-- POPUPS -- please read - Page 6

Rasbelin · December 26, 2003, 16:52

Of course my ramblings have caused me to have a very negative reputation here, but on the other hand I'm talking seriously, but seen by some as a person who doesn't appriciate anything. Well, too bad, but I'm just trying to enlighten that there are better ways to do some of the business. And yes, I don't own this site, so I don't have that experience, but I have other experience. Nevertheless, just carry on using me as a laughing stock. Would have been abit more useful to discuss these issues openly and taking them as serious ideas, but I guess that would be too much asked.

Tamerlin · December 26, 2003, 21:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Rasbelin

Non aggressive?

As the pop-ups can be blocked by any pop-up killer I consider they are not aggressive...

Quote:

Advertising that causes Claria to be installed or which fills your screen with ads is what I call aggressive marketing. In general pop-up ads are something else than non aggressive. It's not a farking thing you can be thankful for, unless you're a complete nutter that allows almost anything to happen with your system, just for the sake of one website (...which you seem to be, by praising these pop-ups... just my 0,05 €).

You should keep in mind that most of the posters, including myself, are not computer scientists... which does not mean they are nutters. A word that does not help to further a friendly talk by the way.

That does not prevent me from using a firewall, an anti-virus and to regularly scan my system to remove various spywares.

Quote:

It's not a farking thing you can be thankful for...

I am not thankful for the pop-ups but for the Apolyton team...

Quote:

I have several times explained how other better alternatives could be used to fund a large site like ACS. Of course money rules here too! Darn, keeping ACS isn't of course free, so one has to find efficient ways to cover the costs. Pop-ups aren't with their current payouts, which have decreased since the big Internet boom. The money doesn't go directly to ACS. The biggest portion goes to 3rd parties like online advertising agencies. The best payout is certainly by CafePress' merchandise.

Even better (100%) would be from donations, paid extra services and sponsored special memberships. As users block pop-ups and don't buy the products/services marketed by these ads, ACS doesn't get a one single dime. No matter if you would be having your screen filled with God know how many pop-ups, just for the sake of ACS! Yes, some do pay for views, but that's not much and it has decreased since the boom. Not even clicks are worth that much. Getting people to buy is what gives the best payouts. But in the meantime one could have achieved that and more, by simply setting up more efficient ways. Just look at some very popular sites like Something Awful and Salon.com, not to mention zounds of others.

I can't argue with you about this subject as this is a matter I don't know as well as you do... but there is one think I know, it is that I appreciate a free ACS.

yaroslav · December 27, 2003, 18:36

As I posted there: http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=105112

I have got a pop-up AND a all-screen ad when trying to download a ZIP file from a Civ2 forum.

Inverse Icarus · December 27, 2003, 19:34

/me screams "IN-SITE LINKS SHOULDN'T HAVE A ****ING SKIP THROUGH AD!"

MarkG · December 28, 2003, 08:31

Quote:

Originally posted by yaroslav
As I posted there: http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=105112

I have got a pop-up AND a all-screen ad when trying to download a ZIP file from a Civ2 forum.

so you got the redirect page with the full-page ad, and THAT page also spawned a pop-up?

shouldnt happen. if this is really it, we'll be doing some changes....

DrSpike · December 28, 2003, 08:57

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
lazy.
right.

oh well, i guess i've heard everything now, after 7 years of continuing service to the civ community

You tell 'im.

yaroslav · December 28, 2003, 11:37

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
so you got the redirect page with the full-page ad, and THAT page also spawned a pop-up?

shouldnt happen. if this is really it, we'll be doing some changes....

Yes, that is exactly what happened. I took two detailed screenshots. I hope this will be useful

First the full-page ad

yaroslav · December 28, 2003, 11:40

And the pop-up

If you take a look at the address, it appears to be the same on both screens.

Next time I'll get a pop-up I'll press the right button and store the full-address...

MarkG · December 29, 2003, 04:48

did you get popups at these specific ads?

TCO · December 29, 2003, 10:20

Could we go to a subscription-based model? I would really enjoy the trolling and flaming that would ensue after you announced such a change, Mark.

MarkG · December 30, 2003, 05:45

if you're talking about turning apolyton into a paying-members-only club, it wont happen, sorry

DrSpike · December 30, 2003, 07:18

Do it as an April Fool.

TCO · December 30, 2003, 08:59

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
if you're talking about turning apolyton into a paying-members-only club, it wont happen, sorry

Even just saying you were going to do it would be sufficient for me. I could tease all the people who think it should be free.

Don't make me start false rumors again that you have told me that you are already planning on doing this...

