The new ad banners [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

The Giant

2011-09-16, 09:16 AM

I'm iffy on it. As long as the ads stay unobtrusive, I'll be okay with it, but if they start blaring sound or covering up the screen or something...

Don't worry, I specifically chose PW because they do not serve those kinds of ads. It has been suggested to me by several people that I could make a lot of money with that kind of stuff, but I refuse on aesthetic grounds.

There will never be sound, nor will the ads ever leave the confines of the box they are in. In fact, I even disallowed animated banners at all, even though PW does allow those. All you will ever see there are static images.

Mercenary Pen

2011-09-16, 09:18 AM

The best thing we can do to help support the forums we love is to turn off Adblock on the giantitp.com domain. Spread the news, tell everyone. We want the forums to stay running, and Rich has been footing the bill for us for years. This is a small thing we can do to help. :smallsmile:

Well, I've now disabled adblock and allowed them on noscript- whether this turn of events continues for any length of time will depend on whether the advertising does anything that might compromise my computer, because much as I would prefer to support the forums, I do not intend to render my computer vulnerable to even so much as tracking cookies to that end.

Syka

2011-09-16, 09:19 AM

Don't worry, I specifically chose PW because they do not serve those kinds of ads. It has been suggested to me by several people that I could make a lot of money with that kind of stuff, but I refuse on aesthetic grounds.

There will never be sound, nor will the ads ever leave the confines of the box they are in. In fact, I even disallowed animated banners at all, even though PW does allow those. All you will ever see there are static images.

And this is why we love you. :smallsmile: I'm all for you doing some advertising, and (although I probably won't buy anything), I'm willing to look at/click an add if it means you can afford a better server.

Lord Herman

2011-09-16, 09:20 AM

Skeppio

2011-09-16, 09:23 AM

*snip*

That's good to hear. My worries are now gone. Thanks! :smallsmile:

Recaiden

2011-09-16, 09:24 AM

The best thing we can do to help support the forums we love is to turn off Adblock on the giantitp.com domain. Spread the news, tell everyone. We want the forums to stay running, and Rich has been footing the bill for us for years. This is a small thing we can do to help. :smallsmile:

That was the first thing I did when I checked back and the forums were updated. It's impressive that The Giant had been running the site without ads, but it's more than worth a few ads if it can help alleviate the cost of supporting the forum.

The Giant

2011-09-16, 09:27 AM

Will they be gone after (if?) you switch servers again?

No; a new server would be a higher recurring bill that will need to be paid every month for years into the future. The idea is that the ads will cancel out the higher cost. If I took the ads off after switching, I would need to pay that extra cost from my non-recurring book sales. If the ads can't pay for the server, then it would too risky for me to commit to a new ongoing expense.

So, if we switch to a new server, the ads will stay. If the ads can't bring in enough to support a new server, then the ads will go (but we'll be stuck on this server indefinitely).

Also, since this is a board issue, I'm moving this to Board Issues.

Gullintanni

2011-09-16, 09:28 AM

CoffeeIncluded

2011-09-16, 09:40 AM

Don't worry, I specifically chose PW because they do not serve those kinds of ads. It has been suggested to me by several people that I could make a lot of money with that kind of stuff, but I refuse on aesthetic grounds.

There will never be sound, nor will the ads ever leave the confines of the box they are in. In fact, I even disallowed animated banners at all, even though PW does allow those. All you will ever see there are static images.

Ah, thank you! I find those kinds of advertisements extremely annoying, and I'm really thankful that you decided to avoid them from the start.

Cicciograna

2011-09-16, 09:41 AM

And AdBlock disabled, for you, Giant :smallsmile:

The Giant

2011-09-16, 09:52 AM

Yuki Akuma

2011-09-16, 09:53 AM

One day I'll have to scroll down an entire list to see my PMs. :smallwink:

I already had to scroll down to get at this text box...

Would ads at the side be unacceptable, instead of at the top?

The Succubus

2011-09-16, 09:54 AM

Is there anything the forum lurkers could do to help with the cost of the new server?

Yuki Akuma

2011-09-16, 09:55 AM

Buy more books!

Douglas

2011-09-16, 10:01 AM

That top slot certainly sold fast. Only for $1 (that's per day, right?) and not in Canada or Europe, but I imagine it will be replaced with a higher bidder before long.

The bottom one, though, I'm none too sure how valuable an ad in that position is. Too much scrolling needed to see it, some of which is not needed to see anything else noteworthy.

The Giant

2011-09-16, 10:05 AM

Is there anything the forum lurkers could do to help with the cost of the new server?

Buy more books!

Actually, while that is always appreciated and will certainly help, as I explained above, I won't be taking the risk of moving to a new server with a much higher monthly cost if I don't have a more reliable way of paying for it. Book sales rise and fall depending on the time of year and what my stock is, but the server payment will be due every 30 days, regardless. In other words, buying more books will help me put food on my table, but it won't make it more likely that I spring for a new server. (I do happen to like food, though...)

The best thing forum users could do for a new server is be patient and see how this ad thing works out. We won't know for a few months whether or not the income is enough to sustain a new expense, so there's really nothing to do but wait.

As far as positions and sizes, all are experimental, but I don't want to change them until we see how they fare for a little bit.

Douglas

2011-09-16, 10:11 AM

Approximately how much would these ads need to make to support a server upgrade?

Cicciograna

2011-09-16, 10:23 AM

Actually, while that is always appreciated and will certainly help, as I explained above, I won't be taking the risk of moving to a new server with a much higher monthly cost if I don't have a more reliable way of paying for it. Book sales rise and fall depending on the time of year and what my stock is, but the server payment will be due every 30 days, regardless. In other words, buying more books will help me put food on my table, but it won't make it more likely that I spring for a new server. (I do happen to like food, though...)

The best thing forum users could do for a new server is be patient and see how this ad thing works out. We won't know for a few months whether or not the income is enough to sustain a new expense, so there's really nothing to do but wait.

As far as positions and sizes, all are experimental, but I don't want to change them until we see how they fare for a little bit.

Or the best thing forum users could do would be finding some way to turn you into a lich, so food money could be directed to the server :smallsmile:

The Giant

2011-09-16, 10:24 AM

Approximately how much would these ads need to make to support a server upgrade?

I would prefer not to disclose exact numbers.

Suffice to say that it would not be difficult to rent a one-bedroom apartment in many parts of the USA for what I currently pay in server costs, and an upgrade would increase it enough to get a two- or three-bedroom instead.

Douglas

2011-09-16, 10:56 AM

I would prefer not to disclose exact numbers.

Suffice to say that it would not be difficult to rent a one-bedroom apartment in many parts of the USA for what I currently pay in server costs, and an upgrade would increase it enough to get a two- or three-bedroom instead.
Order of magnitude is sufficient to satisfy my curiosity. Thank you.

I hope this works, and in my completely unprofessional opinion I think this site is popular enough to earn ad revenue in that ballpark, but we'll have to wait and see.

Lissou

2011-09-16, 11:05 AM

The best thing we can do to help support the forums we love is to turn off Adblock on the giantitp.com domain.

I looked for this thread specifically to say exactly this. People often underestimate how much of a difference disabling ad blockers can make.

That was the first thing I did when I checked back and the forums were updated.

Same here. And the ads are really not a big deal. Totally unobtrusive. I hope they can finance the new servers.

Haruki-kun

2011-09-16, 11:07 AM

I looked for this thread specifically to say exactly this. People often underestimate how much of a difference disabling ad blockers can make.

Me too. People never believe me when I tell them that. <.<

At any rate, I'm glad this decision was made. If it helps the forum stay alive, I don't mind the ads. :smallsmile: It's not like they're pop-ups or sound ads or anything like that.

mootoall

2011-09-16, 11:19 AM

Is ad revenue based primarily on bids, or site traffic? If the latter, is access on mobile devices counted towards hits?

lesser_minion

2011-09-16, 11:20 AM

This is actually the first I heard about the new advertising (I'm not sure why I noticed this thread before the news post or the announcement, but never mind). Still, I'm here a lot, and the ads don't look like they'll be an issue, so I've stopped blocking them.

However, I'm surprised that nice advertising would pay very much, given that 90% of the internet still seems to use advertisers who subscribe to the "track down the visitor's home address and mail them a live bobcat" school of advertising.

Rockphed

2011-09-16, 11:47 AM

Is ad revenue based primarily on bids, or site traffic? If the latter, is access on mobile devices counted towards hits?

For project wonderful, I'm pretty sure advertisers bid for the add slot per time. However project wonderful allows bidders to see site traffic, so the bids are probably informed by site traffic.

Edit: Looking at the "your add could be right here, right now!" link below the banner add, I think I got the gist of it. In essence, people bid on the add space on a daily basis. If they win, they pay exactly enough to beat the next highest bid. Their ad goes up until someone outbids them, they withdraw their bid, or they run out of money. Advertisers can get access to some site statistics. Rich gets to see what they can see. Project wonderful pulls a small commission off the top, and everybody goes home happy.

Kobold-Bard

2011-09-16, 12:09 PM

Timberboar

2011-09-16, 12:12 PM

Does turning off adblocker for the site really help if the money is generated via daily bids instead of through number of clicks?

Mr_Saturn

2011-09-16, 12:18 PM

If a Playgrounder just wanted to see their face at the top of every page for a day or two, could they bid, or does PW have to approve that it's a real advert & not just some nutter wanting to scare people with their ugly mug?

Or using a less demented idea, what if one of those people who liked the idea of just donating to the comic to keep it coming (which The Giant didn't & I assume doesn't want) bought some ad space for a couple of days as a way of doing it. Would they have to have an actual advert to display or could they just buy the space for an "I love OotS" banner they made?

Disclaimer: I am skint so will not be doing either of these things, I'm just curious.

That's hilarious. Although I was thinking that we could perhaps advertise for our personal OotS fancomics. Just for the attention you know.

Ted The Bug

2011-09-16, 12:18 PM

Howdy,

I figure someone was going to make a thread discussing them anyway so....I like the mini-comic advertising the space. I feel that Haley's chest will be a very effective advertising medium. :smalltongue:

The what? I missed out on that, it seems.

I'm not a huge fan of ads, but hey, 99% of the internet runs on them anyway, and if they help pay for a better server, I'm all for 'em!

boj0

2011-09-16, 12:25 PM

After all the time I spend on Dakkadakka and other forums (don't worrk, GiTP is still my favorite :smallsmile:), I have gotten used to seeing a small ad banner at the top of most of my daily internet.

