# What can users do to Enhance Shareholder (?) Value. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 22, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826 "2019-11-22T17:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/1 "2019-11-22T17:52:01Z")
There’s been some info posted in ATMB recently that mentions things that are good, or not, from the point of view of the ad folk. One I was surprised to learn is that repeated views of a thread count far less than the first one. To me, the ads can change between views so why does this matter? But maybe it does. This has me thinking. What sort of behavior is thought to be desirable by the money folk at [del]The Reader[/del], [del]Creative Loafing[/del], [del]The Reader[/del], The Sun-Times? Do they like a few long threads or lots of short threads? Do they like drawing in a bunch of people who disagree strongly? Is visiting once a day better than visiting more times a day? Whatever. I don’t know how their minds work so I’m at a loss. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/2 "2019-11-22T18:03:18Z")
Realizing that my knowledge is limited, there’s one thing that will always stand out. Don’t use an adblocker. Yes, yes. I know people will complain about the ads. But that’s how we cover our nut. It’s a vicious circle. Sites with more and better impressions get better ads and get paid more for them. Essentially, adblockers harm any potential growth in that metric. It suppresses the ads and page views and unique users served and therefore gets us less per ad and worse ads. Barring that? The thing posters can do is to hit many threads in multiple fora. That helps maximize the impact of their visit. Starting threads would also help. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/3 "2019-11-22T18:06:09Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Barring that? The thing posters can do is to hit many threads in multiple fora. That helps maximize the impact of their visit. Starting threads would also help. This helps even if the poster is a paying member? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/4 "2019-11-22T18:09:34Z")
Unknown, honestly. I do know that ads aren’t served to paying members but page views DO count. So it may up the rate charged in a meta way for those non-paying members who still see ads. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/5 "2019-11-22T18:25:16Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > I do know that ads aren’t served to paying members but page views DO count. So it may up the rate charged in a meta way for those non-paying members who still see ads. Okay, I turned off my ad blocker here, just in case it helps. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/6 "2019-11-22T18:29:51Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Unknown, honestly. > > I do know that ads aren’t served to paying members but page views DO count. So it may up the rate charged in a meta way for those non-paying members who still see ads. If nothing else those of us who sign out at the end of each session score a hit with the ads when we come back to sign in; for me that is usually at least twice a day. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/7 "2019-11-22T19:25:59Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Unknown, honestly. > > I do know that ads aren’t served to paying members but page views DO count. So it may up the rate charged in a meta way for those non-paying members who still see ads. Are we better protected from malicious ads than we were in the past? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/8 "2019-11-22T21:59:53Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Okay, I turned off my ad blocker here, just in case it helps. Thanks, that’s very kind of you. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/9 "2019-11-22T22:00:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are we better protected from malicious ads than we were in the past? That I cannot answer. None of the moderators, nor Tubadiva, has any oversight nor input into the advertising firm STM uses. There’s simply no means for us to answer that question. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/10 "2019-11-22T22:38:38Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Realizing that my knowledge is limited, there’s one thing that will always stand out. > > Don’t use an adblocker. > > Yes, yes. I know people will complain about the ads. But that’s how we cover our nut. It’s a vicious circle. Sites with more and better impressions get better ads and get paid more for them. Essentially, adblockers harm any potential growth in that metric. It suppresses the ads and page views and unique users served and therefore gets us less per ad and worse ads. > > Barring that? The thing posters can do is to hit many threads in multiple fora. That helps maximize the impact of their visit. Starting threads would also help. Done. We need a Sedans for the Straight Dope fundraising campaign as well. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/11 "2019-11-22T22:46:26Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Done. > > We need a Sedans for the Straight Dope fundraising campaign as well. 