ad's in the comments now???!??!

[Olde Maroon]

> @MadGolfer76 said:

> > @Gxgolfer said:

> > Dissenting opinions is different than disrespectful conduct.

> >

> > I refuse to engaged in baseless personal attacks and thus won’t engage baiting.

> >

> > No one is banned that doesn’t self eject. We understand we can’t please everyone just as we understand the vocal minority. We will continue to listen to feedback and change as required. I will not tolerate name calling or baseless attacks.

>

> Gx...I don't envy you. There is stuff here I don't like, but if the ads are necessary to keep the place afloat, I think the members would be more receptive to that line of reasoning.

 

> @Philomathesq said:

> > @MadGolfer76 said:

> > > @Gxgolfer said:

> > > Dissenting opinions is different than disrespectful conduct.

> > >

> > > I refuse to engaged in baseless personal attacks and thus won’t engage baiting.

> > >

> > > No one is banned that doesn’t self eject. We understand we can’t please everyone just as we understand the vocal minority. We will continue to listen to feedback and change as required. I will not tolerate name calling or baseless attacks.

> >

> > Gx...I don't envy you. There is stuff here I don't like, **but if the ads are necessary to keep the place afloat, I think the members would be more receptive to that line of reasoning.**

>

> I agree with this. Which is why I will ask again: Is there a way to pay a yearly fee to make the ads go away? I don't have any idea what the cost would be, but surely there is a way of figuring out how much each member's share is. If it's a reasonable price, I'd gladly pay a fee to make this site ad-free. Many other forums offer a paid subscription to eliminate ads, why not this one?

 

As I stated above, I completely agree with both of these things. The bottom line is there isn't proactive communication or "reasoning," and barely even reactive communication about any decisions that are being made. It is amazing how much smoother this could have been if there had just been a short post explaining the changes and why they are necessary. A lot of us on here are business owners and can appreciate tough decisions that need to be made in order to sustain a business. And if we are made part of the conversation, we may even have an idea or two that ownership might find useful. As Philomathesq mentioned, some form of paid annual membership could be an option. It could be combined with the ClubWRX thing. But being dismissive of dissenting/critical opinions by labeling them as "the vocal minority" is disrespectful and frankly counterproductive.

[snagy2000]

> @"Olde Maroon" said:

> > @MadGolfer76 said:

> > > @Gxgolfer said:

> > > Dissenting opinions is different than disrespectful conduct.

> > >

> > > I refuse to engaged in baseless personal attacks and thus won’t engage baiting.

> > >

> > > No one is banned that doesn’t self eject. We understand we can’t please everyone just as we understand the vocal minority. We will continue to listen to feedback and change as required. I will not tolerate name calling or baseless attacks.

> >

> > Gx...I don't envy you. There is stuff here I don't like, but if the ads are necessary to keep the place afloat, I think the members would be more receptive to that line of reasoning.

>

> > @Philomathesq said:

> > > @MadGolfer76 said:

> > > > @Gxgolfer said:

> > > > Dissenting opinions is different than disrespectful conduct.

> > > >

> > > > I refuse to engaged in baseless personal attacks and thus won’t engage baiting.

> > > >

> > > > No one is banned that doesn’t self eject. We understand we can’t please everyone just as we understand the vocal minority. We will continue to listen to feedback and change as required. I will not tolerate name calling or baseless attacks.

> > >

> > > Gx...I don't envy you. There is stuff here I don't like, **but if the ads are necessary to keep the place afloat, I think the members would be more receptive to that line of reasoning.**

> >

> > I agree with this. Which is why I will ask again: Is there a way to pay a yearly fee to make the ads go away? I don't have any idea what the cost would be, but surely there is a way of figuring out how much each member's share is. If it's a reasonable price, I'd gladly pay a fee to make this site ad-free. Many other forums offer a paid subscription to eliminate ads, why not this one?