So when I saw the banner here, I almost didn't notice it. Thankfully, I read the news section, and I must say the statement put forward by the Giant really put me at ease. I am all for a healthy, happy forum; and if these banners can help, then I'm all for them.

Happy posting!

Dr.Epic

2011-09-16, 12:28 PM

I was so confused when I saw it. I guess it's not a bad thing. I mean it's only one. Could be a lot more. I guess I'm used to it given the number of sites I frequent.

The Succubus

2011-09-16, 12:41 PM

If a Playgrounder just wanted to see their face at the top of every page for a day or two, could they bid, or does PW have to approve that it's a real advert & not just some nutter wanting to scare people with their ugly mug?

Or using a less demented idea, what if one of those people who liked the idea of just donating to the comic to keep it coming (which The Giant didn't & I assume doesn't want) bought some ad space for a couple of days as a way of doing it. Would they have to have an actual advert to display or could they just buy the space for an "I love OotS" banner they made?

Disclaimer: I am skint so will not be doing either of these things, I'm just curious.

I think KB has a really really good idea here. Maybe set some sort of threshold before a fancomic can put itself up for an advert spot but it'd be a win for everyone. The creator gets more visits to his comic, the Playground gets notice of the latest and greatest from the Fan Comic section and the Giant gets a helping hand towards server running.

Yuki Akuma

2011-09-16, 12:41 PM

I was so confused when I saw it. I guess it's not a bad thing. I mean it's only one. Could be a lot more. I guess I'm used to it given the number of sites I frequent.

Psst! There's one at the bottom too.

Kobold-Bard

2011-09-16, 12:48 PM

I think KB has a really really good idea here. Maybe set some sort of threshold before a fancomic can put itself up for an advert spot but it'd be a win for everyone. The creator gets more visits to his comic, the Playground gets notice of the latest and greatest from the Fan Comic section and the Giant gets a helping hand towards server running.

Not what I was suggesting (technically I wasn't suggesting anything, I was just curious if you could eg. bid to stick photoshopped pic of you fighting Belkar at the top of the page), but if I helped create an idea in your mind I'll happily take 10% of the credit :smallcool:

Shadic

2011-09-16, 12:53 PM

Hopefully the ads go well. I never particularly minded banner ads, so I've made sure to disable Adblock on Giantitp.

Talya

2011-09-16, 12:57 PM

I'm very observant.

My first reaction to this thread title was "What banners?"

Then I noticed the banner.

darkelf

2011-09-16, 12:59 PM

i'm not only not blocking ads, i've picked up the bottom ad slot. :smallbiggrin:
(for my wife's biz)

Douglas

2011-09-16, 01:01 PM

The what? I missed out on that, it seems.

I'm not a huge fan of ads, but hey, 99% of the internet runs on them anyway, and if they help pay for a better server, I'm all for 'em!
If you click the "Your ad could be here, right now." link right below the ad, it takes you to the Project Wonderful site where you can see some statistics. Among other things, you can view the ads for the current winning bids for PW's four regions - America, Canada, Europe, and Elsewhere. Wrongtown currently has the ads for America and Elsewhere (Gengame just beat the America bid), but Canada and Europe still have no bids and are still showing the advertisement for advertisement (a sort of "this space for sale" banner), so you can view it by looking there.

Or open the spoiler.
https://www.projectwonderful.com/img/uploads/pics/13985-1316127556.gif

I think KB has a really really good idea here. Maybe set some sort of threshold before a fancomic can put itself up for an advert spot but it'd be a win for everyone. The creator gets more visits to his comic, the Playground gets notice of the latest and greatest from the Fan Comic section and the Giant gets a helping hand towards server running.
The point is to raise money. If a fancomic author is willing to pay more for a link to his comic than anyone else is for the same ad space, then I see no reason to not let him have it.

Likewise, if someone feels like paying to show their face to the whole forum, if they're the top bidder then I say go for it.

From this web site's perspective, the point is to raise money and the content of the banners is irrelevant as long as it's not notably objectionable to the site users. So as long as it's not something that would put off the forumites let the high bidder put whatever (s)he wants there.

Castaras

2011-09-16, 01:12 PM

Yep, I see ads. And yep, I turned Adblock off. These ads are much better than I was expecting - there isn't even ads inbetween posts, which I regularly see.

The Giant

2011-09-16, 01:16 PM

The point is to raise money. If a fancomic author is willing to pay more for a link to his comic than anyone else is for the same ad space, then I see no reason to not let him have it.

Likewise, if someone feels like paying to show their face to the whole forum, if they're the top bidder then I say go for it.

From this web site's perspective, the point is to raise money and the content of the banners is irrelevant as long as it's not notably objectionable to the site users. So as long as it's not something that would put off the forumites let the high bidder put whatever (s)he wants there.

More or less this. However, I do have the ability to block specific ads or specific bidders, so anything in poor taste, overly negative, or harmful to the rest of my business will just be blocked. If you want to pay for a banner that says, "WHERES THE NEW COMIC?" I'm going to block it no matter how much you bid. Likewise, if someone puts up a banner advertising OOTS books at half the price Ookoodook sells them, I'm probably going to block that too.

Seerow

2011-09-16, 01:43 PM

I'm very observant.

My first reaction to this thread title was "What banners?"

Then I noticed the banner.

I did the same thing. Seems the advertising companies are wasting their money on me. I'm too oblivious.

Mando Knight

2011-09-16, 01:46 PM

More or less this. However, I do have the ability to block specific ads or specific bidders, so anything in poor taste, overly negative, or harmful to the rest of my business will just be blocked.

Oh, good. I was going to pose a question about this (such as "wait, what if there's an ad with stuff that goes against the website's policy?"), but this answers that.

Gorgondantess

2011-09-16, 01:50 PM

Arminius

2011-09-16, 02:00 PM

I don't like ads or advertising in general. That said, I understand why they are necessary, and to be truthful, was somewhat surprised the site ran for so long without them. Most other forums I visit have some sort of ads. My adblock and noscript are disabled for gitp and project wonderful.

Yuki Akuma

2011-09-16, 02:02 PM

Wouldn't it make more sense to put both banners on the left side of the screen, on the big blank bar under the "shop" button? It's more unobtrusive, any forumgoer is going to see the ad just as much (actually more if you move the bottom one there), and just fills up an empty space rather than shunting things around.

The thing is, Mr. Burlew doesn't want people not using the forum to see the ads. That bar on the left is a wrapper for the entire site, so anything put there would be visible from every non-forum page as well.

PirateMonk

2011-09-16, 02:53 PM

I did the same thing. Seems the advertising companies are wasting their money on me. I'm too oblivious.

Great, now no one will want to buy ads here. :smalltongue:

Maxios

2011-09-16, 03:01 PM

Is there any way to turn the ads off? One of the reasons why I go on these forums so much is because there's no ads like the other forums I go on. :sigh:

Mystic Muse

2011-09-16, 03:09 PM

Is there any way to turn the ads off? One of the reasons why I go on these forums so much is because there's no ads like the other forums I go on. :sigh:

Depends on your browser.

But really, the ads shouldn't bother you that much. There are just two.

Claudius Maximus

2011-09-16, 03:10 PM

There are common browser options such as Adblock and Noscript if you really don't want to see them.

But really, are they so bad? No animations, no sound, and you know exactly where the money's going. I don't see how it's really such a bother. And by not blocking the ads, you support the forum.

happyturtle

2011-09-16, 03:14 PM

After I read this post (http://www.theweinerworks.com/?p=699) by Zach Weiner of SMBC, I disabled Adblock on all of the comic sites I visit. Until I read that, I didn't realize it made a difference.

I realize these ads are supporting the forums instead of the comic, but I imagine the principle is the same: More eyeballs on ad = higher revenue = good.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-09-16, 03:24 PM

I must say, I approve. And I did think of the possibility of the community putting up community- and forum-based ads: For example, for world-building projects, fan-comics, etc.

Emperor Ing

2011-09-16, 03:27 PM

It might take a bit of getting used to, but they're not making noises, they're not nomming the page, so that's good.

Tirian

2011-09-16, 03:37 PM

Great, now no one will want to buy ads here. :smalltongue:

I think the challenge is to develop an ad that will draw in the generic reader of the GITP forums. I'm not a clicking machine, but I'm capable of being wooed. I would suggest that the Arts and Crafts forum would be an awesome place for finding the sorts of artists who draw in a style that appeals to the website readers....

Also, I'm embarrassed to say that I've never whitelisted a site before, so I didn't know how to do it. If you're in my boat (Adblock Plus on Firefox), you'll find a little stop sign icon up on the top bar, click on that and then on "Disable on giantitp.com" and you're good to go. If there are other blockers and browser combinations, I'm sure that either Google or folks here would be happy to help you help defray the costs of running the server.

KenderWizard

2011-09-16, 03:37 PM

If you click the "Your ad could be here, right now." link right below the ad, it takes you to the Project Wonderful site where you can see some statistics. Among other things, you can view the ads for the current winning bids for PW's four regions - America, Canada, Europe, and Elsewhere. Wrongtown currently has the ads for America and Elsewhere (Gengame just beat the America bid), but Canada and Europe still have no bids and are still showing the advertisement for advertisement (a sort of "this space for sale" banner), so you can view it by looking there.

I was so confused as to why other people could see ads and I could still only see the place holder! It didn't occur to me there would be different ads for different places, but I suppose that's the clever way to do it.

My only problem is I have a little laptop, so the ad at the top stretches the screen a bit and I can scroll left and right. It's a bit annoying that the edges are off the screen now.

KillianHawkeye

2011-09-16, 03:44 PM

As long as the ads are no more distracting then the ones I see in peoples' signature space so often, then I have no choice but to approve.

Sunken Valley

2011-09-16, 04:37 PM

Hold on, will these ads stretch the screen? Because I hate oversized posts. Also, will the existence of ads change the forum rules on advertising (which is an instant ban offence if commercial).

Seerow

2011-09-16, 04:37 PM

As long as the ads are no more distracting then the ones I see in peoples' signature space so often, then I have no choice but to approve.

