Welcome Ads?

[formlesstree4]

Just a few seconds ago, I click to go to the VB.net forum here and I get redirected to a welcome advertisement. Then when I choose to skip it, I don't even get sent to the right place.

When were those implemented? I can deal with the double underlined words on the pages, but the welcome ad threw me for a spin.

[DeanMc]

I just got it too,

To be honest I would rather pay a subscription than deal with all this. We will end up like CG before long

[formlesstree4]

I'd rather not go to a subscription...I have no money to pay for one.
Perhaps we can have packages that remove advertisements for those who pay, but still, it could bring up issues somewhere, I don't know...

[brad jones]

Those are relatively new. They shouldn't stop you from going where you were headed. I just had it redirect me to the home page too. I'll report that as a problem. You also shouldn't get it a over and over. I'm not sure what the frequency is, but if you just got it, then if you leave the forum and come right back, you shouldn't get it again.

Brad!

[techgnome]

I got it too... problem is thought, flash stuff is blocked here, so all I got was a big white page that said VBForums ... and a "Skip this ad" link.

-tg

EDIT - Oh, and I was heading into my User Control Panel area too...

[DeanMc]

A bold suggestion,

Move from vBulletin based forums to something that supports adverts more gracefully. It is not that I opposed AD's I understand the need for them but vBulletin tends to handle adverts like a kitten with mittens.

Not to point out the competition but and example would be Stack Overflow as a step in the right direction in terms of adverts in prime spaces without ruining the experience!

[formlesstree4]

Those are relatively new. They shouldn't stop you from going where you were headed. I just had it redirect me to the home page too. I'll report that as a problem. You also shouldn't get it a over and over. I'm not sure what the frequency is, but if you just got it, then if you leave the forum and come right back, you shouldn't get it again.

Brad!

I figured they wouldn't be often, I just wanted to raise up that they were a bit bugged in their redirection. I guess more browsing will have to be done to see the frequency they appear at.

EDIT: Stack Overflow...I don't much like their site at all.

[dclamp]

Just got it too. I was headed toward usercp, got redirected home when i clicked skip.

[brad jones]

People either love StackOverflow or hate it.

There are a lot of great features I've noted here internally.....

As to feedback - we are happy (or at least willing ) to take both the positive and the negative, so feel free to keep it coming. It helps us make sure we are at least going in the right direction overall.

Brad!

[techgnome]

I should note that it didn't bother me other than I wasn't expecting it. And as long as it isn't popping up on every page (like I've seen done at other site)... I'm ok with it.

-tg

[RhinoBull]

If you'd ask me then it's way over the top. Too much...

[Nightwalker83]

That ad that pops up when you first go to vbforums address is fine by me just as long s it stays at that one pop up ad.

[RhinoBull]

It should at least automatically redirect you to where you were originally going but it stays there forever.
The darn thing is really annoying.

[formlesstree4]

As Brad said earlier, he'd report the problem. Let's hope it'll get fixed.

[RhinoBull]

Not sure what Brad said in regards to problem I described...

Regardless, it would be real nice if you can manange not to affect (or underline otherwise) forum's key feature (forum names, links, etc).
It would be very much appreciated and I can guarantee that.


edit: the "you" was addressed to forum's admins.

[Merri]

A bold suggestion,

Move from vBulletin based forums to something that supports adverts more gracefully. It is not that I opposed AD's I understand the need for them but vBulletin tends to handle adverts like a kitten with mittens.

Not to point out the competition but and example would be Stack Overflow as a step in the right direction in terms of adverts in prime spaces without ruining the experience!

Just for a bit of history, do you happen to know where vBulletin originated from?


Also... after having a look at Stack Overflow, that would really end my participation on this site if they'd switch to that system. But I'm a fan of classic forum structure.

[TheBigB]

How about an annual donation to get an ad-free VBF?

[Merri]

I guess the biggest issue is that unless I'm mistaken, the website is up to make money in one way or another. Not a hobbyist website of any kind at all. Which means a donation wouldn't be a donation really: it would be paying company for a service, just that the payment would come from a few for many. It would be entirely different if the site was ran by volunteers just for the fun of it.

[TheBigB]

Okay, so lets call it a subscription then?

If the average ad-revenue per active user per year would be a tolerable price, I'd be happy to pay it instead of having ads.

