# 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:** 12
**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, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/221 "2005-09-24T15:47:56Z")
On the subject of the ads - they don’t bother me in form, they seem unobstrusive enough that I actually stopped noticing them already. However, I can understand why people are opposed to the principle even if they are unobstrusive. I reckon people will vote with their fingers and money, so to speak, and TPTB will have to make a call on whether or not there is a net benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/222 "2005-09-24T16:11:06Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > I just read the post in which one of the major mods made the “Any less obtrusive and they’d be subliminal” comment about the ads. > > What a pompous, ridiculous statement to make. Someone should punch that smug asshole in his fucking jaw. That was me, friend. This is a warning. One more violation of our rules and you’re out the door. ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/223 "2005-09-24T16:16:24Z")
> [@BayleDomon](#): > > I seem to recall a very similar round of wailing and gnashing of teeth and rending of garments when the place went to pay. And you know, after that quite a few people never returned. I think the number who won’t return this time will be even greater. I paid here primarily because I felt that paying was a much better alternative than to have ads. I left TWoP _because_ of the ads they implemented. I certainly wouldn’t mind a two-tier system in which you could _either_ pay a subscription fee, _or_ have ads. But to be required to pay and then have ads? No. If HBO suddenly started showing ads, I’d cancel my subscription to them too. If Consumer Reports started having ads, I’d cancel. > [@Absolute](#): > > You people do realize that the alternative to the ads is shutting down the SDMB, right? It makes no difference to me really. I won’t pay a subscription fee _and_ be required to view ads. If they shut down, I won’t read here. If they show ads, I won’t read here. Unless they make the aforementioned two-tier system, then I will happily continue to pay my subscription so that I don’t have to view ads. ---
**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, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/224 "2005-09-24T16:50:01Z")
> [@Phèdre nó Delaunay](#): > > And you know, after that quite a few people never returned. I think the number who won’t return this time will be even greater. I think you’re wrong, on the second count; and that on the first count, it was expected and inevitable, and not entirely a bad thing. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/225 "2005-09-24T17:08:14Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > I’m seeing google ads at the top of the Bad Astronomy page. > Nads has a banner ad for [digitalinet.com](http://digitalinet.com). > > Just to clarify… Sorry about that. I looked at the sites in both Opera and Mozilla to confirm. Still screwed up, though. One thing I’ve noticed in my tenure at the SDMB is that both staff and users here are very conservative; not politically, but with regards to the look, feel and organization of the board. There are very few subforums at the SDMB compared to other message boards, and new subforums are added at what seems like the rate of Halley’s Comet visits. (I think that when Cafe Society was added, users complained that the new subforum would significantly hurt the performance of the IBM PC XT server. :D) Dopers are just far more sensitive to changes on the board than those populating other message boards, where nobody would bat an eye at a logo color change or the sight of a new subforum. ---
**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, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/227 "2005-09-24T18:05:31Z")
> [@nab-tespor](#): > > [Posted by 24.18.196.205. This is added while posting a message via [http://webwarper.net](http://webwarper.net) to avoid misuse of WebWarper. Example of using WebWarper: [http://webwarper.net/ww/~av/lycos.com](http://webwarper.net/ww/~av/lycos.com) ] I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m still cracking up :D. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/228 "2005-09-24T18:12:58Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m still cracking up :D. > > Daniel I imagine someone was trying to mask their IP address to post without it being traced to a specific IP. Amusingly, though, Web Warper has this to say: Using WebWarper for anonymous posting text messages in forums, guest books, e-mail systems and any others web forms is not allowed. While sending any text data through web forms the anonymous mode is automatically turned off, and your message is supplied with the signature directly containing your IP address So, that pretty much backfired. ---
**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, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/229 "2005-09-24T18:17:12Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > I imagine someone was trying to mask their IP address to post without it being traced to a specific IP. Amusingly, though, Web Warper has this to say: > … > So, that pretty much backfired. That’s sorta what I thought. I’d report the post, but 1. I’m somehow guessing the Admins are already watching the thread; and 2. The username is an anagram of “Ban Reports,” which seems like it’s gotta mean something. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/230 "2005-09-24T18:39:34Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > 1. The username is an anagram of **“Ban Reports,”** which seems like it’s gotta mean something. You’ve got an extra “r” in there. Methinks “ban poster” is more likely. :smack: FWIW, I think **Sol Grundy** ’s post says it all. It’s just the latest of several debatable judgment calls that have pissed many people off. Somewhere in Saudi Arabia, a camel lies waiting for an orthopedic surgeon. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/231 "2005-09-24T18:51:53Z")
> [@choie](#): > > You’ve got an extra “r” in there. Methinks “ban poster” is more likely. Nah. It’s clearly “beast porn”. Anyhoo I’ve just had an epiphany. What if every time **Ed Zotti** does one of those ‘We care about you. We’re doing the best we can.’ it’s genuine. We can be sure that _somebody_ has made a really stupid decision. What if the staff really are on our side? Could it be that they’re under the power of some clueless middlemanagement exec at the Reader? This makes a certain amount of sense under the circumstances. Could it be that \*\*Ed[\b]'s announcements really mean “The Dilbert boss has screwed us all again. I’ll stand hear and listen to your valid complaints. But, I’m powerless to do anything and legally forbidden from putting the blame where it actually belongs, or disparaging the Reader for letting this moron crap all over the SDMB.” ? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/232 "2005-09-24T18:52:42Z")
