Annoying? Yes. But consider for a moment that SOMEBODY is spending their time and money to create, maintain run our little happy gathering place here at FL. Selling ad space is nearly EVERY website's way of covering their costs so WE, the users, don't get constantly solicited to contribute to help support the site. We all buy, sell and trade here, but unlike Ebay, the site gets nothing out of the deal. Speaking only for myself, I think it's a bit of a first-world problem to deal with annoying ads, so long as I get to hang out with many fine folks and discuss geeky things like the zippers on an A-2 jacket, or the correct sweatband in a fedora! Let's all check our pulses and take a sip of 75 year old single-malt, then approach this from a civilized angle. Really not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.
I don't think anybody begrudges a site like this ad revenue, but managing the customer experience is, as always, paramount. It doesn't do any good to load up the site with ads so that you drive your audience away. This "we used to have to go to the library" stuff is for the birds, as well. If the Lounge wants eyes on its pages, it needs to make the experience one that is attractive. In 2021, not 1965.
I think we should just give them some time to settle this out and see where we are. I'm surprised so many of you have just discovered AdBlocker plus!
I remember a Blondie comic strip from several years ago. Dagwood is asking a guy what he does for a living.
Guy: "You know those ads that fall out of the magazine when you're trying to read it? I put those in there!"
Next frame is Dagwood strangling the man.
I don't think anybody begrudges a site like this ad revenue, but managing the customer experience is, as always, paramount. It doesn't do any good to load up the site with ads so that you drive your audience away. This "we used to have to go to the library" stuff is for the birds, as well. If the Lounge wants eyes on its pages, it needs to make the experience one that is attractive. In 2021, not 1965.
I think we should just give them some time to settle this out and see where we are. I'm surprised so many of you have just discovered AdBlocker plus!
Hey...this sounds a lot like how i got my college degree.In the Stone Ages, in order to do what we do on this forum we might have to...
1. spend time and gas money driving to the library
2. spend money on long distance calls to vendors (yes young folks, calls weren't always "free")
3. spend massive amounts of time in the library reading books and, if you were lucky, looking at classified ads from newspapers from other parts of the country, searching for jackets for sale
...not to mention the money someone would likely spend going to movies and other forms of entertainment if they didn't have a forum like this to keep themselves amused
As you suggest, Fiver, we need to take a step and look at the big picture. In the grand scheme of things, the ads are a minor inconvenience.
I believe most members would be fine with ads at the top and bottom of pages. The problem here is that they are popping up everywhere and impeding viewing, left, right , up, down, middle of posts, splitting screen, etc...When somebody invites me over for a free dinner, I don't consider myself a customer. I don't complain about it or tell them what they need to do to make the experience better. If I am paying, that's a different story.
I have a friend who runs a site just like this for sports. He charges no fees for people to participate in forums. He occasionally asked for donations, but had little success, even after many said they would do so(talk is cheap). One day he introduced an ad program like this and the members went bonkers. He helped educate me about how much work and expense it involves to run a site like this. Most folks have no clue. He confided in me that he felt offended by the forum members who bashed him for the "excessive" ads. His insights gave me a different perspective.
When somebody invites me over for a free dinner, I don't consider myself a customer. I don't complain about it or tell them what they need to do to make the experience better. If I am paying, that's a different story.
I used to work with an IT guy who would work ungodly hours while being paid for 40 hours per week. While he was busting his tails behind the scenes, neglecting his family, fellow employees would be blowing up their emails and talking at the water cooler berating the IT department. He took it very personally.Excellent analogy....and by extension if during dinner a neighbor barged in and battered you with questions about random topics of zero interest to the point you couldn’t eat you food, that would be just fine and you would look forward to the next free dinner.
True, we pay nothing for our meal here but expressing frustration is one of the courses.
I’ll just wait for the neighbor to leave, again.
B
Excellent analogy....and by extension if during dinner a neighbor barged in and battered you with questions about random topics of zero interest to the point you couldn’t eat you food, that would be just fine and you would look forward to the next free dinner.
True, we pay nothing for our meal here but expressing frustration is one of the courses.
I’ll just wait for the neighbor to leave, again.
B
I agree. Moving to a 'subscription' model is not the answer as that would eliminate so many 'hat curious' folks or lurkers and tighten the circle. Perhaps there is a subscription model that offers tiers of service that would allow the curious a lengthy time to hang out. Perhaps, posting questions, classifieds for subscribers, but the lurkers could have access to the posts.....or somesuch. I am willing to pay if the model could be as inclusive as possible.In the Stone Ages, in order to do what we do on this forum we might have to...
1. spend time and gas money driving to the library
2. spend money on long distance calls to vendors (yes young folks, calls weren't always "free")
3. spend massive amounts of time in the library reading books and, if you were lucky, looking at classified ads from newspapers from other parts of the country, searching for jackets for sale
...not to mention the money someone would likely spend going to movies and other forms of entertainment if they didn't have a forum like this to keep themselves amused
As you suggest, Fiver, we need to take a step and look at the big picture. In the grand scheme of things, the ads are a minor inconvenience.
I'm curious about this as well. I'm sure there's a certain percentage of "not being completely honest", but almost everyone I know says they refuse to shop via online pop-up ads simply because those ads are so annoying, even if the ad is for something they're interested in....Question...Has anybody ever, i mean EVER bought anything from those usurper adds?? WTF