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BDFL - Memuneh
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#364470 6-Aug-2010 21:41

maknz: Yet still plaster the header with 'LOL DISABLE ADBLOCK ANNOYNG MESSAGE HERE ^_^'

The site is mine and I can put whatever message I see fit there (or even in the links if you haven't noticed any changes yet). The message is not even running anymore. You are being childish now.

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nzbullet

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#364472 6-Aug-2010 21:44

I have to chime in here...... I hate ad blockers. Why? because I know what it is like to try and run a website (for other people's benefit) with no other form of income. Until you run a site where you're only source of income is ads then you have no idea what damage an ad blocker can do.

If it weren't for the ads on this site many of our readers at iPhonewzealand wouldn't know about us. When we first set up the site we had ads running on here and we had a very high click through rate and it greatly improved our readership.

On iPhonewzealand our *only* income is from ads on the site. If the ads didn't exist neither would the site.

It's amazing the amount of people who always want and expect something for nothing. Like Mauricio previously said, this is his source of income and the ads, whether you click them or not, provide an income. Is it really that much of a hardship to have an ad on your screen for the amount of information and the invaluable help that people get from this site.

The whole "distraction" argument is BS too. I'm sorry but the ads aren't *that* bad.

People have no issues paying for a newspaper that is covered in adverts, but they are not happy to view a news site with ads for free. It's not like it costs you when the ad is on the page, but it does pay for the site. This whole "if it's on the internet it should be free" thing is beginning to annoy me. I like trials..... let me trial something for a set period or with limited features for free and if I like it and want the full blown experience then I'll pay. But I must expect some kind of downside to the free/trial version. A great example of this is the free apps on the Apple app store. Most of them have ads, but if you get the paid version you don't.

Seriously, come on people surely we're better than this. Show some respect for the people that provide this service to you for free and if you must use an ad blocker, whitelist Geekzone (and if you don't know how then find out, maybe you could search this free resource to find a way).

Let the hate begin......

Cheers
nzbullet
Note: My thoughts and comments are my own and not of anyone else including my employer

richms

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#364480 6-Aug-2010 22:00

freitasm:

We already thought of charging $10 per person - not for profit, but to secure the registration. All the income would be put towards a bar tab. If you register but don't show up, too bad, we drink it ;-)

So what I am saying is that we already had plans to charge, not as a revenue generator, but as a booking fee. We are tired of booking for 65 and having only 50 showing up - we still pay food as if we had 65 people present.

I like that idea. And name and shame the no-shows too.

Richard rich.ms

chakkaradeep

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#364482 6-Aug-2010 22:08

freitasm:

Chaks, I think you are too comfortable getting your salary every month, and forget I work full time on Geekzone.

1.People like you wouldn't turn ads on anyway

No need to get personal here. I work hard to get that 'comfortable salary'. Forget that I even made a suggestion.

Regards,
Chaks

Desktop : Intel Quad Core Q9400 2.66GHz - 8GB RAM - 500 GB + 500 GB HDD - NVidia GeForce 9800GT - LG246WH Flatron Display - Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise with Hyper-V
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Laptop: HP dv7-3004TX Entertainment Notebook PC | HP Touchsmart tx2 1119au - Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Mac: iMac 21.5" Snow Leopard
Mobile : iPhone 3GS

nzbullet

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#364487 6-Aug-2010 22:31

freitasm:
There's no war on adblockers. If there was a war we would lock them out. We don't do this.

I am not saying you should or would and like you said you're not starting a war, but I wonder what would would happen if an 'ad-blocker blocker' was deployed on the site, blocking those people that choose to block the ads??

I get a feeling they would soon begin to complain that they couldn't access the site and how unfair it was and how unfair/ridiculous you were being, after all it's only an ad blocker does it make that much difference.

Well I don't know, does it make that much difference to you if you can't access the site? Clearly it does if you are complaining about it. So switch off your ad blocker or whitelist GZ and you can come and visit.

As Mauricio said he is not doing this and is not going to but just something to think about, cause you know you would complain if you couldn't access the site.

Also GZ is by far the best (and probably only) resource like this for tech info in New Zealand. So just saying "oh that's ok I'll go elsewhere" ain't gonna work, there is no elsewhere that you'll find this kind of info.