>

> As I stated above, I completely agree with both of these things. The bottom line is there isn't proactive communication or "reasoning," and barely even reactive communication about any decisions that are being made. It is amazing how much smoother this could have been if there had just been a short post explaining the changes and why they are necessary. A lot of us on here are business owners and can appreciate tough decisions that need to be made in order to sustain a business. And if we are made part of the conversation, we may even have an idea or two that ownership might find useful. As Philomathesq mentioned, some form of paid annual membership could be an option. It could be combined with the ClubWRX thing. But being dismissive of dissenting/critical opinions by labeling them as "the vocal minority" is disrespectful and frankly counterproductive.

 

The fee we already pay was used to keep ads off the thread. If you weren't a paid member, you would see the ads. Obviously, this has changed and they want revenue based on traffic. I will not renew if not fixed by my expiration date. Too many other places with same info and less hassle.

[Gxgolfer]

Yes we could do better at communicating but time doesn’t give us a lot of opportunity to and the results will not materially change the initial decision. We are design build and change base in feedback.

 

The last 7 months we were constantly attacked attacked when updates given. Some posters say nothing was done.

 

Telling people about the ads would bring about the exact same reaction and would not change the initial rollout. The accusations would still come.

 

We continue to look at all options and feedback. No matter what I post, someone will attack it as witness in this thread multiple times.

 

My reaction is based upon the attacks. It does me no good to engage when people are always attacking every word and taking everything to the extreme.

 

There is no brick and mortar business I know of where someone can walk in and berate or accuse ownership without consequences yet it is open season here and we get accused of banning dissenting opinions.

 

We have discussed how much an opt out will cost and is part of the discussion. Right now the priorities are the theme, feedback and clubwrx. We are finally getting close on moving on from the theme.

[MaineMariner]

This is currently a very bizarre user experience on mobile (Chrome on Galaxy S9, if that matters). I hope nobody takes that as a personal attack, but it's just very strange and unlike any forum experience I can remember. It's not exactly intrusive, per se, it's just... weird, ugly, and feels cheap. As I scroll down the page, I see an ad that looks like a post every 4-5 posts.

 

I'm not sure what's going on behind the scenes here, but this seems like a peculiar solution.

[PZero]

> @MadGolfer76 said:

> > @Gxgolfer said:

> > Dissenting opinions is different than disrespectful conduct.

> >

> > I refuse to engaged in baseless personal attacks and thus won’t engage baiting.

> >

> > No one is banned that doesn’t self eject. We understand we can’t please everyone just as we understand the vocal minority. We will continue to listen to feedback and change as required. I will not tolerate name calling or baseless attacks.

>

> Gx...I don't envy you. There is stuff here I don't like, **but if the ads are necessary to keep the place afloat, I think the members would be more receptive to that line of reasoning. **

 

 

Hell no. The sea of ad posts is too much.

[golow]

I see no ads on Safari on Mac (AdBlock), on iPhone I just scroll right past. If the ad piques my interest I pause .... if I'm interested in the product or service I click on it.

 

Am I doing it right ?

 

 

[bladestriker]

I’ve been on a hiatus, checking in to see how it’s going, it’s still “different” than in the past

[mukster]

I'm not attacking anyone, just in case I get accused of that. Started seeing all these ads and thought I would check to see if I was the only one that found this irritating. Obviously not.

If this is the only way that Vanilla will allow the owners to do ads, it will be disappointing.

For the record, I now use Adblock and I simply have to deal with 5 or so blank boxes per page. This is unfortunate, as it is not my primary goal to undermine the revenue generated for this forum. Fearful that this will turn into a forbes.com type site where adblockers will be banned.

Once again, as most critical comments are apparently seen as personal attacks, I will again state that this is not an attack in any way or form. Maybe it is time to take a leave of absence while things attempt to return to some form of normal.

[jj9000]

> @Gxgolfer said:

> Dissenting opinions is different than disrespectful conduct.

>

> I refuse to engaged in baseless personal attacks and thus won’t engage baiting.

