Takes the piss tbh

yes, I have an addon that blocks adverts installed in firefox, but it is actually turned off just now, and yet you still slap a big red banner at the top just because I have it installed.

It is not actually blcoking anything at all just now, but apparently you dont like it that I have it installed.

and as for claiming you only get revenue from adds? looking at some of the reviews/previews you have had on this site, it sure looks like you have revenue from other sources ;P

I would be happy to pay you guys for an adfree version of this website, the forums offer enough entertainment to justify a 'subscription'.

Originally posted by Worstluck

Originally posted by Admin

Originally posted by Worstluck
I realize you guys make money from ads, however, I would not be clicking on said ads regardless so I block them for safety and just to make the page readable.  Now will I permanently have a big red bar accross the top of the page?

It does not matter if you click the ads.  We sell ads based on impressions, not clicks/results.  So even if you don't click the ads you hurt our entire site by running a blocker.  Running adblock on a site that supports itself with advertisements is no different than downloading pirated movies, music or video games.  You are in a sense stealing our content that we work hard to create and pay to an entire team to create.

 Well...I am not a pirate and I don't appreciate being called one by an admin.

It is an interesting reversal of cause and effect.

Same justifications used by every telemarketer alive.  Here in Chicago, a 'voluntary' blood donor organization is one of the most aggressive telemarketers in the city.  Because you gave them blood once (they insist) you agreed to allow them to harass you nightly for the rest of your natural life, checking if you're ready to donate again.  You volunteered for this (they insist).  And because it's a 'charitable organization', they're immune to do not call...

The FTC is finally putting the clamps down, after tens of thousands of consumer complaints.

Originally posted by Admin

Originally posted by RocSek

Originally posted by Admin

Originally posted by Worstluck
I realize you guys make money from ads, however, I would not be clicking on said ads regardless so I block them for safety and just to make the page readable.  Now will I permanently have a big red bar accross the top of the page?

It does not matter if you click the ads.  We sell ads based on impressions, not clicks/results.  So even if you don't click the ads you hurt our entire site by running a blocker.  Running adblock on a site that supports itself with advertisements is no different than downloading pirated movies, music or video games.  You are in a sense stealing our content that we work hard to create and pay to an entire team to create.

This is flat out wrong. If you want to "Stop people from stealing your content" then make all the infomation password protected, and charge people to access it. But to say we are stealing your content because we choose to block ads is ridiculous. And who ever typed this behind the anonymous "Admin" account should be fired.

The Admin account is not anonymous.  I am Craig McGregor the President/CEO of the company and the co-owner and founder of the site.  

The trend in AdBlock is concerning for me, not just on our site here, but on the Internet as a whole.  It is a growing problem and I feel it will eventually lead to the end of the "free Internet" that we all know and love.  If sites cannot stay afloat from advertising sales they have few options left: a) start charging for access to content b) start doing really unethical tihngs like Advertorial content c) syndicate into large networks with pay access like Cable TV "packages".  Personally I like the advertising model both as a site operator and as a user of hundreds of free websites.

The trend is due to many factors. For one, sites like this don't create the ads. They are paid by 3rd parties to place ads on their site created by 3rd parties. This has lead to many security issues on many many sites allowing Malware to spread like wildfire. Secondly they tend to be overly intrusive more often than not. Also even if we pay for content we are still forced to endure many of these ads unless we run ad blocker or something similar. Then to make matters even worse we constantly  get email spam on top of everything else with those very same ads because sites like to sale your information. 

I don't mind paying a fee to use this site ad free, but the ad blocker trend will not cease until there are some regulations put in place that protect the consumer from intrusive ads, malware infected ads, etc. 

Until you care about us, we don't care about your revenue from ads. 

Originally posted by AlBQuirky

 

---

Originally posted by GrayGhost79
I'm sorry, unblocking ads is simply not an option for me. To many issues can arise due to these flash ads. My computers safety is saddly a great deal more important to me. 

 

If it costs me this site, so be it :( 

---

And the other 1,835,365 members of this site will all go down in flames because of the "bad ads". Get a grip.

