John Lutter — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:32:49 GMT

I’ve been through a few layoffs in my time, and its never easy. At the end of the day, someone is losing their job, and there really isn’t any sugar coating that makes that any easier.

The key to keeping up morale, is to show that you’ve made the necessary changes to the organization to prevent future layoffs from happening. After a layoff, most of your employees are thinking, “that could have been me” and are probably thinking about freshening up their resumes so they can get out before the axe falls again. Its up to you to show them that you’ve taken the steps to keep their jobs secure and that there is a plan to get the company viable again.

Also make sure you offer the laid off employees a better than fair severance package, and do everything possible to help them gain employment elsewhere. Its how you treat these people leaving that will effect your morale the most.

John Lutter — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:03:54 GMT

I’m not quite sure I agree with the “no banner ad” policy from day one..

You have to set a tone with your site, and if you plan to eventually offer banner and sponsorship opportunities, its better to get your users used to the idea from the get-go, instead of 6 months or a year later.

I’ve been involved in sites where you build the userbase to a certain level, and as soon as you add a banner, your users begin to revolt. From many user perspectives, you are using them to make money.

My view is to not clutter up your site with banners before you’ve gained an audience and content, but also don’t be afraid to set the expectation that your site is a commercial enterprise and is for making money.

Found+READ: Comments by John Lutter