# Ads by Google? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 16, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029 "2005-09-16T20:06:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/1 "2005-09-16T20:06:00Z")
Hey, we got ads today! Well, if the SDMB can make a buck, it’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/2 "2005-09-16T20:07:22Z")
Just spotted this myself. I’m going to have to be careful when I go to hit “post reply”. I’m surprised there was no announcement. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/3 "2005-09-16T20:09:48Z")
Unfortunately, they all seem to be selling mailing lists for the purposes of SPAM. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/4 "2005-09-16T20:10:53Z")
Click on 'em anyway. Maybe we’ll get a new server by Christmas. Whee! ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/5 "2005-09-16T20:11:15Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Hey, we got ads today! Well, if the SDMB can make a buck, it’s worth it. Uh, no, no it’s not. If I’m paying for this place, I don’t freaking need ads junking it up. I frequently pay registration at websites to get rid of ad banners. I’m not going to pay _and_ have ad banners here. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/6 "2005-09-16T20:12:15Z")
I don’t have the ads. I wonder what’s up… ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/7 "2005-09-16T20:13:21Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Uh, no, no it’s not. If I’m paying for this place, I don’t freaking need ads junking it up. I frequently pay registration at websites to get rid of ad banners. I’m not going to pay _and_ have ad banners here. I take it you don’t subscribe to cable TV either then, right? ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/8 "2005-09-16T20:14:14Z")
I guess there’s really no good place for ads, but right between some of the function buttons? I paid up for Membership like two weeks after it was announced, and I would hope we Charter folks can be screened out somehow. Not to sound like such a snob, but that’s usually one of the nuisances paying up brings you on sites like this. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/9 "2005-09-16T20:14:40Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Uh, no, no it’s not. If I’m paying for this place, I don’t freaking need ads junking it up. I frequently pay registration at websites to get rid of ad banners. I’m not going to pay _and_ have ad banners here. I agree. OTOH, I don’t see the ads all the time; they seem to appear at random. In fact, I’ve only noticed them once. I wonder if they are trying to set it up so that only unpaid guests see them? If they MUST have them, I would much prefer it be set up that way. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/10 "2005-09-16T20:14:55Z")
The ads seem to be random. Sometimes they appear, sometimes they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/11 "2005-09-16T20:15:58Z")
…“SPARES” you on sites like this. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/12 "2005-09-16T20:16:58Z")
Money is good. Money makes faster server. Money pays for bandwith. They’re not horribly obtrusive, though I’d prefer them at the top of the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/13 "2005-09-16T20:20:04Z")
Is this going to slow down the boards? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/14 "2005-09-16T20:20:55Z")
No “Ads By Google” show up anywhere for me, as I have them blocked. But if they have them I may have to unblock and click a few times a week. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/15 "2005-09-16T20:21:02Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > I take it you don’t subscribe to cable TV either then, right? Unfair comparison. I pay for cable TV to get content unavailable from other sources. OTOH, the powers that be here _specifically_ rejected hosting such ads in favor of the Pay-to-Post scheme, so you’ll forgive me if I find this latest turn a bit hypocritical. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/16 "2005-09-16T20:21:58Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > I take it you don’t subscribe to cable TV either then, right? Right-o. Not that it really matters, though - while just about every TV network features commercials, it’s WAY out of the mainstream for a website to charge AND show ads. It smacks of stinginess as ads hardly earn any money on the web anyway. > [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Money is good. Money makes faster server. Money pays for bandwith. > They’re not horribly obtrusive, though I’d prefer them at the top of the thread. No, money does not pay for faster server or more bandwidth. Remember what they said when they implemented pay to post? That we got no promise of a faster server or more bandwidth. There’s absolutely no reason you should suggest that adding google ads would mean a faster server or more bandwidth either. I’ve only seen them once, so I’m guessing it was a momentary hiccup. If so, consider my outrage over. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/17 "2005-09-16T20:27:03Z")
According to the other thread, **Jerry** the Tech God was testing something. The ads have now been turned off. Whether this means he was testing the viability of the ads for future use or what have you was not made clear. ---
**Author:** ![jdavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f6c823/32.png) [@jdavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdavis)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/18 "2005-09-16T20:27:15Z")
I was testing something for a few minutes. The ads have been turned back off unless you’re an Administrator. Then you see them. Jerry ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/19 "2005-09-16T20:28:03Z")
> [@Abbie Normal](#): > > No “Ads By Google” show up anywhere for me, as I have them blocked. If I may ask, how did you block them? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029/20 "2005-09-16T20:28:44Z")
> [@jdavis](#): > > The ads have been turned back off unless you’re an Administrator. Then you see them. Time to pay the Piper, eh? 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ads-by-google/322029.md?page=2)