This brings to mind a new advertising strategy that would be hilarious to see implemented: Imagine if an advertiser could have a banner that randomly replaces people's signatures for some posts. Like rather than disrupting the forum itself, it just randomly says "Nope this post this person loses their sig and has it replaced with an advertisement"

darkelf

2011-09-16, 04:44 PM

Hold on, will these ads stretch the screen? Because I hate oversized posts. Also, will the existence of ads change the forum rules on advertising (which is an instant ban offence if commercial).

the leaderboard at the top is 728 pixels wide and 90 pixels tall, the banner at the bottom is 468 x 60. so there shouldn't be too much stretching going on.

they're also limited to 100kB in size, which should be really easy to do since animation isn't allowed here.

Mystic Muse

2011-09-16, 04:46 PM

This brings to mind a new advertising strategy that would be horribly irritatingto see implemented: Imagine if an advertiser could have a banner that randomly replaces people's signatures for some posts. Like rather than disrupting the forum itself, it just randomly says "Nope this post this person loses their sig and has it replaced with an advertisement"

This seems more likely.

Seerow

2011-09-16, 04:58 PM

This seems more likely.

Hilarious, horribly irritating, the two are nearly synonymous on the internet.

Yuki Akuma

2011-09-16, 05:03 PM

Also, will the existence of ads change the forum rules on advertising (which is an instant ban offence if commercial).

...Very likely, if they change, they will be made stricter.

Mutant Sheep

2011-09-16, 05:35 PM

So, theoretically, is it possible to purchase add space and put in an add for Oots? :smallbiggrin: People dont read it here, silly people.

SDF

2011-09-16, 05:40 PM

If you are going to waste money like that wouldn't you rather just buy some merch?

the leaderboard at the top is 728 pixels wide and 90 pixels tall, the banner at the bottom is 468 x 60. so there shouldn't be too much stretching going on.

they're also limited to 100kB in size, which should be really easy to do since animation isn't allowed here.

I think if you are experiencing stretching from that it is time to change your resolution, or get a new computer.

MoonCat

2011-09-16, 05:59 PM

I like the one at the bottom better. Definitely less visible.

Domochevsky

2011-09-16, 06:08 PM

So... any complaints about the current ad up top from the US forum goers? >_>

Seerow

2011-09-16, 06:10 PM

So... any complaints about the current ad up top from the US forum goers? >_>

Which ad are you seeing? I see "Let's Play Gengame" which means nothing to me.

Trazoi

2011-09-16, 06:17 PM

Project Wonderful ads are generally pretty nifty and are targeted for the topic of the site, so they should be fine. I only wish I had something to advertise right now while the bidding is fresh :smallwink:. It will be interesting to see how much they go for in the future given there's only two and the footer ad is pretty well hidden.

Is there a logistical reason why the header banner ad is under the "Welcome back! Be sure you have read and understand the Forum Rules" box, instead of above it? It does make it stand out a bit more which might be better for eyeball views, but it also makes it feel like it's stuck inside the forum itself rather than hovering over it.

The Giant

2011-09-16, 06:26 PM

Question Time:

Also, will the existence of ads change the forum rules on advertising (which is an instant ban offence if commercial).

No, there are no changes to the rules on advertising using your forum account. If you want to advertise here, pay for an ad--don't post it for free on the forum. (Artists, webcomics, and similar primarily creative works still have a partial exception to those rules, though.)

I like the one at the bottom better. Definitely less visible.

Being less visible means that advertisers will pay less to have it. Since the goal is to raise enough money, some ads will, by necessity, be highly visible...whether or not that's appreciated by the entire readership.

So... any complaints about the current ad up top from the US forum goers? >_>

Let's try not to have a discussion about the details of what is or is not displayed at any given moment. It can change from minute to minute and different regions are seeing different things, making it impossible to have a conversation that doesn't include a lot of people explaining what it was they were seeing when they made such-and-such a comment. If anyone objects to an ad they are seeing, the proper response is to report it on the Inappropriate Ad thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215548).

s there a logistical reason why the header banner ad is under the "Welcome back! Be sure you have read and understand the Forum Rules" box, instead of above it? It does make it stand out a bit more which might be better for eyeball views, but it also makes it feel like it's stuck inside the forum itself rather than hovering over it.

Additional white space between the ads (whose colors I can't control) and the tan header helped preserve the aesthetic of the original design more. Because the header colors are so muted, the ad would overtake the header completely. Plus the negative space around the logo circle looked weird.

MoonCat

2011-09-16, 06:27 PM

Being less visible means that advertisers will pay less to have it. Since the goal is to raise enough money, some ads will, by necessity, be highly visible...whether or not that's appreciated by the entire readership.

I know. I just like it better. I'm not blocking either one or anything, just like it better.

teratorn

2011-09-16, 07:03 PM

I'd buy add time if it would run on Haley's shirt (following the announcement now on top now).

Domochevsky

2011-09-16, 07:15 PM

...

Let's try not to have a discussion about the details of what is or is not displayed at any given moment. It can change from minute to minute and different regions are seeing different things, making it impossible to have a conversation that doesn't include a lot of people explaining what it was they were seeing when they made such-and-such a comment. If anyone objects to an ad they are seeing, the proper response is to report it on the Inappropriate Ad thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215548).

...

Fair enough. I was just wondering if that type of ad was fine, seeing how i placed it for my webcomic (while the going is good). :smallsmile:

(It's a pretty good way to support GitP and get something out for myself as well. I like that.)

turkishproverb

2011-09-16, 08:20 PM

Good choice of Advert. companies. Glad the giant chose it over one of the annoying ones.

i'm not only not blocking ads, i've picked up the bottom ad slot. :smallbiggrin:
(for my wife's biz)

*clicks link*

Icewalker

2011-09-16, 09:14 PM

>.>

<.<

Mine now.

I'm okay with this advertising. I can certainly tolerate it and if it means getting better server software that's awesome.

...Also it lines up nicely with the shortly upcoming release of my new fiction magazine.

Yuki Akuma

2011-09-16, 09:15 PM

Why does the banner say it's nonfiction when the website says it's fiction.

Domochevsky

2011-09-16, 09:30 PM

>.>

<.<

Mine now.

...

Dangit! *shakes fist* I'll get you!

Icewalker

2011-09-16, 09:38 PM

...Our letterer needs to get less damn stressed. And I needed to be in less of a hurry. It's yours again for the moment, Domo!

Fixed it!

Rawhide

2011-09-16, 10:06 PM

Quick suggestion: That advert would probably look better as a GIF or PNG. The JPG compression is causing considerable artifacts around the solid lines (such as letter borders). If you use GIF though, be sure your program exports the right colour settings and doesn't dither or otherwise distort the colours.

Pink

2011-09-16, 10:44 PM

Hmmm, these could be fun.

Shhalahr Windrider

2011-09-16, 11:07 PM

Does turning off adblocker for the site really help if the money is generated via daily bids instead of through number of clicks?
My understanding of the way Project Wonderful works: You get paid for the amount of time you are showing the highest bidder’s add regardless of who sees it.

However, Adblocker could potentially block Project Wonderful from detecting a hit to the page, depending on how those hits were counted, thereby undercounting the traffic that it displays to potential bidders. This, in turn, would reduce the incentive for higher bids.

So, yeah, I’d guess you should turn Adblocker off for any site you wish to support, regardless of the payment scheme used.

I think if you are experiencing stretching from that it is time to change your resolution, or get a new computer.
You are assuming the stretching is only a problem because you are browsing with a maximized window.

Readability of large blocks of text goes down after about 70 or so characters in column width. Anything longer makes your eyes have to scan back and forth over longer distances, and thereby wear themselves out.

If you have a wide, high resolution monitor, I would recommend against browsing with a maximized window. I don’t. And readability is just one of the reasons.

That said, there are rules in place on these forums specifically to avoid causing over-stretched posts. I don’t think the Giant is going to start approving ads that break the goal of those rules.

Lurk-Sothoth

2011-09-16, 11:26 PM

I really appreciate the fact that the ad banners are non-animated. I didn't think that a classy guy like Rich Burlew would sign off on incredibly obnoxious ads that move around, have sound, etc., but it's great news that he's avoiding animated ad banners as well. Those can be very distracting.

I don't mind advertisements for things that relevant to my interests, and so far I have clicked on a few of the ad banners out of genuine interest about the product or web comic being promoted. (I'll try to click the banners when I visit the forums just because... "I'm contributing!" :elan:)

Lycan 01

2011-09-16, 11:42 PM

I am personally okay with this. The adds don't bother me, and its for the good of the forum. I support you decision and the plans you've suggested, Giant. :smallsmile:

happyturtle

2011-09-16, 11:45 PM

derfy

2011-09-16, 11:46 PM

happyturtle

2011-09-16, 11:50 PM

Neither. People bid for the slot, and pay for the amount of time their ad is the highest bid. If you click on the text under the ad, you can go through to Project Wonderful and read all about it. It's a pretty nifty business model.

Tirian

2011-09-16, 11:55 PM

Neither.

And yet both, since if an advertiser finds that their business is improved in any way by the ads, they will want to bid more if that's what it takes to keep their ads in people's eyes. It is, as you say, a nice business model.

Douglas

2011-09-17, 12:06 AM

Pink

2011-09-17, 12:09 AM

Wow. As of the time of this post, the total of all 8 ad slots (top and bottom for each of 4 regions) is earning $21.90 per day. That's over $650 per month. If that keeps up after the novelty and trial period wear off, I imagine a server upgrade will be no problem at all.

*cough* I may have bid quite high for the novelty. I'll probably pause the advertisement over night, and only purchase $10 worth myself. It's kinda fun doing the bidding, like ebay fun, and when you've spent enough money you can just pause or take down your ad and it'll go the the next bidder in line.

Icewalker

2011-09-17, 12:14 AM

You may just be doing it as a short burst, but honestly, I'm pretty sure the ads are still waaay low right now. My guess is, within a month or so, the US one alone will level out to something like $20-$30 a day.

Pink

2011-09-17, 12:16 AM

I could see that. The traffic here is pretty huge.

Douglas

2011-09-17, 12:18 AM

Pink

2011-09-17, 12:24 AM

So novelty is a confirmed factor.

Still, if you win the bid do you pay what you bid or the second place bid plus a margin? If it's second place plus a margin like ebay then we've got somebody else who bid double digits for the top America slot.

It's like ebay, you pay just above the second place bid.

And of course that's just the daily rate. How much you actually get charged is how much time your ad shows. Thus far it's only cost me $1.02

happyturtle

2011-09-17, 12:27 AM

I imagine ads for dice, gaming modules, and science fiction/fantasy novels would all do well on this site. Anything gamer geek oriented.