Ecthy · December 31, 2003, 09:25

we didn't need popups when this place was branching threads.

Skanky Burns · January 18, 2004, 23:40

This place never had branching threads. Thankfully.

Kahn · January 28, 2004, 23:23

Out of curiosity has anyone here ever bought any product advertised by a pop-up?

MarkG · January 29, 2004, 02:45

Quote:

Out of curiosity has anyone here ever bought any product advertised by a pop-up?

the greatness of capitalism is that we are allowed to not care about such things

Rasputin · January 29, 2004, 03:12

paid to advertise, not paid to care !!!!!

Whaleboy · January 31, 2004, 00:08

I'm curious, by using software like Mozilla or Mozilla Firebird, am I abusing the fine service of Apolyton because I set it to block popups?

MarkG · January 31, 2004, 04:26

Yeap

cause unlike other visitors, you are using the site without creating any income towards paying the bills which creates a cost that has to be paied by the other visitors...

Rasputin · January 31, 2004, 11:26

well the only cost to other visitors not suing popup blockers is extra popups, which since they obviously dont mind popups, is no cost at all

unless they stuck at work like me and cant install the popup stoppers like google bar etc....

Aramis · February 1, 2004, 02:35

Quote:

Originally posted by Rasputin
well the only cost to other visitors not suing popup blockers is extra popups, which since they obviously dont mind popups, is no cost at all

I mind popups. In fact I despise them. Yet I'm not an Internet addict nor some techno-comp-geek, so I don't know how to get rid of them. Doesn't mean I (and others) "obviously don't mind them."

Skanky Burns · February 1, 2004, 05:04

It is this easy to turn popups off.

1: Download and install opera or firebird.
2: Use this new program to browse the web.

Rasbelin · February 3, 2004, 05:57

One has to remember to change the pop-up settings in Opera, as it will not by default block pop-ups.

Markos,

unless they create profit to ACS by other means.

Skanky Burns · February 3, 2004, 07:00

True. I believe it is on by default in firebird though.

Whaleboy · February 4, 2004, 15:16

MarkG: I'm having some difficulty with that, I have read all the documentation on this site that seemed relevant that I could find and nowhere could I find as a condition of using this site that I must use software to access that does not have pop-up blockers, or not have pop-up blockers enabled etc. Perhaps you could point me to a URL I missed?

Furthermore all of this is at "my end", so to speak, so my computer. My browser, to my knowledge (Mozilla 1.6 and occasionally Firebird 0.7 on Win2000 Pro) does not send any different data back to apolyton based on pop-up blockers or not, and if it does, I cannot see it adversely affecting the service.

You send the data packets to me, and the way I see things, it is up to me (and my comp) how I use them for myself providing they do not impact the service or other users, which I do not believe they do.

A good analogy would be commercial TV. I watch the programmes, but switch as soon as the adverts come on. That is not abusing the service, because the TV companies must factor in the possibility the people are not going to watch the adverts continuously, perhaps switch, or get up and eat biscuits. IMO it is unreasonable to expects ones advertisements to be exposed to 100% of the people that use the medium those ad's use.

Also consider that dividing the income from pop-ups by the users and saying that "Whaleboy, you're not pulling your weight" is a bit

since I never buy anything from them anyway, so the value is discrete for each person... 0 or 1..2..3. For me, it is 0. OTOH, I use the links when buying games etc.

If the cost is too much, presumably for the most part with the forum software, there are, I believe some open source alternatives.

But yeah, if I'm wrong and there is a condition of use here that I must view the pop-ups, then please show me and I will cease use.

Skanky Burns · February 4, 2004, 15:19

They get money for popups that sucessfully display on your end of the system. They don't get money for popups that are killed before they even get the chance to invade your monitor-space.

Whaleboy · February 4, 2004, 17:39

That is still consequential however, as such cannot really be used against us, and it is not specified to us that we have to let the pop-ups view. I don't believe that we are penalised for using pop-up blockers.

However, I was not aware that our browsers transmit the fact that pop-ups are viewed or not. Can this be confirmed, and if so, can I disable it?

MarkG · February 5, 2004, 02:22

Quote:

I could find and nowhere could I find as a condition of using this site that I must use software to access that does not have pop-up blockers, or not have pop-up blockers enabled etc. Perhaps you could point me to a URL I missed?

if you need something like that to be in the official user policy, we'll be adding that specifically.

until then, i hope you comply with our wishes without having a contract in your hands....

MarkG · February 5, 2004, 02:27

Quote:

I don't believe that we are penalised for using pop-up blockers.

you want me to start doing that?