The Ads are here to stay

[albionmoonlight]

Also, I saw a topic regarding the ads. GameSpy provides hosting for free, and if we don't serve ads on hosted sites then we will simply not be able to support free hosting financially. As I mentioned before, this is 1.3GB+ database, and the forums are incredibly active. Please understand the need for these ads.
I am all for GameSpy needing to put food on the table, so I don't want to pressure them to take our ads away.

I think, though, that we need to decide if we have the ability to pay for ad-free hosting. We may not, in which case we don't have a choice but to stay.

I have no idea how much all of this costs, but we do have a lot of active members who will probably be willing to chip in a little bit.

Is it feasable?

[SirFozzie]

it's more feasible then put up with crap that we've done without for 5 years. When it was banner ads, I had no problem with it.. popups? HELL no.

[wade moore]

it's more feasible then put up with crap that we've done without for 5 years. When it was banner ads, I had no problem with it.. popups? HELL no.
As I posted in a previous post, this attitude is silly in my book.

As they stated, we use up 1.3+GB... we use a ton of bandwidth and it's FREE. Decide to go to a pay service, fine. But as long as it is free I don't think we have any right to complain about these ads.

[albionmoonlight]

As I posted in a previous post, this attitude is silly in my book.

As they stated, we use up 1.3+GB... we use a ton of bandwidth and it's FREE. Decide to go to a pay service, fine. But as long as it is free I don't think we have any right to complain about these ads.
I agree. I have no problem with what GameSpy is doing. I'm just trying to start a discussion with us as rational market actors. Do the ads annoy us enough to make leaving worth our while?

We need to remember that moving is an annual cost. We not only have to raise enough money to pay for a year of hosting. We also need to make sure that we will have continued fiscal support so that we don't become orphans.

Finally, I don't want to burn any bridges with GameSpy. They seem like they have treated us pretty well.

[vtbub]

I'm fully aware of the need to generate revenue. Advertising walks a fine line between being obtrusive as it is in this case and just part of the website experience, such as what I do at SGS.

It is a pain to ask people to click ads, no matter how targeted they are. The reality is that with the probable needs of this site, it will need at least a semi-dedicated server to serve the traffic needs.

Hopefully Ryan and Ben can have a constructive conversation with IGN about how ads are displayed. If the board does switch hosts, we will need to be vigilant about the $1,000 a year on operation costs.

[stevew]

As I posted in a previous post, this attitude is silly in my book.

As they stated, we use up 1.3+GB... we use a ton of bandwidth and it's FREE. Decide to go to a pay service, fine. But as long as it is free I don't think we have any right to complain about these ads.Quit interjecting logic here.

Screw the ads. Screw them up their stupid ass. :rolleyes:

[Marc Vaughan]

I am all for GameSpy needing to put food on the table, so I don't want to pressure them to take our ads away.

I think, though, that we need to decide if we have the ability to pay for ad-free hosting. We may not, in which case we don't have a choice but to stay.

I have no idea how much all of this costs, but we do have a lot of active members who will probably be willing to chip in a little bit.

Is it feasable?

I'd expect it would be fairly expensive.

As an example while these forums aren't as active as the sigames.com ones - it costs us approximately £5,000 per month to keep those up and running ... (but as I indicated these forums are a fraction of the size of those, but it shows its not likely to be 'pin money' unless there are a lot of people contributing).

[SirFozzie]

I agree.. another board I post to (DVDVR) went to Google ads. Have no problem with that. Banner ads? No problem. Intercept/Pop Up Ads? I reiterate, not only no.. but FUCK no.

See post below.. IE.. FUCKING TIME STAMP BUG

[stevew]

I do however wish they would do some of those google ads, instead. As they are less cumbersome.

[wade moore]

I agree.. another board I post to (DVDVR) went to Google ads. Have no problem with that. Banner ads? No problem. Intercept/Pop Up Ads? I reiterate, not only no.. but FUCK no.

See post below.. IE.. FUCKING TIME STAMP BUG Give me a logical reason why these are unacceptable. Keep this in mind..

A) We were able to completely bypass banner ads with our templates
B) Do you ever pay attention to the banner ads?

Edit to add: You like the banner ads because you can easily completely disregard them - this is exactly the reason they are ineffective.

[Maple Leafs]

Everyone realizes that you can click the link at the top of the ad and skip it, right? You don't disable the ads, etc., but you do go on to the next page right away.

Just want to make sure nobody is sitting through an entire ad they're not interested in just to get the next page to load.

[vtbub]

SGS has a clickthrough rate of 1.1% for the month of November. And that is considered good, but I've raised less than 50% of the site's cost, and we are talking less than $10.

The community would have to be much more active in rasing money in order for it to survive outside here.

[SirFozzie]

Give me a logical reason why these are unacceptable. Keep this in mind..

A) We were able to completely bypass banner ads with our templates
B) Do you ever pay attention to the banner ads?

