zarley Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I'm now seeing ads at the top and bottom of threads. I'm pretty sure the ads at the bottom of the threads masquerade as a post. How many more ad locations should we expect to see going forward? I reserve judgement until I see where this goes, and because Sanjeev has been a very good host for such a long time. But, what is the limit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granitepost Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I find the ads quite distracting because they are large with vivid colours. It seems like we had one at the top of he page yesterday but today there are 2 at the top of the page and one at the bottom. We discussed earlier on the old board the idea of paying a certain amount to help defray the cost of the board. Perhaps we decided against this idea already, but I would gladly pay to avoid the distractions. Cheers, Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsad Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hi Folks, I was just testing out various places where ads could go, and then seeing how the reaction is to them and if they are distracting. I've decided to remove the one that was just under the menu bar (HOME, HELP, SEARCH, etc) within posts. It was a bit distracting. We will be keeping the one at the end of the long string of posts, as that is not interfering with someone searching or using the menu bar. In regards to a fee rather than ads, I don't like the idea of fees because I want to keep the site free. The Motley Fool had a great BRK board for so long. It was where I really got to learn alot about Berkshire. But once they started a fee, alot of quality people left and I really didn't like that it was no longer a free board where knowledge could be shared. Personally, and that is obviously biased, but I don't think the ads are distracting in this final format. There is one at the top across from the log-in, one at the very bottom of all pages, and one at the very end of a long string of posts. There will be no ads other than next to the log-in and the very bottom on the HOME page or INDEX pages. The way it is now set, the ad revenue will pay for the site's annual costs, so it will remain completely free for users. Thanks very much! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExpectedValue Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I think that Sanjeev is making the right decision by going with ads. It might be difficult for donations or dues to cover the hosting cost and I think that by keeping it free we'll keep in tact a good community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OracleofCarolina Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I am fine with the ads, i don't see any harm. Thanks Sanjeev for all you do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benhacker Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I'm cool with the top and bottom ads, but the ones that are inline with the bottom of the post area are a bit invasive to me. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsad Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Ben, the old MSN board was completely free but MSN had their own ads plastered all over the site. We also had little control over the board, the format, or what we could do with the site. This board is also completely free with a few strategically placed ads. It costs several hundred dollars a year to run the board including domain name registration, hosting, templates, etc. I think the ad at the end of the long string of posts may not be ideal, but if it allows the site to pay for itself and allows us to manipulate the board in ways the old site couldn't, then it is probably worth it. I originally started with the one ad on top to see if that alone would cover costs. It didn't come close. I then ran for another week with an ad also on the bottom of the page. It also came up short, but we were much closer. I suspect now with the final ad at the bottom of the long threads of posts, we are closer to breakeven, and I will continue to eat any additional cost. Eventually, as the members increase, it will become completely breakeven. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benhacker Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Cool Sanj, didn't mean to say you are doing it wrong, just providing input. Do what it takes to break even. :P Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarley Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 Sanjeev, please stop calling the in-thread ads as something that gets added to "long threads of posts." One is inserted into every thread regardless of length, and I agree with Ben that those are tough to stomach. I appreciate the need to have ads to support the board, but don't BS us about their nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExpectedValue Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Zarley I dont think he's trying to "BS us" In general we have long threads of posts, so for the most part it holds true. Occasionally you might see the ad at the bottom of a short thread of posts, but thats mainly because its easier to implement the code in a way that says "place ad at bottom of threaded posts" rather than trying to create some kind of scaling rule where it depends on the amount of posts in the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsad Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Sanjeev, please stop calling the in-thread ads as something that gets added to "long threads of posts." One is inserted into every thread regardless of length, and I agree with Ben that those are tough to stomach. I appreciate the need to have ads to support the board, but don't BS us about their nature. Zarley, please don't take that tone with me. If you think I'm giving you BS, then take it somewhere else, but I don't need that type of crap at all, thank you very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smazz Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Ads = Capitalism! Go for it Sanjeev. Im sure when it gets too much/too busy we will start squeeling ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonw1 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Sanjeev, I think you may be a little optimistic about the ad revenue from the bottom of the thread. My guess is that a lot of people didn't pay much attention and clicked on it accidently, so it appears more effective at the begining. People will learn quickly and start avoid it. Before tweaking for more distracting ads, why don't you just make a plea to members to click on the ads to help pay the dues, and see how it goes? At $0.50 to a few $ per click, you don't need that many clicks to pay for your hosting/domain fee. I just paid my due today. