Google ads

DeVore

Dev, if I ever meet you in a pub somewhere, I would gladly buy you a pint. In the meantime I'd prefer not to be coaxed into buying sh1te I don't need.

Christ I dont know how you survive modern life mate... I mean, dont turn on a tv, a radio... dont look around when you are out for a drive or walk... dont go on the internet... I hate to break this to you but this place that you find so pleasant, it doesnt run itself you know. I just forked out 1000 notes for a server I couldnt afford so that we could have a test server for JH to test new code for the front page etc. God I'm terrible sorry if a google ad intruded on your enjoyment the site... you might have slipped and accidentally clicked on the link and bashed your credit card number into the box along with your address and bought something.

Or you could just scroll down.

Sorry, I'm not it much a good mood these days.

DeV.

uberwolf

I'll be getting a membership with my first paycheque this summer as my show of support. The google adds, are they slowing down the download? Just they seem to be the last thing loading...



*ok, maybe my second

irishgeo

Originally posted by DeVore
Jeez... thanks mate... hate to think I might have gotten a pint out of this.

DeV.

I dont object to ads and i bet the money from ads for a year wont buy a pint. But when i am surfing on 56k line i dont want it slowed down by ads which i wont be clicking on.

I gladly donate you the price of a pint or two for the admins as i never make it to the Boards beer.

I know ads pay for site costs but if it came to the worst and boards went a paid site id glady fork out the money then. if the subscriber package came with a few more features (i.e No ads and other features like competitions with prizes donated from perhaps the commerical people, or other friends of boards and other features which i might use, id buy it.)

seamus

Originally posted by irishgeo
I dont object to ads and i bet the money from ads for a year wont buy a pint. But when i am surfing on 56k line i dont want it slowed down by ads which i wont be clicking on.

I've never noticed any speed problems with boards, ads on or otherwise. The Google ads are all text, and so are literally only a couple of hundred bytes in size, unnoticeable given the size of the whole page. Other ads were what? 5Kb at most?

Either you view an unobstrusive, barely noticeable ad or you don't. Either way you have a gap 468x60 in the top right hand corner, and the page loads just as fast...

mr_angry

Originally posted by DeVore
I just got an ad on my journal for wholesale bones for BBQing... not funny

On the contrary, add some innuendo, and it is very funny!



:eek:

SantaHoe

I propose a new guilt-trip forum.
tbh

irishgeo

Originally posted by seamus
I've never noticed any speed problems with boards, ads on or otherwise. The Google ads are all text, and so are literally only a couple of hundred bytes in size, unnoticeable given the size of the whole page. Other ads were what? 5Kb at most?

Either you view an unobstrusive, barely noticeable ad or you don't. Either way you have a gap 468x60 in the top right hand corner, and the page loads just as fast...

what is it gang up on irishgeo day!

seamus

Originally posted by irishgeo
what is it gang up on irishgeo day!

Heh, that wasn't aimed at you personally, just anyone who blocks ads from boards

irishgeo

ok no problem but i never click on ads on any site so why should i display something i dont use.

Thats all i dont mind supporting boards and ill gladly donate some money to keep it running, alot more than what ever thye would make on ads i mgith have clicked on. they dont get money for displaying ads.

ozt9vdujny3srf

Originally posted by DeVore
I just forked out 1000 notes for a server I couldnt afford so that we could have a test server for JH to test new code for the front page etc..

This is a wee bit OT but will the new front pa ge ne accompanied by vb3 or are they completely seperate projects?

The ads themselves are very unobtrusive especially since cloud blended them into the themes,and as has already been mentioned, if anything the google ads are much better then the old ones. Not only do they have a much higher chance of advertising something you are even vaguely interested in, they aren't flashy or animated.

Lets hope Dev and co. gets a few trips to the chipper .

(on a side note, can we call the new server dictatorship.boards.ie / oppress.boards.ie or fightthepower.boards.ie?)

SantaHoe

Originally posted by Stephen
I think they're far better than any poxy animated ads.

Bring back Punch the monkey imho.

BuffyBot

I can't beleive anyone is objecting to these ads. If they help support the site, even if only by buying the admins some free Thai food [and thus keeping them both alive and in good humour ] then it's worth it People just don't know when they have it good.

ecksor

Originally posted by Truckle
This is a wee bit OT but will the new front pa ge ne accompanied by vb3 or are they completely seperate projects?

Separate. We just need graphics for the other one, and probably a bit of simple coding to compensate for some re-arrangements since it was coded up.

(on a side note, can we call the new server dictatorship.boards.ie / oppress.boards.ie or fightthepower.boards.ie?)

It's actually the old webserver, troll.boards.ie

dahamsta

Originally posted by irishgeo
ok no problem but i never click on ads on any site so why should i display something i dont use.

Never thought of it that way. With regular ads it doesn't make a difference, but of course you get nothing for three in a bed with Google ads. For clicks I mean, sorry, I went all Jim Bowen there for a second.

I used to block ads on Boards up until recently[1] because of the bloody JS menus, but I have the menus blocked separately now so the ads load[2]. But I can't see myself ever clicking on one. I hardly see them, and when I do there's never anything of interest there. And of course we can't click to support Boards, because they'll just get their account pulled.