Douglas

2011-09-17, 12:31 AM

60,000 uniques over a single day on a site with a strong relation to a specific niche market? Yeah, this is good ad real estate.

Bucky

2011-09-17, 12:59 AM

Fun fact: We currently have the 19th highest-valued Project Wonderful adbox on the internet.

Sunken Valley

2011-09-17, 01:44 AM

The bottom project wonderful advert is for gengame. There are lots of people who have sigs advertising gengame (even a moderator). Are they all breaking the rules?

Pink

2011-09-17, 01:49 AM

The bottom project wonderful advert is for gengame. There are lots of people who have sigs advertising gengame (even a moderator). Are they all breaking the rules?

I think you'll find that non-profit advertisements are generally within the rules.

Jimorian

2011-09-17, 02:43 AM

However, I'm surprised that nice advertising would pay very much, given that 90% of the internet still seems to use advertisers who subscribe to the "track down the visitor's home address and mail them a live bobcat" school of advertising.

Even after the example of Google becoming one of the most powerful entities on the planet by serving up ads that were simple text and links.

But yeah, big thumbs up for nice basic banner ads which actually have a good chance of being something forum members might be interested in.

pendell

2011-09-17, 09:51 AM

This is really all that I see really mattering to the posting community. Light advertising is at the very worst a mild inconvenience and if it pays for a more user-friendly forum experience then I don't see a lot of complaints coming out of it.

I don't think an unobstrusive ad or two as a banner will prove to be a problem. I support the idea.

Even so, I wish the Giant accepted donations. I think the odd dollar donation *for the purpose of maintaining the forum by the people who use it* might go some way towards relieving the pain. Not to help the Giant or pay for his medical bills or whatever -- he's made his desires plain in that regard. But I don't see anything wrong with those such as myself who post multi-paragraph essays and make the server groan drop the occasional dollar in the kitty to help cover the costs.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

PirateMonk

2011-09-17, 10:13 AM

I don't think an unobstrusive ad or two as a banner will prove to be a problem. I support the idea.

Even so, I wish the Giant accepted donations. I think the odd dollar donation *for the purpose of maintaining the forum by the people who use it* might go some way towards relieving the pain. Not to help the Giant or pay for his medical bills or whatever -- he's made his desires plain in that regard. But I don't see anything wrong with those such as myself who post multi-paragraph essays and make the server groan drop the occasional dollar in the kitty to help cover the costs.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Wouldn't putting a white rectangle or something more interesting in the ad box for a little while accomplish the same thing?

Tirian

2011-09-17, 01:30 PM

Even so, I wish the Giant accepted donations.

Well, he doesn't. Go make a $20 Project Wonderful buy that just says "THANKS RICH!" and you'll succeed at sneaking most of that money into his pocket.

Eloel

2011-09-17, 03:05 PM

To echo the other topic, would it be possible to get a post/thread somewhere with all current ads from all regions posted in it? It could be a sticky, first post of this thread, or something completely different. Since all ads here have target audience gamers, I'd like to see what they have to offer. It would also be easy to spot inappropriate stuff there, as a plus.

Kobold-Bard

2011-09-17, 03:11 PM

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-17, 03:47 PM

It would probably be breaking some rules in some contracts too, they are after all buying the right to reach American, Canadian, European or other viewers on this forum. If we would showcase them all regardless of region it wouldn't be much point to bid high for your intended market - you could just snipe out the cheapest one for the moment.

Flame of Anor

2011-09-17, 04:16 PM

Howdy,

I figure someone was going to make a thread discussing them anyway so....I like the mini-comic advertising the space. I feel that Haley's chest will be a very effective advertising medium. :smalltongue:

The what? I missed out on that, it seems.

What was this, then? Just out of...you know, intellectual curiosity. :smallwink:

Kumori

2011-09-17, 05:05 PM

What was this, then? Just out of...you know, intellectual curiosity. :smallwink:

[..]Or open the spoiler.
https://www.projectwonderful.com/img/uploads/pics/13985-1316127556.gif[..]

tencharacters

AnvilMAn

2011-09-17, 07:03 PM

ads....what ads? :smallbiggrin:

Rae Artemi

2011-09-17, 07:30 PM

ads....what ads? :smallbiggrin:

The ads at the top and bottom of every forum page that help support these forums and have been whitelisted by many of its members for that very reason. Those ads.

Qwertystop

2011-09-17, 08:00 PM

Oddly, according to the "Your add could be here, right now" links, the bottom US ad is currently at 20 cents more than the top one. Also, the link says it's "Patty's Pottery", but my screen shows it as "RPGMP3.com"

Dragon Star

2011-09-17, 08:11 PM

Finally. I think that ads should have been put up a long time ago. The giant has been paying for the forums and providing OOTS with only the proceeds from the book sales. I don't notice the ads at all, and even if i did i dont mind a minor annoyance to help pay for this website and comic. Honestly, I think that ads should be put on the oots page as well. Plenty of other webcomics have irregular updating schedules and almost all of them have ads.

Icewalker

2011-09-17, 08:25 PM

NerfTW

2011-09-17, 09:33 PM

ads....what ads? :smallbiggrin:

You probably shouldn't be happy about bypassing the ads meant to support this forum in a thread about it.

Mc. Lovin'

2011-09-18, 03:39 AM

Adblock disabled. The best of luck to you in the new endeavor Rich

Fion MacCumhail

2011-09-18, 04:43 AM

hmm, the link that is displayed at the bottom of my browser (FF) when i move the mouse over one of the ads contains the address of the last page i've visited, not of the actual one. is that meant to be that way?

Domochevsky

2011-09-18, 06:29 AM

You gotta be more specific than that. What region are you in? Project Wonderful separates ads into 4 regions (US/Canada/Europe/Other), to be paid for each separately. Currently i'm holding the bottom one for everything except US. Those are linked correctly per referrer to GenGame. :smallsmile:

Fion MacCumhail

2011-09-18, 01:02 PM

oh, there's nothing wrong with where the ads link. i'm just wondering about the link name.
for example, the link name for your GenGame ad shown in this thread is
"http://www.projectwonderful.com/out.php?go=105930666&_r=http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25" (at least for me at the moment).
as you can see, it contains the link to the "board/site issues" subforum ("http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25") via which i came here and i find that a little weird.
it's not really a problem, though, and - as i've just noticed - not limited to this site. so never mind.

Zherog

2011-09-18, 02:21 PM

It's a parameter in the URL. My hunch is that "r=" is their code for "referral" so that when the ad gets served, they know where it came from. They can then track that on their side - for example, by logging that URL to a database - and use the statistics for their vendors, to give them an idea of how often the ad will get seen (among other reasons).

For another example of this, on Facebook whenever you click the Home link on the top of your page, you'll see "?ref=home" in the URL. That allows the folks at Facebook to know how you got there, so that they can track it and understand different ways people access the site.

Defiant

2011-09-18, 04:13 PM

Does disabling adblock really help?

Tirian

2011-09-18, 04:22 PM

Does disabling adblock really help?

Yes. Project Wonderful reports on how many times the ads are seen over the course of a day. If you have adblock, you're not downloading the images, and so you're not contributing to the statistics about how valuable this space is.

For what it's worth, I'm generally an ad-blocking kind of guy, but I've disabled it here. Both Rich and Project Wonderful have the philosophy that ads shouldn't be "reader-hostile", so you're signing in for pop-ups or animations or anything of that sort. At least give disabling a shot and see if it's something you can live with to help contribute to the revenue stream of the forums.

Ursus the Grim

2011-09-18, 08:13 PM

Am I reading this right? Did Tales from the Menagerie sink five dollars for their American bid?

I'm oddly excited by this, actually. Its like I get to support the Giant and the Forums without actually buying anything.

Assuming it all takes off, when do we think we'll see a difference in server robustness?

Edit:

Top Referrers (Past week)
19990: google.com
2202: google.co.uk
2122: google.ca
869: google.com.au
537: google.it
517: bing.com
454: tvtropes.org:smallsigh:

KingLemmiwinks

2011-09-18, 09:24 PM

So, I don't post often, but I'd figure I'd lend my voice for this particular issue. For me, personally, the presence of ads isn't all that bad, especially with the restrictions that have been placed on the types of ads. I've been to the occasional site that overdoes it, but that's definitely not the case here.

The fact that we have such a focused audience plays well, in addition. I actually ENJOY advertisements on the number of smaller, community-based sites that I frequent; the interests are usually a bit more clustered, and so the advertising is more suited to my (and the general forum-goer's) tastes. I've found many an interesting webcomic or community through ads like that.

In fact, the "Tales From The Menagerie" ad drew my click almost immediately. Viewing an ad in general is almost no hassle, and from a bit of exploration, the hosting of forums is usually a pretty big money-sink; it's not outrageous that a few dozen pixels are devoted to advertising to keep up with our shenanigans.

In summary: No regrets, I'm already used to it!

Douglas

2011-09-18, 10:32 PM

Am I reading this right? Did Tales from the Menagerie sink five dollars for their American bid?
Yes. And the fact that it's showing a number that high means someone else bid just below it, so Tales from the Menagerie is only one of two advertisers who think that slot is worth $5 per day.

Rae Artemi

2011-09-18, 10:39 PM

Yes. And the fact that it's showing a number that high means someone else bid just below it, so Tales from the Menagerie is only one of two advertisers who think that slot is worth $5 per day.

The top American ad for RPGMP3 yesterday was at a going rate of $33.60 when I checked it.

Icewalker

2011-09-18, 10:50 PM

Yep, it's been moving around. Right now, the banner ad is producing $8.60 per day, and the lower ad $4.70 per day. So, $400 per month right now. I expect it will go up in time.

Feytalist

2011-09-19, 01:57 AM

Yep, it's been moving around. Right now, the banner ad is producing $8.60 per day, and the lower ad $4.70 per day. So, $400 per month right now. I expect it will go up in time.

It's heartening to hear, actually. Like Ursus said, it's like supporting the site without us actually doing anything. My favourite kind of support :smallbiggrin:

Icewalker

2011-09-19, 02:13 AM

Yeah! Well I mean, I'm paying $8 a day, but :smalltongue:

I am glad for it for the server though. Better servers will be a great step for the forum and Rich's decision to make the ads unobtrusive really shows his respect for the community he's created, I think.

happyturtle

2011-09-19, 04:35 AM

Am I reading this right? Did Tales from the Menagerie sink five dollars for their American bid?

I'm oddly excited by this, actually. Its like I get to support the Giant and the Forums without actually buying anything.

