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Ads in posts? UPDATE: Ad system reverted back to original


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I understand fully the need to accumulate money to pay for this site through ads, but I don't feel those ads should intrude on the freedom of posting and the communities distinct areas of posting. Banner ads are fine (however apparently it is vacant) and all other forms of margin ads are %100 understandable. But these new text ads, such as seen here with friends, fashion, etc (well, they didn't show up but they're dark green and double underlined) intrude on the freedom of posting, well in my opinion anyway. Although Tip It's Staff have complete control over what is done and can continue it as they wish, I feel these ads deteriorate the community and feeling of freedom that has long been so enjoyable around these parts.

 

 

 

I also understand the advertisements are being tested, but I've seen these for multiple days now. I just wanted to get other opinions in the community about them, without intermeddling with the staff's ideas and tests.

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Me doing staff.

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As far as I know, these came with a new ad system that we are testing on the forums. While they can be slightly annoying, they pose no interruption to your viewing, and are simply there to help us keep the site in operation. I'm sure that this minor inconvenience is better than asking Jagex to shut us down for not doing our part to remove rule-breaking advertisements.

 

 

 

Besides, these new ads appear rather infrequently (as you attempted to point out) and are usually only 1 or 2 per page. As stated, these ads are working on a trial basis and if enough complaints are made about them (won't make any guarantees on this), the person who works with our Advertisements may attempt to do something to fix it.

 

 

 

In the mean time, if you have a problem with these ads, just attempt to ignore them as they don't interfere at all until you hover your mouse over them.

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don't worry, you are going to "hell" anyway. wanna race to see who gets there first?

Officially reached 100 Combat at 1:33PM EST, June 14, 2007

First Dragon Drop: Dragon Chain (Dust Devils) @ 10:48PM EST, July 14, 2008, lv113 combat

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The inline adverts are optional.

 

I queried an administrator about this but i did not get a reply.

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Mercifull <3 Suzi

"We don't want players to be able to buy their way to success in RuneScape. If we let players start doing this, it devalues RuneScape for others. We feel your status in real-life shouldn't affect your ability to be successful in RuneScape" Jagex 01/04/01 - 02/03/12

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Optional for the administrator to set up, not for you to turn them on/off

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Mercifull <3 Suzi

"We don't want players to be able to buy their way to success in RuneScape. If we let players start doing this, it devalues RuneScape for others. We feel your status in real-life shouldn't affect your ability to be successful in RuneScape" Jagex 01/04/01 - 02/03/12

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I'm not involved with the ads and what gets put in place so this is coming from me as a user. The green text is a minor annoyance but I'm acclimating to it after a day or two. It's honestly no more annoying than the National Lampoon's ad that I constantly saw before. At least the banner ads now don't feature RS gold selling, which was the main motivating factor in changing the ads.

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571st to 99 Fm Nov. 4 '06 - 315th to 99 Crafting Mar. 3 '07 - 3410th to 99 Fishing Sept. 18 '07

26378th to 99 Cooking Oct. 16 '07 -.- 99 Thieving Dec. 29 '07 - 1343rd to 99 Farming June 5 '08

1807th to 99 Agility Nov. 8 '08 - 3094th to 99 Smithing Feb. 14 '09

2012 total - 91 combat

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Confusion may arise of course when in my own posts words are highlighted and link to sites for which i stand very strongly against. I would not be happy if my posts links to organisations for which I do not approve for example. I am sure other people may feel the same, its one thing turning on in-line ads for a website for which you create all the content but on something such as a forum then can be a bit of agro caused by this feature.

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Mercifull <3 Suzi

"We don't want players to be able to buy their way to success in RuneScape. If we let players start doing this, it devalues RuneScape for others. We feel your status in real-life shouldn't affect your ability to be successful in RuneScape" Jagex 01/04/01 - 02/03/12

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As long as it is made clear that the double underline green links (or whatever color is used) are not added by the posters, I don't really see what the problem is. Its also very obvious that its an ad when you go to click on the link due to the popup that appears. :?

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These new ads really piss me off. Whenever I open up TIF my anti-virus/spyware program comes up as these ads are dangerous spyware. And its really annoying. I sent a polite pm to Albosky (which he choose not to reply to) so I have posted my annoyance of these ads here.

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I don't see any harm in them. There not intrusive unless you hover over them. Other than that it's just colored text to me. Plus they generate good ad revenue and since you don't even have to clikc on them ot get the revenue, it should be something you should appreciate because this revenue can help keep the forum running smoothly, if not better than it already is.

You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and write "(bleep) you" right under your nose. Try it sometime. I think, even, if I ever die, and they stick me in a cemetery, and I have a tombstone and all, it'll say "Holden Caulfield" on it, and then what year I was born and what year I died, and then right under that it'll say "(bleep) you."
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I think that the green underlined links would be perfectly acceptable for the tip.it main page where the content is written by staff but anything which is user generated such as forum topics this should not be allowed.

 

 

 

p.s Speedofsound > Tip.it doesnt get extra ad revenue just by having them. It is clicks which generate the income not impressions.