 

This is a terrible excuse for the "give it to me free" mindset. You can whitelist MMORPG in your ad blocking software, like Mike suggested. Still works to give all your other free sites advertisement free.

Truly, if your computer's safety was so prominent in your mind, you would not be on the internet at all. Who knows where the next virus will come from?

I have been on this site since 2006. NEVER in my time here have I received a virus from MMORPG. Will it happen? It could. It could also happen from ANY website one visits.

I am sorry for my tone in this, but I am sick of people expecting websites to operate for free when they know very well that cannot happen without ads. These ads specifically are banner ads. They do not pop-up, pop-under, or redirect you to a totally different site. They are not 30 second videos one has to sit through in order to get to the site. They are not intrusive ads that scroll with your screen.

Also, they are strictly MMO ads. There are no viagra, political, accounting software, or porn site ads on here. If one cannot "afford" to ignore the ads without blocking them, you shouldn't be here. After all, this is what it really boils down to.

If one is so concerned with "bad ads" messing up their computer, please visit only those sites where you pay a premium for it, with no ads allowed. Otherwise, I call bullshit. You like thinking you are "getting one over" with your ad blocking software.

Such an intelligent reply you got there. Yes, this site and many others have had issues with ads trying to distribute viruses and other malware. Thats a fact, sorry. If they need revenue of some kind charge a friggin monthly fee and I'll pay. It isn't about getting one over, to think otherwise is idiotic. It's about blocking these asinine ads that have and will cause issues of one kind or another. Whats funny is I whitelisted MMORPG.com and Boom my flash player crashed lol. Back to being blocked. 

I'll pay, but I'm not going to do so by viewing or allowing ads to show up on my computer. 

Actually may simply consider not using this site and going here instead since they already offer the pay for ad free plus a few extras...

The Best of 
Ten Ton Hammer

• No External Ads on the Site or in the Forums
• First Access to available Beta Keys
• Your Membership supports Ten Ton Hammer's "Gold Ad Free" Stance
• The Premium Edge (Your one entry equals 10 entries!) on all Ten Ton Hammer Monthly Contests and Giveaways

Originally posted by GrayGhost79

Originally posted by AlBQuirky

 

---

Originally posted by GrayGhost79
I'm sorry, unblocking ads is simply not an option for me. To many issues can arise due to these flash ads. My computers safety is saddly a great deal more important to me. 

 

If it costs me this site, so be it :( 

---

And the other 1,835,365 members of this site will all go down in flames because of the "bad ads". Get a grip.

 

This is a terrible excuse for the "give it to me free" mindset. You can whitelist MMORPG in your ad blocking software, like Mike suggested. Still works to give all your other free sites advertisement free.

Truly, if your computer's safety was so prominent in your mind, you would not be on the internet at all. Who knows where the next virus will come from?

I have been on this site since 2006. NEVER in my time here have I received a virus from MMORPG. Will it happen? It could. It could also happen from ANY website one visits.

I am sorry for my tone in this, but I am sick of people expecting websites to operate for free when they know very well that cannot happen without ads. These ads specifically are banner ads. They do not pop-up, pop-under, or redirect you to a totally different site. They are not 30 second videos one has to sit through in order to get to the site. They are not intrusive ads that scroll with your screen.

Also, they are strictly MMO ads. There are no viagra, political, accounting software, or porn site ads on here. If one cannot "afford" to ignore the ads without blocking them, you shouldn't be here. After all, this is what it really boils down to.

If one is so concerned with "bad ads" messing up their computer, please visit only those sites where you pay a premium for it, with no ads allowed. Otherwise, I call bullshit. You like thinking you are "getting one over" with your ad blocking software.

Such an intelligent reply you got there. Yes, this site and many others have had issues with ads trying to distribute viruses and other malware. Thats a fact, sorry. If they need revenue of some kind charge a friggin monthly fee and I'll pay. It isn't about getting one over, to think otherwise is idiotic. It's about blocking these asinine ads that have and will cause issues of one kind or another. Whats funny is I whitelisted MMORPG.com and Boom my flash player crashed lol. Back to being blocked. 