**Left Hand of Dorkness** Actually, the name doesn’t have that second ‘r’ for ban reports. Maybe it is ban poster? Personally, I think that message was yet another instance of Google intruding into the very fabric of the SDMB. ---
**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, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/233 "2005-09-24T18:53:51Z")
> [@choie](#): > > You’ve got an extra “r” in there. Methinks “ban poster” is more likely. :smack: > > FWIW, I think **Sol Grundy** ’s post says it all. It’s just the latest of several debatable judgment calls that have pissed many people off. > > Somewhere in Saudi Arabia, a camel lies waiting for an orthopedic surgeon. Bellevue, Washington actually. ---
**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, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/234 "2005-09-24T18:55:26Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Somewhere in Saudi Arabia, a camel lies waiting for an orthopedic surgeon. Eventually, though, the camel will realize that its histrionic act isn’t getting it the attention it deserves, so it’ll stand up, spit a few times, and continue on its way, no worse for wear. Thanks about the anagram thing–I never was very good at them. Daniel ---
**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, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/235 "2005-09-24T18:55:48Z")
Gah I **hate** those ads! I DO NOT WANT A MAILING LIST!!! Why do they have to be in the threads? Why couldn’t the fuckers be on the forum index pages instead? ---
**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, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/236 "2005-09-24T19:00:27Z")
> [@fessie](#): > > Gah I **hate** those ads! I DO NOT WANT A MAILING LIST!!! > > Why do they have to be in the threads? Why couldn’t the fuckers be on the forum index pages instead? Why can’t you use one of the methods that people have offered for blocking the ads? Doing that is likely to achieve results. Complaining about them is not. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/237 "2005-09-24T19:03:18Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Why can’t you use one of the methods that people have offered for blocking the ads? > > Doing that is likely to achieve results. Complaining about them is not. > > Daniel The reverse is true. Blocking the adsonly results in users not seeing ads that they wouldn’t click on anyway. A significant number of customers complaining to management about a business practice results in change. ---
**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, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/238 "2005-09-24T19:04:54Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Blocking the adsonly results in users not seeing ads that they wouldn’t click on anyway. Right, but her problem is that she doesn’t like seeing the ads. Not seeing them would solve her problem. > [@](#): > > A significant number of customers complaining to management about a business practice results in change. We shall see. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/239 "2005-09-24T19:11:15Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > But I do think that one run by a business is likelier to be run well than one run by a hobbyist. The business will probably have more experts involved in it, will have people who spend more time thinking about what makes a good messageboard, and so forth. > > Of course, that’s not always true. Blizzard’s messageboards (they’re the folks that make blockbuster computer games like World of Warcraft) are infamously awful. They’re bad partly because the mods aren’t very restrictive, partly because they have an interest in not pissing off their fanbase, and partly because there are so many cretins and assholes among their customers. > > But overall, the SDMB is one of the best-run messageboards I’ve ever seen, and I suspect that its ties to a business have something to do with that. > > Daniel In general, I agree with your principle. In practice, however: The best-run message board I have ever been a part of and that I have ever seen is run by a private individual who does not make a profit. The worst-run message board I have ever seen or been a part of was (it’s closed down now…) run by a newspaper, but also not for a profit, though they stated before they closed that the forum pages were more profitable for them from an advertising standpoint than their news webpages. ---
**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, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/240 "2005-09-24T19:12:19Z")
While we are waiting for the people in _ahem_ customer service to respond to the complaints, you can prevent seeing the ads by using the links in my sig. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137/241 "2005-09-24T19:18:39Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I’ve just had an epiphany. What if every time **Ed Zotti** does one of those ‘We care about you. We’re doing the best we can.’ it’s genuine. We can be sure that _somebody_ has made a really stupid decision. What if the staff really are on our side? Could it be that they’re under the power of some clueless middlemanagement exec at the Reader? This makes a certain amount of sense under the circumstances. Could it be that \*\*Ed[\b]'s announcements really mean “The Dilbert boss has screwed us all again. I’ll stand hear and listen to your valid complaints. But, I’m powerless to do anything and legally forbidden from putting the blame where it actually belongs, or disparaging the Reader for letting this moron crap all over the SDMB.” ? Now, _that_ makes a whole lot of sense, doesn’t it? And if it’s true, the admins wouldn’t be able to confirm it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-the-google-ads/323137.md?page=13)