Edit to add: You like the banner ads because you can easily completely disregard them - this is exactly the reason they are ineffective.

Because it's a pain in the ass, we haven't had them since moving over here?

[Ben E Lou]

I've asked the bandwidth question to lufiaguy, and am awaiting a response. That's a pretty big deal.

As has been pointed out, it's only one quick click to bypass the ads. Considering that they don't come up that often to begin with, that's doesn't seem like a deal-breaker to me. However, let's find out what kind of money we're dealing with here.

[SirFozzie]

As has been pointed out, it's only one quick click to bypass the ads. Considering that they don't come up that often to begin with, that's doesn't seem like a deal-breaker to me. However, let's find out what kind of money we're dealing with here.

Fine, but do consider that some folks (like myself) do consider it a deal-breaker.

[Ben E Lou]

How often do you guys get these ads?I'm probably getting them once every 50-100 clicks, if I had to guess, but I'll check it now.

[SirFozzie]

Too bad it's not possible to pay to avoid the ads, like some other sites offer. $3-$5 a month to avoid ads.. don't need too many folks to pay that and it adds up quickly.

[Daimyo]

How often do you guys get these ads?

[vtbub]

How often do you guys get these ads?
It varies. I went twenty times without seeing one, then twice in a row with having them.

[Daimyo]

Maybe I'm just lucky... I haven't seen one yet after probably 100 or clicks.

[Ben E Lou]

We've used nearly 2 GB since being switched over yesterday. We came back online around 6pm, so I think it is reasonable to assume 3ish GB per day, 75-100 GB per month.

[wade moore]

Because it's a pain in the ass, we haven't had them since moving over here?
So your argument is because they have lost money on us for the past 5 years they have no right to stop now?

wow...

This is really shallow and ridiculous imo...

[Anthony]

leave it as-is. that way when a paying contributor gets banned/boxed he isn't paying for a service he can't use. google-ads don't work because of where they're usually placed it makes it easy to bypass them, which is against the whole point of a site having ads in the first place.

as long as the ads are every so often i don't have a problem. this place is nice, but i don't like it that much to pay for it so that if i do/say somethign to get boxed i'm not only boxed but i'm giving money to a site i can't even use. just leave it.

[Bad-example]

Banner ads don't bother me much except when the ad server is laggy or down, delaying or preventing the page from displaying the content I am there to see.

These click-thru ads...well, I tend to completely avoid sites that use those. Those ads are inflicted upon the reader, and that just bothers me.

[Ben E Lou]

Those ads are inflicted upon the reader, and that just bothers me.I really don't understand the "inflicted" part...I haven't read a single word of one yet.

[RendeR]

Can one of the admins give us a round estimate of bandwidth usage per month? The company I use to host my web stuff offers 3 gigs of storage and tons of bells and whistles for 60 bucks a year. The bandwith might be an issue, so i wanted to see just how much we're using here.


For the month of August my website had over 2 gig of bandwidth usage and never came close to any set limits, so I'm wondering if this company wouldn't be a good place for a permanent, ad-free site for FOFC?

[Bad-example]

I really don't understand the "inflicted" part...I haven't read a single word of one yet.

I guess the feeling I have is one of being held hostage or issued orders. Maybe I am just overly sensitive about being told what to do.

"You will click HERE if you want to see this page. Fuck you if you don't like it!"

[Samdari]

I'm probably getting them once every 50-100 clicks, if I had to guess, but I'll check it now.

My estimate would be 5-10, but I am willing to live with it, frankly. Moving is a risky step, and I am old and fear change.

[Ben E Lou]

Moving is a risky step...My primary fear would be forum load times, with the amount of traffic we sometimes have during peak hours.

[kcchief19]

leave it as-is. that way when a paying contributor gets banned/boxed he isn't paying for a service he can't use. google-ads don't work because of where they're usually placed it makes it easy to bypass them, which is against the whole point of a site having ads in the first place.

as long as the ads are every so often i don't have a problem. this place is nice, but i don't like it that much to pay for it so that if i do/say somethign to get boxed i'm not only boxed but i'm giving money to a site i can't even use. just leave it. Amazingly, this goes double for me. It's not broke, don't fix it. When I'm logged in and using my template, the ads are very non-obstrusive. Much less worse than those horrific Google ads that make sites look like spam sites and cheap ripoffs. This sites uses incredible amounts of bandwidth and storage -- and despite past complaints it is generally very reliable, and I am noticing a HUGE speed difference with the new server.

You want to kill this site, take it off GameSpy and try to pay for it through advertising and member contributions. You think things are bad now with people putting in their 2 cents about moderating decisions and the like, it would be worse with membership fees. Try to box/ban somebody who spent ten bucks to support the site and you're in for more trouble than its worth.

