Introducing Opt-In Ads

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

By popular request, I've introduced an additional way to support MLP Forums - opt-in advertising. To enable the display of ads for yourself, head over to your user settings and look for the following checkbox:

 

Make sure your ad blocker is disabled if you use one! It's no use if the ads don't actually show up.

 

---

Since the birth of MLP Forums, I've mandated that I never want to force ads upon my members. However, with our rising operational costs, any and all potential sources of income are worth looking into, and some members expressed that they would be happy to browse MLP Forums with ads if it could help us out financially.

 

The ads are run through Google AdSense, and Google pays me by the click. HOWEVER, they have a strict rule against click fraud, which is the clicking of links for the sake of putting money in my hand. If you see an ad that you are legitimately interested in, by all means click and see what the advertiser has to offer - that's what they're for, after all. But committing click fraud could get me in hot water with Google, so please don't do it.

 

Think about it - the money from your click isn't free money floating around. It's real cash that a company out there is spending to further its reach. Advertisers are not charities, and expect the clicks they pay for to result in visitors interested in the product or service they offer.

 

---

That's about it! If you have wanted to make a donation but aren't able to for whatever reason (parents, no job, etc.), opting into advertising is a great way to show your support and indirectly generate some income for MLP Forums.

[Vicke 3,189]

A great new option!

But those who enable it wont get any new title like the Donors? Lets say after they have made a certain ammount of clicks do they get something?

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

A great new option!

But those who enable it wont get any new title like the Donors? Lets say after they have made a certain ammount of clicks do they get something?

 

No, there will be no special benefits for those who enable opt-in ads. It is impossible to determine how much revenue any one specific member generates through this method, individual clicks can fluctuate greatly in value, and it also isn't nearly as effective as a reliable stream of large donations.

[FLARE 952]

A great new option!

But those who enable it wont get any new title like the Donors? Lets say after they have made a certain ammount of clicks do they get something?

 

But that will like encourage people to commit click fraud.

[Vicke 3,189]

But that will like encourage people to commit click fraud.

 

With English as my second language.

What dose Click fraud means?

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

With English as my second language.

What dose Click fraud means?

 

The ads are run through Google AdSense, and Google pays me by the click. HOWEVER, they have a strict rule against click fraud, which is the clicking of links for the sake of putting money in my hand. If you see an ad that you are legitimately interested in, by all means click and see what the advertiser has to offer - that's what they're for, after all. But committing click fraud could get me in hot water with Google, so please don't do it.

 

[Vicke 3,189]

 

Oh, how embarrassing that i dident notice that.

Sorry.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I've attempted it, but I don't see anything at all. I just see blank spaces beneath the banner and the footer.

 

Also, I don't use any sort of ad-blocker. And it doesn't work in either of my browsers: Opera or IE.

Edited February 15, 2012 by Arylett Dawnsborough

[Crispy 5,563]

I was hoping you'd do that, Feld0. The other forums I frequent don't give you the option.

[Eenohay 318]

That's great, I'll activate them right away

[Killian Jones 2,655]

I'm not going to activate them, however I will keep donating every once in a while to help keep the site up.

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

I've attempted it, but I don't see anything at all. I just see blank spaces beneath the banner and the footer. Also, I don't use any sort of ad-blocker. And it doesn't work in either of my browsers: Opera or IE.

You don't happen to have Javascript disabled, do you?

 

I'm not going to activate them, however I will keep donating every once in a while to help keep the site up.

That's why they're opt-in - there is absolutely no need to enable the ads if you don't want them.

[Jokuc 8,173]

I'll activate them right away. I like ads.

Exept the ones that follows you down the page when you're scrolling. Aww I hate those ones..

Edited February 15, 2012 by Jokuc

[Shankveld 4,949]

Hello Feld0,

today I enabled ads on the site to help out the community and continued using the site as usual,

I refreshed the page and there was a nearly naked and clearly sexified women on the ad with a caption asking to click and start some 'sexy talk' or something to that effect.

Although those ads may bring in more money then other ads, as a women's right's activist and a women myself I can not promote that sort of semi-pornographic material and thus, disabled the ads.

I was shocked, especially since you emphasize the no-sex and that this is a family-friendly community.

I'm not sure whether you know this ad is being shown on your site or not, or if you approve of it.

Either way, now you know why I cannot enable ads.

Thanks,

Kat

[D1SC0RD 987]

I don't think he can help what ads are shown.. s:

 

If he could have prevented that, I am sure he would have tried.

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

Hello Feld0,

today I enabled ads on the site to help out the community and continued using the site as usual,

I refreshed the page and there was a nearly naked and clearly sexified women on the ad with a caption asking to click and start some 'sexy talk' or something to that effect.

Although those ads may bring in more money then other ads, as a women's right's activist and a women myself I can not promote that sort of semi-pornographic material and thus, disabled the ads.

I was shocked, especially since you emphasize the no-sex and that this is a family-friendly community.

I'm not sure whether you know this ad is being shown on your site or not, or if you approve of it.

Either way, now you know why I cannot enable ads.

Thanks,

Kat

 

I hate ads like that as much as you do, but Google gives me no direct control over the ads shown. I've set up a variety of category filters, which I hope would keep those to a minimum, but it looks like one of them has slipped through.

