robbalvey Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 We are working with a new ad company. Things are still a bit all over the place so give us a day or two to get things tweaked and working better! Thanks for your patience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Thanks for letting us know, Robb...I noticed it immediately at the bottom of my browser and wondered if I had clicked on something that I shouldn't have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 Everything is almost in place now. I do apologize that we have more ads than before, but the reality of the situation is that as online websites and forums are becoming less and less visited in favor of social media (which there are plenty of ads there, too) we have had to work with different ad companies that can help us bring in more money. The alternative is to not have the forum anymore and I'm sure that's not really what anyone here wants. There is still a bit more tweaking to do with ad banner sizes and some consistency, and while we do have more ad placements, don't worry... I'm not planning to do any obnoxious "pop ups in the middle of the screen" ads, things you can't click out of. We'll have the sticky ad at the bottom and you can at least click out of that one to remove it while you're on a page. Really, other than that all I ask is for your understanding and to "get used to it" and know that having these ads will help keep the forum around longer. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 hmm. . . granted, haven't been on much the past couple of weeks (just slammed at work, which always happens towards year end/holidays). . . but I'm not seeing any ads. like at all? is my ad blocker just working really well? or am i going to get a message along the lines of "we see you're using an ad blocker, please turn it off" ? TPR is one of the few sites where I'd actually do a monthly subscription to support (as some sites do). . so just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 TPR is one of the few sites where I'd actually do a monthly subscription to support (as some sites do). . so just wondering. That's really what Club TPR is for. I don't really have a way to turn on or off ads per individual user and installing something like that would be costly. So it would be counter productive. If you're not seeing ads, then it sounds like your problem is already resolved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 TPR is one of the few sites where I'd actually do a monthly subscription to support (as some sites do). . so just wondering. That's really what Club TPR is for. I don't really have a way to turn on or off ads per individual user and installing something like that would be costly. So it would be counter productive. If you're not seeing ads, then it sounds like your problem is already resolved? yah. .must mean I have a good ad blocker (my Hubby works in tech, so he's my inhouse support. . LOL, no idea what blocker I have that he set up). to be clear, I don't have an issue even if seeing ads -- anything to support the site . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestreak Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Thanks for the update! No issue with the ads as long as it's something done by you guys. I was worried I had a virus. Keep up the great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedrinho Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Yeah, I was also wondering. Nice from you, Robb, to inform us. I do sometimes have ads, sometimes not. We're not allowed having ad blockers at work, so I just will get used to it. The one thing I really dislike ar the ads between the posts. They are somehow uncomfortable. For the others on the side or the bottom, I don't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 The one thing I really dislike ar the ads between the posts. They are somehow uncomfortable. Like I said, the alternative is not having the TPR forum anymore and I can focus on social media instead which is where the majority of our traffic is now anyway. My only suggestion if it really bothers you that much is to simply follow us on social media (and there are ads there, too) or get used to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedrinho Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 The one thing I really dislike ar the ads between the posts. They are somehow uncomfortable. Like I said, the alternative is not having the TPR forum anymore and I can focus on social media instead which is where the majority of our traffic is now anyway. My only suggestion if it really bothers you that much is to simply follow us on social media (and there are ads there, too) or get used to it. Hi Robb, thanks for your reply I really didn't mean it so bad. It's just the only thing I'd change if I could. Nothing that would prevent me from being on the forums anyways. Just keep on giong, we all will get used to the ads sooner or later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 Like I said, the alternative is not having the TPR forum anymore and I can focus on social media instead which is where the majority of our traffic is now anyway. My only suggestion if it really bothers you that much is to simply follow us on social media (and there are ads there, too) or get used to it. Purely curious, is it not possible to shove those "in-between" ads to the sides of the site (specifically the left, which seems empty)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 28, 2018 Author Share Posted November 28, 2018 (edited) The left side probably only looks empty because you're on a desktop browser using a wide screen. Not everyone has that setup. If you're on a smaller screen or using the normal forum theme on a mobile device or tablet, that empty left