bucky-fn-dent

I have seen the underlines the last couple of days on my home computer but not my work computer. This happens regardless if I am logged on or not. It's annoying but I won't loose any sleep over it. Any thoughts on why this happens?

ScratchMonkey

See here:

http://www.tacticalgamer.com/counter...ent-forum.html

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BigGaayAl

Whatever happens, admins, I suggest strongly that you remove the "adwords" inside the forum text.

-They impede reading as they stand out too much.
-They screw up the redaction done by the poster (competing with words the poster chose to make bold for attention).
-They are the first (and I would bet the last) ads to penetrate in the user's content.
-The keywords link to stuff that isn't at all relevant.

Now I know about SM's and perks, guys, but there is a limit to what you can do to a user without crossing the frustration treshold. The fact I bothered to even type this shows me that I'm quite close to passing mine. I find the red adwords offensive and invasive.



Here is how I think ads should be integrated into any website.
*Always keep a clear distinction between advertising and website/user created content.
*Never have ads that make noise.
*Never have ads that create pop-ups if the user has not clicked on them (so no popups on hovering).

If this all is really needed to keep TG running, I guess that is the end of it. Agressive advertising however always entails the possibility of hurting your own brand.

I'd prefer a splash page ad you see before entering the website to the current approach.

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I wsih to agzoiollppie for tinpyg so mnay tpoys

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
~ Bertrand Russell

Away from gaming, lost everything, trying to rebuild my life from scratch.

Apophis

I actually have a *LOT* of control over them and can block any specific ads that are problematic.

I want to give it a couple more days. They claim that the ads will become a LOT more refined and on-topic. If they can't pull that off and present relevant ads I will gladly pull them. I'm not one to leave them if they turn out to be total crap. I could also just enable them for unregistered users/guests.

The color/highlighting of the ad can be completely customized and made less intrusive.

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Diplomacy is the art of saying "good doggie" while looking for a bigger stick.

Elwenil

It's your toy box we are playing in, Apophis, set it up however you like. If people wish to leave or not join the community because of ads or other tactics used to help fund the community, then they are just being selfish and silly. I don't think the majority of players understand the amount of money a website and forum like this costs to run, not to mention all the game servers. $9 a month is a bargain for all the access you get at TG and if you can't help support TG in that way, for whatever reason, I think the ads are a very small price to pay.

Remember to be reasonable guys. Many web forums and sites use ads to offset the rising costs of staying online. True, they are a pain, but if it helps pay for the community that many here participate in and yet do not, or cannot support, it is a small price to pay.

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BigGaayAl

good to see you are evaluating constantly. For me the color of the words standing out too much with the grey background is more disturbing then the content. Any chance of just underlining the adwords? That would be a lot less confusing when you read.

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I wsih to agzoiollppie for tinpyg so mnay tpoys

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
~ Bertrand Russell

Away from gaming, lost everything, trying to rebuild my life from scratch.

Zoopy_T

In line advertisements don't set a good impression for first time users. I know I wouldn't want to support a place with ads like this. Can't you find a less intrusive cash-grab?

ScratchMonkey

I have no problem with banner ads, but the underlining stuff makes a post quite hard to read, about as bad as reading l33t speak in some kid's forum.

BTW, banner ads always appear at the top. Would they not be more effective if placed between the last post and the Quick Reply box? They'd be less likely to be skipped. (I read via New Posts, so I see the top of the page only on first entry to a thread.)

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Apophis

I yanked the content-based ads from registered users. Only guest users will see them at this point. But I'm still not sold on their relativity to the content. They said it would take a few days and I'm going to give it the time they recommend, but unless it gets much better than it is, I will end up pulling them completely.

It's not a cash-grab, but thanks for the snide comment. It's supplemental income for some of the new hefty bandwidth charges we've been being hit with lately. One of our datacenters went to a new automated method of calculating and billing bandwidth and it has caused a MASSIVE jump in the cost of some of the servers.

Due to the volume of traffic we get, we have pay-per-impression advertisements rather than pay-per-click. It doesn't matter if you click the link or not, if we display the banner we get compensated. But it might be more effective for the advertisers if they were in between posts and/or between the content body and the quick reply box.

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Diplomacy is the art of saying "good doggie" while looking for a bigger stick.

Uranium - 235

Aye, I've seen that done before, with a message as well saying that you won't get the ads if you do X or whatever.

The adwords have always infuriated me, however. I've been an SM for long since before these so I've not seen them here, but I know of them...

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BigGaayAl

Good to see some feedback, Apophis, perhaps perhaps it would be a good idea to post such informations once and a while, so people understand some decisions better.

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I wsih to agzoiollppie for tinpyg so mnay tpoys

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
~ Bertrand Russell

Away from gaming, lost everything, trying to rebuild my life from scratch.