Why people would turn down a free service for the level of ads I've seen so far boggles my mind. Of course, doesn't GameSpy offer a paid no/limited ads membership? If you don't like it, the market has provided options.

[SirFozzie]

Amazingly, this goes double for me. It's not broke, don't fix it. When I'm logged in and using my template, the ads are very non-obstrusive. Much less worse than those horrific Google ads that make sites look like spam sites and cheap ripoffs. This sites uses incredible amounts of bandwidth and storage -- and despite past complaints it is generally very reliable, and I am noticing a HUGE speed difference with the new server.

You want to kill this site, take it off GameSpy and try to pay for it through advertising and member contributions. You think things are bad now with people putting in their 2 cents about moderating decisions and the like, it would be worse with membership fees. Try to box/ban somebody who spent ten bucks to support the site and you're in for more trouble than its worth.

Why people would turn down a free service for the level of ads I've seen so far boggles my mind. Of course, doesn't GameSpy offer a paid no/limited ads membership? If you don't like it, the market has provided options.

Um.. I think you haven't seen the full screen ads that intercept where you want to go and make you "Click here to continue on while you view our animated ad" that we're bitching about instead of the banner ads, kcchief.

[Simms]

Can one of the admins give us a round estimate of bandwidth usage per month? The company I use to host my web stuff offers 3 gigs of storage and tons of bells and whistles for 60 bucks a year. The bandwith might be an issue, so i wanted to see just how much we're using here.


For the month of August my website had over 2 gig of bandwidth usage and never came close to any set limits, so I'm wondering if this company wouldn't be a good place for a permanent, ad-free site for FOFC?
Skydog estimated above that we go through 75-100 GB bandwidth a month. Add to that the fact that the database size for the forum is well over 1 GB. And just because a host offers you more than 1 GB of webspace doesn't mean they'll necessarily allow you to keep databases of more than 1 GB.

As someone else mentioned (either above, or in a different thread), this forum wouldn't last a week on a shared server without getting kicked off and dropped by the host. You're going to need semi-dedicated hosting at the very least, if not entirely dedicated. In which case, you're looking at anywhere from $100-$500 per month, depending on the quality and reputability of the host.

[Daimyo]

My estimate would be 5-10, but I am willing to live with it, frankly. Moving is a risky step, and I am old and fear change.
I haven't seen one yet. I just went through the front page and middle clicked each thread (to open them in a new tab) and none of them had it. Maybe its just something with my setup. :)

[RendeR]

Skydog estimated above that we go through 75-100 GB bandwidth a month. Add to that the fact that the database size for the forum is well over 1 GB. And just because a host offers you more than 1 GB of webspace doesn't mean they'll necessarily allow you to keep databases of more than 1 GB.

As someone else mentioned (either above, or in a different thread), this forum wouldn't last a week on a shared server without getting kicked off and dropped by the host. You're going to need semi-dedicated hosting at the very least, if not entirely dedicated. In which case, you're looking at anywhere from $100-$500 per month, depending on the quality and reputability of the host.

The total storage is 3 gig for my account, which is inclusive of anything I use, databases included. So that's not really an issue. My current bandwidth for the month is at 277 meg, and is listed at 1% of my limit. So I doubt it would support our usage here at the current level of service. They offer much higher levels of service as well at fairly reasonable prices.

If anyone wants to check them over for possible use:

http://www.webhostingbuzz.com

Be well.

[gstelmack]

We've used nearly 2 GB since being switched over yesterday. We came back online around 6pm, so I think it is reasonable to assume 3ish GB per day, 75-100 GB per month.
EasyCGI gives me 150GB per month with my basic hosting plan. If I go to the $30/month plan, I get 350GB. Currently 6GB of disk space.

In other words, if that number is accurate, I could move the whole board to my current host and keep it within the "what I pay now for my simple web site".

My take on ads:

1) Don't make them what slows the board down. I worked to get around the banner ads here because I watched my browser stop on "waiting for host ..." for the ad server. Keep your ad server up with the rest of the site, please.

2) Don't make them block my getting around. It's almost but not quite the deal breaker it is for me that it is for SirFozzie.

As for why I want to leave GameSpy: I'm sick of the board going down for a day or more every couple of months while they completely shuffle things around. If they are actually making money off us through the ads, then we ought to get better service than this. We are "paying" for the board by putting up with the ads so they can make their money.

If they actually lose money off us or just barely break even, I might be willing to let that slide more, but all indications are that as a profit-making enterprise, they're making money off of us. Of course, maybe all these changes are because they're losing money and trying to make it a profit-making enterprise, in which case maybe they should pay a bit more attention to the service they give us. Having one of their techs here answering questions is a good start, so maybe that will get better.

Wait, did I just talk myself out of my original point?

[Ben E Lou]

Is it not true that database size and storage space are two different things?

[Easy Mac]

I'd have to agree that I hate the ads. I've gotten them frequently, seemingly far more frequently than most.

