These ads fuckin' SUCK.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

:grr::grr:

What the hell is going on?

[Reverend_Smitty]

1. at least they are not in the middle of the threads anymore...

I can deal with the top and bottom ones but the ones that broke up the thread were really on my nerves!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

4. I missed those.

Lucky for the admins, or I might have blown a gasket.

I still probably will, actually. x( x(

:grr:

[Roon]

2. They apparently didn't raise enough money in the last fund drive

:eyes:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

3. So they sold out to Google?

:eyes:

:grr:

[Deja Q]

5. And not in a good way!

/nonpc

[Mutley]

6. They will calm down in a few days.

The admin said they are just testing to see what works best for now.

[Ava]

7. do you have any idea how much it costs to run a website?

especially one with as many hits as DU.

[GalleryGod]

10. No Kidding, Ava.

Now Skinner is being acused of selling out by someone who can't even drive yet!

JAFO:argh:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

12. There we go: the age card.

:eyes:

My young age and inability to drive have nothing to do with my thoughts on the internet, and on advertising here at a forum I participate in. Clearly there are older people as peeved as I am; do they somehow have the right to complain, and I do not?

:shrug:

[Ava]

15. hey, don't worry about the age card

sometimes it work in our favor and sometimes it works against it.

I'm 15 and I've been told i don't have a real opinion because I'm a "little girl" but by the time i finish debating 'em they have learned not to debate the "little girl."

:P


:pals:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

17. You're 15?!

I thought you were like my age. That is the weirdest thing. Was I supposed to know that or am I honestly out of the loop?!
Duckie

[Ava]

18. well my age was posted in the articles about me

http://progressive.org/mag_mc042406

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/06/04/con06163.html

other than that i don't usually say my age. :hi:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

19. Age means nothing.

My mom's 53 and she's so clueless she thinks the Crusades are a myth.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

11. Apparently no.

:eyes:

I still think the ads are devilishly annoying, and fairly odd--who do you know who will actually click on those damned things? I can't think of a soul.

I know we came up all short and everything last week with the fund drive, but seriously, admin--there was nothing else to do but sidle on up to Google?

:eyes:

[Ava]

16. google ads are the best out there besides Blogads

and DU already has blogads.

[flvegan]

8. If you hate them, then check out this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5199753&mesg_id=5199753

[steely]

9. Where are they - I don't see'em yet.

I usually load right into the forums.
Guess I'll go peek at the home page.

On Edit:

Bingo - no sooner posted than I see them in between the lead post and the thread!

[Redstone]

13. Feh. I find them easy to ignore. And I'm REAL sensitive about

obtrusive advertising.

Redstone

[sendero]

14. I really don't find them..

... that bothersome.

It costs a LOT of money to run a site like this. Ads are one way to get the revenue. Based on the published reports of expenses and what the admins are paid, (assuming basic accuracy which I have no reason not to assume) - this board is run pretty conservatively financially, with the paid people getting paid a minimal salary considering the skill set involved in running something like this.

Ok, that's a lot of words. Bottom line, DU has to get a certain amount of cash from somewhere. And the amount they seem to need seems fair. They could do pledge drives more often, add more grovelbots, or use ads, I'm sure if enough folks hate the ads they will drop them but they don't bother me.

[NMMNG]

20. They're so small they don't bug me

I've been on other sites where you have to go through a full-page ad to get to the homepage, and/or have popups nearly every time you click to a new page. These ads are nothing by comparison. If they generate the income needed to keep DU running and improving it's fine with me.

[Zookeeper]

21. I guess I'd rather see them off on a sidebar...

if I have to see them at all.

They do seem like an intrusion, and I find myself with a momentary panic that I might accidentally click one (after bad experiences with pop-ups, spam, adware and spyware).

I'm willing to give it time, though, if it means the admins can pay their rent.