Assuming it all takes off, when do we think we'll see a difference in server robustness?

Edit:
:smallsigh:

The Giant said earlier in the thread that they'll give it a trial period to see how much money it brings in before committing to the expense of a new server.

Yuki Akuma

2011-09-19, 04:41 AM

Edit:
:smallsigh:

...What?

Are you somehow upset that an insanely popular website with several dozen links to Giant in the Playground refers a lot of people here?

I'm more upset that several thousand people apparently need Google to help them remember a URL like giantitp.com.

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-19, 04:44 AM

Google search, works well for searching in the archives when the forums own search function malfunctions.

I like that Sweden has advanced to number 9 in the country listing - now to beat Finland. :smalltongue:

Ashtar

2011-09-19, 06:00 AM

Yay! Ads top click on, new places to visit, and targeted material too! :smallbiggrin:

I support this 100% and I visit the links, too. It's too bad the Tales from the Menagerie is not out yet, it's hard to get repeat visits if they haven't put out #1 yet.

happyturtle

2011-09-19, 06:33 AM

I know a couple of people who intend to send them stories, so the ad is still doing its job. :smallsmile:

Rawhide

2011-09-19, 07:19 AM

It's a pity no one has made a TLAP day themed advert.

happyturtle

2011-09-19, 07:34 AM

Yaarr! The HMS Project Wonderful be too powerful fer us ta pillage fer ad space, and we be spendin all our gold on rum!

Rawhide

2011-09-19, 08:21 AM

Yep, it's been moving around. Right now, the banner ad is producing $8.60 per day, and the lower ad $4.70 per day. So, $400 per month right now. I expect it will go up in time.

Be careful there, as you can't really judge the value of the adverts from any given moment. The things to remember is that it changes a lot based on what people are willing to pay at that moment and (unfortunately for the web sites, but fortunately for all of the advertisers) the real cost of the ad space is only going to be as large as the second highest bidder. Also, and perhaps most importantly, Project Wonderful will of course be taking a cut.

Ursus the Grim

2011-09-19, 09:46 AM

The Giant said earlier in the thread that they'll give it a trial period to see how much money it brings in before committing to the expense of a new server.

Yeah, I see that now. Makes sense.

...What?

Are you somehow upset that an insanely popular website with several dozen links to Giant in the Playground refers a lot of people here?

I'm more upset that several thousand people apparently need Google to help them remember a URL like giantitp.com.

No, I'm just remembering all the times someone mentions "The Site that Shall not Be Named" and refers me to it, where I end up losing hours of my day and waking up in a bathtub in Colombia.

Admittedly, once or twice I've mistyped the URL when not thinking and headed towards gitp.com. But now I've got it bookmarked.

Gwynfrid

2011-09-19, 09:58 AM

NerfTW

2011-09-19, 09:58 AM

...What?

Are you somehow upset that an insanely popular website with several dozen links to Giant in the Playground refers a lot of people here?

I'm more upset that several thousand people apparently need Google to help them remember a URL like giantitp.com.

Besides the searching, and old fans who don't remember giantitp.com, but want to find Order of the Stick again, there's another reason. Did you know the number one search on Google is "www.google.com"?

The reason being that people with a google home page or search bar might have one that grabs focus, so when they open a new window, they think they're in the address box, and wind up doing a search instead.

Gullintanni

2011-09-19, 10:22 AM

Besides the searching, and old fans who don't remember giantitp.com, but want to find Order of the Stick again, there's another reason. Did you know the number one search on Google is "www.google.com"?

The reason being that people with a google home page or search bar might have one that grabs focus, so when they open a new window, they think they're in the address box, and wind up doing a search instead.

I accidentally do this all the time. My homepage is google news, and when I want to hop over to web-search I frequently type the web address into the google search bar.

...I should probably just start my searches from there.

Haruki-kun

2011-09-19, 10:51 AM

Does disabling adblock really help?

Yes. Project Wonderful reports on how many times the ads are seen over the course of a day. If you have adblock, you're not downloading the images, and so you're not contributing to the statistics about how valuable this space is.

Yup.

Moot, the owner of 4chan, has often reminded his users to disable ad-block, as advertisement is 4chan's only source of revenue. (And he's actually stated that 4chan is not doing very well financially).

It's sorta like a TV commercial, except in this case the company can tell whether people are actually watching the commercial or not, which affects how much the commercial is worth.

Kobold-Bard

2011-09-19, 11:27 AM

I recall seeing that the ads can't be NSFW, but what if they break another rule of the Playground eg. religion or politics based. Should they be reported, or do the ad boxes get an exception?

MCerberus

2011-09-19, 11:38 AM

Rockphed

2011-09-19, 11:59 AM

They can also require express approval by the site owner.

Rich doesn't currently require that he (or another admin, I think they all have power to do so) approve an ad.

I would like to know whether we should report ads that break forum rules other than being not safe for work. I.e. should we report ads for political campaigns?

The Giant

2011-09-19, 12:11 PM

I recall seeing that the ads can't be NSFW, but what if they break another rule of the Playground eg. religion or politics based. Should they be reported, or do the ad boxes get an exception?

I hadn't thought about this...I'd say yes, report them, and then I'll decide depending on what rule is being broken. Politics and religion, I would certainly choose to block, but I could imagine other things might be case-by-case.

Tyndmyr

2011-09-19, 12:15 PM

I am a fan of this idea...hell, and Project Wonderful, which is news to me. I'd already checked out one ad(project menagerie) and bookmarked em just because it looked interesting, and I admit I rather like ads when they're tasteful and well targeted.

Hell, I'll probably buy ad slots as soon as I get something up on the internet worth advertising.

Who149

2011-09-19, 12:56 PM

Personally they don't seem to distracting to me. The fact that there static images rather then animated or sound ones makes them blend easier in the background. And there only on the forum and only on the top and bottom of the page.

The current ads (on my screen anyway) seem to even fit in with the color scheme of the site. So I probably wouldn't have even really noticed them.

Im used to sites where ads clog up everything, but i'm glad that your controlling the situation really well, and chose to do it out of necessity rather then greed.

good job Giant :smallbiggrin:

Icewalker

2011-09-19, 02:27 PM

I hadn't thought about this...I'd say yes, report them, and then I'll decide depending on what rule is being broken. Politics and religion, I would certainly choose to block, but I could imagine other things might be case-by-case.

I would presume that ads are allowed to break the "no advertising" rule. :smalltongue:

John Cribati

2011-09-19, 04:45 PM

I would like it if you could remove the green text that occasionally shows up, though. I've "won an iPad" every day since I turned AdBlock off.

Douglas

2011-09-19, 04:47 PM

What green text? If you're seeing "you won an iPad" ads on giantitp, I'd be worried about malware on your computer.

John Cribati

2011-09-19, 04:50 PM

Right now, the word "computer" in your post is green, and hovering over it reveals that I have won yet another iPad. it also does this to the words "free" and "review."

Dogmantra

2011-09-19, 04:51 PM

You probably have some malware. I've never run an adblock program and I don't get any such green text.

Kobold-Bard

2011-09-19, 04:52 PM

Right now, the word "computer" in your post is green, and hovering over it reveals that I have won yet another iPad. it also does this to the words "free" and "review."

Yeah, that's just you. Claim all your ipads, sell some & buy a new computer.

happyturtle

2011-09-19, 04:53 PM

Damn. I come to the forums several times a day and I've never won an ipad. :smallfrown:

John Cribati

2011-09-19, 04:55 PM

And yet, now that I have reactivated Adblock, the green text has gone away.

MCerberus

2011-09-19, 04:58 PM

And yet, now that I have reactivated Adblock, the green text has gone away.

Run a malware sweep, it's still on there but inactive. You may still being info collected. Also see what's being run as an add-on to your browser.

Rawhide

2011-09-19, 05:37 PM

I would like it if you could remove the green text that occasionally shows up, though. I've "won an iPad" every day since I turned AdBlock off.

Right now, the word "computer" in your post is green, and hovering over it reveals that I have won yet another iPad. it also does this to the words "free" and "review."

This has absolutely nothing to do with Giant in the Playground. You have some software installed on your computer and should run malware/virus scanners and be asbolutely certain it has been removed.

Wether it is displaying or not, your computer is still infected and your personal information may be being collected and/or files from your computer may be vulnerable.

Tirian

2011-09-19, 08:45 PM

The things to remember is that it changes a lot based on what people are willing to pay at that moment and (unfortunately for the web sites, but fortunately for all of the advertisers) the real cost of the ad space is only going to be as large as the second highest bidder.

It makes for some interesting strategy, though. Looking at the pricing for the past few days, the only reason that running the top ad in the United States costs $5.10 per day while the other regions are just at a buck is because some currently anonymous person thinks that it's worth $5. Keep in mind that whoever that anonymous person is, they haven't had to pay a penny for driving up the price and won't until the account for the current bid is exhausted. Also keep in mind that that anonymous bid might have been a very small account and set to only run for a few hours, but it's still had a big impact on the Giant's ad revenue up to this point. So, what's holding back you Canadians, Europeans, and Australians? Don't you want to compete for second place? :smalltongue:

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-20, 01:44 AM

@^ Perhaps different views on ethics?

happyturtle

2011-09-20, 04:39 AM

It makes for some interesting strategy, though. Looking at the pricing for the past few days, the only reason that running the top ad in the United States costs $5.10 per day while the other regions are just at a buck is because some currently anonymous person thinks that it's worth $5. Keep in mind that whoever that anonymous person is, they haven't had to pay a penny for driving up the price and won't until the account for the current bid is exhausted. Also keep in mind that that anonymous bid might have been a very small account and set to only run for a few hours, but it's still had a big impact on the Giant's ad revenue up to this point. So, what's holding back you Canadians, Europeans, and Australians? Don't you want to compete for second place? :smalltongue:

If the $5 bid is only for a few hours, then the $5.10 bidder will only have to pay that amount for those few hours. Then the price will drop down again to just over the next lowest bid.

The American slot costs more because it's worth more. It's pretty simple.

https://www.projectwonderful.com/img/generated/charts/58282-r1_0_2_9-c-7.png

horngeek

2011-09-20, 05:45 AM

Yay! We Aussies are fourth! :smallbiggrin:

adblocker... already off, apparently. Huh. :smallconfused:

Tirian

2011-09-20, 10:45 AM

If the $5 bid is only for a few hours, then the $5.10 bidder will only have to pay that amount for those few hours. Then the price will drop down again to just over the next lowest bid.