If there was credit card ordering - or even Paypal - for the subscriptions I'd prolly lash a few quid in though[3]. I guess that's coming with the upgrade to vB3?

adam

[1] TBH I used to block them when I was on dialup too, because I valued my bandwidth. I realise the hypocrisy of this, but I was skint. *shrug*
[2] Netgear users, block the word "mil0nic" to kill the menus. With an 'o' instead of the '0'.
[3] Lazy too.

dahamsta

LOL, when I went to post that I got the big nasty Netgear warning page because I used the word "mil0nic". Now you all know how to stop me reading your posts.

adam

Vader

Not that my opinion counts but....

anything that helps keep the site up is great and sure if the admins get some free Thai out of it what harm.

There no more annoying than the previous ads.

DeVore

Like I said, I'm a bit grumpy at the moment, try not sleep a full night for 4 weeks, constant background pain and crutches to put you in a bad mood.

I think in the future we will tie a credit card process into the subscirbers thing and probably take ads off the subscribers pages. We have 10K active people on this, if each of them gave us 10 euro a year we could employ 2-3 people to make the site even better.

I just get annoyed when people treat me like the enemy, like I'm trying to screw them for cash when all I've wanted to do is see where this rollercoaster can go if we work together on it.

I dunno.. call me a hippy but can you point at many other sites where there isnt a commercial interest behind it pushing their wares or trying to make money for their shareholders... penny arcade is the only one that springs to mind (god bless them!)

Personally I love the google ads, its like a little google "Feeling Lucky" spin every time I open a page.

DeV.

robbie1876

Is it as simple as this: boards get money everytime one of us clicks on an ad, whether we browse the targetted site or not? If that is the case, I have no problem clicking on the ads to support boards. If not, I won't!

ecksor

Originally posted by robbie1876
Is it as simple as this: boards get money everytime one of us clicks on an ad, whether we browse the targetted site or not? If that is the case, I have no problem clicking on the ads to support boards. If not, I won't!

I appreciate the sentiment, but I think people should click on the ads if they find them interesting. Clicking ads over and over purely to help us out is kinda fraudulent and could prompt google to disown us. We certainly don't promote or condone that behaviour!

JustHalf

Originally posted by DeVore
I just forked out 1000 notes for a server I couldnt afford so that we could have a test server for JH to test new code for the front page etc.

Thanks for the pressure there Tom

Goodshape

Sorry if I offended, Dev. It was a critisisim of advertising in general, not you're motives. And as ads go you're right, they're not that bad looking. Just so long as you don't go mad with it, I'm not really that bothered.

Although I'd like to think that with a community this size, you could raise maintainence costs through subsriber packs (which is missing some key 'wow' feature maybe) and fundraisers.

I'd subscribe myself only I barely have the cash to pay eircom. I will someday though (it's the red stars... you just, want them).

Terminator

I think the google ads are grand and once they're targetted well they'll only be of notice to people who actually want what they're advertising.

Also, its very hard to make money from subscriber packs as so few people sign up for them.

The way to go forward might be to charge a small one-off fee (€15) for new members registering, excluding anyone who has a student email addy or works for a charitable organisation.

mike65

Originally posted by Terminator


The way to go forward might be to charge a small one-off fee (€15) for new members registering, excluding anyone who has a student email addy or works for a charitable organisation.

:eek: Thursday nights are sooooooo quiet are'nt they

Mike.

vorbis

elo .... agh ... silly billy never logged out.

DeVore

I dont mind if people dont/cant sign up for the supporters packs, I dont mind if they cant afford to buy us a pint, I'm not saying people should click the ads or anything like that. I'd just prefer if people thought a bit more about the sustainability of this community before bragging that they've blocked even the inobtrusive ads we do have...
I hate being made to feel like I'm some how screwing people when we've never sold email addresses, used popups or interstitials or treated you guys with disdain in that manner. Its a bit of a kick in the balls if you look at it from my pov... there's manipulative and cynical marketing/advertising (and you know my views on that) and sustainability (which to be honest, this site isnt anywhere near yet!)

Sorry, I dont mean that to be a guilt trip, I just think people should open their eyes and realise when they have a good thing and not shove it in our faces that they've screwed us out of even the token beer cash we get from (and usually reinvest into) this community.

These are my last words on this.

DeV.

Pablo

i have some experience using google ads with vb3, send me a PM if you are interested in a wee bit of help. Using their conditionals and a nice bit of javascript.

There are some weird google terms like you are not allowed to have ads on registration pages and error pages, also there isn't much point putting them on pages that normal guests can see. So keep an eye on that.

anyhoooo lemme know if you want some help

that was me earlier (vorbis)

irishgeo

ok ill edit my ads settings to show the boards ads.

and i do realise what i good thing that you guys have going here.



Looks like i am the wrong side of devore. Heard its not a nice place to be be.:(

Giblet

Originally posted by ecksor
I appreciate the sentiment, but I think people should click on the ads if they find them interesting. Clicking ads over and over purely to help us out is kinda fraudulent and could prompt google to disown us. We certainly don't promote or condone that behaviour!

I read ya loud n clear.... *click*

alleepally

Just a question for the mods here.

Who monitors the email address adverts@boards.ie ?

I sent an email on 30th March to it asking about advertising on boards.ie but I got no response.

DeVore

AlleePally... sorry I do but it generated so much virus mail while I was away that my company quaruntined the emails and I havent been in the office to pick them up. Can you mail gerry @ boards.ie or PM me... we've altered it now to go to all the admins so that it reaches one of us.

DeV.