1. How do you folks attract new members ? - The best way to attract new members is for it to be an integral part of your service.So friends can show friends, without that even being the goal. User's trust the whole WOM (word of mouth) over anything else, so to see that their friends are using something will be the most powerful aspect. This means, focus on the users you currently have!
2. How often (if at all) do you interact with your members? As much as possible. Don't fill their inbox with spam. But make sure they know the site isn't just a rotting corpse. Make sure they can easily provide feedback, and make sure there is a blog (didnt check if you had one) so you can post about new updates and announcements.
3. I recently tried to monetize my site with some ads. I regret doing this, it wasn't my idea, a friend recommended I try... it was a bad idea. But how do you folks monetize your sites ? - There are only a few ways to monetize a site. You can post ads, sell a product, or sell services (such as a membership). Your site, as you're clearly aware, isn't the first of its kind. Look at how the other's monetize and follow lead. No point in reinventing the wheel.
4. Should I Keep Going? With all the other photo sharing sites like google,flickr etc. Is it worth it for me to keep working on this ? Maybe I should focus my efforts on a niche? (now what niche do I focus on?) - Of course you should keep going, even if the site doesn't become what you'd like it to, it'll always be nice to have in your portfolio. And yea, a niche would be great. You should consider the following when deciding your niche: "What AM I passionate about?" - and obviously, "what niche needs this, that doesn't yet have it." It's important for you to be passionate about it, because you want to know the niche & market better than anyone else, so you can really dominate it. There is nothing more unfortunate than when someone has a good idea for a business for a market they know nothing about. This is where execution comes into play.
I don't think most people mind advertising. It's the ads that force videos and sound and blatent distractions that they don't like. But for the most part, it is a reality of how these sites make money and if it keeps things free, it is an inarguable benefit to all.
I'll give my answers based on my own experience.
1. How do you folks attract new members ? - The best way to attract new members is for it to be an integral part of your service.So friends can show friends, without that even being the goal. User's trust the whole WOM (word of mouth) over anything else, so to see that their friends are using something will be the most powerful aspect. This means, focus on the users you currently have!
2. How often (if at all) do you interact with your members? As much as possible. Don't fill their inbox with spam. But make sure they know the site isn't just a rotting corpse. Make sure they can easily provide feedback, and make sure there is a blog (didnt check if you had one) so you can post about new updates and announcements.
3. I recently tried to monetize my site with some ads. I regret doing this, it wasn't my idea, a friend recommended I try... it was a bad idea. But how do you folks monetize your sites ? - There are only a few ways to monetize a site. You can post ads, sell a product, or sell services (such as a membership). Your site, as you're clearly aware, isn't the first of its kind. Look at how the other's monetize and follow lead. No point in reinventing the wheel.
4. Should I Keep Going? With all the other photo sharing sites like google,flickr etc. Is it worth it for me to keep working on this ? Maybe I should focus my efforts on a niche? (now what niche do I focus on?) - Of course you should keep going, even if the site doesn't become what you'd like it to, it'll always be nice to have in your portfolio. And yea, a niche would be great. You should consider the following when deciding your niche: "What AM I passionate about?" - and obviously, "what niche needs this, that doesn't yet have it." It's important for you to be passionate about it, because you want to know the niche & market better than anyone else, so you can really dominate it. There is nothing more unfortunate than when someone has a good idea for a business for a market they know nothing about. This is where execution comes into play.
Hope my comments helped! Good luck!