This is an unofficial overview of ways you may participate on OBERLIN.COM. Please see the Terms and Conditions for the official version.
Create an Account
Anyone can view content on OBERLIN.COM. However, to participate (add content) you must be logged in. You must provide a valid email address in order to create an account (note: we do not disclose email addresses to third parties – see our Privacy Policy).
Free Stuff
OBERLIN.COM has five types of free content. There are no limits on the number of listings that may be submitted. Some of these are aimed at providing a personal benefit to you and some are geared more toward providing benefit to others. You may change, publish/unpublish or delete your listings at any time. Expired items are automatically deleted by the system.
Classified Listing
Traditional listing for items or services – expires after thirty days unless renewed
Photo Blog
Provide your own images to highlight the area – never expires
Event
Area public events and gatherings (don’t post a Saturday night poker game at your house unless everyone is invited) – expires after event ending time
Opinion/Commentary
Speak your mind – this area allows comments from registered users and never expires
Public Service/Volunteer
Open to any legitimate group or organization – never expires
Non-Free (Business) Stuff
OBERLIN.COM has three types of business content. There are no limits on the number of listings that may be submitted except that any given user may have only one Friends of Oberlin listing.
Business Listing
Image based – can link to external home page
Gallery
Multiple images – can link to external home page
Friend of Oberlin
Our equivalent of a Patron placard in a hospital or university – can link to other business content on OBERLIN.COM
Buying time on OBERLIN.COM
The easiest way to think of this is in terms of purchasing units of time. Each unit will run a single business item (Business Listing, Gallery or Friend of Oberlin) for 30 days. You may change, publish/unpublish or delete your listings at any time (Note: the Friends of Oberlin content is in a special format and can not be directly modified by the user). Items “burn time” only when published, activated and available to the world. This is a simple system that provides tremendous flexibility. A realtor, for example, could have three gallery listings going this month (consuming three units) and none the next month (consuming zero units).
At least 10% of the revenue for all time purchased on OBERLIN.COM will be donated to worthy causes in Oberlin.
Communication
Most content provides a link to enable communication with the author. Such communication can only be performed by registered users and utilizes the OBERLIN.COM private messages system. This system does not use email addresses and gives users a high degree of access control and anonymity. NOTE: We advise against placing your email address in any listing (as text) since unscrupulous search engine robots may attempt to harvest them.
Maps
Originally, we intended to create our own freely distributable cartographic and geographic imagery. However, our initial funding fell slightly short of the several billion dollars required to do so. As a result, we opted to be licensed by Google® so that we might provide Google Maps/Google Earth content to you. This gives you the ability to attach maps to your listings or user profile. When you do so, positional information may be presented in your listings as a See Location link.
IMPORTANT: If you place a location link in your user profile, it will, unless overridden by a location attached to the listing, be available to any registered user on OBERLIN.COM. This feature is primarily intended for businesses and other users that would like their location known on all listings.
Publish/Unpublish
Listings must be Published in order to be seen by the world. By default, free stuff is published as soon as it is created. Business stuff, however, must be explicitly published by the user. When you Unpublish something, it is not deleted – it is simply made invisible to everyone (except you and the site administrators).
Site Moderating
Since access to the site is free (and very inexpensive for businesses) we must guard against various abuses. We employ a third party anti-spam system but, in addition, we review all content before it is made available to the world. Such a system also helps us facilitate the adding of locally interesting or important content to our front page. This is intended to help prevent 87,000 postings relating to erectile dysfunction from suddenly “popping up” over night. It is NOT for censoring content to conform to our narrow but correct view of the world.
Classified Listings
- Text
- Single picture
- Can have map
- Free
- 30 day duration
- Unlimited free renewals
- See a sample here
To create a listing click here.
Note: If you are selling a big ticket item such as real estate or a vehicle you may want to consider a business listing. A gallery listing would be a great way to showcase your item. It is very economical and adds a ton of pizzazz.
You do not need to be a business to use oberlin.com business listings.
Important News
Until site traffic is up to our standards, OBERLIN.COM is continuing its policy of providing free use of business listings. This is a great way to promote your business via Business, Gallery and ‘Friend of Oberlin’ listings (Note: We may place limits on the number of listings).
The most difficult part for you is just contacting us. We will pretty much do all the rest.
So, how much traffic is required to “meet our standards”, at which point we’ll presumably want you to pony up some dough to stay on the site?
We won’t say.
Stay tuned for more.
Business/Advertising Overview
- No contracts or commitments
- Simple and flexible
- Buy “Air Time” and control exactly how it is used
- Listings only consume time when published (visible to the world)
- At least 10% of all business sales donated to worthy causes in Oberlin
Business Listing
- Image only (can be large)
- We will create it for you if desired - free
- Can have map
- Can link to external website page (business home page)
- See a sample here
To create a listing click here.
Gallery
- Text
- Multiple images
- Gallery presentation
- Can have map
- Can link to external website page (business home page)
- See a sample here
To create a listing click here.
Friend of Oberlin
- Single listing
- Special format (we create it - free)
- Can link to a business page on oberlin.com
- Has the potential to show on any oberlin.com page
- See a sample here
To create a listing click here.
