Ok there's the top ad banners, there's the background ad, there's the side ad banner, there's the just off center add boxes. That was more then enough to be distracting and annoying.

But now we have a brought to you by ad sticker over the pictures on the latest features section? That's beyond overkill and really takes away from the images. How much ad space really has to be sold here?

MORE ADDS, ... I want more adds now, ... c'mon more adds,

WTF WAS THAT? -50dkp

Oh I think my thread got moved here, I don't come here, the elephants graveyard of threads. :)

They moved my thread within about 5 minutes, so someone must be on 'advert watch' since they added ads to the features pictures, anyway I agree, rather too many.

I like the ads they are all tied to my interests. Maybe I'll see an ad for an MMO or game I want to play one day. MORE ADS MMORPG MORE ADS. seriously. I want more ads akin to my interests,

I just happened to be doing a late check and saw you in the "latest posts" thing on the front page... So I tossed it in the right forum.

That said, while I have nothing to do with advertising (seeing them there is as big of a surprise to editorial as it is to readers, and we like it that way!), it's a pretty simple equation: No ads, no site. 

Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

Ok there's the top ad banners, there's the background ad, there's the side ad banner, there's the just off center add boxes. That was more then enough to be distracting and annoying.

 

But now we have a brought to you by ad sticker over the pictures on the latest features section? That's beyond overkill and really takes away from the images. How much ad space really has to be sold here?

You forgot the reviews...

Its getting to the point where browsing here makes me nervous. A wandering mouse and I've stumbled through an ad site and found myself on the receiving end of a shotgun blast of malware, spyware, viruses ... the whole works. And it really calls into question the purpose of the site ... Are we no longer a place of discussion and instead become the brainwashed masses sitting in front of a giant screen waiting for that hot blonde to run by with her giant sledge hammer ... all the while moaning "FotM MMO is the greatest .... FotM MMO is the greatest ..."

Originally posted by Dana

I just happened to be doing a late check and saw you in the "latest posts" thing on the front page... So I tossed it in the right forum.

That said, while I have nothing to do with advertising (seeing them there is as big of a surprise to editorial as it is to readers, and we like it that way!), it's a pretty simple equation: No ads, no site. 

Thank you. It seems that people seem to forget that this site do cost and needs money to keep being up.

Personally i don't mind ads, heck.. I've managed to snatch trials/see games i haven't tried yet. The amount of ads are enough though, and they are getting way to.. flashy so to speak.. But i'm all good as long they don't lag my firefox beyond recognition.

 The new ad tacked onto the features is hilarious, whoever put that one together must have no imagination at all. Otherwise they would of seen that those 2 images together make one very odd looking person.

Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

But now we have a brought to you by ad sticker over the pictures on the latest features section? That's beyond overkill and really takes away from the images. How much ad space really has to be sold here?

Yeah, that's pretty tacky. Worse than the synchronized banner ads that randomly pop up. Glad I don't have epilepsy!

Wouldn't the "brought to you by" be better if it was "smaller" than the feature it was bringing?

As it is, I don't usually see a lot of ads here, because I don't want to white-list some outside the domain ad server. There are a few that originate from mmorpg.com that I see, because I white-listed this site. I wouldn't mind seeing more because I like and want to support the site.

Is Dragon Age an MMO even?

I remember when the picture viewer on this site used to pop up an ad every 5 pictures. Total over-kill since there was a banner  ad in the frame with the picture and around the frame you could still see the ads on the page behind.

Originally posted by maimeekrai

Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

But now we have a brought to you by ad sticker over the pictures on the latest features section? That's beyond overkill and really takes away from the images. How much ad space really has to be sold here?

 

Yeah, that's pretty tacky. Worse than the synchronized banner ads that randomly pop up. Glad I don't have epilepsy!

Wouldn't the "brought to you by" be better if it was "smaller" than the feature it was bringing?

As it is, I don't usually see a lot of ads here, because I don't want to white-list some outside the domain ad server. There are a few that originate from mmorpg.com that I see, because I white-listed this site. I wouldn't mind seeing more because I like and want to support the site.

Is Dragon Age an MMO even?

I remember when the picture viewer on this site used to pop up an ad every 5 pictures. Total over-kill since there was a banner  ad in the frame with the picture and around the frame you could still see the ads on the page behind.

 

Thank you for the feedback on the ads everyone - especially the new feature sponsorship thing-a-ma-jig.  It is new and I was hoping to get some feedback on it before we decided to commit to much more of it (we have some more slated for like 4 days in December but that is it for now).  To be honest I was not 100% behind it but it seemed like a new idea and I figured we could try it.  With all the ad blocking going on these days advertisers and publishers are trying to figure out how to keep sites like this free to the users and doing sponsorship like this is ad-blocker resistant of course.

One thing you will note about ads at MMORPG.com is that we only accept gaming related ads (not just MMOs) - however you should find it refreshing that you won't see ads for dating sites, cell phones, "shoot the bunny", refinance your mortgage, check your credit score and other annoying ads found on our competitors websites.

I know that most people don't like the ads but without revenue I don't think we can convince the team of 8 full-time people that make this site possible to keep working 40+ hours per week without paychecks

 Honestly this is one site I appreiate ads on. There has been countless times i've been so bored and not know what mmo to try next, and simply clicking on an ad would easily subside my boredom. The supplied ads are usually all games worth checking out.