That being said, I'd have to agree that we'd get kicked off a shared server, but how about something like this:

http://www.dreamhost.com/dedicated/servers.html

$100 a month
500 gb bandwith a month
30 gb space

Of course, I'm sure they'd raise the rates to $150-200 after the 1 year introductory (I've still got most of a year left with my plan for $9 total, but I'm already dreading the $150 I'll pay next year... shameless plugs)

So $1200 a year. Now, that is a bit steep, I understand. However, that's like $20 from 60 people. I know I'd throw in $20 to a paypal account to pay for it each year. Doesn't even have to be a membership fee. Just pass around the tin starting in November each year and keep going, make it so no one can pay more than $20. Even collect a little more than needed, that way if someone gets banned, we can just refund them the whole $20 or a prorated portion. Even make it part of the agreement when they sign up, saying if they contribute any money to the site, their money will be paid back if they are banned from the board.

I'm fine with something like that.

Thoughts?

Edited to add: This is all I could Find (http://discussion.dreamhost.com/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=forum_troubleshooting&Number=11664&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post11664) on the site in my post about database size limits.

[Simms]

At every host I've used, my database size has not figured into my disk space used. And many cohosting outfits, such as 1and1 (which had a great freebie deal when they launched a couple of years ago) will offer things like 5 GB of storage and unlimited MySQL databases....but they cap the DB size at 100 megs.

[vtbub]

Your storage space includes database size and whatever else is hosted on site.

[Ben E Lou]

At every host I've used, my database size has not figured into my disk space used. And many cohosting outfits, such as 1and1 (which had a great freebie deal when they launched a couple of years ago) will offer things like 5 GB of storage and unlimited MySQL databases....but they cap the DB size at 100 megs.That's more along the lines of what I was thinking we'd be dealing with--needing something to take care of a large database.

[Ben E Lou]

Too bad it's not possible to pay to avoid the ads, like some other sites offer. $3-$5 a month to avoid ads.. don't need too many folks to pay that and it adds up quickly.Chuck:

I see that you're viewing this thread. Is this an option?

[st.cronin]

Just chiming in to say I think the ads are no big deal at all.

[SackAttack]

At every host I've used, my database size has not figured into my disk space used. And many cohosting outfits, such as 1and1 (which had a great freebie deal when they launched a couple of years ago) will offer things like 5 GB of storage and unlimited MySQL databases....but they cap the DB size at 100 megs.

We used to use 1and1 at Gamenikki. Their customer service got to the point that we switched to Rawserve some time ago, and that's where we've stayed ever since.

[gstelmack]

At every host I've used, my database size has not figured into my disk space used. And many cohosting outfits, such as 1and1 (which had a great freebie deal when they launched a couple of years ago) will offer things like 5 GB of storage and unlimited MySQL databases....but they cap the DB size at 100 megs.
Ah, okay, did not know that. EasyCGI doesn't seem to have anywhere that tells me the max database size; closest I found was an option to buy another 50MB of database size, which seems to hint at a limit along the lines of what you are talking about.

[Anthony]

I really don't understand the "inflicted" part...I haven't read a single word of one yet.

ditto. i instinctively go to the upper right hand part of the screen and click on the "skip this ad" link.

[Ben E Lou]

Maybe I am just overly sensitive about being told what to do.

"You will click HERE if you want to see this page. Fuck you if you don't like it!"I take it that you are neither in the military, nor married, then.

[[GSI]lufiaguy]

As for why I want to leave GameSpy: I'm sick of the board going down for a day or more every couple of months while they completely shuffle things around. If they are actually making money off us through the ads, then we ought to get better service than this. We are "paying" for the board by putting up with the ads so they can make their money.BTW, this new hosting platform has been in the works for a long time. Before 2005 hosting was in turmoil. This should be the final "shuffle", and now that hosted sites are starting to serve ads properly, IT staff are giving more priority to hosting (so if a server does go down it won't be for long).

[FrogMan]

speaking of ads, I'm not seeing many, but I do see the blank "page unavailable" crap quite often and at odd times, I mean, after clicking the arrow that should bring me to the last post in a thread, or clicking on the link to the main forum, or clicking on one thread title, or even when I clicked the submit button in another thread. I posted about this in the "migration problems" thread with the URL it was trying to send me to and that URL makes me think that whenever I get the "page unavaible" message is because it's trying to feed me ads but is failing to connect to the ad server...

FM

[Schmidty]

Ads are annoying, but the amount of whining and distress they cause some people is laughable. People that can't deal with small inconveniences need come down to earth and get a reality check.

