At this point, most programmers have already heard about StackOverflow. First started last year by celebrity coders Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood, coding Q&A site StackOverflow crowdsources programming solutions for all to see. The site is popular for its Digg-like voting interface, clean design and, of course, its useful information. The duo has since begun licensing the software behind StackOverflow to provide companies with customizable Q&A forums on a number of topics.
When ReadWriteWeb last covered StackOverflow in January, the company was planning to produce a spin-off site for IT professionals. The group has since launched StackExchange: a white-label service that allows users to create Q&A forums on topics of their choice. Some of the existing StackExchange sites include SharePoint Overflow, Math Overflow and Epic Advice for World of Warcraft players. Because the company allows users to rebrand the tool, override style sheets and insert HTML, forum owners can insert advertisements and generate their own revenue. StackExchange then takes care of your site infrastructure and hosting. For small communities with 1 million monthly viewers or less, the service is available for $129 per month. For those with higher-traffic sites, the service costs between $1000 and $2500 per month.
Last month Wikia CEO Gil Penchina spoke to ReadWriteWeb about the revenue potential of enthusiast sites. If you already have a dedicated niche community, StackExchange may be a good add-on solution for you. While there are only a few gaming, parenting and language-specific white-label communities, there’s plenty of room for fan site expansions. Can someone say Vulcan trivia site? To check out StackExchange, visit stackexchange.com.