Cheers
nzbullet
Note: My thoughts and comments are my own and not of anyone else including my employer

SpaceMac

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#364490 6-Aug-2010 22:40

As a long time lurker of this site (which has now come to and end) I don't have a problem with the ads, the value of the information contained here outweighs the small price to pay for a few colourful ads on the side. I certainly employ the ad blocker on large sites such as Trade Me (and any other fairfax site) who make enough money off the users as it is, but we have to look after the little people any way we can.

kingjj

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#364499 6-Aug-2010 23:26

After reading this thread over the last few days I've decided to subscribe. I spend a lot of time on this site each day so its time I helped out. The ads don't worry me at all, I've got used to ignoring them. However the site does load oh so much faster with them turned off in the CP :-) Cheers Mauricio

michaelmurfy

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#364530 7-Aug-2010 01:01

kingjj: After reading this thread over the last few days I've decided to subscribe. I spend a lot of time on this site each day so its time I helped out. The ads don't worry me at all, I've got used to ignoring them. However the site does load oh so much faster with them turned off in the CP :-) Cheers Mauricio

Yeah I was the same, I hate advertisements and have to admit I do use Adblock, but in saying that I always have 70+ tabs open so can't really afford memory-eating flash ad's running at all times.

I too have subscribed, I use this forum, I don't like advertisements, and I appreciate what Mauricio is doing. If you don't like ad's don't you think it's worth subscribing? Afterall, I can't wait for the next pizza evening and meeting the other folks on the forums, I know that cost's money but Mauricio doesn't ask much for it, that's pretty incredible and shows what kind of a person he really is. I don't go into a shop I have never bought from and demand free service, so why should you guys? Geekzone is a Community, if you don't like it then move on. But I am here to stay.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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plod

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#364561 7-Aug-2010 08:44

Its quite amusing seeing posts from people that use adblock, then turn around and have their own ads in their sig

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
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#364563 7-Aug-2010 08:53

plod: Its quite amusing seeing posts from people that use adblock, then turn around and have their own ads in their sig

This reminds me, someone asked a new subscriber feature to hide signatures as well - will do this weekend.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
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#364566 7-Aug-2010 09:14

It just took a few minutes... All subscribers can now hide signatures in our forum pages, hiding any stuff people put in there - even faster now...

toprob

126 posts

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#364571 7-Aug-2010 09:32

nzbullet:
The whole "distraction" argument is BS too. I'm sorry but the ads aren't *that* bad.

For me, this is the only issue. Maybe it's a generational thing -- I'm 50+ -- but it did genuinely surprise me when I whitelisted GZ and saw all the continually moving ads. Sure, I read newspapers filled with ads, but they don't move at all. Yet. There are plenty of moving ads on TV, but they are not onscreen during the actual content.

I don't think that this is a fault with GZ, but we all know that advertising will try to get away with anything, and if consumers didn't speak up, they wouldn't know where to stop.

I must admit I always mute the ads on TV. There are a lot of ads which I'm aware of, but never ever heard. Sometimes I'm intrigued enough to turn up the sound for an ad, but I don't do this often...

Again, it is a personal thing -- there's an ad which starts with a line of text on the screen "I love hockey" or something, you know the one. When that line of text appears, I unconsciously reach for the mute button. With no sound, I like this ad, it's actually quite effective considering. With sound, it drives me balmy.

My preference on the web, if I needed to view animated ads, is that they play once then stop, with a button to replay if necessary.

While I've been typing this, I've been continually distracted -- and annoyed -- by the moving smiley in the 'icon' window, the rolling one:)

If I wasn't on such a limited income, I may subscribe, but I need to be very careful what I do with my money. I subscribe to Xbox Live, and pay about the same per year as a GZ subscription, and even though I get a lot in return, I still have to consider this carefully each time renewal rolls around.

And yes, I do include what really amounts to an advertisement in my signature. I'm not against advertising on the web, that's for sure, but my signature will never move, flicker, slide or roll across the screen.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
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#364576 7-Aug-2010 09:37

I understand there's something about moving ads - but there are limits. For example, years ago I was approached by an ad agency wanting to run video ads on Geekzone - like those ones on Stuff and NZ Herald, that slide from the sides and start playing in loud volume without ANY involvement from the user.

I was offered about 10x the CPM rate of a normal banner ad. It's easy to understand why Stuff runs that kind of annoying ad. But I knew that was too much - if I don't like it it won't run on Geekzone.

Now for banners. We do filter a lot of ads. We had problems before we badly coded flash ads causing high CPU usage and we pulled those. We run ads overseas but we rather have an empty space than running those crappy emoticons and smiley ads because they almost likely lead to a malware download.

However the current ads (Vodafone and Sky for example) are not that bad. And the reality is that if we don't run those, then nothing will be available.

oldmaknz

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#364601 7-Aug-2010 11:25

plod: Its quite amusing seeing posts from people that use adblock, then turn around and have their own ads in their sig

Me and 90% of the forum.

boby55

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#364610 7-Aug-2010 11:53

maknz:
plod: Its quite amusing seeing posts from people that use adblock, then turn around and have their own ads in their sig

Me and 90% of the forum.

I would also say have to agree.

I am loving the hide signatures feature :D

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