Well. I’ll see you all in a week. That’ll let this sort of thing shake out, one way or another. I know the miniscule amount of content I add to this board will not be greatly missed, but I see no reason to stick around for the drama of it all.
Wow. These ads are UGLY. I’m using Win XP, IE7 and I see them all too clearly. Why can’t they center them at the very least? Blech.
I agree TubaDiva’s original response in that thread was unnecessarily snarky. Noone Special asked a perfectly valid question in a reasonable way. Her response was totally uncalled for.
I just started posting again after several months on hiatus. This place ain’t what it used to be.
Can we have a Doper strike? Who would organize it? Three days without posting could give them a little scare. It may also give some Dopers a little perspective as well!
How do you know when your subscription is up for renewal? Who is the closest? Is anyone willing to throw themselves on the sword and be the 1st to confirm their non-renewal?
If there are banners when I am up, I will bolt. Not that I will be missed…
I just very recently learned out to change which browser my browser announces itself as. Now I’m amusing myself changing my “browser” and seeing what happens. Ooh, now I’m Netscape.
Did you all know there’s a bunch of shit down on the bottom of the page under Netscape? I’ve never seen that stuff before.
My subscription ends 12/31. I seriously doubt I will be investing another $15 in the current trajectory of the SDMB.
Dish! How do you change what the site thinks your browser is!?
OMG. Ads. Well, there goes the neighborhood.
I only read the first page (30 posts) but count me in the category of “Better that than shutting down the boards due to a lack of revenue.” Or “What’s the big deal?” Something along those lines.
They whistle and hoot and talk and scream — all with flashing lights, meaning the whole site is now NSFW.
I don’t mind the ads THAT much - not enough to stop coming to the boards, anyway, not yet - but they are really annoying (I haven’t gotten any noisy ones yet, thank God) and it would have been nice if they’d given us some kind of heads up.
I wasn’t seeing them when I first checked this thread awhile ago, but here they are.
Haven’t had one talk to me yet, but it will piss me off when it happens.
If everyone’s gonna quit the board, someone direct me to another one. I constantly require a good time-wasting social website (and not Facebook or MySpace).
Eh, I never use my computer speakers anyway. Especially at work where, you know, I’m working. 
I haven’t noticed any sound yet; is it not very loud?
Also, I don’t get an ad every page load, only every third or fourth page load.
No, no- it’s incredibly loud. The one I most notice has the voice of the movie announcer guy, about a Ford Focus.
Oh. My. Og. That thing is horrible. I feel sorry for those of you who can’t block them. I agree, banner ads are a dick move, especially on a pay-to-post board. Thank Mozilla for Firefox and thank Wladimir Palant for Adblock Plus.
It’s quite a blaster. A Ford ad.
ETA:
There’s also one that shakes and flashes pink and yellow. Can’t remember what it was for.
Well, honestly, they’ve done unpleasant things and have been defended by a number of members, so why not try more?
I expressed concern last week (or the week before) about pay-to-post. I thought the board was being smothered, slowly.
Now, I dunno. Maybe not so slowly.
I know it’s just a messageboard, and I haven’t been here as long as some, but it makes me sad to see people leave and know that the internet is a huge, huge place and once you lose track of someone they tend to be gone forever.
Well, for IE7 users, there’s IE7Pro. It’s free, and has gotten good reviews.
OTTOMH There are at least 3 boards run by dopers. To avoid derailing the thread, or getting it locked for recommending boards other than the SDMB, I recommend that other Dopers inform you in private message.
I just realized something, you guys. Maybe we’re all just being judgmental ninnies. Like, sure, there are banner ads, but maybe the plan was to make the board free. But now, we’ve all ruined the good will of our overlords and must be punished for our insolence. 
I blame Zsofia. shakes fist
Maybe if we stop complaining and be thankful for the glory we have (while clicking on banners-- BUY GIFT CARDS!1111111111!!!), then maybe we can prove that we are deserving of at least basic customer service.
Just so everyone knows, I’ve emailed Ed Zotti to let him know how strongly people feel about the ads. Again, this may simply be a temporary situation, but I want you all to know we’re doing our best to make sure your voices are heard on this issue.