# Let's pit the google ads... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 23, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137 "2005-09-23T22:19:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/181 "2005-09-24T12:25:24Z")
I think the SDMB management saw another big hurricane coming and thought they’d help generate material for the rebuilding efforts by making everyone shit bricks. This board costs money to run–money from the pocket of the Chicago Reader, which is not exactly Microsoft. I figure they can make their money back one of three ways–a high subscription fee, obnoxious ads, or a combination of a low fee and unobtrusive ads. I like the fact that they’ve gone with the third route. For the quality of the board and the discussions here, it’s still a bargain at three times the price and twice the annoyance. Even if the Reader is doing this to make more money rather than lose less–I doubt it, but if so, great. They hosted a board here for a long time with no revenue whatsoever, and if they want to make some of that back now, more power to them. I just don’t want them to ever decide this board isn’t worth the trouble. Yes, they said that “ads wouldn’t work”. For one thing, they’re not using ads to make up the full cost of the boards–just the part not covered by subscriptions. They probably could have gone all-ads with “shoot the duck” and “skip this ad” type ads, but they didn’t, and I’m glad. For another thing, that was two years ago, almost; my guess is the Google’s non-obtrusive style of advertising is more lucrative now than it was then. That said, I am rather annoyed by the fact that all the ads are for mailing lists. I hope that’s temporary; if we’re going to have Google ads, they should at least be sensitive to the context. I imagine the “confound the Google ads” threads will be a blast. ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/182 "2005-09-24T12:26:00Z")
I modified my hosts file years ago so I never have and never will see GoogloAds here. Yay me. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/183 "2005-09-24T12:27:47Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > When Orbitz ads pop up on my computer, do I need to play the game, or can I just recite the copy to myself and then close the window? If you don’t punch the monkey, the terrorists will win. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/184 "2005-09-24T12:33:42Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Granted, they have less traffic, and a $20-$40 web hosting package is enough for 'em, but still … “But still” what? This is a huge difference. That little punk zine that my friend put out in high school, using his dad’s work copier, didn’t have any ads in it; shall we excoriate _Rolling Stone_ for accepting ads, then? A larger messageboard is going to have larger costs. A messageboard run by a business is going to be less willing to absorb losses than a messageboard run by a hobbyist. And a messageboard run by a business is likelier to be run well. Don’t believe me? Look at the number of people that go to the Straight Dope’s board compared to the number that go to any of the alternatives. Why do you think that is? I went to Something Awful’s homepage, and I counted 21 ads there, places all over the page. I’m not a member, but this suggests that their revenue model at least contains ads for nonmembers in very large quantity. Is this something you’d like the admins to do–saturate nonmembers with ads at every turn? Daneil ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/185 "2005-09-24T12:35:15Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > My theory is that the Reader wants to be rid of us and the registration fees, outrageous rules, and all-of-a-sudden google ads are all meant to piss people have drive them away. Eventually – soon, I think – someone will announce that the thing just isn’t working; that even with registration fees and ads and a volunteer labor force, two revenue streams and incredibly low overhead, they just can’t make a go of it – that their business strategy of being smug and contemptuous of their customers and unresponsive to their complaints somehow isn’t working. What? If they wanted to get rid of the boards they just have to pull the plug. Most of us don’t live in Chicago so any good or ill will toward the Reader is meaningless for the vast majority of dopers. The only thing I find pittable about the reader is they are mostly for ads for sending spam. They are not in garish colors there is no blinking text no moving pictures. It is not worth fucking with addblock to not see them as far as I am concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/186 "2005-09-24T12:37:46Z")