😛 1-800-Maseratis-For-Moderators 1-800-Audis-For-Admins ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/12 "2019-11-23T00:58:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1-800-Maseratis-For-Moderators > 1-800-Audis-For-Admins I endorse this effort. Also would be interested in the “Goodbye PBR; Hello single malt” campaign. Just saying. Jenny your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/13 "2019-11-23T01:00:59Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > That I cannot answer. None of the moderators, nor Tubadiva, has any oversight nor input into the advertising firm STM uses. There’s simply no means for us to answer that question. Not to jinx things here but yes, we have a better class of ads these days and it has been a while since we got a bad actor. That probably has something to do with the fact that STM has been merciless in dealing with this issue; they have dropped any ad provider that let a malicious ad get into the mix. However, the world of bad actors is constantly in search of the better mousetrap and testing defenses all the time, so it’s always entirely possible that some clever jerk will figure out a way around what’s in place, so I cannot guarantee this won’t ever happen again. It would be appreciated if you clicked on an ad sometime, just to help the cause. I should mention that the Chicago Sun-Times is privately held. I should also mention that newspapers in general are in a death spiral (by and large, people do not read dead tree newspapers these days) and so publishers like STM are forced to find other ways of getting traffic. Some papers are even turning into nonprofits so they can apply for grants and do other forms of public fundraising; the Chicago Reader announced these plans just this week. Your participation in this site, reading and posting and bringing your friends, encouraging active discussion and discourse, that’s the greatest boost of all. We appreciate your efforts. We’re all in this together, you know. Jenny your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/14 "2019-11-23T01:05:05Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > I endorse this effort. > > Also would be interested in the “Goodbye PBR; Hello single malt” campaign. Just saying. > > Jenny > your humble TubaDiva You ever pop up in Portland I promise you a night of nothing under 12 years old ((single malt whisky-get your minds out of the gutter), my treat. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/15 "2019-11-23T01:15:28Z")
And since I can’t opt in for ads, I bought a custom title instead. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/16 "2019-11-23T01:35:38Z")
I don’t think I am running an adblocker; but I don’t see ads. I am running Noscript; but I’ve got everything set to at least temporarily trusted on this site right now, and no ads. I am blocking third-party cookies, popups, and tracking. Firefox on a Mac desktop. Probably I ought to get around to buying a membership. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/17 "2019-11-23T01:45:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You ever pop up in Portland I promise you a night of nothing under 12 years old ((single malt whisky-get your minds out of the gutter), my treat. > > And since I can’t opt in for ads, I bought a custom title instead. I’m in! And hey, that title looks good on you, thanks! > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I don’t think I am running an adblocker; but I don’t see ads. > > I am running Noscript; but I’ve got everything set to at least temporarily trusted on this site right now, and no ads. > > I am blocking third-party cookies, popups, and tracking. > > Firefox on a Mac desktop. > > Probably I ought to get around to buying a membership. I am not a Mac expert (not anymore) but you’re blocking. Today some browsers automatically block ads and trackers and etc anyway. It’s a built in feature on certain browsers and a plugin/add on/app for others. I couldn’t begin to list 'em all. Subscription revenue and donations (through the Friend of Cecil selection) is always welcome. Every bit helps and is greatly appreciated. And as I said earlier, just being here, playing our reindeer games, making posts, reading stuff, clicking on the occasional ad, all that is enormously supportive. Bring your friends! Hell, bring people you don’t know! 😃 Thanks. Jenny your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/18 "2019-11-24T13:32:17Z")
How about links? Does throwing in links to certain other sites help? Is there a chance that revenue from Amazon links, for example, will ever be enabled? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/19 "2019-11-24T14:28:48Z")
Currently, no, they provide no value. Links to here from other sites MAY, but only because they have the chance to bring more traffic. As to the Amazon Affiliate concept? No idea. That’s certainly not something that would be discussed with the moderation staff. I’d say I’d support it, though. A thread on cool stuff on Amazon with links would probably get a lot of play. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-users-do-to-enhance-shareholder-value/843826/20 "2019-11-24T18:04:42Z")
I’ve recommended to TPTB that they enable the Amazon affiliate link. They have promised to look at it but as of yet it has not been activated. Jenny your humble TubaDiva Administrator