'Ads' on XboxEra - Community Discussion

Announcements & Resources
1

Hey everyone!

As the team behind XboxEra look to grow even more and run a successful (and importantly stable, technologically speaking) online community, we worry increasingly as the site grows about how we fund it from a purely operational perspective.

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Forum Ads

From a personal perspective, I hate ads. Hate 'em. I bet you do too.

However, we are considering adding them to the forum. It would be of great benefit to us financially so we can support upgrades and general server stability, but we want to hear from our users how they feel about it, and what we can do make sure that IF we do it, we do it right.

To give you an idea of what the site would look like with adverts, I’ve borrowed the below image from our technology provider, Discourse.

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Available Locations for Ad Display

Location Name Description
Topic List Top Ad will appear at the header of Discourse homepage
Topic Above Post Stream Ad will appear in the header of all Discourse forum topics
Topic Above Suggested Ad will appear in the footer above suggested topics of all Discourse forum topics
Post Bottom & Nth Post Ad will appear on the stipulated nth post within a topic. So if you have 5 posts in a topic and you want the ad to display after on the 2nd post, put 2 in ad_platform_nth_post_code .

This doesn’t seem too intrusive. We would also look to utilise house ads to promote our own content, so you could expect to occasionally see ads for our YouTube channel, the XboxEra Podcast or even YHMAH (You Had Me At Halo).

Give us your Feedback

So, that’s the plan, at the moment. We do plan on offering our Patrons an ‘Ad-Free’ Experience as one of the benefits of supporting us in that way, but for those of you who utilise the platform we’ve built and maintain and can’t support us in that way, ads allow you to do so passively.

But how do you feel about it? Be honest - will you just turn on Adblock and not mention it ever again?

Or will it put you off visiting the site entirely?

We’re very aware this is a touchy subject for all - so please give us feedback so we can discuss internally.

Thanks for reading.

Sik

QUICK FIRE POLL

Are you okay with ads on XboxEra
  • I’m fine with it!
  • I hate it, and by extension, I hate you.
  • I have my thoughts on it (here’s a post detailing them)

0 voters

8 Likes
3

So first of all, I think it’s a great idea to talk with us about this. So thank you for taking in our opinions about this. This is great management!

For me personally I would rather pay a small user fee (1$ a month would be fine for me) then having ads on the site. When I look at other forums I think it makes the whole thing look cheap, confusing and of course it is annoying.

Of course I have no Idea about the business model behind a forum like this and do not know if a $ would be enough or if this could even work.

I won’t abandon this forum if you use ads. But please don’t use ads you have to manually click away. Thats the worst part, or when you want to click sonething and out of nowhere the ad appears and you accidentally click the ad, horror!

Again, thank you for taking us into the conversation.

5 Likes
4

Can we have a poll? I think that would help get the pulse of the community pretty quickly.

Personally, I’m not a patreon subscriber, but I fully understand how much it costs for upkeep of the site, and for all the work you all put in. So, bring on the ads! Without them, you’ll be limited in how much you can grow and in how much you all personally receive from this endeavor. I like this site and would like to see it stick around and grow, and for all the staff to be compensated for their time, so totally cool with ads.

2 Likes
5

As long as they arent intrusive and keeps this site running just ad away.

3 Likes
6

I don’t mind ads in general, but I get incredibly annoyed by top down ads that load after the page, thus altering it right as you’re about to click on something. It’s infuriating. I also hate ads with sound and/or video ads because the audio will just randomly play even when it’s not supposed to.

So yeah, as long as the ads don’t cover a portion of what I’m trying to read/look at, and as long as there’s no media content, I’m good. I would much rather the site be stable and help you guys financially than not.

9 Likes
7

You have to pay the bills, so it’s all good as long as it isn’t like one of those sites where there are 10 ads on every page.

4 Likes
8

I allready support the site via Patreon but I don’t have a problem with ads as long as:

  1. They are relevant to the subject of the site.
  2. Are Non-intrusive. No autoplay crap, no click-to-go-away or general eye sores.
  3. We can pay to not see them.

I would love for the site to grow and will support you either way.

5 Likes
9

Ads in general are fine, but if I were to point out ones that grind my gears:

  • Pop up videos which follow you as you scroll.
  • Ads that take forever to load, so they shunt the page down and make you click on something you didn’t want to.
  • Pop up ads that cover part of the screen and have a miniscule x to click on.

Avoid these and I’d be absolutely fine with ads. Sooner have them than patreon stuff.

6 Likes
10

100% this. I hate these types of ads.

3 Likes
11

Ads ain’t a problem, we all understand why they need to be there. I would be in favour of ads instead of paying. If there was a fee, I would find myself going to other forums.

Agree with others in that the crux of the issue is the intrusiveness of the ads. Being able to scroll past something is not a problem, having to manage pop-ups that block text and are a pain to close is a fat no-no.

Please keep them mobile friendly too. I don’t know how else people use the forum, but I’m almost entirely on my a phone. A poll on this might help you better decide what to do with the ads, if most users are mobile or PC.

4 Likes
12

My passions outside of gaming and entertainment are branding and advertising so I have no issues with ads, provided they are unobtrusive and have some level of quality control. So long as it’s not softcore (or hardcore) porn, pop ups, flashy or telling me my computer has a virus, I have zero issue. The ones on Era are fine.

That said, selling an ad-free option is fine too and I will buy to support the site if the price is right.

2 Likes
13

For sure there will be no pop-up or pop-under ads. They are super annoying and obtrusive. We are aiming toward ads that will use less space as possible.

And ads will not be displayed for our Patrons, Sik mentioned in OP.

3 Likes
14

Awesome, thanks for the clarification! :slight_smile:

2 Likes
15

Thank you to everyone that has responded so far - once again proving we’re building the best community here. :slight_smile:

I loved reading this, because this is THE pet hate of mine. Thank you for wording it so eloquently.

Yes, you can! Poll added to OP.

2 Likes
16

I fine with adds as long as its not intrusive. like pop ups, videos, banner over content etc…

2 Likes
17

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Ha ha ha ha, superb

2 Likes
18

I was going to answer, that I hate ads and you all for a joke, but thats a bit rote.

Therefore I will answer I hate ads, though provided they are of a kind like Mort (and others) have already mentioned (and the income isnt *too squandered on @Sikamikanico new east wing) then thats OK, and an option to buy out of them is cool too.

I do loathe you all though. :heart:

2 Likes
19

I have no problem with ads.

As long as they’re not dodgy & I could accidentally click on one & get into trouble :worried:

1 Like
20

Depends if we classify the podcasts as dodgy… :wink:

2 Likes