[FrogMan]

examples of links that gave me the blank "page unavailable" page...

http://wrapper.gamespy.com/s?from=http%3A%2F%2Ffof.sportplanet.gamespy.com%2Fforums%2Findex.php%3F&siteId=6205&size=interstitial&ctky=289558643086959451132772955276&docTitle=Front%20Office%20Football%20Central%20-%20powered%20by%20vBulletin

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?goto=lastpost&t=44719

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?goto=lastpost&t=44718

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=44719

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/forumdisplay.php?f=22

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/forumdisplay.php?f=6

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/forumdisplay.php?f=6
(after hittting alt-left arrow to come back to general discussion from within a thread)

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?goto=lastpost&t=44719

FM

[Bad-example]

I take it that you are neither in the military, nor married, then.

Nope. Also not religious. :D

[yabanci]

The noscript extension for firefox should prevent the ads from loading.

https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=722&application=firefox

[digamma]

An interesting by-product of this for me is that "Games" are a filtered category on my company's WebSense program. When the ads come up, I get locked out of the forum for a few minutes until I can get it to load without the ad.

That said, I understand the reasoning for the ads and don't have a big problem with them.

OTOH, if the decision is made to venture out on our own, I'm happy to contribute.

[SnDvls]

what ads is everyone talking about? mabey because I only login direct to the message board I don't see them. Hey I'm not complaining, but I don't see any ads.

[Coder]

I'm with SnDvls... no ads here.. got the main forum page bookmarked, using the yellow skin.

[JeeberD]

I've seen them using the yellow skin, so I think it's just the luck of the draw. However, it hasn't been so much of an annoyance that I feel a move is in order. If we do decide to move, though, count me in for a few bucks.

[HostingManager]

Hey Folks,

I wanted to drop in and add some notes from us regarding ads, and the recent changes.

First, I'd like to say that we are working through some ad-related issues which are causing problems for your site, and we are turning off the interruptive ads temporarily while we sort them out.

Second, we'll be working with the admins here to ensure ads aren't unnecessarily disruptive and to look into other possibilities on how we work together.

Regarding ads, our requirements are the "stitial" (the annoying interruptive) ads which are served on a frequency basis and should not interrupt post activity, and one ad unit per page, which in this site's case will more than likely be leaderboard ads. I recognize that these can be difficult to stomach, but they are what allow us to offer no-fee hosting.

The no fee hosting essentially has no limits, either for space, database size or bandwidth. If/when you are comparing commercial services please keep in mind that we never, ever will shut down because the site passes bandwidth limits.

Thanks for your patience as we complete this changeover.

-chuck

Hosting Manager
IGN Entertainment, Inc.
(GameSpy, IGN and Brain Network Hosting)

[GrantDawg]

So far, they are hit and miss enough that they aren't that big a deal. If they end up being every 2-4 clicks, then I'm packing.

[HostingManager]

So far, they are hit and miss enough that they aren't that big a deal. If they end up being every 2-4 clicks, then I'm packing.
To expand on that, we have a frequency cap which will not allow anything remotely that often, if those ads appear at that rate there is actually something wrong.

-chuck

[Silver Owl]

Is anyone that is using Kerio Personal Firewall seeing any ads?

I haven't seen any ads at all.

[vtbub]

Hey Folks,

I wanted to drop in and add some notes from us regarding ads, and the recent changes.

First, I'd like to say that we are working through some ad-related issues which are causing problems for your site, and we are turning off the interruptive ads temporarily while we sort them out.

Second, we'll be working with the admins here to ensure ads aren't unnecessarily disruptive and to look into other possibilities on how we work together.

Regarding ads, our requirements are the "stitial" (the annoying interruptive) ads which are served on a frequency basis and should not interrupt post activity, and one ad unit per page, which in this site's case will more than likely be leaderboard ads. I recognize that these can be difficult to stomach, but they are what allow us to offer no-fee hosting.

The no fee hosting essentially has no limits, either for space, database size or bandwidth. If/when you are comparing commercial services please keep in mind that we never, ever will shut down because the site passes bandwidth limits.

Thanks for your patience as we complete this changeover.

-chuck

Hosting Manager
IGN Entertainment, Inc.
(GameSpy, IGN and Brain Network Hosting)I'm glad to see you so open regarding this issue. Hopefully somehing can be worked out regarding ads.

[panerd]

Three proposals...
1. Jim fronts the cost of a private server and we allow him to edit/ban the users that always seem to annoy him.
2. Move to a private server and get rid of the hattrick section.
3. Let the people who play wearwolf games front the cost of a new server.

On a serious note... this is a cool site, I think I have said a few times that I get a lot of my news from here. But if you guys ever think the people with a lot of posts play an elitest card sometimes try a board where people contribute money. They will not say anything for a few months, but then bannings, topics, etc. will eventually degrade into "Well put up $20 since you don't contribue anything anyways". Tigerboard is a good example of a good board going to complete shit.