I'll pay, but I'm not going to do so by viewing or allowing ads to show up on my computer. 

I would donate. Would they make more via donations than they would via intrusive ads? I'm asking seriously.

Originally posted by NBlitz

Originally posted by GrayGhost79

Originally posted by AlBQuirky

 

---

Originally posted by GrayGhost79
I'm sorry, unblocking ads is simply not an option for me. To many issues can arise due to these flash ads. My computers safety is saddly a great deal more important to me. 

 

If it costs me this site, so be it :( 

---

And the other 1,835,365 members of this site will all go down in flames because of the "bad ads". Get a grip.

 

This is a terrible excuse for the "give it to me free" mindset. You can whitelist MMORPG in your ad blocking software, like Mike suggested. Still works to give all your other free sites advertisement free.

Truly, if your computer's safety was so prominent in your mind, you would not be on the internet at all. Who knows where the next virus will come from?

I have been on this site since 2006. NEVER in my time here have I received a virus from MMORPG. Will it happen? It could. It could also happen from ANY website one visits.

I am sorry for my tone in this, but I am sick of people expecting websites to operate for free when they know very well that cannot happen without ads. These ads specifically are banner ads. They do not pop-up, pop-under, or redirect you to a totally different site. They are not 30 second videos one has to sit through in order to get to the site. They are not intrusive ads that scroll with your screen.

Also, they are strictly MMO ads. There are no viagra, political, accounting software, or porn site ads on here. If one cannot "afford" to ignore the ads without blocking them, you shouldn't be here. After all, this is what it really boils down to.

If one is so concerned with "bad ads" messing up their computer, please visit only those sites where you pay a premium for it, with no ads allowed. Otherwise, I call bullshit. You like thinking you are "getting one over" with your ad blocking software.

Such an intelligent reply you got there. Yes, this site and many others have had issues with ads trying to distribute viruses and other malware. Thats a fact, sorry. If they need revenue of some kind charge a friggin monthly fee and I'll pay. It isn't about getting one over, to think otherwise is idiotic. It's about blocking these asinine ads that have and will cause issues of one kind or another. Whats funny is I whitelisted MMORPG.com and Boom my flash player crashed lol. Back to being blocked. 

I'll pay, but I'm not going to do so by viewing or allowing ads to show up on my computer. 

I would donate. Would they make more via donations than they would via intrusive ads? I'm asking seriously.

Ask Ten Ton Hammer, they seem to do fine with charging vs. ad revenue. 

I whitelisted you guys, but there was a reason I blocked in the first place.  You say they're not intrusive, but already I'm kinda regretting the decision.  First off, I really wish they would pass some law of limiting the amount of data being used for ads on websites.  Call it something like "The 50k Act" where no single page could have more than 50kb worth of ads on it.  Easily done.

Now what irritates me the most about specifically MMORPG.com's ads is the Flash ads.  Flash's time is over.  It's slowly, but surely becoming extinct.  And for good reason.  I don't want to see a single flash ad on this site.  If I continue to see them, I'll blacklist you again.  If you block us from visiting due to adblockers, I'll say bye bye.  I don't care, hell I'll make my own damn site with ads so subtle, the people will flock in for that very reason.

P.S. The whole "We're no better than pirates downloading movies" bit that the Admin said, is not going to work to your favor.  That right there pissed me off almost enough to make me want to drop you guys right there.

Is there a way you could bypass Ad-blocking addons and still show the ads?

Like as an image disguised as ad, for example blended with the background.

Perhaps a software that could generate a background image with an embedded ad as the user retrieves the information on the server.

I am no programmer nor designer, but imagine that you have a background image for this site, and an area at the top and/or sides have black squares where you would normally place ads.

So this software would generate a new background image and pick from a pool of pre ordered and pre designed images to fill in those black spots.

Then, when the user asks the server for the information of the site, to load, then it would be presented with that dynamic and temporary background until say the next 5 loads, which would then generate another background with the preset imbued graphics, and so on...

