January 3, 2012: MOTC Shutting Down
January 3, 2012 by MarijkeD
Filed under Entertainment, Special Announcements
After much consideration, I have decided that Montreal on the Cheap’s run has ended. I will not be updating the site any more. I am leaving the site active for search results for a while because some of the events and activities are perpetual and people are still looking for and finding information on this site. If circumstances change, the site may become active again – nothing is written in stone. Various options include having an intern take over some of the work for school credit, finding financial backers, or having a team of volunteers help run the site. No irrevocable decisions have been made.
Thank you to the loyal visitors and readers of MOTC and I hope that you continue to enjoy the city and its many free and inexpensive activities and events. There are many around – you just have to keep your eyes and ears open.
I wish everyone a good 2012 and that the year treats everyone gently and with kindness, even when obstacles are placed in the way.
Regards,
Marijke Vroomen Durning
Will miss the great work you do. Sad to hear the news and optimistic for the future.
I am sorry to hear that this site is shutting down. This site was referred to me by a friend and it is my first time on it today. I read your message and I was wondering what kind of volunteer you need to keep it going and if there is anything that could be done through brain storming? How long have you this site? Connect with me and let me know if there is anything I could do to help.
Sincerely,
Monique
Hi Monique, thanks for your questions.
I began MOTC three years ago, as part of Cities on the Cheap, which is mostly American. In the US, they have many more coupon and freebie deals than we have in Canada. Companies are also much more willing to advertise or sponsor things locally. As a result, some owners do make money from the sites, making it worth their time. In fact, some make enough to hire help.
I was getting some income (enough to cover the cost of the monthly hosting and a few other costs) through Google Adsense, but they pulled my account in late summer 2011 because of “suspicious activity.” That usually means someone is clicking too often just to click, not to see the ads. Despite appealing, MOTC was not reinstated. I did make a few more dollars with a couple of the daily deal sites, but that was very minimal.
When I first began the site, several people said they would help me find events and activities to post, but this rarely did happen. I did get some tips once in a while from a couple of regulars, but overall I found most of the information myself. MOTC does get a good bit of traffic, anywhere from 300 to 500 visitors per day, many of whom come for the daily deals. Putting that page together alone, took about 45 minutes every day.
It wasn’t a decision I took lightly and, as I said, not necessarily permanent. But for now, I have to focus on my career.
Marijke,
I am sad to know that the site is shutting down. I have benefited greatly from the information you have posted on this site, and have been loyal to it for a year now. Checking your site had become part of my daily routine, and I truly enjoyed it.
Thank you for all your hard work on this site, and hopefully it’ll be up and running again sometime in the future.
Regards,
Tatiana