[Anthony]

i also agree that Jim should look into getting his own official board, and i'd deal with bannings and boxings a lot better. if we start paying for this forum then it essentially becomes "our board" (and not SkyDog's board), and there is a lot from the board leadership that i wouldn't tolerate if i became a "paying customer". leave things as they are. i feel once people start contributing to the maintainence of this place they should have some input as to how certain things are handled. too many cooks stirring the pot is a bad thing, so i don't want to go down that road. nothing in life is for free, if i pay for this site by having to deal with some ads every now and then so be it. things change once money is involved.

[vex]

Why would Jim need to get a board? If he really wanted one, I'm sure he'd have one on his site.

[[GSI]lufiaguy]

By the way, the interstitial ads were causing the errors people were seeing on these forums. We've disabled it until the problem is found and have added the leaderboard instead.

[stevew]

What is the leaderboard?
This huge ass banner add.

[stevew]

Nice Timestamping.

[Ben E Lou]

lufiaguy']By the way, the interstitial ads were causing the errors people were seeing on these forums. We've disabled it until the problem is found and have added the leaderboard instead.What is the leaderboard?

[Ben E Lou]

Reckon I haven't seen it yet...

[[GSI]lufiaguy]

A leaderboard is a slightly larger banner ad. I only added it to the default template.

[stevew]

Reckon I haven't seen it yet...
Check out default setting.

[[GSI]lufiaguy]

The timestamp issue was reported a little while ago - we're just waiting for the IT people to fix it. :)

[chinaski]

Firefox + AdBlock plugin = more than good

[DaddyTorgo]

Firefox + AdBlock plugin = more than good
firefox + adblock + a whole bunch of plugins that disable flash and java AND allow you to remove any objects on webpage=never seeing any ads

[GrantDawg]

lufiaguy']The timestamp issue was reported a little while ago - we're just waiting for the IT people to fix it. :)

I just went and click the ad for you a couple times. Enjoy!

[SirFozzie]

*laughs* I am not completely heartless, I feel sorry for the Gamespy folks who come in, assure us that showing us these ads are important (as long as they aren't TOO frequent, a couple a day ain't so bad)..

And everyone starts talking about how FF can completely block them.. WHILE they're here.. :D

[GrantDawg]

*laughs* I am not completely heartless, I feel sorry for the Gamespy folks who come in, assure us that showing us these ads are important (as long as they aren't TOO frequent, a couple a day ain't so bad)..

And everyone starts talking about how FF can completely block them.. WHILE they're here.. :D
I honestly don't think it is that big a deal to them because FF is still such a small minority of users. If/when more users are using it, expect AD people to take time to try to figure out ways to combat it.

[SirFozzie]

FF is 10% and growing of the GENERAL population.. amongst those who are clued in (admittedly, not a great percentage on some of the OTHER planet sites ;)), that percentage is much much higher.

[[GSI]lufiaguy]

I just went and click the ad for you a couple times. Enjoy!You're too kind! :)

[Solecismic]

Three proposals...
1. Jim fronts the cost of a private server and we allow him to edit/ban the users that always seem to annoy him.
2. Move to a private server and get rid of the hattrick section.
3. Let the people who play wearwolf games front the cost of a new server.


I like this site the way it is - and that includes not being able to ban people who annoy me. Like this Lufia guy - I think he's out to get me.

Kidding aside, I just don't see the need of having my own special forum. Remember, I respond to rumors only to quell them. If my response seems overly strong, it's only because I've been burned in the past by not addressing specific rumors. It's not personal.

I appreciate that GameSpy hosts this for us. I'm sure they're aware of the balance between an ad presence that drives people away and not generating enough ad revenue due to a lack of ads. It's worked very well for all of us so far.

[sovereignstar]

The only problem I think there is with Solecismic not having an official forum is half-ass bug reporting. Too many times have I seen bugs reported in miscellaneous places, but they aren't reported to support (and hence, they don't get fixed).

I guess it's more conveniant for guys to post reports in a tech forum instead of e-mailing them. Either that or maybe not everyone knows where to send bug reports. I don't know.

[Solecismic]

The only problem I think there is with Solecismic not having an official forum is half-ass bug reporting. Too many times have I seen bugs reported in miscellaneous places, but they aren't reported to support (and hence, they don't get fixed).

I guess it's more conveniant for guys to post reports in a tech forum instead of e-mailing them. Either that or maybe not everyone knows where to send bug reports. I don't know.

That's true. This is too big a forum to monitor everything - especially right after a release. Originally, that was the sole "job" of the "liaison," but it just wasn't a practical approach.

Some people are very good about reporting problems through email, which I appreciate. I'm still getting about one report a week. Even if it's something very minor, I still hold on to every report - even ones from years past - and go through the entire queue during the development cycle.

I did have a forum on my site briefly after the TCY release. I just didn't have the web space, and had to constantly monitor it to eliminate any extraneous discussion because of that. Of course, that kinda defeated the purpose of having a forum - it wasn't much fun to visit.