side goes away by design: Look, I'm trying to be as upfront as possible with everyone here. The website alone is not cheap to keep alive. With the volume of photos, videos, and data we have on the site alone, that is not stored off-side on a social platform, it is a GIANT amount of work behind the scenes. We actually have two different servers that run this site, one of them all it does is backup every day, and then we have another backup to the cloud. It is thousands of dollars, closing in on "tens of thousands of dollars" each year to keep just the website going and the ads make it so that the site at least breaks even. Like I said, I don't like having all the ads either, and trust me, I have already said "no" to even more obnoxious ads that pop up in the middle of your screen, or pop up when you exit out of the page, etc. But there was a balance to how many ads we had, what the placement was, etc, to how much it was worth having. If that ad at the bottom of the screen wasn't the one bringing it in a significant amount of the ad revenue, it would be removed. Thanks again for your understanding. Edited November 28, 2018 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 The left side probably only looks empty because you're on a desktop browser using a wide screen. Not everyone has that setup. If you're on a smaller screen or using the normal forum theme on a mobile device or tablet, that empty left side goes away by design: Yep, that explains it. I keep forgetting that my tank of a desktop is in the minority now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedlr Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 I just want to say I appreciate the transparency. I definitely started noticing the ads and I have no problem with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpuddle Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 I know that someone else already mentioned it, but I’ll second: I’d be totally willing to pay for an upgraded subscription to TPR that was ad-free. Also wanted to thank you, Robb for your transparency! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 (edited) I know that someone else already mentioned it, but I’ll second: I’d be totally willing to pay for an upgraded subscription to TPR that was ad-free. Also wanted to thank you, Robb for your transparency! I hear you... but this is also the issue... The current software we are using doesn't support the ability to turn the ads off for specific people. So I don't have a way to trigger that it someone were to pay for a subscription. Now if someone wants to pay for the development of that, then we can talk! Edited November 29, 2018 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedrinho Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Hey Robb, thanks for explaining so clearly why you decided to use the different ads and why you didn't use others. Keep on going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 They don't bother me in my mobile experience at all and I think the TPR videos in the top right corner on desktop are a nice touch. Do you what you need to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 ^I didn't notice the videos until you pointed it out. That is a very nice touch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillseeker4552 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 The ads initially took a little getting used to, but I don't really have a problem with them now. I'm just glad the forum is still around and appreciate all the work you guys put into maintaining it. I will continue to post until the day it goes away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 ^I didn't notice the videos until you pointed it out. That is a very nice touch! That just went in this morning! Like I said, we are still working to finalize a few things. This is fairly new territory for us (We've had ads before, but not with an ad agency like this) and there will be more tweaks and changes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 For whatever it's worth the new ads do a pretty decent job of targeting, I've actually clicked on a couple of ads and browsed around for a bit after the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savetheclocktower Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Wow, I had no idea it cost that much to run the site for us schmucks to read free of charge! Your content is top notch and I like that you have such great videos of rides most other people never get to ride, let alone hear about their existence! This site is the most credible source in my opinion, and I don't even consider looking at any other forums for amusement news. Everything I need to know is right here. Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 Wow, I had no idea it cost that much to run the site for us schmucks to read free of charge! Yep. The website alone is at least a grand a month to keep going. And sure, there are probably cheaper servers out there with less support and less service, but I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" and when you think about it, how often does the TPR forum go down? And that's why IMO it's worth it to pay a bit more for better servers and service. And all it takes is a few annoying ads to keep that going... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 ^I didn't notice the videos until you pointed it out. That is a very nice touch! That just went in this morning! Like I said, we are still working to finalize a few things. This is fairly new territory for us (We've had ads before, but not with an ad agency like this) and there will be more tweaks and changes... Yeah, I thought the videos were pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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