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Mercifull <3 Suzi

"We don't want players to be able to buy their way to success in RuneScape. If we let players start doing this, it devalues RuneScape for others. We feel your status in real-life shouldn't affect your ability to be successful in RuneScape" Jagex 01/04/01 - 02/03/12

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I am suprised you could have messed up even more with the ads.

 

 

 

You ain't gonna tell me there aren't Tip.it members who would want to donate money to help getting decent forums without them.

 

 

 

Now, the ads are not only ugly and annoying, but even disturbing AND slowing down every time I load the forums.

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I don't get any ads. Just get Adblock Plus, a addon for firefox that blocks ALL advertising.
Immoral though. Of course one might also argue that turning other peoples text into advertising links is also immoral.

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Mercifull <3 Suzi

"We don't want players to be able to buy their way to success in RuneScape. If we let players start doing this, it devalues RuneScape for others. We feel your status in real-life shouldn't affect your ability to be successful in RuneScape" Jagex 01/04/01 - 02/03/12

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I am suprised you could have messed up even more with the ads.

 

 

 

You ain't gonna tell me there aren't Tip.it members who would want to donate money to help getting decent forums without them.

 

 

 

Now, the ads are not only ugly and annoying, but even disturbing AND slowing down every time I load the forums.

 

 

 

Donations are not a consistent means of revenue. Most of the people who visit this site could easily fall in the under 18 age group, and therefore can't make donations on their own without parental consent. We all know that most parents of this generation (note I say most, not all) don't like video games and would never want to support them, so this makes these children even less likely to be able to donate. There's also the issue that those who are capable to donate may not have the financial stability to be able to spare a few dollars to donate.

 

 

 

Ads are our best means of keeping the site up and running. If this means that there will be a minor inconvenience, then it must be done. Note that these in-text advertisements do not appear consistently after the first time. When you load a page on time, the link may be there, however if you revisit the post another time, it may not be there.

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don't worry, you are going to "hell" anyway. wanna race to see who gets there first?

Officially reached 100 Combat at 1:33PM EST, June 14, 2007

First Dragon Drop: Dragon Chain (Dust Devils) @ 10:48PM EST, July 14, 2008, lv113 combat

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I can only imagine that if donations covered the site's expenses that there would be no ads. They're just one more thing to manage and (if the ads aren't up to Jagex's code) can lead to rather nasty things happening to the site. So seeing as ads are a "bad thing" all around, I think it's safe to assume they're here only because they have to be.

 

 

 

However, it does make me wonder what the expenses are, or at least relatively. How much of the offsetting cost comes from donations, and how much from ads? And with that, how much would need to be donated (and how often) to keep the ads away.

 

 

 

While it's most certainly true what Darkblade (and probably others) have said that the majority of the users of this forum are underage or otherwise unable to donate, there is still a MASSIVE userbase here, and even a small percentage of a helluva-lot is still a fair amount of users. If we had some kind of ... progress meter, saying "if we could reach XX donations, we could do away with ads :-O" That's something that could make the "working class" of TIF (and the main site too of course) kick into gear.

 

 

 

Even if we could donate enough to go to some... less-profitable (and therefore less intrusive) ads it might motivate people who are able to donate to actually do it. I can only assume that the ads that give you more money will be proportionately more annoying, and that those that sit there virtually unnoticed will give less money.

 

 

 

Just my $0.02 :-) Thanks for reading!

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The refuge that you built to flee that places that you've come to fear the most ... is the place that you have come to fear the most.

Operator - http://www.heartunit.org

Council - http://z8.invisionfree.com/skillaz

Moderator - http://forum.meebo.com

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Ive always said that if you gave people benefits for donating (no adverts, larger avatars/sigs, larger pm box space etc) then you'd see a significant increase in the amount of donations.

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Mercifull <3 Suzi

"We don't want players to be able to buy their way to success in RuneScape. If we let players start doing this, it devalues RuneScape for others. We feel your status in real-life shouldn't affect your ability to be successful in RuneScape" Jagex 01/04/01 - 02/03/12

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Mercifull is right, however all sorts of problems can arise from that one. Favoritism for instance, although it may not happen, those users who are intent on seeing it, make it visible.

 

 

 

Donations aren't a good way to keep the site and forums up. Donations do not last forever, and aren't a permanent way to pay for something. Eventually users will stop donating for several irl reasons, and your back to ads again. although not having ads at times would be one resolution.

 

 

 

If there's extra money made from the ads, where does it go? to pay for the next months bill I presume?

 

 

 

I haven't really noticed these ads that are in the posts, or I'm completely wrong?

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p.s Speedofsound > Tip.it doesnt get extra ad revenue just by having them. It is clicks which generate the income not impressions.

 

 

 

I feel like a complete fool right now. Live and learn I guess.

