I use Paleohacks to connect with the Paleo community, learn from others and share my knowledge.

I would be disappointed if I could no longer use it. Although there are other places to interact, I find the system here refreshing, in that it is peer-driven, with little global moderation, which facilitates an emergent filtering of content. Well done!

I don't have any clever monetization ideas off the top of my head, nor requests or complaints, but I'll think about it!

1) I use paleohacks primarily for learning more about paleo (esp. the latest word on the street) the level of research done on some of the answers is amazing and the nice thing is that people cite the latest blog posts and online resources as well as book references, which makes the site feel more alive, up to date and buzzing.

I also like finding out about people who know about paleo through links to their sites on their profile page. It is really nice to build a relationship with them too, as you tend to 'get to know' people by the answers they post - great for finding kindred spirits. It feels like a 'hub' or 'cafe' sometimes.

2) I would be totally disappointed not to use it any more! I love reading the really wide range of opinion and experiences of the people here; I have learnt that there are so many takes on the basic word 'paleo'.

3) Monetizing - hmmm, could you set up an Amazon store Patrik? There are a few books I would like to buy, from recommendations here. OK, I would do it through Amazon UK, but I am sure there are other people who would like to buy stuff. There are literally hundreds of paleo related books out there and the commission you would receive could be substantial if you publicize it well (like tweet every new book you put on there).

Some people have 'recipe cards' or 'menu ideas' that they offer on their sites, (many WAPF bloggers use this method to make money rather than advertising) which people can download for a small fee, this would be a great place to have such a database - we could all provide tried and tested paleo recipes (for points!) and you could charge a minimal fee for every download made by the public. This also, when it gets going, could be a really great resource.

4) Blue-Sky: well, the bookstore and recipe service are two, how about an online chat facility, like a live forum?

5) What irritates me? The time difference between Europe and US ;) but this is nothing that necessarily can be fixed by Paleohacks! And also the fact that you cannot change an accepted answer after you have ticked one (or can you do that?). I love the layout, the points system and the community feel, but I would like some more info about the guy that runs it ;)

1) What do you use PaleoHacks.com for? I use PaleoHacks.com like I use any Wiki - for information. I love that there are knowledgeable people with research and anecdotal evidence ready to answer my paleo questions!

2) Would you be disappointed if you couldn't use it anymore? Yes. I'd still peruse my blogroll and glean information from the many websites out there; but it's really nice to have one location at which to search.

3) Any suggestions on how to monetize PaleoHacks.com in such a way that adds value to your interaction with the site? If ads were listed that are for brands that I support, such as US Wellness Meats or Paleo Brands, I think that would add value. If the ads were for anthropological digs or vegan foods, I'd be annoyed. Instead of adding a Google Ad system, monetizing the website through specific ad buys would be more desirable. Also, pay pal donations would give site members good feelings which could help us sleep better. ;)

4) Give me a blue-sky idea or brainstorm of something that you would like to see here. See #5.

5) Last thing, what irritates the h3ll out of you when it comes to PaleoHacks.com? It really irriates me when people's answers begin with, "I have no idea but..." or "I'm not really sure but..." If you don't know, don't answer!!

1) What do you use PaleoHacks.com for? Learn more about the paleo life, and how people approach living & eating paleo. I love hearing the different perspectives and approaches, it is nice to get a variety of views.

2) Would you be disappointed if you couldn't use it anymore? If so, how disappointed? If not, why not? Absolutely. Right now, this is my favorite paleo site. Love that it is dynamic, and is community based.

3) Any suggestions on how to monetize PaleoHacks.com in such a way that adds value to your interaction with the site? I second (third?) paleo-appropriate ads. Or adding a "books" section that links to Amazon for the referral credit. With an option of donating. I probably wouldn't pay a subscription, though. I like the openness of it, and would be disappointed that we'd be cutting out a population that could not afford it. And actually, having a space that links to paleo products where you could get a kickback would be really excellent, I'd love to see what great products/foods/books/etc are out there. Especially if it was set up in a way that people could add or suggest to it.

4) Give me a blue-sky idea or brainstorm of something that you would like to see here. It doesn't have to be within the confines of the current Q and A system. Local! I would love to see an area where people could find others locally that are interested in Paleo, that would also give a space to review local restaurants, grocery stores, farmers/farmers markets, etc.

5) Last thing, what irritates the h*ll out of you when it comes to PaleoHacks.com? It would be nice to be notified when someone makes a comment to a question that you've also answered.

Thanks for asking!

1) What do you use PaleoHacks.com for?

Staying up to date with the constantly evolving Paleo knowledgescape. Taking the opportunity to ask questions of like-minded people who know more than me, and that I would likely not get an answer to anywhere else.