 

I can, however, blacklist specific websites from advertising on my sites, so do you happen to remember the URL of the advertiser? If not, may I please ask you to re-enable the ads and inform me of the URL as soon as they come up again? I know you don't want to see them, but it will be for the better of everyone if I can add the advertiser to my blacklist.

[Fghik 360]

Sorry to leave you with a bit of a word-wall, but I have a few questions:

 

These ads are pop-ups? As in not-off-to-the-side-of-the-web-page? Correct? So I'd have to disable more than just my ad-blocker, I'd need to disable my pop-up blocker too? (in my case, they are different... )

Edit: Just turned them on...Problem solved.

 

Since these ads are run by Google's AdSense, that means the ads that appear are loosely-based on what the user has searched for, right? Well, I've been messing with this AdSense stuff on some other sites I frequent, and really, 'loosely-based' can really be 'loosely-based.' As in borderlining sexual material. That totally destroys the family-safe image you've set up here. Will there be some form of report button to notify you, or one of the moderators/admins, of the inappropriate material? If not a report button, should we get a screen-cap of the ad and send you the URL?

 

I think in another post you mentioned you have different ad criteria you can allow or not; do certain ads pay-MORE-per-click than others? Or is it the same pay-per-click rate?

 

Lastly, do you know if there are going to be 'talky' ads or not? You know the ones that scream "CONGRATULATIONS YOU JUST WON A FREE IPOD NANO!" There's content uploaded in Octavia's Hall that have sound (PMV's, Remix Tracks, Fan-animations, etc.) Also...Those ads get on my nerves...

 

 

 

I'm still going to enable the ads though, I've always wanted to give back (and who knows? Maybe I'll find something interesting?) but I don't really have a credit card....

Great feature!

Edited February 16, 2012 by Fghik

[Sami Calden 6]

I activated them too. Definately annoying, but I can't donate yet. I'll probably de-activate them when I do though.

[Zoop 8,384]

Will there be some form of report button to notify you, or one of the moderators/admins, of the inappropriate material? If not a report button, should we get a screen-cap of the ad and send you the URL?

I think Feld0 more or less covered it above, but yeah - if you do happen to notice any bad ads, feel free to contact us via PM with the site URL and perhaps a screen cap to go with. In response to your question about audio in ads and such, to the best of my knowledge, AdSense does not permit any sort of advertisements that include sound or similarly annoying stuff so you shouldn't have to worry about that.

[Ninja Derpy 343]

SO all I have to do is click it and then read something?

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

Sorry to leave you with a bit of a word-wall, but I have a few questions:

 

These ads are pop-ups? As in not-off-to-the-side-of-the-web-page? Correct? So I'd have to disable more than just my ad-blocker, I'd need to disable my pop-up blocker too? (in my case, they are different... )

Edit: Just turned them on...Problem solved.

 

Since these ads are run by Google's AdSense, that means the ads that appear are loosely-based on what the user has searched for, right? Well, I've been messing with this AdSense stuff on some other sites I frequent, and really, 'loosely-based' can really be 'loosely-based.' As in borderlining sexual material. That totally destroys the family-safe image you've set up here. Will there be some form of report button to notify you, or one of the moderators/admins, of the inappropriate material? If not a report button, should we get a screen-cap of the ad and send you the URL?

 

I think in another post you mentioned you have different ad criteria you can allow or not; do certain ads pay-MORE-per-click than others? Or is it the same pay-per-click rate?

 

Lastly, do you know if there are going to be 'talky' ads or not? You know the ones that scream "CONGRATULATIONS YOU JUST WON A FREE IPOD NANO!" There's content uploaded in Octavia's Hall that have sound (PMV's, Remix Tracks, Fan-animations, etc.) Also...Those ads get on my nerves...

 

 

 

I'm still going to enable the ads though, I've always wanted to give back (and who knows? Maybe I'll find something interesting?) but I don't really have a credit card....

Great feature!

 

AdSense are fairly strict as far as their ad policies go, and do not allow any ads play sounds without warning. It's the #1 web advertising solution for a reason.

 

I don't want anyone to be seeing inappropriate ads here, so if your run into one, please take a screenshot, send it to me, and I'll blacklist it ASAP.

 

My direct control over ad content is limited to text ads, visual/Flash ads, or a mix of both. The visual variety tends to be worth more per click. I'd suggest taking a read through AdSense's help files if you're curious to learn more about the system.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

You don't happen to have Javascript disabled, do you?

 

 

 

That's why they're opt-in - there is absolutely no need to enable the ads if you don't want them.

 

I don't know. Is there any way you can tell?

[--- 41]

Just to be clear:

 

If we enable ads but never click on them, is it the same as if we didn't have then enabled? As in, I wouldn't be helping the site unless I actually sometimes clicked on the ads?

 

Just want to be sure I understand... Sorry if this is a silly question.

[Chigens and Kay 3,832]

Well, since you added that donation % bar on the front page, I've seen it go up 3% today alone. If you figure you could get 3%/day, you could have your 100% requirement by next month!

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

I don't know. Is there any way you can tell?

 

Check this page: http://support.google.com/adsense/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=12654

 

Just to be clear:

 

If we enable ads but never click on them, is it the same as if we didn't have then enabled? As in, I wouldn't be helping the site unless I actually sometimes clicked on the ads?

 

Just want to be sure I understand... Sorry if this is a silly question.

 

It is still beneficial to see the ads even if you never click them. The more impressions (views) an ad space receives, the more valuable it is considered to be, and the more an eventual click on it will be worth.