Interesting idea to add the warning stuff - the ads served are definitely distasteful.

Ok, here's my latest try: (see attachment in previous post)
Too much more warning and we're going to get into the silly zone..

lol

I agree with everything you're saying, which is basically why these ad experiments we do every few years always end with removing the ads.. I just think they convey the wrong message about the site and will scare off the very people we'd like to stay.

And as has been pointed out -- it's especially troubling for our site because the ads so often tend to recommend things that we ourselves would NOT recommend.  Maybe we could solve this by only allowing clothing advertisers:)

Still, i think there's some value in experimenting with them every few years to see what kind of revenue they generate, what kind of feedback they generate, if they affect the site, etc., and see what kinds of options there are.

Still, i think there's some value in experimenting with them every few years to see what kind of revenue they generate, what kind of feedback they generate, if they affect the site, etc., and see what kinds of options there are.

Oh I agree 100%. When it comes to experimenting, I say bring it on. If nothing else, when something doesn't work out as hoped, it helps remind us all just how different this site is from most other places on the web. And that's largely because of the mutual respect shared between the site's operators and the membership.

It's something to be proud of.

FWIW, to me the absence of ads implied a level of integrity at DC that just cannot be matched when there are 'bad' ads, 'good' ads, or any ads at all.

It takes a long time to establish a good reputation but very little time to lose it.

Broadly, I kinda feel that ads are still so "20th century".

Give us a nice playable game that yes, Features the Product, but then that's the point, no more psychological warfare with what the ad is for! Just to list the screaming example, Mouser, precisely what brand of car is that? Then contact the company and see if you can get a little bit of Co-Branding deal!

After all, to abuse all the old 50's slogans, "If it's Good Enough For Cody, It's Good Enough For Me!"


So while I wouldn't ask (but would giggle at!) anyone to do it for real, let's hold at least a Thought Experiment Contest (with bonus something!) for a game made specifically to be an Ad, up front and on purpose, but playable as a game in the best sense y'all as Developers can make it! P.S. Never underestimate the power of Viral Cult Classics! (Suggested programming tip - structurally lay out the Ad Space, but leave it blank with a little melodramatic overselling Your Brand Here as the proof of concept that we can submit in stage 1 when we contact the companies.)  My theory is it's the same little games that are fun for five hours are in fact also easy to program, and because they are so small, that's what makes them candidates for Silly Viral Gold. Bonus points if you can get Cameo Permission from a 2nd or 3rd rate former viral star! In a retro-looked game I'll always have a soft spot for Numa Numa Guy!

Then I would be willing to make at least a couple of calls to see if I can find an adventurous company to chip in a small deal just to show that "outside their multi million dollar campaigns, they are modern enough to have a little fun with their brand, upon reasonable proof that it's not slander". (For example, to avoid simple cranky flamebait jokes at their expense.)

For example, while of course 30 years too old to be playable, Nintendo once had a hand held game where you had to keep the bottles in a bottle factory going without dropping them. In general I can see Coca Cola all over that one, upon a submitted copy to show that it's just a game, branded however they like, etc.

Car Companies might be picky with ultra AAA levels of gameplay for their cars, but I could see for example John Deere having fun with a branded version of a Dig Dug clone. (Who wants speed out of a backhauler? Geek-racing aside. It's just a backhauler. It digs. Go Go Dig Dug.)

Now ^that's^ an interesting idea! Players could then stop at various points to watch an xSec "commercial" to gain life/energy for continued game play.

Yeah, see now you're getting it! Instead of spending cash for benefits which I know annoys people, they can just watch ads! Hehe marketer's dream!

"Mr. CEO, this consumer sat and watched our ads for SEVENTEEN HOURS!!"
(CEO goes)
 

I think viglink or skimlinks are much better ads compared to Google ads. Atleast you get relevant ads compared to Google adsense. Also the viglink and skimlinks don't have the banner ads. See if that works here.

It's not regular spam. It pretends to be healthier, but it's still spam!

Oh well, back to CPM ads

FYI:

Thanks to App's prodding, I have added a Project Wonderful ad slot to the test for this month (May 2013).  I do appreciate the transparency of Project Wonderful and setting it up was pretty easy.

We'll probably get rid of all ads at the end of the month, but until then, if you want to have your own ad shown on DC, just go to this page and you can bid to have your ad shown on the DonationCoder.com site.

And my ad gets to be the first one!   

Another update: I've been convinced to change up the ad formats once again.  Now using smaller horizontal ad and having it not appear in a "post-like' box, but having it appear set apart in the middle of a thread.  Removed the large block of text surrounding the ads.  I guess this now looks more like the "standard" way ads are typically integrated into websites.  I would like to keep running this through june.  Again, it's only shown to people not logged into the forum so shouldn't bother any regulars [see instructions above if you want to force the ads on for you even when you are logged in for some unholy reason].

"With those changes, there are no longer any web trackers on this site. I do have the Stats widget (part of the WordPress Jetpack add-in), which counts site visitors and helps me determine which posts are most popular and which search terms visitors used when coming here via search engines. It doesn’t gather any additional information about visitors, as far as I know."

Ghostery notices:
Facebook Social Graph
Twitter Button
Amazon Associates

Not sure what those are if not "web trackers".

Never heard of #3 - might be some legitimate reason for it, but it definitely does sound like something that can track.

Ed Bott did mention that his site is now supported mostly by those that buy his book (from Amazon), which is most likely the source of the tracking mentioned in #3.

And things get really fun when you combine #1 and #3, in the form of targeted ads for Amazon products, based on where you have been, in the sidebar of Facebook...right down to the very color of a teapot you may have been viewing on Amazon, or a gazillion ads for Zappos showing similar styled boots that you may have viewed on any site that has Facebook powered comments or Like buttons. They are not only tracking, they are sharing data with each other.