2) Would you be disappointed if you couldn't use it anymore? If so, how disappointed? If not, why not?

Very! Enough said :)

3) Any suggestions on how to monetize PaleoHacks.com in such a way that adds value to your interaction with the site?

Perhaps make a sort of e-book compilation of the best questions and answers every few months (which would be like an up-to-date paleo guide in Q&A format, maybe organised by themes within the book), and have a fee for downloading this.

4) Give me a blue-sky idea or brainstorm of something that you would like to see here. It doesn't have to be within the confines of the current Q and A system.

It would be very useful to have a sort of wiki directory of good paleo-friendly places to eat or buy food, all over the world (e.g. organised by country/region/state), including reviews, etc. This could be edited and added to continuously in a similar way to the Q&A system.

5) Last thing, what irritates the h*ll out of you when it comes to PaleoHacks.com?

Sometimes, the ordering of the posts. It is hard to spot the newest answers when re-visiting a question with a long list of answers... Also, no notification facility for new comments to an answer other than your own.

I learn a lot from it. I'd even be willing to pay a small subscription fee ($12/year?) for it. If your costs are, say, $200/month, if 200 of us find it valuable enough to use, then you're break-even. The risk with this model is: all of the people who are really into this site will pay and use it and love it - but you'll lose the "scale", a lot of the less interested people will vanish - so your reach will be smaller.

1. I´m just interested to know what´s up in the global paleosphere.
2. Yes, I would be disappointed because there is nothing comparable out there.
3. Amazon link.
4. Just appreciate it as it is.
5. Human beings are always irritating.

I love the stream of consciousness feel to the blog. That and seeing real life concerns and options from folks trying to figure this out.

Money: Could start with voluntary donations but no retsrictions. If that didn't work-i.e. generate sufficient cash flow then you could require a fee to post with no retsrictions on read-only.

Thanks,

Ed

I would be inclined to go with voluntary donations and an Associate program with Amazon if you live in a state that is friendly to Amazon. NC and Colorado state legislatures are not.

What I get here is an amazing amount of documented references to studies and reports and personal experience regarding the paleosphere.

Just knowing that the paleo lifestyle is not a whacked out fad is pleasing...ie Cordain---Paleo, the longest running eating fad in history.

Complaints: It appears that the answers sometimes get posted in random sequence. Sometimes it is hard to follow if not in chronological order. Perhaps if someone is editing their post, it gets put at the bottom of the page rather than back into its original posting spot.

And sometimes when making a post, and clicking on "post your answer" the post will be lost because it goes to www.paleohacks.com/captcha Human verification and two robots in the background before Operation Aborted. I have learned to prepare the post in notepad before attempting to post.

What about affiliating with Paleo for Life, another great new Paleo site, so that there is one site to visit both for info, and for questions/discussions? Also a donation button, or a small usage fee, and Paleo-relevant ads are fine with me.

http://www.paleoforlife.org/mission.php

the best thing about it is we don't have to worry about being banned or censored yet (as i have been on other paleo blogs- you can see from my comments here how fringe i am!)paleohacks is decentralized, which is great.

brainstorm idea- sort of like MDA, encourage people to do videos of all things paleo and include a link to them in their comments. i'm going to start doing wacky music videos of evolutionary fitness-inspired outdoor exercise starting this summer when the weather is better and i have more time.

also, maybe encourage some advocacy for open space preservation by having banners from groups like the sierra club or nature conservancy ( i live in a very populated state and have lived overseas in an over-populated country, so i feel like i have seen an ugly future if we don't preserve more open spaces. this is peripherally related to paleo cuz i believe i evolved to feel my best in beautiful, natural surroundings).

1. What do you use PaleoHacks.com for? Finding answers to questions that don't normally get answered.
2. Would you be disappointed if you couldn't use it anymore? If so, how disappointed? If not, why not? Yes, I would be disappointed. I don't know of another resource like this for this topic.
3. Any suggestions on how to monetize PaleoHacks.com in such a way that adds value to your interaction with the site? Add a donation link. I will donate for sure.
4. Give me a blue-sky idea or brainstorm of something that you would like to see here. It doesn't have to be within the confines of the current Q and A system. A system encouraging people to go back and refine or edit older questions. Get everybody to upvote stuff they like.
5. Last thing, what irritates the h*ll out of you when it comes to PaleoHacks.com? I was unable to get the enthusiast badge, and I was sure I came for 30 days in a row! LOL I set the site as my FireFox homepage. hahah

Hey Y'all -

Did you see StackExchange's announcement that they're making the service free, etc?

This will influence the result - now it will be free to run the site.

Patrik - have you thought about which option you'll pursue? I'll vote for integrating the current site with the new creative commons system...

morgan