Nope. Only the person whose ad is being shown is charged. The second-highest bidder is not having their ad shown, so why would they be paying money? The PW FAQ (https://www.projectwonderful.com/abouttheinfiniteauction.php) describes the auction process quite well. Here's the concept:

Person A places a bid to spend up to $10 per day on an ad here, putting $50 behind that bid. But nobody else has bid, so they actually are only charged the minimum bid of $1 per day. So Person A is getting a much better deal than they were hoping for. Now, Person B comes along and places a bid that will spend up to $5 per day on an ad and spends $5 for it. Person A still has the highest bid, so his ad is still being seen, but now his charge goes up to $5.10 per day because he has to spend enough to overcome B's bid, and at this rate A's account will run out in closer to 10 days than 50. Is this unethical of B? I have a hard time seeing it -- A was evidently satisfied having his ad only run for five days and he is still paying less than he expected to, B is not getting to show the ad that she is bidding to show, and most importantly the site is coming closer to getting income that reflects how valuable the site is so that it can upgrade its servers and eventually Rich can drive around in that solid gold rocket-car he deserves. Person A can't be pushed further than he originally set -- if Person C comes along and bids $20 per day for a one-day ad wishing his girlfriend a happy birthday, he wins and Person A instead of being charged more than he wanted now has to wait for Person C's ad to run its course (which will take nearly two days instead of one because they're only charged $10.10 per day).

So at the end of the day, nobody is ever being charged more than their bid, and the more advertisers receive competition, the closer the winners come to charging what THEY think is a fair price, and the more money the Giant makes for server maintenance. Moreover, the more outside advertisers see that there is a steady support of advertising at this site, the more they will conclude that it is because this is a place where advertising is valuable, and they'll come play too. Show me who is getting hurt by these "different ethics" of mine and I'll give it some thought, but until then I think it's a good system for everyone if the auction house has a healthy stream of activity.

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-20, 11:02 AM

If we have people putting in semi-high bids for a short period of time just in order to squeeze out as much cash as possible from the highest bidder it is hurtful for the website with the ads.
Why?
Even if the advertisers are prepared to pay the price they in the end pay they wouldn't like getting "fooled" to pay more than they need to just because some random people who don't really intend to advertise. If it becomes a habit it will show up in the statistics.

Tyndmyr

2011-09-20, 01:52 PM

Now, now, there's no need for worry over this.

If they were not prepared to pay x, they wouldn't have bid x. Entering a low bid to pick up only the hours when nobody else has paid more is a perfectly legitimate strategy, as is paying more to pick up certain hours or days.

In the long term, the price will trend toward what people are willing to pay. It doesn't really matter if the reason why they're willing to pay that is a "happy birthday" message or a traditional ad. Either way, it's a pretty fair deal.

Shhalahr Windrider

2011-09-20, 02:00 PM

Even if the advertisers are prepared to pay the price they in the end pay they wouldn't like getting "fooled" to pay more than they need…
They are not getting fooled in any sense of the word. It’s simply demand driving up the price.

Sure, the top bidder may be willing to pay $10 but hoping to only pay $1, but demand sets the price at $5. As such, it is unavailable for less than $5. If you were willing to pay $10 for something, would you feel fooled if that item’s popularity meant you couldn’t get it it for less than $5?

… to just because some random people who don't really intend to advertise.
I should hope they intend to advertise, since once the top bidder’s account reaches its limit, their ads will be next in line and their accounts will be charged accordingly.

When you place an ad, the only thing you know about the top bid is its current daily value. You have no idea what the actual bid is or what the actual spending limit is. The bidding status is calculated on a per-second basis. When you place a bid, you have to place with intent, because you never know when you will be up.

People who place bad-faith bids are not likely to last long without being discovered.

Sc00by

2011-09-20, 02:17 PM

Ad-block disabled. I suspect that peak prices will be paid on comic release days, I only really check the forum when I see that there has been a new Comic, and I doubt I'm alone in that.

It is a shame that something can't go in the big space on the left under shop though. I understand that it would be visible everywhere on the site (which would no doubt make it a very popular spot, but it's only really the forums that require vertical scrolling) and that isn't the stated aim, but that big empty space is screaming for something to occupy it.

Oh the subject of book sales, get Ookoodook to sort out their international shipping rates, I haven't bought either of the latest books (despite really wanting to and owning all the others) because the shipping cost will be 50% of the book cost and that's too much.

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-20, 03:03 PM

They are not getting fooled in any sense of the word. It’s simply demand driving up the price.

Sure, the top bidder may be willing to pay $10 but hoping to only pay $1, but demand sets the price at $5. As such, it is unavailable for less than $5. If you were willing to pay $10 for something, would you feel fooled if that item’s popularity meant you couldn’t get it it for less than $5?

My scenario was that misguided poster X laid a bid at 9.50 for the shortest possible duration just to bring up the income for the site. (since the winning bidder now have to pay more to keep advertising, or one of the other real advertisers get to do their turn)
Rinse and repeat accordingly.

Wouldn't you feel fooled if it turned out that you're paying at artificially high levels?

People who place bad-faith bids are not likely to last long without being discovered.

But they would last long if it wasn't something wrong with placing such bids, aye?
i.e. it is wrong to do what I described. (which is the point I'm trying to make)

The Giant

2011-09-20, 03:11 PM

My scenario was that misguided poster X laid a bid at 9.50 for the shortest possible duration just to bring up the income for the site. (since the winning bidder now have to pay more to keep advertising, or one of the other real advertisers get to do their turn)
Rinse and repeat accordingly.

It wouldn't work, because poster X would not know what the current advertisers maximum bid was or for how long. If you accidentally outbid the other person, then congratulations, you have the ad space and you are paying the money. If you don't outbid them, then obviously they were willing to pay whatever that new rate was.

And if you cancel your bid after a short amount of time, then their bid immediately drops back down to just above the next highest bidder. If their bid jumps up to 9.50 for 1 minute, then that actually only translates to $0.00659 actually spent, less than a penny. Bidding 9.50 for 1 minute does not push up the price for the whole day, it pushes it up for that minute.

So endlessly bidding arbitrarily high amounts to try to push up the price will either end up with you getting the ad for short bursts (in which case who cares?) or in a few fractions of a penny more coming from the advertiser's account.

happyturtle

2011-09-20, 03:19 PM

Person C comes along and bids $20 per day for a one-day ad wishing his girlfriend a happy birthday, he wins and Person A instead of being charged more than he wanted now has to wait for Person C's ad to run its course (which will take nearly two days instead of one because they're only charged $10.10 per day).

You can set a time limit as well as an expense limit to avoid the silliness of wishing someone a happy birthday when their birthday is expired, or (in business terms) advertising a sale when the sale has ended.

darkelf

2011-09-20, 05:19 PM

don't overthink this, people.
(what am i saying, this is the internet)

Shhalahr Windrider

2011-09-20, 07:39 PM

Wouldn't you feel fooled if it turned out that you're paying at artificially high levels?
No, I wouldn’t, because I would have made my bid knowing full well that someone else could place a higher-than-minimum bid, and would therefore have set my bid accordingly. I am still paying less than what my budget allows. So it is still a win.

But, really, the most important thing is that I don’t overly concern myself with the motivations my competitors might have for placing an ad. Most of them will be like me: simply trying to attract new customers.

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-21, 02:04 AM

If their bid jumps up to 9.50 for 1 minute, then that actually only translates to $0.00659 actually spent, less than a penny. Bidding 9.50 for 1 minute does not push up the price for the whole day, it pushes it up for that minute.

Thanks for the clarification, I got the opposite impression (that it would push up the price until the highest bidder is done) from Tirians convenient summation of the rules.

---

I won't continue and debate for something I don't think would be a problem, I just didn't like the implication in Tirians first post. Even when it came with a ":smalltongue:".

But I'm a bit shocked to see that I'm quite alone thinking that artificially boosting prices at an auction (or similar) is a bad thing, but I suspect that the crooks gives Shhalahr Windrider a standing ovation for this convenient attitude. It keeps money in circulation if nothing else. :smalltongue:

Rawhide

2011-09-21, 02:46 AM

There are all sorts of dodgy practices that go on in auctions, including eBay. One of them is to have a fake bidder try to artificially inflate the price by bidding against the top bidder.

This is an auction like system, but is not exactly subject to the same kind of abuse. I am a little bit troubled at the implied suggestion in some of the earlier posts that someone should try to work out a system of increasing the cost for other advertisers for the sake of one of the web site publishers apparently making more money.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons an advertiser may set and leave a price for an advertising slot even when it does not get displayed. Imagine an advertiser that decides that a certain adbox is worth to them up to $10 a day, so they set the maximum price they are willing to pay at $10. They find out that another advertiser has bid higher, but they decide to keep it at $10 for the following reasons: The other advertiser may finish or change their campaign at any time, after which, their bid will automatically become the highest bid and be displayed with no further interaction on their behalf.
If the other advertiser doesn't finish or change their campaign, then it will have cost them nothing.

Tirian

2011-09-21, 04:07 AM

I am a little bit troubled at the implied suggestion in some of the earlier posts that someone should try to work out a system of increasing the cost for other advertisers for the sake of one of the web site publishers apparently making more money.

If those posts were written by me, then I apologize; perhaps my words and emoticons were overly glib. I was reacting to your earlier comment that Vickrey auctions can be hard on the sellers because the winning bidder gets a built-in discount. The point that I was trying to make is that the system gets more fair when there are more bidders in the auction and that one way to broaden the appeal of the ads is for ordinary readers to recognize that they could use the space for uses other than advertising traditional goods and services, like wishing people a happy birthday or promoting a get-together in the poster's part of the world or conveying messages of gratitude to the administrative staff. As the number of people who are expressing the value of this advertising space grows, that will naturally increase the efficiency of the bidding system and recoup the true value of the advertising space instead of a small percentage of it. To the degree that my words suggested that posters should go beyond this natural state in an active attempt to game the auction house and defraud the advertisers, that was not my intention.

Shhalahr Windrider

2011-09-21, 07:49 AM

But I'm a bit shocked to see that I'm quite alone thinking that artificially boosting prices at an auction (or similar) is a bad thing…
Especially when you end up inadvertently winning and are unable or unwilling to make good on your bid. Right?

Or when the folks running the auction take notice of your funky bidding patterns and start investigating.

