Wow, someone actually IS comparing the Google ads to the world ending! I thought that was y’all being mocked!
Cool.
Daniel
I don’t get it, how is a few ads located only at the bottom of the page so bad?
I’ve read about half the posts in this OP and I know I didn’t even notice the ads until someone pointed them out. They’re small an unobtrusive. They don’t take any extra time to load and I find them very easy to ignore.
I would be happier if the Board would set some of the money aside for more robust and healthier hampsters but that is about it.
They annoy the hell out of me.
How the hell did you come to that conclusion? You posted that Ed’s mention of possible ads in a single post constituted adequate notice. VL_Mungo was commenting upon how ludicrous a claim that was.
Further, the notice mentioned in the quote is the notice for destruction of Arthur Dent’s house, not destruction of the earth.
I think he got the joke and was kidding himself. He’s a confessed D&Der, so he’s probably a Douglas Adams fan too.
Ads? What ads? No ads on my pages! Look up, look down, top, bottom…
I had to delete my HOSTS file to see what you guys have been screaming about.
Now it’s back in place and all’s right with the world. No ads on my SDMB. All I see is the text, “sponsored links” followed by NOTHING.
Feh. :dubious:
I can’t believe nobody picked up on this 
I thought it sounded fishy.
I don’t know how a lot of other sites work. I have to admit that from a features standpoint, this seems pretty lame. But in the practical sense, this barely makes a difference
Holy crap! The ads are so small I didn’t even notice them. Meh, not a big deal for me.
Soo… is anyone going to address the issue of just how much money comes in via subscriptions (what was it, about $41k?) and how much it costs to run a text only message board? Because now I’m curious about just where all the money is going.
Did you miss the five-page now-locked thread?
From this post in the “five-page now-locked thread” (way to be helpful, Garf):
Ah thanks Silver Fire, I take that quote to mean “We’re totally bullshitting you about needing the google ads. In reality, subscriptions have shown the SDMB to be a good potential income source, and we’d really like to take advantage of that with advertising as well.”
Then you’re doing a lot of reading between a lot of lines, because in the rest of that post, Ed quite clearly stated that the subs money covers server costs but not wholly the related staff costs. It has also been pointed out that the Reader sunk about $100k into the boards in the free (and ad-free) era, so frankly if they want to recoup some of that money now, I don’t see how you can complain. Why should it bother you that someone might want to (shock!) make money from providing you with a source of entertainment?
For that matter, what is it you find objectionable in Ed’s statement, exactly? Do you expect him to just say, “hey, boss, the customers were uppity so I posted your accounts on the internet”? Pff. He’s frankly been more forthcoming than customers have a right to expect. As ever with this MB, the initial presentation of the change might have left something to be desired, but sheesh, from the wailing and gnashing of keyboards you’d think kittens were being raped or something.
I am in favour of (say) an increased ad-free subscription rate, however, as I never click on ads, so am presently being minutely inconvenienced for no real benefit to anyone. But I can see how hacking further mods into the boards would be a pain, so it’s just a suggestion, nothing more. For example, I’d rather see the perpetual charter member discount get axed than see ads, but maybe that’s just me.
Dear god, I hope that’s just you.
Oh alright; maybe not axed. Plus since they said they’d give it, the uproar would be horrible if they took it away. I just dislike ads, and living in the UK as I do, pounds are presently enormous. I’d be willing to forgo, lessee, a beer and a packet of nuts over the course of a year in order not to see ads here. Maybe I’m just weird.
2005
Google Ads introduced to SDMB
2006
Happy pop up ads to cheer us up
2007
Pretty Banners will be placed to make the SDMB more colorful.
2008
The cost of renewall will now equal the cost of 10 gallons of gas.
2009
For sale: 100,000 email addresses, but only to nice spam people.
2010
Class action lawsuit causes Chicago Reader to fold. Cecil Adams buys Belize.
Like it or not, there is a community here–a sometimes strange and obsessive one, but a community nonetheless. The Straight Dope column was founded on the premise of getting the REAL scoop, eradicating ignorance, and yes, poking fun at the Man and his Businesses while sticking up (however indirectly) for the Little Guy and his need to know Stuff.
To me, the Board is just one long conversation–continuing that premise (no matter what side of the aisle any poster may be on or what side of the business equation as well). These ads, as unobtrusive as they are, are like those guys coming thru the theatre lobby during the interval hollering about programs/drinks/souvenirs etc–I think they’re called buskers. They are annoying as hell and take away from the experience considerably. Others may find that they add color to the whole evening–to each his own.
Call me a silly, naive idealist, but I am somewhat saddened (not a lot-perhaps dismayed is a better word here) to find that the SDMB is just another business out for profit, no matter what. I admire and respect the researching skills and the humor of the column and “Cecil”. But this has changed things for me in a strange way. It is silly–and I’ll get over it–but it is “Cecil” to me now–he is just another manipulation to separate me from my dollars.
Go ahead and laugh (I’m not sure I don’t deserve it, really) but one of the reasons I so admired the SD was the impression that Cecil was an admirable character, that the Quest for Truth was more important than anything and any “filthy lucre” that came The Reader’s way was almost serendipitous…not so, apparently. I didn’t mind the straight up–hey, we need subscriptions to cover costs. It was honest. Ads are the last thing from honest.
<sigh> It’s a fucking newspaper. It exists to sell newspapers-any way it can. Maybe the Staff really DO have the morals of a newspaper editor, afterall (or whatever that famous quote is–it’s early here and I’m not fully awake!).
I’m done and off to work. I will do my best to ignore the ads (and my best is pretty good in this respect). I do hope that this was a high up decision and not one backed by the mid level managers etc, but I doubt it, really. It was done so very badly…but that’s another thread that probably already exists and doesn’t need my input.
I can’t see any ads, are they something to do with the ‘sponsored links’ writing down the bottom?
Just seen Adblock has blocked *.googlesyndication.com so maybe they’re blocked on my PC, what a shame.