Ad inducement to sign in sux
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I am in Safari, signed in, no pop up ads.
Tony's Dream
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All of these ads are slowing my system down. It interrupts my train of thought when searching for a thread. I too may call it quits. 
Not sure why we're seeing more ads?
It's obviously an administrator searching for additional funding.
The question is: Are the new adds needed for the day-to-day operating costs of the site, or is it for a sweet Christmas/all year-round financial bonus?
Obviously, it's none of the general membership's business why these adds are now appearing in greater frequency, but these new adds are annoying to say the least.
Rant over...
It's obviously an administrator searching for additional funding.
The question is: Are the new adds needed for the day-to-day operating costs of the site, or is it for a sweet Christmas/all year-round financial bonus?
Obviously, it's none of the general membership's business why these adds are now appearing in greater frequency, but these new adds are annoying to say the least.
Rant over...
Morgana
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Would it be useful if the people who are having the really bad experiences shared the device type (like, phone vs. laptop, Android, PC, whatever), browser, adblocker used if any, and any other relevant detail so we can see if we can ID a pattern?
Just a thought; ignore if not helpful.
This is not to undermine the idea that total newbies should also have a good first impression. I agree on that. But if people are talking about leaving the forum that seems more urgent.
Just a thought; ignore if not helpful.
This is not to undermine the idea that total newbies should also have a good first impression. I agree on that. But if people are talking about leaving the forum that seems more urgent.
PC for me...
Phone for me. I did the steps in post #19 and left the site, so far when I returned not as many adds. If this system had been in place when I first visited this site it would have been a short visit. I always liked this forum because it was easily accessible and used very little data which is important to many people here, can’t help but think advertisements are discouraging joining and staying. Just saying it would probably work better if the no advertisements option was automatic or made as prominent as possible with the adds. The pop up adds are still occurring just not as much I think and still in the middle of main text of conversations and at the bottom not just the header.
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Spaceman Spiff
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Macbook Pro
Safari
Disable Advertising checked in Preferences
One 1 inch banner across the top of the page with 4 ads.
No other advertising.
Safari
Disable Advertising checked in Preferences
One 1 inch banner across the top of the page with 4 ads.
No other advertising.
Happy Camper
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The current owners paid for the site. How much I have no idea. But they are probably trying to figure out the best way to get a decent return on investment.
Also, while this used to be the cheap RV living forum, it's now technically the van living forum. So the forum catered to one section of vehicle dwellers. Now maybe it's opened up more to higher end can dwellers as well. Data usage and whatnot doesn't really bother that crowd.
They do need to make some adjustments to ad placement. While I was writing this exact post an ad popped up where I was writing and I had to wait for it to go away. I am signed in obviously.
Edit: I just went to preferences and turned off ads. It seems to have helped a lot. On a side note though, if you're going to display that many ads to new visitors, you might want to be more strategic in placement. And also let them know that as can go away with Free sign in. Otherwise you'll end up running people off before they get a real feel for the forum.
Also, while this used to be the cheap RV living forum, it's now technically the van living forum. So the forum catered to one section of vehicle dwellers. Now maybe it's opened up more to higher end can dwellers as well. Data usage and whatnot doesn't really bother that crowd.
They do need to make some adjustments to ad placement. While I was writing this exact post an ad popped up where I was writing and I had to wait for it to go away. I am signed in obviously.
Edit: I just went to preferences and turned off ads. It seems to have helped a lot. On a side note though, if you're going to display that many ads to new visitors, you might want to be more strategic in placement. And also let them know that as can go away with Free sign in. Otherwise you'll end up running people off before they get a real feel for the forum.
user 22017
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Same here. No ads. But even before becoming a supporting member I rarely saw ads. Just the ones at the top of the page.
I'm on a PC. Ads are disabled under forum settings and Firefox is set to prevent pop-ups.
Morgana
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That's another good point. If people are seeing the ads in the middle of trying to write a post, it must be a pop-up, right? And those can be blocked (which is a separate step from blocking ads).
I'm guessing every browser has the turn-off-popups option somewhere in the preferences. I have an impression (which I can't prove) that Firefox is especially good for stuff like this.
But if people are (1) turning off ads in the forum preferences, (2) using a good ad-blocker, and (3) blocking pop-ups via their browser, and STILL seeing this stuff, that would be super creepy.