>

> No one is banned that doesn’t self eject. We understand we can’t please everyone just as we understand the vocal minority. We will continue to listen to feedback and change as required. Despite this being the Internet, I will not tolerate name calling or baseless attacks.

 

I hear you, and I'm definitely not attacking you.

 

I'm just looking back at the history of very similar websites and golf forums.

 

The multiple bannings for 99 years (I think I remember that correctly), and the subsequent creation of this site was the end-result.

 

When I type in the URL for BSG it takes me directly to a GoDaddy Domain Name purchase for $4.99.

 

I really hope this site isn't on the same trajectory.

[straightshot7]

The answer is ads that are not an eye-sore. There have been studies that show that ads that blend in actually get better click through rates. The last time I used Google Adsense they had the option for text ads.

 

There is a reason that the number one in the world for display ads does this:

 


 

[Yanki01]

..and I specifically never click those first few links with ads on google.

[BiggErn]

At least create another user that the ads are attached to so we can ignore them.

[BiggErn]

Sweet. Found an ad blocker that worked on iPhone.

[bunta]

Listen, i know the site needs some sort of revenue to keep running. I get it. But i seriously cant take it. Its literally an ad every 5 f**ing post. EVery FIVE ??! For real ?! I have never been on any forum and i have been on many and i have never seen ads every 4, 5 posts. My ad blocker blocks some, but it'll miss some too.

 

So. Can i pay a small annual fee so i dont see them ?

[BiggErn]

I found an ad blocker that takes care of the ones in the thread for iPhone/safari. I still see the user name but the ad isn’t there anymore. Guess this was the plan all along.

[JasonPetermann]

> @BiggErn said:

> I found an ad blocker that takes care of the ones in the thread for iPhone/safari. I still see the user name but the ad isn’t there anymore. Guess this was the plan all along.

 

Care to name which ad blocker. iPhone experience is horrible.

 

[JasonPetermann]

S> @BiggErn said:

> Sweet. Found an ad blocker that worked on iPhone.

 

Please share

[BiggErn]

> @JasonPetermann said:

> S> @BiggErn said:

> > Sweet. Found an ad blocker that worked on iPhone.

>

> Please share

 

Called AdGuard

[TheInfidel]

> @Gxgolfer said:

> Bottom line yes, we lost significant revenue last seven months due to lack of delivering impressions.

 

Revenue was likely down due to reduced site visits and traffic over last 7 months. That was as a result of launching a new platform before basic UAT was done. Pretty simple.

 

If admin are going to shamelessly push for ad revenue then don't get childish when challenged about site changes which dimish the user experience and frustrate loyal members. 90% of your content is user driven.

[Gxgolfer]

> @TheInfidel said:

> > @Gxgolfer said:

> > Bottom line yes, we lost significant revenue last seven months due to lack of delivering impressions.

>

> Revenue was likely down due to reduced site visits and traffic over last 7 months. That was as a result of launching a new platform before basic UAT was done. Pretty simple.

>

> If admin are going to shamelessly push for ad revenue then don't get childish when challenged about site changes which dimish the user experience and frustrate loyal members. 90% of your content is user driven.

 

Here is an example of what I am referring too and I have stated a few times in this thread.

 

While traffic dipped initially, it is currently at similar levels as previous years. Of course accusations of lying will continue and greed and lack of understanding will continue to be posted because well, this is the Internet. Is there truth to it, yes but again the removal of the ads units, which were previously embedded, dropped ad impression deliveries by over 30%. If traffic dropped that much, then we would be acting in an entirely different manner.

 

There is always chaos in these changes. While yes, communication helps, this outrage will still be posted. We will adapt through feedback.

 

This switch is a long marathon and we have been here for over 10 years, yet we still are compared to sites with questionable practices. We are bringing this site to modern day laws and practices and we get virtually spit on and attack. That’s the the world we live in today and comes with the territory. Happens in no brick and mortar businesses I know of. Respectful feedback welcome. Assumptions are that.