…but I suspect that the crooks gives Shhalahr Windrider a standing ovation for this convenient attitude. It keeps money in circulation if nothing else. :smalltongue:
I still fail to see what a crook would gain from me in such a situation. I’d be paying The Giant and still coming in under budget.

Tyndmyr

2011-09-21, 10:35 AM

But I'm a bit shocked to see that I'm quite alone thinking that artificially boosting prices at an auction (or similar) is a bad thing, but I suspect that the crooks gives Shhalahr Windrider a standing ovation for this convenient attitude. It keeps money in circulation if nothing else. :smalltongue:

It's not artificial at all. It's how the system works. If I put in a bit for $20/day, then clearly, the advertising is worth $20/day to me. If someone else tries to bid me up, he does not know what my cap is. If he exceeds it, he is liable for his higher bid. Either way, he cannot make me pay more than I set my cap at. If $20/day is too high for me...I should set my cap lower.

Pink

2011-09-21, 10:46 AM

It's not artificial at all. It's how the system works. If I put in a bit for $20/day, then clearly, the advertising is worth $20/day to me. If someone else tries to bid me up, he does not know what my cap is. If he exceeds it, he is liable for his higher bid. Either way, he cannot make me pay more than I set my cap at. If $20/day is too high for me...I should set my cap lower.

My sentiments exactly.

Also, I think its entirely possible that, forum users aside, other advertisers might try to make the top bid as near the top as they can. If a spot is coveted, but an advertiser does not want to pay top bid, they may risk raising their bid to get top bidder close to their maximum so they run out of money earlier.

NerfTW

2011-09-21, 01:11 PM

Especially when you end up inadvertently winning and are unable or unwilling to make good on your bid. Right?

Which really wouldn't apply in this situation. This isn't Ebay in the sense that the seller is some guy with few resources. This is a massive company with lawyers, accountants, and a collections department. You don't just say "I'm willing to bid X" with no method of backing that up. It's pretty much the same as buying anything else. They go to charge your card/account, and if it's declined, your bid is rejected. This is instantaneous. (You've been using this system for decades with credit cards) There's no more chance of you not making good on your bid than there is for you to use a bad credit card to pay for your groceries.

Stegyre

2011-09-21, 01:54 PM

I just wanted to chime in to say that, while I understand Rich's reasoning for not putting ad banners on the comic page, I would have no complaints about doing so.

I'm not a fan of advertisers or advertising (except the really funny ads :smallwink:), but I understand how the business model of free web content must work.

OotS is a very high quality product, and even with irregular updates, I would happily endure banners if it helped out Rich and the site in general.

Don't sell yourself short, Rich. Even when there is not "new" content, this strip is enjoyable re- (and re-re-) reading. And if slackers like me who have not yet gotten around to purchasing hard copies can provide some payback by having banner ads, that really is the least we could do.

The Giant

2011-09-21, 02:08 PM

Which really wouldn't apply in this situation. This isn't Ebay in the sense that the seller is some guy with few resources. This is a massive company with lawyers, accountants, and a collections department. You don't just say "I'm willing to bid X" with no method of backing that up. It's pretty much the same as buying anything else. They go to charge your card/account, and if it's declined, your bid is rejected. This is instantaneous. (You've been using this system for decades with credit cards) There's no more chance of you not making good on your bid than there is for you to use a bad credit card to pay for your groceries.

It's more secure than that, even. Bidders have to put money into their PW account (or earn it by having ads on their own site), and then bid using that--not a credit card account. If the account runs dry, the bid is immediately suspended until more funds go into it.

So basically, bidders have already bought and paid for their time long before they place their bids, it's just a matter of what sites they want to spend it on and when.

_Zoot_

2011-09-22, 06:10 AM

Well, it took much fluffing around, but I got the ads to show up!

Long live money!

Eldan

2011-09-22, 07:08 AM

But I can't catch Artistry! I already have nerdery, geekery, ecology and sciencing!

Ashen Lilies

2011-09-22, 07:12 AM

*looks up top*

Niiiiice. :smallamused:

Tyndmyr

2011-09-22, 08:02 AM

Shhalahr Windrider

2011-09-22, 10:19 AM

So basically, bidders have already bought and paid for their time long before they place their bids, it's just a matter of what sites they want to spend it on and when.
So strike the “unable” part from my original statement. The “unwilling” part still stands in the sense that though the money is already in their account, that money is being allocated in a way they didn’t intend. But that is what will happen when you make a bad-faith bid.

happyturtle

2011-09-22, 10:35 AM

Giant, I just wanted to say thank you for removing the scam ad so quickly. :smallsmile:

Tirian

2011-09-22, 10:46 AM

It would be kind of cool if there was a persistent thread in say, Random Banter or somewhere to discuss whatever the ads currently were. A lot of them seem to be fairly interesting/tailored to the community. Would this be an ok thing rules wise?

IANAM, but I suspect that's something that would have to be shut down the moment someone or someones were critical of an advertiser, so the policy remains a sensible one. The better course of action would be to make threads in Webcomics or Media Discussions or Other Gaming generally discussing the webcomic or anime or game in question, or perhaps a thread in the RPG forum talking about the degree to which people own and enjoy rolling premium dice while gaming.

I feel where you're coming from, though. It's been no burden unblocking these ads and largely seeing the impressive Artistry and Industry of the Playground.

Tyndmyr

2011-09-22, 11:21 AM

Eh, people are always critical of things. I don't think that's a showstopper. I mean, I might not like the d10 in elven I see when I click on dicecreator, but others might. And we can certainly chat about the possible merits of it. I don't think that would be terribly bad as far as things go.

Castaras

2011-09-22, 01:19 PM

Oooo a fancy dice shop. *yoinks link for later* :smallbiggrin:

happyturtle

2011-09-22, 01:39 PM

I imagine a thread about fancy dice in general would be acceptable, and probably fairly popular.

Tyndmyr

2011-09-22, 01:41 PM

Oooo a fancy dice shop. *yoinks link for later* :smallbiggrin:

I admit the batman die caught my eye...I both thought it was awesome and when I saw the "metal inlay" wondered if the weight would skew the results.

Icewalker

2011-09-22, 02:27 PM

It would be kind of cool if there was a persistent thread in say, Random Banter or somewhere to discuss whatever the ads currently were. A lot of them seem to be fairly interesting/tailored to the community. Would this be an ok thing rules wise?

I figure the best solution wouldn't be a thread for the things that were in the ads, but rather that if you see an ad and you want to talk about it, go make a thread about what it was advertising. There's nothing at all wrong with making a thread about a business, it just can't be YOUR business. I also figure individual threads would be able to keep much more on topic (cause an 'ads' thread would be changing constantly and multiple discussions would get started).

Airanath

2011-09-22, 02:48 PM

I admit the batman die caught my eye...I both thought it was awesome and when I saw the "metal inlay" wondered if the weight would skew the results.

Off topic: In my region said fancy dice add didn't show, mind pming me the link?
On topic: The adds are small and unobtrusive, I usually have the add blocker inactive for everything, untill the moment I see adds that annoy me, then I turn it off for said site. A pop up blocker on the other hand is always on.
Edit: And stuff like the people of the arts and crafts thread supporting those awesome forums while advertising their wonderful job ON the same forum make me giggle and happy to see how the giant is loved =)

Eloel

2011-09-22, 03:52 PM

Off topic: In my region said fancy dice add didn't show, mind pming me the link?
On topic: The adds are small and unobtrusive, I usually have the add blocker inactive for everything, untill the moment I see adds that annoy me, then I turn it off for said site. A pop up blocker on the other hand is always on.
Edit: And stuff like the people of the arts and crafts thread supporting those awesome forums while advertising their wonderful job ON the same forum make me giggle and happy to see how the giant is loved =)

Clicking the "your ad could be here, right now" text takes you to Project Wonderful page, where you can see all ads currently in place for different regions.

Mando Knight

2011-09-23, 11:12 AM

Tyndmyr

2011-09-23, 01:00 PM

Question for those who are familiar with ad-type things (not those who just take whatever they're told, those who've actually looked into the matter): If I set my filter to allow the scripts, but block the images (there's a couple of ads that I really don't care to look at), will the hit still register?

If the image doesn't load, almost certainly not.

Airanath, didn't save it, I'm afraid. Probably should have. Was named some longer word with dice in it.

darkelf

2011-09-23, 02:08 PM

Q. "is there any way to game the system while avoiding personal inconvenience?"

A. no.

Defiant

2011-09-23, 08:44 PM

I am an adblock person through and through. Everything gets blocked. I see no ads. People talk to me or complain to me about ads, I laugh in their faces while shouting adblock. (well.. not really... I'm not actually a jerk)

But for this site, it's turned off. First of all because I support GITP and these forums, and secondly because all the ads seem relevant.

kpenguin

2011-09-23, 09:35 PM

I think this is about right:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w118/kpenguin222/mostinteresting.jpg

NineThePuma

2011-09-24, 12:33 AM

If I could put that image as my avatar, I would, Kpenguin. Because, YES.

I like the ads. Except for the scam one; I was Gonna report it when I saw someone else had, and the Giant got around to killing it pretty quick too.

drakir_nosslin

2011-09-24, 11:35 AM

Stay thirsty my friends.

Also, I like the ads, it's nice knowing that the forum gains some extra cash since I know it's expensive to host it.

Tundar

2011-09-24, 01:07 PM

AdBlock turned off.
Those adds are unobtrusive, I really like that.

hobbitkniver

2011-09-24, 06:29 PM

I kinda like the adds. Although the webcomics don't much interest me, there was a dice maker website that I might buy some things from. This red heads unite thing is weird though.

kpenguin

2011-09-25, 04:32 AM

The red heads unite banner is actually an elaborate scheme to use the store you run as a base to dig a tunnel into the local bank.

Tirian

2011-09-25, 05:45 AM

I'll take Obscure Literary References for 800, kpenguin.

I'm not certain that the Giant is always on the lookout for unsolicited advice. All the same, I'd suggest that this experiment is a success even if it does not raise enough money to justify the move to a better server. From the reader's perspective, it's a completely opt-in experience, and if it defrays a fraction of your current expenses in exchange for exposing us to a generally relevant array of arts and goods then everyone is a winner.

Defiant

2011-09-25, 09:27 AM

Question to the Giant:

Is there any way to make some derivatives off this bid price and engage in some speculative trading? :smalltongue:

I'll make a long call on Canada's spot.

