I guess I must be really different, because I've never noticed a single ad on this site, until you all just mentioned them.

The only thing I look at is the center section, where the posts are. All that other stuff on the edges and the top/bottom is just peripheral vision. I couldn't tell you if it was an add, or some one telling me to go eff myself.

Good grief, I hope I don't start staring at these ads, now that you've pointed them out to me.

 

You just don't get it, do you? The concept of advertising is not what I find offensive. The fact that nobody cares if the advertising is for scams or ripoff crap is the problem. If 25% of the ads here are scams or ripoffs (turbonator, etc.), then what faith or trust can I have in any of the advertisers?

It all comes down to integrity. If Steve wishes to continue making money by persuading the members to click on rip-off ads, then why should any of us trust him? He is in a way making money by ripping off the members. He is condoning the continued ripoff of his membership. Every time a new member clicks on a Turbonator ad, Steve makes money.

If my sense of integrity is so unacceptable, offensive, abrasive, idiotic and bullheaded, then I guess I don't fit in very well here amongst the Turbonator buyers and sellers.

 

RJS, when I have ever "persuaded" or even encouraged (or for that matter even asked one time) anyone to click on an ad on this site? I can answer that for you...NEVER. It is a violation of the terms of service for most ad networks and I respect those terms BECAUSE I have integrity.

Do you judge the integrity of a news reporter based on the commercials run on his or her network? I think you may have addressed this issue most eloquently in your last sentence. You don't seem to find the comfort level hear that you want from your enthusiast site because of one specific advertiser on our generic ad network, so perhaps you should find a site that is more comfortable for you and your 1975 Plymouth Valiant.

Hmm, makes me wonder, maybe we should all judge your value to an F150 enthusiast community based solely on the vehicle you choose to display in your profile?

 

No, I do get it... what I get is that it continues to take funding to keep a site like this afloat and that money doesn't grow on trees. What I get is that we have a spectacular site here that thousands of people utilize every day to add and exchange information. I also get that these people are subjected to various forms of advertising that cannot be directly controlled because they're added based on the context of an individual pages' text and not because Turbonator ads were 'hand selected' to be placed at the forefront.

Here's what I don't get... how you can jump in, thrash like a fish out of water, and not offer any insight as to how the problem should be remedied. Further, I don't get how a business continues to 'work' when funding isn't continuing to flow in the door etc...

Pretty simple economics.

 

so anyway, Steve.

What about what was suggested in post #6

 

The income generated from the very small fraction that would contribute to a pay for features site would not be nearly enough to cover the loss of income from the ads that would be removed as a result. And, I simply don't like the idea of segregating users as those that do contribute financially and those that don't contribute financially (other than the obvious group, the sponsors). The economics simply don't work with a site this size, so it's not a realistic idea. This model works and it has worked for ten years. As I said, the new ad placement (inline thread) replaced an old ad placement (external link) that was removed during the forum software upgrade.

 

Wow, I'm just reading this thread for the first time. I did wonder about the inline ads, they only appear to me if I'm not signed in so no biggie. I do have my ad blocker turned on but it is in no way meant to offend you or your advertisers Steve. I always have it turned on and most likely would not click on the ads if I did see them. I just don't click on ads no matter what site I am visiting at the time. Even if I could see them I doubt seriously if they would bother me to the point of distraction, I'm pretty good at reading around them.

I enjoy the site tremendously and would be one to support a fee for use that some of the other members have suggested in lieu of advertising but I can understand the desire to keep it free for all.