It seems weird that people are having such drastically different experiences with this.
It seems to me this can only be a Settings issue, one users can resolve on their devices and within their chosen browser.
Could also contact a Moderator if they need help.
Could also contact a Moderator if they need help.
Happy Camper
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I realize this is a complaint thread, but I would like to address a few things.
When you sign in, it helps the admins know how many of the registered users are active. That's important to a website like this for many reasons.
If you are logged in and know you have the option to turn ads off then do so. If not it's completely on you when you get an ad. If you have an issue with being logged in, that is also on you.
Paying money to buy the site and domain from Bob cost something. The forum is a service of sorts. That they are trying to monetize it a little should be expected.
I would like them to make it easier for people to know they they can turn off ads by registering for free and turning them off in settings. Making that known will add to their registered users, and keep them logged in. That promotes better web metrics and is beneficial to the site and everyone.
All that being said, a forum like this is a symbiotic relationship. The users need the forum for what it offers. And the forum needs the users to make it worth visiting. Finding the balance in that while trying to make a profit is probably not as easy as it seems to the casual observer.
When you sign in, it helps the admins know how many of the registered users are active. That's important to a website like this for many reasons.
If you are logged in and know you have the option to turn ads off then do so. If not it's completely on you when you get an ad. If you have an issue with being logged in, that is also on you.
Paying money to buy the site and domain from Bob cost something. The forum is a service of sorts. That they are trying to monetize it a little should be expected.
I would like them to make it easier for people to know they they can turn off ads by registering for free and turning them off in settings. Making that known will add to their registered users, and keep them logged in. That promotes better web metrics and is beneficial to the site and everyone.
All that being said, a forum like this is a symbiotic relationship. The users need the forum for what it offers. And the forum needs the users to make it worth visiting. Finding the balance in that while trying to make a profit is probably not as easy as it seems to the casual observer.
Me too. uBlock Origin, NoScript, AdBlocker Ultimate, Unpaywall & Facebook Container.
I don't mind ads so much, what I mind are the ones always flashing and moving. So distracting on my eyes.
Not everyone sees ads on the internet and Bob's videos (all of YouTube). Anyone who uses AdBlock doesn't see any ads.
RoamerRV428
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Bye.
Worked like a charm. Thank you for very good information on this site
I appreciate it!
Morgana
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Well I'm wondering if it really IS as simple as (1) set preferences here, (2) use an ad blocker, (3) set browser to block pop-ups = perfect freedom from ads.
MAYBE -- and I HOPE so! -- but these things are not always as simple as they seem. I know I've had lots of weird ad-blocker-related problems with other sites (a different story with different explanations, the point being that things are not always as simple as they seem).
And in any case you're not supposed to have to be a tech wizard to qualify to be on this forum. So maybe a little respect/support for friends and contributors having a very unpleasant experience in a space where they'd quite justifiably prefer to feel at home?
MAYBE -- and I HOPE so! -- but these things are not always as simple as they seem. I know I've had lots of weird ad-blocker-related problems with other sites (a different story with different explanations, the point being that things are not always as simple as they seem).
And in any case you're not supposed to have to be a tech wizard to qualify to be on this forum. So maybe a little respect/support for friends and contributors having a very unpleasant experience in a space where they'd quite justifiably prefer to feel at home?
RoamerRV428
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sometimes ya gotta hit a button and do what someone offers as advice and try or just say bye on the forum if too darn hard to wander the internet, could be for some, but it is what it is for each of us. Come or go. Learn and change or perish it all as one wants to the wayside. In the end, hey ya know....
I did what ahhh..me2 said and I got stellar results. so?
if one can't follow something simple when given to us and it IS THAT hard truly, then? we all gotta just vanish as we see fit or drag the nails to hang on and work thru it. In the end it is the choice of the person handling their personal issues on stuff. The individual makes their own final call on it.
^^^Absolutely! Unfortunately lots of people seem unwilling to stick around and on a site that depends on making it easy for possibly first time visitors on limited data plans to ask questions and be answered by unpaid resources that could be using their time and privately paid for internet to do other things for free. Seems unwise to commercialize the site to a point numbers of visitors and free resources begin to drastically go down due to the site becoming less user friendly. Just saying. Sad to see what many predicted would happen after it sold after being such a great free easy to use forum, especially after assurances by both seller and new owner it wouldn’t happen.
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