Just so we’re correct on our score keeping, we’ve got one person who has quit the board because of these wee little ads, one person wishing violence on an admin (Ed Zotti iirc), and a fair amount of dopers reduced to sputtering and profanity. I never realized how fragile this board was. I mean for petes sake people, it’s a few lines of text. This really isn’t the end of the world. If it means that much to you, make like Dooku and disappear. That’ll teach 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/187 "2005-09-24T12:59:13Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I wonder: do folks think that SDMB is actually making money, and that the admins are lying to us about that? Given about 4500 subcribers, about 83% of which paid $7.95, earnings are in the neighborhood of $41K/year. No telling what their total expenses are. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/188 "2005-09-24T13:15:07Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Given about 4500 subcribers, about 83% of which paid $7.95, earnings are in the neighborhood of $41K/year. > > No telling what their total expenses are. How do you know the # of paid subscribers? ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/189 "2005-09-24T13:24:47Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Given about 4500 subcribers, about 83% of which paid $7.95, earnings are in the neighborhood of $41K/year. > > No telling what their total expenses are. Well, if they were to use the company that hosts my company’s web site, they could make use of the following package: “Dedicated 3” Package includes: - 3 Terrabyte/month data transfer. - 2/72 GB hard drives of space. - Choice of Linux or Windows All for $299.95/month, which works out to $3599.40/year. Add the Power SQL Server 3 plan at $69.95/month, and the total of both fees is $4438.80/year. If the 200MB allowed by that plan is inadequate, they have the option of having your own server; the page says “call for pricing”. Let’s just assume it’s the same as the “Dedicated 3” package, so the total yearly fee would be a whopping $7198.80. If they are getting $41,000/year in subscriptions and are _losing money_ with their current setup – running a TEXT-ONLY message board – their current host is seriously ripping them off. Ed, seriously. Call me if you need help with this. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/190 "2005-09-24T13:25:38Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > How do you know the # of paid subscribers? From Ed. [We had about 4500 total in March](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5917767&postcount=6), [about 750 of whom paid $14.95](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5925584&postcount=13). ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/191 "2005-09-24T13:28:21Z")
I seriously doubt they’re pulling in that kind of cash. I also seriously doubt there are that many paid members. Where are you guys getting these numbers? “Members” is probably anyone who’s ever signed up: guests, banned members, socks, etc. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/192 "2005-09-24T13:29:38Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > From Ed. [We had about 4500 total in March](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5917767&postcount=6), [about 750 of whom paid $14.95](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5925584&postcount=13). I see. Thanks for the info. Hey, I’m a little less ignorant after visiting the board. This thing works. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/193 "2005-09-24T13:36:27Z")
My business model would be: free memberships, but you can pay to avoid ads, use avatars and smilies, and start threads. You can have a higher-tier account to use bad language, pit Diogenes, or complain about the moderators. The super-duper-box-suite account would give you special powers that only super-duper-box-suite accounts know about. Seriously, look at LiveJournal. They have many more users, more complicated software, some image support, and manage to get by with the free account/pay account model and no ads. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/194 "2005-09-24T13:44:21Z")
I never click on ads except by accident. Honest. So getting rid of the ads only prevented my accidentally profiting some spammer somewhere or something. Fuck that. I paid for this board. I don’t mind ads on free boards, I don’t click on them but I understand them. Another one I’m on has the Google ads and they are kinda funny sometimes. But I didn’t pay for it. I’m not threatening to leave, but I sure as hell am not happy. Why weren’t ads tried first? I don’t think that’s an unreasonable question. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/195 "2005-09-24T14:01:52Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > And a messageboard run by a business is likelier to be run well. Don’t believe me? Look at the number of people that go to the Straight Dope’s board compared to the number that go to any of the alternatives. Why do you think that is? I hope you’re not implying that the “alternative” Boards run by Members here are not at least as well run as the Reader runs the SDMB. That would be a profoundly and demonstrably false implication if so. There are a whole lot of reasons why site A has traffic and site B has much less. I could list at least 10 if I had to. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/196 "2005-09-24T14:05:12Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > There are a whole lot of reasons why site A has traffic and site B has much less. I could list at least 10 if I had to. How many could you list if I just asked you nicely? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/197 "2005-09-24T14:05:58Z")