[GaryMazzone]

Sorry to say if it goes to a pay site I would not be staying.

[TheBigB]

I'm not suggesting a pay-site, just an ad-free version for subscribers.

[techgnome]

I'm with Gary on this one.
TheBigB - there's a reason I can be found around here rather than some place like experts-exchange.com ... They charge a fee to use their site... and it's a big turn off. A huge majority of the people that come to this site you'll see for a while, until they get their project running, and then they are never heard from again, or it will be years before you hear from them again. If they had to pay a fee, this place would die. It would only be filled with regulars, and not many of those. Sure it sounds great at first, but honestly, I'd have a hard time justifying paying out $$ for the privilege of helping others.

I don't mind the ads, as long as they continue to remain unobtrusive. I'd rather see a few ads to keep this place alive than to show up one day and have a post by Marty saying "The lights have been turned off. So long and thanks for all the fish."

-tg

[JuggaloBrotha]

Sorry to say if it goes to a pay site I would not be staying.

You're not sorry to say that. I'm noticing a lose-lose situation starting here, people wont be staying here if these ads continue and people wont be staying if there's a subscription fee.

[TheBigB]

You're not sorry to say that. I'm noticing a lose-lose situation starting here, people wont be staying here if these ads continue and people wont be staying if there's a subscription fee.

I'm with Gary on this one.
TheBigB - there's a reason I can be found around here rather than some place like experts-exchange.com ... They charge a fee to use their site... and it's a big turn off. A huge majority of the people that come to this site you'll see for a while, until they get their project running, and then they are never heard from again, or it will be years before you hear from them again. If they had to pay a fee, this place would die. It would only be filled with regulars, and not many of those. Sure it sounds great at first, but honestly, I'd have a hard time justifying paying out $$ for the privilege of helping others.

I'm not suggesting a pay-site, just an ad-free version for subscribers.

It's an OR situation I'm suggesting.
OR you get to see ads,
OR you pay for a subscription.

[techgnome]

Juggalo - there has to be a balance - between making money, which means ads (which I'm willing to put up with) and usability. If it gets to the point where my screen has more ads than it does useful information, then it starts losing value, and thusly becomes less useful. At least they haven't resorted to inserting adds in between threads in a post... which I have seen on other sites. There's also the CG way... a full column of adds all the way down the one side of the forums as you browse... that's almost pushing it. I put up with is since I only visit there on occasion and it doesn't seem to slow things down.

Part of it is that some of us have been around on the forums for a very long time. We've seen it grow from virtually nothing into what it is today. It's change... and anyone who has been around here for more than a few years knows that this place doesn't like change much... oh sure, we'll accept it after a while, but we feel compelled to first complain about it. In about three months, the complaints about the ads will die off and it'll just become part of the way things are done. Until the next change... then we'll go through this all over again.

-tg

[techgnome]

It's an OR situation I'm suggesting.
OR you get to see ads,
OR you pay for a subscription.

Trust me... it doesn't work as well as it sounds like it should. They would have to offer more than just "ad-free" ... and I don't think the developers are going to want to tackle that kind of a hack to the boards for something like that. Not to mention it would probably take years before it would be ready to roll out. There's no valid ROI on something like that.

-tg

[TheBigB]

and anyone who has been around here for more than a few years knows that this place doesn't like change much... oh sure, we'll accept it after a while, but we feel compelled to first complain about it.

Oh, I still remember the smileys riot after a forum update a few years ago
We never got them back...

Anyway read a couple of posts above, I seem to have really bad posting timing.
edit: see...

[JuggaloBrotha]

Juggalo - there has to be a balance - between making money, which means ads (which I'm willing to put up with) and usability. If it gets to the point where my screen has more ads than it does useful information, then it starts losing value, and thusly becomes less useful. At least they haven't resorted to inserting adds in between threads in a post... which I have seen on other sites. There's also the CG way... a full column of adds all the way down the one side of the forums as you browse... that's almost pushing it. I put up with is since I only visit there on occasion and it doesn't seem to slow things down.

Part of it is that some of us have been around on the forums for a very long time. We've seen it grow from virtually nothing into what it is today. It's change... and anyone who has been around here for more than a few years knows that this place doesn't like change much... oh sure, we'll accept it after a while, but we feel compelled to first complain about it. In about three months, the complaints about the ads will die off and it'll just become part of the way things are done. Until the next change... then we'll go through this all over again.