[sovereignstar]

Which reminds me.. I've got a bug report to send. :)

[Maple Leafs]

FF is 10% and growing of the GENERAL population.. amongst those who are clued in (admittedly, not a great percentage on some of the OTHER planet sites), that percentage is much much higher.
Current Internet average fis 8.3% according to my numbers. I just made the switch myself on my home system. But the percentage of users who are also using all the ad-blocking features is much smaller.

Yes, that number is growing. And once that growth reaches a tipping point there will be new ad technoligies and techniques developed, and people will complain about how intrusive they are, and work on ways around them. And the cycle will continue, same as it has for years.

[GrantDawg]

Current Internet average fis 8.3% according to my numbers. I just made the switch myself on my home system. But the percentage of users who are also using all the ad-blocking features is much smaller.

Yes, that number is growing. And once that growth reaches a tipping point there will be new ad technoligies and techniques developed, and people will complain about how intrusive they are, and work on ways around them. And the cycle will continue, same as it has for years.

In other words, stop selling it so hard or your going to lose the benefits you enjoy by being the small minority.

[JeeberD]

That's true. This is too big a forum to monitor everything - especially right after a release. Originally, that was the sole "job" of the "liaison," but it just wasn't a practical approach.

Freakin' lazy-ass Primelord... :mad:

[Joe Canadian]

What ads?

[GrantDawg]

What ads?

They are down for now because of problems. They'll be back.

[Joe Canadian]

They are down for now because of problems. They'll be back.

Oh ok... hopefully Firefox can take care of them...

[Abe Sargent]

I quite appreciate GameSpy and I doubt that I'd even move to another board since it all seems sour grapes to me.

-Anxiety


Hey Folks,

I wanted to drop in and add some notes from us regarding ads, and the recent changes.

First, I'd like to say that we are working through some ad-related issues which are causing problems for your site, and we are turning off the interruptive ads temporarily while we sort them out.

Second, we'll be working with the admins here to ensure ads aren't unnecessarily disruptive and to look into other possibilities on how we work together.

Regarding ads, our requirements are the "stitial" (the annoying interruptive) ads which are served on a frequency basis and should not interrupt post activity, and one ad unit per page, which in this site's case will more than likely be leaderboard ads. I recognize that these can be difficult to stomach, but they are what allow us to offer no-fee hosting.

The no fee hosting essentially has no limits, either for space, database size or bandwidth. If/when you are comparing commercial services please keep in mind that we never, ever will shut down because the site passes bandwidth limits.

Thanks for your patience as we complete this changeover.

-chuck

Hosting Manager
IGN Entertainment, Inc.
(GameSpy, IGN and Brain Network Hosting)

[DanGarion]

As I posted in a previous post, this attitude is silly in my book.

As they stated, we use up 1.3+GB... we use a ton of bandwidth and it's FREE. Decide to go to a pay service, fine. But as long as it is free I don't think we have any right to complain about these ads.
1.3 Gig is nothing!

My host provides 60 gigs of space and 1.3 TERABYTES of traffic a month now. It's the same host that I use as well as SmartGuysSports.com.

At 15.95 a month prepaid for 2 years I think it would be a smart option to look into moving to them or a host that provides crazy bandwidth like that.

[stevew]

If we ever got a new home could we maybe have Avatars?

[MIJB#19]

Wow, I missed this thread the first time. Therefor, it's good to know that the annoying inters... the click-to-skip-ads are required. Even though I seem to get them every 20 clicks, if they are required, I can live with it. But to be honest, the banners at the top are better for advertising to me. I'm pretty aware of Civ IV being out there now, whilst I can't remember a single inters... click-to-skip-ad at all.

[Bonegavel]

1.3 Gig is nothing!

My host provides 60 gigs of space and 1.3 TERABYTES of traffic a month now. It's the same host that I use as well as SmartGuysSports.com.

At 15.95 a month prepaid for 2 years I think it would be a smart option to look into moving to them or a host that provides crazy bandwidth like that.
A lot of the inexpensive hosting deals are great for small sites, but they choke and die when hit with the kind of traffic this forum produces.

Not saying your host is like that, but realistically speaking, $16 is a pittance in comparison to the bandwidth it can provide. This means that they limit the pipe available for each site and we would most likely be very disappointed in the performance.

Again, not saying that your host is like that, but these virtual host sites are inexpensive for a reason.

[Simms]

1.3 Gig is nothing!

My host provides 60 gigs of space and 1.3 TERABYTES of traffic a month now. It's the same host that I use as well as SmartGuysSports.com.

At 15.95 a month prepaid for 2 years I think it would be a smart option to look into moving to them or a host that provides crazy bandwidth like that.
That's quite possibly the most insane case of overselling I've ever seen.