> [@](#): > > **Absolute** said: > How do you know you’ll never click it? Since the web as we know it came into being in approximately 1994, I have never clicked on a single ad. Why would I start now? > [@](#): > > The analog to ad-blocking software in the case of television would be a device that replaced all ads on TV with a black screen. Changing the channel on a TV is not the equivalent of blocking ads, it’s the equivalent of switching browser windows or turning the page in a newspaper. Kinda like a TiVo which will record your favorite shows - sans commercials - so you can watch them later? > [@](#): > > **Morgyn** said: > So if ads are going to be a revenue generator now, does that mean we’re not going to have to pay subscription fees? Good one. Will you be playing the Funny Bone tonight? > [@](#): > > **ExtraKun** said: > For the SDMB case, people are already paying for the content. Paying for the privilege of creating the content. > [@](#): > > **John Carter of Mars** said: > I read the threads. Unlike comments in the posts, I ignore the ads. Just tune them out, like you do TV ads you’re not interested in. Or get all pissed off about something insignificant, if that’s your thing. They’re specifically designed to look like they’re the last post in the thread. Nice subtle way of trying to trick people into reading them because they’re laid out exactly like a post would be, and placed exactly where the last post of the thread would be. > [@](#): > > **DoctorJ** said: > This board costs money to run–money from the pocket of the Chicago Reader, which is not exactly Microsoft. It’s not as expensive as they keep leading us to believe. > [@](#): > > **cricetus** said: > I seriously doubt they’re pulling in that kind of cash. I also seriously doubt there are that many paid members. Where are you guys getting these numbers? It looks as if he got them straight from **Ed Zotti**. So, as a matter of fact, they **are** pulling in that kind of cash. There’s no way in hell it costs anywhere near $40,000 a year to run a mainly text web forum. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/198 "2005-09-24T14:10:50Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > It looks as if he got them straight from **Ed Zotti**. So, as a matter of fact, they **are** pulling in that kind of cash. There’s no way in hell it costs anywhere near $40,000 a year to run a mainly text web forum. They sure as hell aren’t using it to feed the hamsters better. I should know. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/199 "2005-09-24T14:11:48Z")
Looking over the messageboards I’m a member of or at least read a bit of: DelphiForums–switched several years ago to a pay/free model. I’ve never liked most of their forums (think of Yahoo’s setup) but there is one that I still spend some time in. For a free account, you often have to click through an interstital, but I bypass that page entirely by using JumpLink. There are a whole lot of extras that you can get by subscribing that I have no interest in–mostly dumb things like smilies and image posting (which many people seem to use only to put huge pictures in their signatures. I strip those out with Firefox’s built-in image blocker.) They use ads–often banner ads–every five posts or so as well as in the chat window, but those I’ve stripped out between the Proxomitron and AdBlock. AnimeOnDVD–As far as I can tell, Chris supports the site through advertising and partner links (get to Amazon by clicking through AOD, for example, buy something, and AOD gets a small amount of cash.) The partner links don’t bother me because they’re just little text links up high. He also uses some banner ads for the partner links, but I don’t see them because of the Proxomitron. Companies like ADV will buy banner space to advertise whatever anime they’re coming out with. There’s also a shop, but I’ve never really said “You know what would make my life complete? An AOD T-shirt.” Megatokyo–You know, I don’t know how the guy runs it, other than there is a banner ad at the very top and there is a store. Never really spend any time in the forum, I just stop by three times a week to read the latest comic. Though I might buy a printed copy some time because I’m somewhat lost in the storyline and don’t want to read 700+ strips online. Well, actually, I guess that’s it. I don’t spend a lot of time in forums. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/200 "2005-09-24T14:15:58Z")
I don’t think it has anything to do with “not meeting costs.” It’s just greed, plain and simple. “They actually paid to post? They pay us for the privilege of creating content? Whaddya know. Let’s see if we can’t milk this cow a little more.” The difference between this and a magazine is _we’re the ones writing it._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137.md?page=11)