 I do feel these ads should only contain mmo's since this is mmorpg.com an' all, but i'm guessing the non-mmo console games would offer more opportunities and not to mention a lot more money to help support this site.

Originally posted by just2duh

 Honestly this is one site I appreiate ads on. There has been countless times i've been so bored and not know what mmo to try next, and simply clicking on an ad would easily subside my boredom. The supplied ads are usually all games worth checking out.

 I do feel these ads should only contain mmo's since this is mmorpg.com an' all, but i'm guessing the non-mmo console games would offer more opportunities and not to mention a lot more money to help support this site.

98% of our ads are for MMOs actually.  Because that is our pure demographic we generally attract MMO advertisers...which works out well.  I find that most gamers (like myself) play more than MMOs (actually buried in Dragon Age at the moment - lol)

Funny you say that because I used to buy gaming magazines way back in the day and thumb through them just to see all the full page glossy ads, it was how I kept up on what was coming out next (pre-internet of course).

Thanks again for the feedback!

Originally posted by just2duh

 Honestly this is one site I appreiate ads on. There has been countless times i've been so bored and not know what mmo to try next, and simply clicking on an ad would easily subside my boredom. The supplied ads are usually all games worth checking out.

^ This.

I've no problem with them at all. I've clicked on a lot of the adds here and actually signed up and played on quite a few.

It's advertising and it works.

MMORPG maybe you should create ad removal accounts and charge over the odds for it ;)

Originally posted by Wintersbite

Originally posted by just2duh

 Honestly this is one site I appreiate ads on. There has been countless times i've been so bored and not know what mmo to try next, and simply clicking on an ad would easily subside my boredom. The supplied ads are usually all games worth checking out.

 

^ This.

I've no problem with them at all. I've clicked on a lot of the adds here and actually signed up and played on quite a few.

 

It's advertising and it works.

 

MMORPG maybe you should create ad removal accounts and charge over the odds for it ;)

We have considered this in the past but honestly I really prefer to stay away from taking money from site users.  It creates obligations we don't want to take on and customer service issues, etc.  At least now if the site crashes and is offline for 2 days we no one paid for what they are missing out on ;-)

Must admit I'm a bit surprised to see responses from two different mmorpg people.

To both I have to say this: I was not suggesting getting rid of all your ads and not make money, I get it it's a business. I was trying to say the the ads were at their maximum of not actually causing users to avoid the site, but this new ad directly on top of the feature picture was just too much. I'm glad you guys haven't decided to do that all the time.

Yes a lot of people use ad blockers (I myself do not yet but as sites continue to pack more and more ad space on to the small amount of stuff I'm trying to read I'm definetly considering the idea.) but those same people clearly are not going to click on any ads or read ads. So sticking one over the features isn't going to get them to suddenly appreciate it.

But thank you for giving the post a read, I mostly expected it to just disappear in the mass of posts.

Originally posted by Admin

Originally posted by Wintersbite

Originally posted by just2duh

 Honestly this is one site I appreiate ads on. There has been countless times i've been so bored and not know what mmo to try next, and simply clicking on an ad would easily subside my boredom. The supplied ads are usually all games worth checking out.

 

^ This.

I've no problem with them at all. I've clicked on a lot of the adds here and actually signed up and played on quite a few.

 

It's advertising and it works.

 

MMORPG maybe you should create ad removal accounts and charge over the odds for it ;)

 

We have considered this in the past but honestly I really prefer to stay away from taking money from site users.  It creates obligations we don't want to take on and customer service issues, etc.  At least now if the site crashes and is offline for 2 days we no one paid for what they are missing out on ;-)

Good, never do this. There is a reason I don't use sites like IGN and that other one where you can download games from (forget what its called). I come here because it is a friendly, helpful environment. I like the ads on this site, as someone else said it almost ALWAYS has something to do with the games I'm into.

Whatever you do, don't start advertising crap like dating services and stuff like that, that'll be the day I stop coming here. When its an MMO ad, it looks like its just part of the website, but  any other kind of add detracts from that and makes it feel like the website is cut up in sections. The way it is now "flows".

Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

But now we have a brought to you by ad sticker over the pictures on the latest features section? That's beyond overkill and really takes away from the images.

Yeah, my immediate reaction to that ad sticker was a very negative one--enough to quickly scan the current forum activity section to see if there was an active thread regarding that ad sticker... and lo' and behold there was. 

Please make that sticker ad go away. All the other ads on this site are fairly non-invasive--but that sticker ad really is absurd.

I don't mind the featured news ads at all. I was actually thinking to myself that it was good marketing, though seeing the Dragon Age stuff with the Star Trek stuff behind it was quite strange at first glance.

Whoever said it before was so correct- it does look like a crazy looking person. I was laughing my head off.

The only problem I have with the ads is all the flashing and text going nuts- I can't come to this site when I am trying to avoid doing work at the office.

As a long time newpaper reader I'm used to ignoring ads when I want to. I don't mind the ads in themselves. What I dislike about them is all the flashing color changing irritating big bang aspect of them. If it weren't for that I wouldn't try to block them. That part is starting to remind me of the occasional Asian website I stumble over. It's not as bad as those but it reminds me of them.

Movement, fade-in fade-out, the occasional explosion are fine but the ones that throb and flash are excessive and cause me to scroll down, change pages, or refresh in order to avoid them  They do what they advertise no good because I actively avoid them and refuse to click on them.