Lord Raziere

2011-09-25, 02:26 PM

The red heads unite banner is actually an elaborate scheme to use the store you run as a base to dig a tunnel into the local bank.

I'll take obscure literary references for 800 as well.

personally, I'm a red-head myself, but I feel pretty neutral towards it, I mean why unite? why know people just cause they have red hair? I'd rather know people for who they are and their interests and such rather than having the same hair color as them.

MoonCat

2011-09-25, 02:36 PM

I recognize it too. :smallcool:

Savannah

2011-09-25, 02:39 PM

I agree with Tirian; regardless of whether they can pay for a new server, I think the ads should stay. They're not at all annoying (actually, they're fun more often than not) and anything to reduce the Giant's expenses is a good thing.

Mando Knight

2011-09-25, 04:44 PM

I'll take obscure literary references for 800 as well.
...Sherlock Holmes is obscure, now? Granted, I haven't actually read that particular mystery (Or I might've, but my memory of it includes watching the mystery rather than reading it), but I'm pretty sure that one was even one of the ones done in Wishbone...

Icewalker

2011-09-25, 06:00 PM

It's one of the few I've read myself, and is also the same thing I thought of when I saw it...

I'll just add another voice for saying that I like having the ads. They show interesting and related content and I can make great use of them as an advertiser. :smalltongue:

Tirian

2011-09-25, 07:30 PM

All right, all right, literary cookies for everyone! :smallredface:

Zmflavius

2011-09-25, 08:05 PM

All right, all right, literary cookies for everyone! :smallredface:

*munches*

On a side note, IMO, it's one of the best ones.

Mando Knight

2011-09-25, 08:36 PM

Question to the Giant:

Is there any way to make some derivatives off this bid price and engage in some speculative trading? :smalltongue:

I'll make a long call on Canada's spot.

Well, if you want to take the derivative, I recommend checking back every day to see what the current price is. Then after you get a bunch of data points, you can use your favorite regression to determine a function for the curve. Then you could take the derivative, but at that point I don't really know why you would since you already have a function.

Chess435

2011-09-25, 10:57 PM

I think this is about right:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w118/kpenguin222/mostinteresting.jpg

Any chance we could get this in avatar-size? :smalltongue:

Also, it looks like there's a second ad that will need to be squashed. It's already been reported, so it's just a matter of time. If these sort of things keep popping up though, the ads should probably go through pre-screening.

Mutant Sheep

2011-09-25, 11:20 PM

...Sherlock Holmes is obscure, now? Granted, I haven't actually read that particular mystery (Or I might've, but my memory of it includes watching the mystery rather than reading it), but I'm pretty sure that one was even one of the ones done in Wishbone...
If a 90's show/book series turned into a badass 90's show did it, it is obviously mainstream!:smallbiggrin: Quick, somebody put up a 90's ad! Mainstream, here we come!

All right, all right, literary cookies for everyone! :smallredface:
I wanna get a cookie! I WANT MAH LEAGUE COOKIE!:smallfurious: I read the story in my Literature class like, a week ago!

faceroll

2011-09-26, 01:40 AM

Soooo, zombie whores of frankenstein, is that as titillating as it looks? I want to be titillated.

Zeb The Troll

2011-09-26, 02:00 AM

I looked at about 40 pages of it and found nothing compelling. It's strange, to be sure, but doesn't appear to have anything to do with zombies or whores up to the point where I got bored with it.

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-26, 02:02 AM

I think I saw a robot in there though! (metal zombie?)

Domochevsky

2011-09-26, 02:09 AM

Yah, that ad leads to blip, which is certainly not PG13, but is nothing what the ad suggests, which makes me wonder why that specifically was chosen. :smallconfused:

Rawhide

2011-09-26, 02:36 AM

I rewound to the first page (of Blip) and have read through past page 100. I've actually quite enjoyed it and will probably keep reading.

But I have no idea why that banner or slogan was chosen.

drakir_nosslin

2011-09-26, 02:47 AM

But I have no idea why that banner or slogan was chosen.

Perhaps they know the forumgoers? I couldn't resist clicking, mostly because I thought that it might need reporting. No such luck, but the comic is strange enough to have me keep reading.
I'd say: Good job ad-creator-person/robot/alien/house cat.

NineThePuma

2011-09-26, 03:46 AM

The Ad is so outrageous that I cant help but wan to click it, despite desperately needing sleep.

What's it target to?

Rawhide

2011-09-26, 03:58 AM

Perhaps they know the forumgoers? I couldn't resist clicking, mostly because I thought that it might need reporting. No such luck, but the comic is strange enough to have me keep reading.
I'd say: Good job ad-creator-person/robot/alien/house cat.

I think it would get a much better response if it advertised the comic on its own merits. As it was, I only checked it out because it might have been in immediate violation of the advertising restriction listed on PW.

Eldan

2011-09-26, 07:39 AM

I'd still prefer it gone. If I check the forums at work, I really don't want the word "Whore" plastered over my screen in giant red font.

happyturtle

2011-09-26, 07:57 AM

Sounds like the name of a bad Halloween themed porno.

Ursus the Grim

2011-09-26, 08:22 AM

The Ad is so outrageous that I cant help but wan to click it, despite desperately needing sleep.

What's it target to?

Sex sells, to be blunt. This isn't the first comic that advertised with one racy scene when the rest was relatively tame or had nothing to do with the ad. Also, all the 'free to play' browser games that advertise with mostly unclothed ladies. Evony, I think the one was.

I checked it out it see if it was breaking the rules, of course. Not because I was interested in drawn whores, zombified or otherwise.

Shadow Lord

2011-09-26, 10:09 AM

happyturtle

2011-09-26, 10:24 AM

I propose it be changed to 'POST MORTEM ADULT ENTERTAINMENT PROVIDERS' at once.

leakingpen

2011-09-26, 10:24 AM

Also, keep in mind that I do not get paid extra for people clicking on the ads, I get paid a fee per day (or portion of day) that the ad is displayed. So you don't have to click on anything just to support me. Only click on the ads if you want to click on the ads.

That said, if your ad's on PW have a higher click through rate, they become more attractive to a lot of the campaigns people set up, and get you more bids on that per day. And that is a stat (clicks, and unique clicks) that people thinking of bidding can see.

Bayar

2011-09-26, 01:33 PM

Pink

2011-09-26, 01:45 PM

But...if they're willing to pay that much money for a good stint of advertising, it could mean better servers...

I suppose if a particular add bugs you, it may be better to put adblock back on, cause honestly, if they're paying the site $30 a day for the top banner, I'm perfectly fine with that banner that says "zombie whores" at the top.

drakir_nosslin

2011-09-26, 01:53 PM

I propose it be changed to 'POST MORTEM ADULT ENTERTAINMENT PROVIDERS' at once.

I lol'ed, for real. Including the 'out loud' part. Now my mum thinks I'm strange.

Mystic Muse

2011-09-26, 01:54 PM

You can block specific ads with adblock.

happyturtle

2011-09-26, 02:01 PM

I lol'ed, for real. Including the 'out loud' part. Now my mum thinks I'm strange.

Better than her thinking you're shopping for some...

Tyndmyr

2011-09-26, 02:06 PM

It would be nice if it could be taken down. I don't feel comfortable with a giant red ' ZOMBIE WHORE ' on my screen. Y'know. Because of the whole, ' ZOMBIE WHORE ' bit. Maybe ask if they have a different banner?

I agree. "Zombie Whore" on the screen at work doesn't look great. I have nothing against the zombie bit, mind. It's the other part what's hard to explain.

You can block specific ads with adblock.

This only matters if you're on a computer you're allowed to install things on.

Eldan

2011-09-26, 02:40 PM

Kobold-Bard

2011-09-26, 02:46 PM

Aye. I mean, I basically can't get on GitP at work until this thing is gone. I sit in an office with two or three other people, all of which can potentially see my screen. I'd rather avoid that conversation.

You should be working rather than using GitP anyway surely? :smallwink:

drakir_nosslin

2011-09-26, 02:53 PM

You should be working rather than using GitP anyway surely? :smallwink:

He's not slacking, his code is compiling (Or his thesis is being proof read).

But yea, as much as I understand why someone would make a banner like this one (it certainly draws attention) it can raise some rather problematic questions if the wrong person sees the screen...

Defiant

2011-09-26, 02:55 PM

Aye. I mean, I basically can't get on GitP at work until this thing is gone. I sit in an office with two or three other people, all of which can potentially see my screen. I'd rather avoid that conversation.

"It's an ad."

I hate dumb people like that. (Not you, the potentially confused and demanding-explanation people)

Mystic Muse

2011-09-26, 02:57 PM

This only matters if you're on a computer you're allowed to install things on.

Ah, good point.

Eldan

2011-09-26, 03:00 PM

You should be working rather than using GitP anyway surely? :smallwink:

Ech. I go on GitP for ten minutes every hour or so. And I work eight hours with no coffee or lunch breaks, before going home and working some more. I think I'm doing well enugh.

Edit: I like that new one :smalltongue:

Kobold-Bard

2011-09-26, 03:01 PM

New top ad :smallbiggrin:

Appropriate ad is appropriate.

drakir_nosslin

2011-09-26, 03:04 PM

Ahaha, that's awesome! :smallbiggrin:

But why theremin? curiousface.jpg

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-26, 03:07 PM

Well, I sort of predicted it wouldn't last long at $100/day for all regions. :smallwink:
I liked it though - should have linked to tv-tropes or something though. :smalltongue:

Shhalahr Windrider

2011-09-26, 03:27 PM

In terms of actual appropriateness on this site, I’m not seeing much difference between “Zombie Whores of Frankenstein” and “Whore attack! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0240.html)”

And that’s not getting into certain attempted stripteases/seductions (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0355.html), solo adventures (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0622.html), modesty hair (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0752.html), and dwarf sex (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0082.html).

EDIT: Above comment reflects content of the ad itself, not the site to which it links. I recognize that there is some concern over the site advertised, but I don’t have the time to review that for meaningful comment.

Tirian

2011-09-26, 03:32 PM

Well, I sort of predicted it wouldn't last long at $100/day for all regions. :smallwink:
I liked it though - should have linked to tv-tropes or something though. :smalltongue:

That's what a five dollar donation to GitP through PW looks like*. Put your own money on the table with a nigh-infinite bid and the ad points to wherever you like (within reason) for an hour or so or more.

*At least according to my back-of-the-envelope math -- I didn't do it myself so I couldn't say for certain. Still, I tip my hat. Theramin? Inspired.