-tg

I know, I was just mentioning that I've seen posts from people that have said that if there's any more ads they'll leave and I've also noticed other people saying that if they have to pay a fee then they're going to leave. Which simply implies that no matter what the admins & owners do people may actually leave, which isn't what the forum ultimately wants. I know the site has to be funded somehow and I'm not mentioning to that at all.

Personally I dont mind the ads on here as long as they're not the ad-words crap.

[JPnyc]

Juggalo - there has to be a balance - between making money, which means ads (which I'm willing to put up with) and usability. If it gets to the point where my screen has more ads than it does useful information, then it starts losing value, and thusly becomes less useful. At least they haven't resorted to inserting adds in between threads in a post... which I have seen on other sites. There's also the CG way... a full column of adds all the way down the one side of the forums as you browse... that's almost pushing it. I put up with is since I only visit there on occasion and it doesn't seem to slow things down.

Part of it is that some of us have been around on the forums for a very long time. We've seen it grow from virtually nothing into what it is today. It's change... and anyone who has been around here for more than a few years knows that this place doesn't like change much... oh sure, we'll accept it after a while, but we feel compelled to first complain about it. In about three months, the complaints about the ads will die off and it'll just become part of the way things are done. Until the next change... then we'll go through this all over again.

-tg

Well you'll notice that even on CG that right hand column of ads doesn't appear at the thread post level. We fought very hard for that. That's where the real information is contained.

[techgnome]

Oh I know that... and if I remember right, it wasn't always like that... and it is appreciated.

-tg

[penagate]

It's an OR situation I'm suggesting.
OR you get to see ads,
OR you pay for a subscription.

Why would anyone pay to advertise here if not everyone is guaranteed to see the ads?

[JuggaloBrotha]

Why would anyone pay to advertise here if not everyone is guaranteed to see the ads?

Even with it now, not everyone is guaranteed to see the ads anyways.

[Merri]

The ads never offer me anything so for me they're just a waste of space :P

Too much advertisement these days in general. But acknowledged, it is a matter of another topic...

[RhinoBull]

Why would anyone pay to advertise here if not everyone is guaranteed to see the ads?

Good point pen, however...

- not everyone will be willing to pay
- there is no guarantee that paid suscribtion will always be ads free: cable tv was once promoted as "commercial free" but you all (or most of you) know that it's not true [for a very long time]
- even if eveyone contributes it won't be enough to support website as operation cost never stops going up (with that said fee will be going up as well so more people will dropping off)

... just few thoughts ...

[JPnyc]

^all true.

[brad jones]

It is fun and interesting to watch this discussion. It is good to see some of you acknowledging the conversations that actually happen behind running a commercial forum. We work hard to balance revenue and community. Both are obviously required for long term success.


As to lost smilies. -- Yell and scream at Joe. He has the power to get the smilies changed, so hound him about those.....

(I expect an IM from Joe any minute now...... )

Brad!

[DeanMc]

Yes I know where vBulletin came from. The aspects of SO I was referring to where things like heavy use of tags for searchability and structural purposes. Self moderation and rewards program (less adverts for more involved members).

There are also many aspects of SO I have serious issues with which is why I did not put forward the idea to license the same software (stack exchange)

[formlesstree4]

It is fun and interesting to watch this discussion. It is good to see some of you acknowledging the conversations that actually happen behind running a commercial forum. We work hard to balance revenue and community. Both are obviously required for long term success.

Some very true words here. The current word placing advertising isn't all in the way either. It isn't to bad actually. It can be rather weird to move the mouse over a word that's double underlined and be stumped when an ad appears in a little box window, but it's not all invasive. The welcome ad was fixed (I haven't seen it in quite some time now, was it removed?) since the last time I did see it, it redirected me properly (which is good).

As to lost smilies. -- Yell and scream at Joe. He has the power to get the smilies changed, so hound him about those.....

Uh huh....I'll make a note of that. I wasn't even here for the old ones or the riot that accompanied the change....

[RhinoBull]

As to lost smilies. -- Yell and scream at Joe. He has the power to get the smilies changed, so hound him about those.....

I'm surprised people still remember that. It's one of those (another qualifier could be the code tags "war") that can finally be RIP. Let it go is what I said.