Sorry if I didnt explain well, but hopefully you get the idea. :)

Originally posted by Seelinnikoi

Is there a way you could bypass Ad-blocking addons and still show the ads?

Like as an image disguised as ad, for example blended with the background.

Perhaps a software that could generate a background image with an embedded ad as the user retrieves the information on the server.

 

I am no programmer nor designer, but imagine that you have a background image for this site, and an area at the top and/or sides have black squares where you would normally place ads.

So this software would generate a new background image and pick from a pool of pre ordered and pre designed images to fill in those black spots.

Then, when the user asks the server for the information of the site, to load, then it would be presented with that dynamic and temporary background until say the next 5 loads, which would then generate another background with the preset imbued graphics, and so on...

Sorry if I didnt explain well, but hopefully you get the idea. :)

Nope.

A simple way to look at how the ads work in the case of MMORPG.com is like this. The ads have a program attached to them that monitors the traffic to the site, and where the users go on the site (to varying degrees, don't be alarmed) It automatically "pays" when the ad is viewed. Then it pays more if the ad is clicked, and typically it pays a bit more on top of that if the ad generates a purchase. Or at the very least MMORPG.com is compensated if the ad draws a user to a different portion of the internet.

ABP blocks that program. So ad services can't see where the user goes and therefore doesn't generate information for MMORPG.com to sell to them for cash. (Not saying you didn't understand that already Seel, but figured those looking at this discussion and didn't know could benefit from the info.)

Selling static .jpg or animated .gif ads without that technology was a Web 1.0 solution. More akin to selling billboard space. There are very few places on the internet where that's considered profitable any more.

Originally posted by GeezerGamer

---

 

 But I'm pretty sure Tardcore was more or less responding to the part about us being called pirates by the site admins. Sorry, but I'm also taking offense to that one myself.

Oh please.

Are some of you guys really that delicate? You mean to say that if we were all out at a con, having a beer, and conversing about things that we would have to watch every little thing we said because feelings would be hurt?

I highly doubt that.

or go ahead, call me a pirate. or whatever you'd like. Wouldn't bother me at all. Why? Because I'm not one so it wouldn't really be an issue. And if I was one? Then fine, I'm all for accepting who I am, positive and negative.

Getting back to the actual topic, how many sites sell your info without telling you? How many sites would open a thread telling you why they are doing what they are doing and invite discussion? I think it's fine that people want to block ads for a variety of reasons but this site has said (on numerous ocassions) that they get their money from ad revenue and that blockers threaten that revenue.

As my girfriend says, no one wants to pay anything for "anything" but we have to be fair. We have videogames because developers want to make a living at doing what they love. We have music because musicians would like to make a living at doing what they love.

We have video game websites because there are people who want to have a place where gamers and non-gamers a like can come and talk and see news and see interviews and those same people would like to make a living doing it so they can pour their all into it.

So you can either have sites where the owners/employees are at least up front and honest and "regular people" inviting discussion or you can have sites that are run by sleazy scum bags who wouldn't care if they sold every bit of info they could get from you and they would be laughing al the way to the bank.

Originally posted by 3-4thElf

Originally posted by Seelinnikoi

Is there a way you could bypass Ad-blocking addons and still show the ads?

Like as an image disguised as ad, for example blended with the background.

Perhaps a software that could generate a background image with an embedded ad as the user retrieves the information on the server.

 

I am no programmer nor designer, but imagine that you have a background image for this site, and an area at the top and/or sides have black squares where you would normally place ads.

So this software would generate a new background image and pick from a pool of pre ordered and pre designed images to fill in those black spots.

Then, when the user asks the server for the information of the site, to load, then it would be presented with that dynamic and temporary background until say the next 5 loads, which would then generate another background with the preset imbued graphics, and so on...

Sorry if I didnt explain well, but hopefully you get the idea. :)

Nope.

A simple way to look at how the ads work in the case of MMORPG.com is like this. The ads have a program attached to them that monitors the traffic to the site, and where the users go on the site (to varying degrees, don't be alarmed) It automatically "pays" when the ad is viewed. Then it pays more if the ad is clicked, and typically it pays a bit more on top of that if the ad generates a purchase. Or at the very least MMORPG.com is compensated if the ad draws a user to a different portion of the internet.

