BowhunterNJ Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 OK, so I'm going to kick this topic off to get a gauge for what everyone is seeing and better understand what might be problematic so I can communicate that back to the ad provider I use. First, let's try to understand that this site costs money (and a lot of time) to operate. Ads are a way to help pay for the site and keep it affordable, but if anyone has any better ideas to generate revenue or ties to the hunting/fishing industry who'd like to spend money to put ads to your liking in place here, I'm all ears! Second, if the site earns revenue, can pay for itself through ads and then actually have additional revenue, that is something I can then give BACK to you guys! That opens the doors to having more product Giveaways to reward the folks who are helping grow the site and contributing content! Up until now, I've been footing a large and increasing bill and it's just simply not sustainable (or financially wise) for me to continue doing that. You know how much formula and diapers cost?!?! Listen, I love being able to give you guys this site, and it's A LOT of my personal time to manage it, but that's what it's about. I just need to find a way to cover as much of the financial side as I can moving forward. So given that, let's try be reasonable as to what is tolerable regarding ads versus what is truly impacting user experience and making it a grueling and miserable experience here. Not all devices are the same and there is testing actively going on to identify issues and optimize ads, and it's certainly possible to make mistakes and create a non-optimal situation for users. One such case was identified earlier today where ads were displaying on some devices every 1-2 posts which is too much. That has since been corrected. Below is a breakdown of the ads that are in place right now and I am aware of and have tested on my own devices. Note this MAY change as the ad provider continues to tweak ad placements, BUT I want to get an idea of what you guys are seeing versus what you should be seeing to better understand if there are problems going on! What ads you should see on DESKTOP: One Site Sponsor banner at the top header (our members banner ads) One Site Sponsor banner at the bottom footer (our members banner ads) One sticky footer ad at the bottom of the page, often called a "pop up". [Removed with Premium NJW&W subscription] Content ads between every 5 posts or so in a topic. (easy to scroll by) Sidebar ads (which are to the right and away from content and easy to scroll by) What ads you should see on MOBILE: One Site Sponsor banner at the top header (our members banner ads) One Site Sponsor banner at the bottom footer (our members banner ads) One sticky footer ad at the bottom of the page, often called a "pop up". [Removed with Premium NJW&W subscription] Content ad after the first post in a topic and then every 4 posts after that (these are a little more frequent on mobile because there are no sidebar but are easy to scroll by) None of these ads should really impact the user experience, they are easy to cruise by as you read the site content and possibly wind up seeing a great deal on something you're interested too. I know we all love no ads and pure content, but there's a good middle ground that can be had here to make everyone happy (even if it means a little adjusting from what you're used to seeing). So please keep that all in mind and gauge what is truly an impact vs what is just mildly annoying right now and likely soon to be forgotten and adapted to. If you are seeing something other than the above or have a strong opinion on something that is completely intolerable, please provide the details and a screenshot if possible as a picture is worth a thousand words! Then I can review with the ad provider and determine what we can do to improve it! I'm doing my best to make this site great for you guys and find ways to keep it affordable for me too. I think that's a really fair and balanced approach, but it is also certainly worth tabling anything that is significantly impacting the members here and would cause a major decline in your interest participating here. This site is for you guys, so I want to continue providing you a site you're interested in visiting and sharing your experiences with each other! Live to Hunt, Daktari, rgw and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowhunter2004 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Hey buddy I appreciate your site and the hard work you put in, but ads suck... I rather pay a small fee to be a member than to constantly have to X out all the ads. With that being said, generating ad dollars to keep this thing a float I’m sure is a necessary evil, so I still will continue to visit and contribute. You did a good job getting it up and running and attracting members from the competing sight. 👍🏻 BowhunterNJ, iluv2hunt, Live to Hunt and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coyoteslayer Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Thank you for your time effort and money. I'm a paid member and have no issue with ads. I'll x 100 out If that is what it takes. kanigie, Live to Hunt and BowhunterNJ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBuck Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 6 hours ago, Bowhunter2004 said: Hey buddy I appreciate your site and the hard work you put in, but ads suck... I rather pay a small fee to be a member than to constantly have to X out all the ads. With that being said, generating ad dollars to keep this thing a float I’m sure is a necessary evil, so I still will continue to visit and contribute. You did a good job getting it up and running and attracting members from the competing sight. 👍🏻 I use an ad blocker, rarely see an ad. archer36, Live to Hunt and Bowhunter2004 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live to Hunt Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 You’re doing a hell of a job Matt. Where did you get that new Benz I saw you driving 3Blade, optowalt and BowhunterNJ 3 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGHunter66 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Honestly Matt I just fly right past any adds, doesn’t bother me at all. Appreciate the work you put in to make it happen. BowhunterNJ, Live to Hunt, kanigie and 2 others 2 3 AWM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojaffa Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 I ignore the ads also. No issue for me. Thanks for your time and effort. BowhunterNJ, SPEARFISH and Live to Hunt 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunatic Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) I can tell you what I see. Ads and blank spaces for ads between posts. Edited January 11, 2019 by Lunatic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daktari Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 If ads keep the site free and cost effective for you , so be it....don't bother me at all....in fact one of the ads is an old customer of mine and I may just have to call him..... BowhunterNJ and Live to Hunt 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleM Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 I'm not a premium member, yet......... I've no issues with the adds or the way the site is run and appreciate all the work and money you put into it. If I was running it, we'd have all been staring at a blank screen a long time ago. KBfishing, Live to Hunt, JHbowhunter and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHbowhunter Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 2 hours ago, Live to Hunt said: You’re doing a hell of a job Matt. Where did you get that new Benz I saw you driving S-Class, wasn't it? Some of us can only drive the "E"... I can only dream.... BowhunterNJ and Live to Hunt 2 Nothing spooks deer more than my stank… 16 3/4” Live Fluke Release Club I shot a big 10pt once…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Blade Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Good job Matt on a well run site! Thanks for your time and effort. The adds aren't too bad, I almost don't even notice them now. My only complaint would be the "jumping" when I click on a thread. BowhunterNJ 1 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda4x4 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Matt - do whatever it takes to keep this site up and running. The rest of us will be there for you.DavidSent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk BowhunterNJ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowhunterNJ Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Lunatic said: I can tell you what I see. Ads and blank spaces for ads between posts. The ads are the ads, and the blank spaces are where ads will get filled (i.e. pre-defined locations that are allocated so that the page doesn't "jump around" when ads are filled vs not filled). Do the ads make the site unusable for you? How many ads are you seeing in between content and how many it too many? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowhunterNJ Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 28 minutes ago, 3Blade said: Good job Matt on a well run site! Thanks for your time and effort. The adds aren't too bad, I almost don't even notice them now. My only complaint would be the "jumping" when I click on a thread. Mike, keep me posted on whether this continues. To the point above, the ad spaces should be pre-allocated to avoid that happening. The jumping around is no good, but it's also possible if the site's pictures in members posts don't load right away or there are a lot of them, it could cause some jumping around. The ad sizing is known ahead of time so that can be managed, the post pictures isn't, so that will be something to deal with but it shouldn't happen often. 3Blade 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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