 

It currently takes 2 to 3 weeks to make any significant changes. This is the price for security and stability and we don’t always get what we want.

[KMeloney]

I actually bought a pair of shoes two weeks ago directly from an ad I saw on WRX (I had been watching the shoes for a few months, and they appeared in the ad with the lowest price I'd ever seen on them -- so I clicked on the ad and bought the shoes from that site). However, the ad did NOT appear as a post within a thread. This new in-the-thread format is awful.

[DavePelz4]

> @Enjoi said:

> I had 8 ad Post’s in the first page alone!!!!

>

> That is absolutely crazy! It’s impossible for me to enjoy browsing the forum with that many ads.

 

I'd rather deal with the ads than to watch our Bears be a shell of themselves. That's 3 hours of most Sunday's that's a waste.

[Yanki01]

> @BiggErn said:

> > @JasonPetermann said:

> > S> @BiggErn said:

> > > Sweet. Found an ad blocker that worked on iPhone.

> >

> > Please share

>

> Called AdGuard

 

 

it works by blocking most of the ad but unfortunately the "post" is still there although no content. i've been using AdGuard on my iPhone for a long while now. it works well. it appears some adblockers aren't seeing the "post" as an ad but does block the ad content within the post.

[bigmoneyp]

The new delivery method of ad is to force them on us. You obviously know that many users were blocking your ad> @Yanki01 said:

> > @BiggErn said:

> > > @JasonPetermann said:

> > > S> @BiggErn said:

> > > > Sweet. Found an ad blocker that worked on iPhone.

> > >

> > > Please share

> >

> > Called AdGuard

>

>

> it works by blocking most of the ad but unfortunately the "post" is still there although no content. i've been using AdGuard on my iPhone for a long while now. it works well. it appears some adblockers aren't seeing the "post" as an ad but does block the ad content within the post.

 

That is why they changed the delivery method. Users are blocking ads and that blocks revenue. Traffic might be at "normal levels" but contributions are down. The new delivery method allows the site to post ads that look like comments or replies to circumvent users from blocking the ads/revenue. Its kinda how many youtubers are now putting the ads directly into the videos and forcing the ads on viewers. The largest youtuber actually is involved in litigation for this currently. I stuck around through the upgrade and was disappointed in the mobile experience due to it being ruined by the new ad delivery method. The site has their own freedom to run their business how they want and each consumer has the freedom to visit the site or take their business (contributions, ad views, paid memberships) elsewhere. I know for me personally, if the mobile user experience does not improve I'll just simply leave.

[Newby]

By clicking the 3 dots top right, Adblock can be made to blank the ad itself but it does not remove the post. I bit of a waste of time by WRX as I have no idea what is being advertised but an still irritated by these redundant empty posts. Even if I saw the ad I wouldn't now buy on principle.

[Yanki01]

> @Newby said:

> By clicking the 3 dots top right, Adblock can be made to blank the ad itself but it does not remove the post. I bit of a waste of time by WRX as I have no idea what is being advertised but an still irritated by these redundant empty posts. Even if I saw the ad I wouldn't now buy on principle.

 

correct, it will show this.

 

 

[Newby]

I tried to 'turn an ad off' but now, if Adblock is on I just get a blank page. I can't see anything on the WRX site at all.

 

I had to turn Adblock off to post this

[Newby]

Sorted it seems. Had to reinstall Adblock

[Newby]

https://www.adblockios.com/

 

https://adblockforiphone.com/

[straightshot7]

> @Yanki01 said:

> ..and I specifically never click those first few links with ads on google.

 

Google literally collects billions in ad revenue every quarter from those text ads. So obviously millions of people are clicking on them.

 

Image ads have their place. The Google Adsense program allows for them as we can see...

 

But my point is, if you're trying to place ads near or in the middle of text content, using text ads is less of an eye sore. And it can be more effective.

 

Images stick out like a sore thumb. Imagine ugly images on Google search. It would make you consider switching to Bing.