ABP blocks that program. So ad services can't see where the user goes and therefore doesn't generate information for MMORPG.com to sell to them for cash. (Not saying you didn't understand that already Seel, but figured those looking at this discussion and didn't know could benefit from the info.)

Selling static .jpg or animated .gif ads without that technology was a Web 1.0 solution. More akin to selling billboard space. There are very few places on the internet where that's considered profitable any more.

Ah, thanks for the info. :)

I guess the ad blocking problem is more complicated than I thought.

I do have that Ad block plus addon, but its mainly for non gaming websites, as gaming websites such as these tend to show me some interesting games that I would otherwise not know.

Originally posted by Sovrath

Originally posted by GeezerGamer

---

 

 But I'm pretty sure Tardcore was more or less responding to the part about us being called pirates by the site admins. Sorry, but I'm also taking offense to that one myself.

Oh please.

Are some of you guys really that delicate? You mean to say that if we were all out at a con, having a beer, and conversing about things that we would have to watch every little thing we said because feelings would be hurt?

I highly doubt that.

or go ahead, call me a pirate. or whatever you'd like. Wouldn't bother me at all. Why? Because I'm not one so it wouldn't really be an issue. And if I was one? Then fine, I'm all for accepting who I am, positive and negative.

Getting back to the actual topic, how many sites sell your info without telling you? How many sites would open a thread telling you why they are doing what they are doing and invite discussion? I think it's fine that people want to block ads for a variety of reasons but this site has said (on numerous ocassions) that they get their money from ad revenue and that blockers threaten that revenue.

As my girfriend says, no one wants to pay anything for "anything" but we have to be fair. We have videogames because developers want to make a living at doing what they love. We have music because musicians would like to make a living at doing what they love.

We have video game websites because there are people who want to have a place where gamers and non-gamers a like can come and talk and see news and see interviews and those same people would like to make a living doing it so they can pour their all into it.

So you can either have sites where the owners/employees are at least up front and honest and "regular people" inviting discussion or you can have sites that are run by sleazy scum bags who wouldn't care if they sold every bit of info they could get from you and they would be laughing al the way to the bank.

 

 

Actually if you read the responses people seem willing to pay, what they aren't willing to do is unblock the ads. There needs to be an option to pay and get ad free service otherwise we are simply going to block the ads on our own. 

Originally posted by GrayGhost79

 

Actually if you read the responses people seem willing to pay, what they aren't willing to do is unblock the ads. There needs to be an option to pay and get ad free service otherwise we are simply going to block the ads on our own. 

Yes, I saw that from a few people and I would agree, that's a fine way to do it.

I'll happily pay in the vicinity of £10 a year to be ad-free, but I won't unblock ads on account of having been infected by them in the past. I'm sure you get a lot less than £10 from any impressions that I make if I unblocked anyway.

Something like a 'supporter' forum tag would be an extra incentive.

Originally posted by darwa

I'll happily pay in the vicinity of £10 a year to be ad-free, but I won't unblock ads on account of having been infected by them in the past. I'm sure you get a lot less than £10 from any impressions that I make if I unblocked anyway.

Something like a 'supporter' forum tag would be an extra incentive.

Exactly, I mean they are setup to even encourage visitors to pay. 

Supporter forum tag is always welcomed

Priority for Beta keys

Extra "Tickets" for contests

Ad Free

I'd pay for that, I'm pretty sure many would. 

I started blocked ads the moment you allowed very risky "almost" soft-core porn like ads to run. You know the ones i'm talking about :).

I may consider unblocking again next week or something, but if I ever see another one of those unacceptable ads I'll perminantly block ads for this site without exception.

I whitelisted you guys, the ads you have are pretty un-intrusive from what I've seen. The people I've read that won't do it, because they fear for thier computers safety is bull-pocky....

You should ban them....

I wouldn't pay, and no amount of other users stating they'd pay will change my mind.

The ads arent' so annoying to make paying worth it. And if they were, I'd abandon the site.