Yeah, I just noticed this. They sometimes appear at random moments. Makes life interesting.
I’ll try the host file fix soon … that seems to be a more robust solution.
ETA: Hmmm … now ads are consistently not showing up, though page loads are slooow. Guess I’ll just ride the restricted-site fix a little longer and see.
ETA again: Now the ads are back. Hosts file, here I come!
I got an ad once, which was enough to make me re-enable Flashblock, but I’m not even getting the Flashblock image now.
Register me as another charter member who won’t resubscribe in April if the ads stay.
Hosts file fix was money – thanks, all.
Maybe someone should start a thread in ATMB on how to block the ads.
Regards,
Shodan
Another non-complainer here.
These are annoying, and tip my balance over into “not worth the money.” If they’re still here at re-up time, I won’t be.
I just came in, read this thread. closed my browser, and discovered a pop-up ad under the browser window.
Not cool.
I could hardly care less.
Just to clarify, I don’t think the Pop-ups are from the SDMB, unless you clicked a banner ad inadvertently. There may be some other cause of the Pop-Up.
The new ads have had problems like animation, sound, and partially covering the SDMB menu in some browser/Operating system combos, but you have the first report of a Pop-Up.
Ya know what’s funny? They aren’t just greedy fuckers. They are STUPID greedy fuckers. If they would have held off doing this until May, they would have had another years’ worth of subscriptions.
Any idiot can run a company. The only problem is one eventually does.
Although Liberal’s response is a bit aggressively analogical, he’s got a really good point.
The SDMB depends on members. What separates it from other message boards is, essentially, GQ and the people answering questions there (and the spillover into IMHO and GD and such). The board depends on recruiting new members as old ones leave.
There are a lot of people who are going to find NOISY, MOVING BANNER ADS intrusive and hard to deal with. Those that are currently members will leave. Those that aren’t members now will never become members. And, worst of all, there’s probably a large subset of people – currently non-members – who might be willing to pay a membership fee and dick around with Adblocker once they realized they like this place. But they’re not going to bother to try it out, because the Chicago Reader is bound and determined to run them off with NOISY, MOVING BANNER ADS.
It’s nice that you’re not personally inconvenienced, but me, I’d like to see this Board grow. Too bad for me, huh?
Well I’ve gotten them now too, so it appears it’s not only not temporary, but that they’re actively finding new ways to implement them as well.
Well, I’m out. Stuck around 'cause it was a cheap occasional diversion but I’m not a fan of remaining a paying member of a site that obviously has contempt for its users. I’ll check back in a couple of weeks and see if they’ve changed their minds but, if not, I’m gone. See y’all, it’s been fun.
That’s funny. I’ll have to remember that one. 
I think having to fuck around with my computer is a terrible idea. Anyone who wants to change browsers or add software or tinker with their registries or whatever, that’s fine for you.
But as far as I’m concerned, it’s like suggesting I rewire my car’s audio system because I don’t like the commercials on one station. A station that I’m paying for. Screw that, it’s a lot easier to change the station and quit paying for it.
I understand TPTB want to make a little profit off this board, and as I said before, I’m willing to put out a little more cash to help them achieve it. How much more? I’ll start the bidding at a dollar a month.
It is not on the resricted list. It is on no list I can see. I assume it is saved in the default of “Internet” but I can not view the URLs under that zone, or if I can I don’t know where to look, so I can remove it and then place it on the restricted list.
You know I just did it so I could have my MOST SUCCESSFUL THREAD EVER. I mean by orders of magnitude!
SA style would be fine with me but not fine with the majority of the posters here, many of whom would collapse into intenet social anxiety and threaten to sue the first time someone bought a banner ad with a picture of their mom blowing a cartoon horse. Plus let’s face it, whoever this Jerry is, he has enough problems just running a regular message board.
So uhm, if we’re all leaving in a huff can someone give me like an early heads up? There are actually some cuties on here and I feel like I should have done more flirting before it all went down the shitter.
I fall into that category. I joined as a guest a few weeks ago and was definately planning to become a member. But now…uh no. Paying to be assaulted by talking banner ads?? You gotta be kidding me.
Distracting or not, they’re certainly convincing. Why, I feel like taking some Ambian and going for a drive in my new Escalade right this minute!
Seriously, though, I really didn’t even notice them. If someone had told me they’d been there for months I’d have believed them. They don’t bother me at all, but I’d hate to lose posters over them, especially over a vehicle not in my price range, despite the 100% total luxury of the 403hp vortec V8 engine.