all graphics baby). Not quite audio/video streaming but not cheap either.

So when you see those $200/month unlimited bandwith*

It's like the old "Unlimited Minutes"* cell phone plans.

* Unlimited minutes = 1,000 minutes per month. (Welcome to advertising.)

So let's say they actually have 10 servers. A couple for the web serving + redundancy. And a few redundant arrayed servers for the image archives. Maybe mirrored (possibly on east & west coast). Who knows. But let's say they have 10 servers @ $600/month that equates to $6,000/month. And D&L have to shell out a few more $$$ out of pocket.

I imagine that the raw revenue of profit is akin to working at McDonald's. Sure you got paid, but really was it worth all the hours you spent working?

D&L's real profit....seeing DPC being such a success (for everything else...there's MasterCard)

Message edited by author 2005-12-16 11:53:53.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

12/16/2005 11:53:23 AM · #36

Originally posted by laurielblack:

Originally posted by nards656:
Private enterprise. Private ownership. Profits NOMFB.

I agree...and I think it's pretty tacky to ask.

You calling me tacky?

I've never understood the stigma about divulging salaries. I think it only helps employers.

Anyway, I admit freely to my tackiness.

maxj

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

12/16/2005 12:05:29 PM · #37

umm, maybe I am absolutly crazy...

But does DPC load slower if you are not logged in?

...maybe they save some bandwidth that way?

samanwar

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

12/16/2005 12:14:33 PM · #38

The cost of creating and running a web site such as DPC is not that significant like some people may think, to give you an example, the amount of storage needed for all 2500 members combined is 2500 x 25 MB each = 62 GB, the storage needed to every photo for every challenge so far is 410 challenges x 250 photo per challenge (average) = 15 GB, a 300 GB drive cost about $200 these days.

The hardware or bandwidth required is not that expensive either, a server with dual P4 processors and plenty of Ram can be custom built for less than $2000 these days, and a 10 Mbs RCN Cable (Business Account) with static IP will only cost you $80 per month.

(Edited to fix some typos)

Message edited by author 2005-12-16 12:16:52.

12/16/2005 12:17:35 PM · #39

Originally posted by Joey Lawrence:

A couple of good ideas by a young capitalist. :-)

Partnerships are a good thing. I think all sorts of brands might shell out some cash in D&L's interest for all sorts of stuff. Almost every day I see a post where someone is excited about the new camera, lense, or other piece of gear they just bought.

12/16/2005 12:22:05 PM · #40

Originally posted by samanwar:

So maybe D&L aren't operating at a loss, so I don't have to send them that Christmukah bonus so they can buy a turkey?

12/16/2005 12:32:08 PM · #41

Originally posted by maxj:

umm, maybe I am absolutly crazy...

But does DPC load slower if you are not logged in?

...maybe they save some bandwidth that way?

this makes no sense. a 150K photo still eats up 150K of bandwidth whether it takes 3 seconds or 3 minutes to download. bandwidth is the total of all of the data delivered to users. there's no relevance to the speed of the download.

12/16/2005 12:33:23 PM · #42

i guess i just fail to understand why this is anyone's business BUT d&l's.

it's a business that grew from a site they set up as a hobby. just because you pay into it doesn't mean that you have right to know all of the inner workings of it.

just 'cause you go bowling at your local bowling alley doesn't give you the right to look at their profit and loss statements. how is this any different?

12/16/2005 12:36:55 PM · #43

Originally posted by samanwar:

The hardware or bandwidth required is not that expensive either, a server with dual P4 processors and plenty of Ram can be custom built for less than $2000 these days, and a 10 Mbs RCN Cable (Business Account) with static IP will only cost you $80 per month.

you're forgetting stuff like backups, support, mirroring, 24/7 uptime, etc.

and your storage amounts are off too, as dpcprints has thousands of high-res images on it.

it's not as simple as having a computer in langdon's garage.

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

12/16/2005 12:37:51 PM · #44

i guess i sound like i'm coming down hard. i just don't think it's very polite to ask about it.

graphicfunk

Canon EOS-20D

12/16/2005 12:39:28 PM · #45

This is a private site and it owes no member nor particants a P&L statement.

12/16/2005 12:39:55 PM · #46

Originally posted by muckpond:

just 'cause you go bowling at your local bowling alley doesn't give you the right to look at their profit and loss statements. how is this any different?

It's different beause ClubJuggle & other SC members often refer to the plight of D&L's bank account. I don't know whether or not to feel sorry for D&L. (refer to OP).

TroyMosley

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

12/16/2005 12:40:11 PM · #47

ok, i think this discussion is getting a little heated, everyone has their own knowledge of computers and what not. but like muckpond said, if D&L want to let us know how much they make, its thier buisness not our to try and figure it out, as far as im concerned i would have payed more then 25 dollars for this membership because 25 dollars is the littlest amound of money i have spent on this hobby, and it has gotten me more knowledge then any book or houres spent talking to the camera guy at the local shop.

wewillexplore

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

12/16/2005 12:41:00 PM · #48

Even if it were polite (and I don't much care either way) we just can't figure out what's what - there's too much to running a business to say "oh well they host this much at this price and get this X from members per month." Without the full numbers, it's impossible. Nobody has mentioned the accountant or the lawyer yet and I know D&L have both. Nobody has mentioned the contract with ezprints and whether that brings IN money or lets OUT money.

It's an interesting question - but not one we can answer, I think.

12/16/2005 12:42:54 PM · #49

Originally posted by muckpond:

i guess i sound like i'm coming down hard. i just don't think it's very polite to ask about it.

Originally posted by graphicfunk:

This is a private site and it owes no member nor particants a P&L statement.

OK, so now I'm tacky AND impolite. That's OK by me in this context.

If this question is impolite and no P&L statement is given, I don't think any SC's should be allowed to ever refer to the plight of D&L's bank account in any threads.