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New Pop Up Ads?

el-remmen

Moderator Emeritus
Maybe I just never noticed them before or my browser configuration changed, but starting yesterday I started seeing pop up ads hovering over the actual content at the bottom of the screen and in the bottom right. I can "X" them out (which is fine, I don't begrudge ENWorld needing to serve ads) but every time I click on a new thread or click over to a new page in a thread they return.

Are they supposed to work that way?
 

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Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist
Maybe I just never noticed them before or my browser configuration changed, but starting yesterday I started seeing pop up ads hovering over the actual content at the bottom of the screen and in the bottom right. I can "X" them out (which is fine, I don't begrudge ENWorld needing to serve ads) but every time I click on a new thread or click over to a new page in a thread they return.

Are they supposed to work that way?

I think that the issue is that EnWorld is finding out that there is an inherent problem with monetization through ads that many places have gone through.

On the one hand, they provide an amazing and valuable service for free! The vast majority of us use EnWorld at no cost to ourselves (other than our time, and occasionally our sanity), while it does cost them money to run. They are certainly more than entitled to monetize this free service through advertisements.

On the other hand, monetization through advertisements causes problems of its own, as many others have noticed. Intrusive ads (such as video pop-ups) are really annoying, but tend to provide more money. The bottom-ads (which some people refer to when they are either ads or persistent elements as d***bars) also provide revenue, but are terrible for users since they obscure text and impact the user experience.

The primary issue is that many people associate these elements with websites that are not trustworthy or worth engaging in. Over-reliance on these specific types of elements for some websites has caused two separate issues- long-time users will eventually start to block the ads, and new people are less likely to want to engage with the website.

There isn't a single good solution. It's not easy to run a successful independent website like this one that caters to a more niche audience. I know that other places (with much lower overhead costs, assumedly) have a "single sponsor" each week, or have a group of people pay for support (and a few extra benefits) to avoid this, but we should always remember that they are trying their best. :)
 

aco175

Legend
I just have the same two that have been here for the last couple months. The bottom banner and the bottom-right video.
 

payn

He'll flip ya...Flip ya for real...
It depends on device. I get the occasional pop up on phone, frequent ads on my tablet, but nothing on my desktop PC.
 

Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist
It depends on device. I get the occasional pop up on phone, frequent ads on my tablet, but nothing on my desktop PC.

If you're getting nothing on your PC, that means that you're running an ad blocker, or that your browser is blocking them by default. Otherwise, you'd be getting them on your PC as well.
 

el-remmen

Moderator Emeritus
If you're getting nothing on your PC, that means that you're running an ad blocker, or that your browser is blocking them by default. Otherwise, you'd be getting them on your PC as well.

This may be what was happening to me. I am on a laptop and did a Chrome update earlier that same day or maybe the night before - and was wondering if that what made the ads "suddenly" appear. I always saw the sidebar ads (which don't hover).
 

el-remmen

Moderator Emeritus
Money's tight for me right now or else I would just become a supporter (though I do wish there was a discount for paying the yearly rate rather than the monthly rate).
 

Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist
Money's tight for me right now or else I would just become a supporter (though I do wish there was a discount for paying the yearly rate rather than the monthly rate).

Honestly, I think that if they did a fundraising drive for subscriptions, explaining the costs of running the site and why they would like more people to support it, and including the option that if you were a community supporter at X level it would remove all advertisements, they would probably raise some money.

But then again, I am not privy to their metrics.
 

el-remmen

Moderator Emeritus
Honestly, I think that if they did a fundraising drive for subscriptions, explaining the costs of running the site and why they would like more people to support it, and including the option that if you were a community supporter at X level it would remove all advertisements, they would probably raise some money.

But then again, I am not privy to their metrics.

Pretty sure becoming a supporter already removes ads.

Also, I think the very first crowdfunder I ever supported was for an ENWorld upgrade but that might have been over a decade ago already - time has no meaning.
 

Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist
Pretty sure becoming a supporter already removes ads.

Also, I think the very first crowdfunder I ever supported was for an ENWorld upgrade but that might have been over a decade ago already - time has no meaning.

Woah. I had not noticed that! In fact, I had not been able to find the option recently (it's under your account, account upgrades).
 

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