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbitragr Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 why don't you just make a plea to members to click on the ads to help pay the dues, and see how it goes? I just paid my due today I did mine just now. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crip1 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Sanjeev, please stop calling the in-thread ads as something that gets added to "long threads of posts." One is inserted into every thread regardless of length, and I agree with Ben that those are tough to stomach. I appreciate the need to have ads to support the board, but don't BS us about their nature. Zarley, that was uncalled for... Sanj, I'm cool with the ads. To paraphrase, it is not the display of the screen but the content of the postings. -Crip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JackRiver Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 How much does the site cost per year? Who controls the site? Yours Jack River Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarley Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 Zarley, please don't take that tone with me. If you think I'm giving you BS, then take it somewhere else, but I don't need that type of crap at all, thank you very much! LOL . . . Oh the umbrage!! ;) Listen, this is your board and you can do what you want. But save the outrage when you get called on being misleading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smazz Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I'll be honest, I go on so many forums im used to ads. You learn to ignore them after a while. Be patient, you'll get used to them. Trust me, getting used to the ads is easier than getting used to me ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonw1 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I go on so many forums im used to ads. You learn to ignore them after a while. That's not helping though. All the google ads on the board need to be clicked to pay out anything, so if everyone just gets really good at ignoring them, you suck up with those ads (may even see more coming in order to meet target :-)) but not helping a dime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsad Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Zarley, please don't take that tone with me. If you think I'm giving you BS, then take it somewhere else, but I don't need that type of crap at all, thank you very much! LOL . . . Oh the umbrage!! ;) Listen, this is your board and you can do what you want. But save the outrage when you get called on being misleading. How the hell do you call any of this misleading? I told the board right from the beginning that we will eventually use some ads to offset costs. Zarley, you don't pay a dime to post here, yet I'm stuck with an annual $500 US bill for your pleasure. Yet, you feel completely fine telling me that I'm feeding you bull. To date for the two weeks we've had the ads, we've made a grand sum of $4.28 US. I have no problem with a boardmember telling me that they don't like the ads or the placement of an ad, but you've got to be kidding me when you decide to throw crap in my face for something that you get completely for free. Are you really that ignorant, or are you just being a wise-ass? I can only imagine how you actually treat a service provider that charges you for something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Sanj, my vote says do what you feel is best. You have done a great job hosting this (and the previous) site and my bank account is much larger as a result. More importantly, I have learned alot and for this I owe a very large debt to you and other posters. Keep up the good job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsad Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Thanks very much Viking! Much appreciated! We won't have any more ads than we already do, and I've kept them as unobtrusive as possible. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JackRiver Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Parsad I understand that you'll be able to boot me from this site if you don't like what I have to say, but I personally think the ads are in poor taste. Remember, the posters are the content providers for your site. We are no more getting something for free than we are giving something for free. So the way I see it we are all even, that $500 dollars per year buys you your replies to Zarley. Please remove the ads. They serve no purpose and $500/year is chump change. Yours Jack River Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbitragr Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 C'mon boys ... respect and ... the golden rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I think this site costs Sanjeev not just money, but some time & labor as well. Let's work together rather than against each other. Last time anything like this happened Eric (if I remember his name correctly) left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsad Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Parsad I understand that you'll be able to boot me from this site if you don't like what I have to say, but I personally think the ads are in poor taste. Remember, the posters are the content providers for your site. We are no more getting something for free than we are giving something for free. So the way I see it we are all even, that $500 dollars per year buys you your replies to Zarley. Please remove the ads. They serve no purpose and $500/year is chump change. Yours Jack River No problem Jack. How about YOU pay the $500 annually then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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