You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and write "(bleep) you" right under your nose. Try it sometime. I think, even, if I ever die, and they stick me in a cemetery, and I have a tombstone and all, it'll say "Holden Caulfield" on it, and then what year I was born and what year I died, and then right under that it'll say "(bleep) you."
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In my honest opinion, the ads aren't really distracting or taking away anything from the forums. I counted how many ads were on this page through the users text. The number I counted was one! One ad for all these posts really won't hurt anyone! So, you may accidentaly click one of the ads every now and then. Just hit the X button and it is over with! If the ad sends you to an inappropriate place, report the ad and the staff will take care of it. I know the ads may send you to a site that is against your beliefs or what you feel is right, but what can be done about that? Every single person has a different view on every subject. What may be totally appropriate for me may be totally inappropriate for you! It's rare that you could ever win.

 

 

 

These ads are a great flow of money needed to keep these forums running. Because of lots of suggestions, Tip.It decided to try out new advertisement methods. The users got what they wanted, a new system of ads. So far, I haven't noticed any inappropriate ads or ads that are/were against Jagex's rules. (Gold selling) This was the concern of most users, and they got what they wanted unless I am missing all these inappropriate ads.

 

 

 

Mercifull, by giving users advantages for donating, many users will just complain more due to not being of age to donate. I know that sounds like a fair situation, it's like a membership status, you pay, you get extra. But, the problem is, how many people complain about not being able to play RuneScape members due to not being able to pay the 5 dollars a month? The answer is a lot. By giving out extra benefits within Tip.It, there will be an uproar for all those who can't pay for the extra benefits, whatever their situation is. Some users may even rebel, and quit Tip.It forums. I don't think that that should be the public view of these forums. It just puts on a bad reputation.

 

 

 

Although others will disagree with me, these ads are not a big hassle, and can eaisly be avoided!

 

Devoted

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People don't complain that others can pay to remove adverts and get benefits on sites such as offtopic.com, b3ta, last.fm, flickr... could go on.

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Mercifull <3 Suzi

"We don't want players to be able to buy their way to success in RuneScape. If we let players start doing this, it devalues RuneScape for others. We feel your status in real-life shouldn't affect your ability to be successful in RuneScape" Jagex 01/04/01 - 02/03/12

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Mercifull, by giving users advantages for donating, many users will just complain more due to not being of age to donate. I know that sounds like a fair situation, it's like a membership status, you pay, you get extra. But, the problem is, how many people complain about not being able to play RuneScape members due to not being able to pay the 5 dollars a month? The answer is a lot. By giving out extra benefits within Tip.It, there will be an uproar for all those who can't pay for the extra benefits, whatever their situation is. Some users may even rebel, and quit Tip.It forums. I don't think that that should be the public view of these forums. It just puts on a bad reputation.

 

 

 

Taxes are imposed based on two principles--benefits received or ability to pay. A gasoline tax is an example of a "benefits-received" tax; revenues are used for road, bridge, and tunnel construction and repair. U.S. income taxes are broadly based on the ability-to-pay principle.

 

 

 

Anyone can drive on a road free of charge. However, money to fix the roads and make new roads and other costs has to come from somewhere. So, someone decided that they should tax the gasoline, because almost all gasoline is used on the roads. This means that whoever drives the car (or, more accurately, fills the gas-tank) pays the tax for driving on the road. This doesn't mean those who CAN'T BUY gas or can't DRIVE can't ride in a car. But it DOES mean they're restricted to riding in a car when someone else is going somewhere.

 

 

 

Anyone without a driver's license knows that can be annoying. Anyone with a driver's license knows it's nice to be able to go where you want, when you want.

 

 

 

It's not exactly the same, but the concept is. Yes, people without the ability to pay for their own way will grumble at how annoying it is that others get benefits that they don't. But if enough people subscribed (and I mean subscribed) to generate a solid source of revenue for the site, then even though those who didn't subscribe wouldn't get the (upgraded inbox? other benefit?,) they might be able to be on the site without needing ads.

 

 

 

Again, I think a small report of the numbers involved here would really help people realize the possibility of making everything ad free. If people knew how much it cost to run it, and how many people would need to subscribe (or donate I suppose) to keep it ad free, you'd be more likely to get people to help out.

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The refuge that you built to flee that places that you've come to fear the most ... is the place that you have come to fear the most.

Operator - http://www.heartunit.org

Council - http://z8.invisionfree.com/skillaz

Moderator - http://forum.meebo.com

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I see your point Master. ( :lol: ) Your point does make a lot of since. If Tip.It could raise enough money, I am all for the campaign. I won't ever be against it. I don't know how much it costs to run the site and the forum every month. I am guessing that it is a fair amount of money. If you wanted to run Tip.It ad free, you will need subscriptions like Master said. I don't think you or I want the site being run on donations only. If the site comes short, then the site will be down for awhile. Donations aren't a positive figure of money. You may not hit the target sometimes. By doing subscriptions, the site will have a steady income, thus, having enough to pay for the site!

 

 

 

I just don't believe the ads are too big of a hassel. To be completely honest, I don't mind them. They don't seem worthwhile to pay however much every once and awhile so that I can get an ad free site. It just doesn't seem worth it to me.

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