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=474952

Fwiw...if FOFC is -- now or ever -- seriously looking at moving somewhere, these are the types of outfits they should run as far away from as possible. All these hosts that throw huge numbers at you are, to be blunt, full of shit. This site needs semi-dedicated or dedicated hosting. If you want to take your chances with a place like Dreamhost or whatever, feel free, but don't say I didn't warn you. :)

[JeeberD]

If we ever got a new home could we maybe have Avatars?

Not likely

[Ben E Lou]

Fwiw...if FOFC is -- now or ever -- seriously looking at moving somewhere, these are the types of outfits they should run as far away from as possible. All these hosts that throw huge numbers at you are, to be blunt, full of shit. This site needs semi-dedicated or dedicated hosting. If you want to take your chances with a place like Dreamhost or whatever, feel free, but don't say I didn't warn you. :)Ryan has communicated virtually the same thing to me. There's zero chance that I'm going against both of your advice on this matter.

[DanGarion]

That's quite possibly the most insane case of overselling I've ever seen.

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=474952

Fwiw...if FOFC is -- now or ever -- seriously looking at moving somewhere, these are the types of outfits they should run as far away from as possible. All these hosts that throw huge numbers at you are, to be blunt, full of shit. This site needs semi-dedicated or dedicated hosting. If you want to take your chances with a place like Dreamhost or whatever, feel free, but don't say I didn't warn you. :)
Dreamhost provides service to a number of high traffic websites. In fact one of mine is a high traffic site. Although I do feel FOFC would probable need dedicated hosting, Dreamhost isn't a company that's full of shit. But it's all a matter of opinion. I've used many hosts throughout the years, from running servers myself to now being fully content with Dreamhost.

[Simms]

Dreamhost provides service to a number of high traffic websites. In fact one of mine is a high traffic site. Although I do feel FOFC would probable need dedicated hosting, Dreamhost isn't a company that's full of shit. But it's all a matter of opinion. I've used many hosts throughout the years, from running servers myself to now being fully content with Dreamhost.
They're *all* full of shit. :) It's nothing against Dreamhost....I could rave for hours about the host I'm currently using, but they're no different. My account gives me 12 GB of space and 60 GB bandwidth a month, but while I'm only using ~4 GB at the moment, I got "Disk Full" errors when trying to FTP last week. They had to move several accounts off my server to free up space. Like I said, they ALL do it...it's just a matter of how blatant their exaggeration is to their customers.

Bandwidth is the single most expensive commodity for hosting companies. DH may advertise 1.3 TB of bandwidth a month, but I'd bet a year's salary that if they actually had to *serve* that much bandwidth to more than a handful of individual customers, they would go bankrupt, assuming their NOC didn't blow up first. Of course, they're never in danger of having a customer hit that mark because they limit the amount of CPU time you're allowed to use.

Web hosts are like used car salesmen. You might be perfectly happy with the car you drive off the lot, but it doesn't mean you don't feel dirty while you're buying it.

[sterlingice]

If we ever got a new home could we maybe have Avatars?Ugh, no. I don't want this board to look ugly and tacky like every other board out there.

SI

[Bad-example]

Jebus, enough with the fucking "click-here-to-continue" ads. Someone turn the dial up to 11 or what?

[mckerney]

Jebus, enough with the fucking "click-here-to-continue" ads. Someone turn the dial up to 11 or what?

Since when have there been these? I have yet to see them.

[stevew]

Jebus, enough with the fucking "click-here-to-continue" ads. Someone turn the dial up to 11 or what?

Try to clear your cache/internet files some. I get about 1 or 2 a day max.

[Bad-example]

Worth a try I guess. Thanks.

[BYU 14]

Worth a try I guess. Thanks.


I only get a couple a day (if that) seems to help me.

[Bad-example]

I believe it helped. Thanks again.

[Young Drachma]

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865

[sterlingice]

Even with adblock, I still have to click through the page. I just don't see the ads.

SI

[lordscarlet]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed it. And, yes, if you have ad blocking you don't see the ad but you still get the click through message.

[JeeberD]

I never get those...maybe it's because I have NoScript as well?

[mckerney]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed it. And, yes, if you have ad blocking you don't see the ad but you still get the click through message.

I don't get a click through.

[lordscarlet]

It's random and doesn't happen every page load, so you may just not be getting hit. It also redirects you automatically after a period of time, I believe. So if you're like me and you open threads in a separate tab it may reload before you get to it.

[JeeberD]

I get them the rare times I'm here in IE, but NEVER in Firefox. Seriously. NEVER.

[DanGarion]

I think it depends on the skin you are using. I use Yellow and never get the click through ads.

[primelord]

Freakin' lazy-ass Primelord... :mad:

Hmm... you wanna step outside pal?

[kcchief19]

Hmm... you wanna step outside pal?
Now that's a delayed response ...

In other news, I have to say I hate the Classmates.com ad that when you accidentally hover over it it covers the top of the page and won't go away, blocking the navigation links.

[Lathum]

Do we need the meet singles now, no credit card needed ad?