OPINIONS NEEDED: Advertisements

[necessary sacrifice 8,865]

Honestly most of the ads are bigger than my screen so I can’t exit them. And often when they are small enough to exit, the page crashes. I have been coming here less, but that’s probably better for my overall mental health anyway lol. If the ads help you afford the site, obviously keep them. I’d rather the site be here and be frustrating to use than not be here at all.

[99centlips 8,526]

payment for an ad free website is discrimination towards the users that cannot afford that! we need to speak up! this website is supporting elitism!

[hlxon 2,445]

2 minutes ago, 99centlips said:

payment for an ad free website is discrimination towards the users that cannot afford that! we need to speak up! this website is supporting elitism!

JSJSBSKSBSKDHSNKRIDNDJDUDHDGEHSHS

 

I THOUGHT YOU WERE JOKING WHEN YOU SAID THAT 

[IanadeIrey 62,137]

I don’t see a problem with the ads - as said earlier, they truly are the most minor of inconveniences and I didn’t really think anything of them! It’s such a small thing and if it’s earning you more then that’s amazing! <3 

[Elle 122,823]

14 minutes ago, 99centlips said:

payment for an ad free website is discrimination towards the users that cannot afford that! we need to speak up! this website is supporting elitism!

 

This website will always be free to use. Always.

 

The two ways to support this website are to either view ads, or pay to get rid of ads if you have the means to do so.

If you don't wish to pay to remove ads, viewing them during browsing is a completely free way for users to help generate revenue to fund the site.

What I'm trying to gain consensus on here is that although these vignette ads are generating up to 5x more revenue for the site, will this upset users enough to not visit the site/use ad-blockers further detracting from revenue?  & for users who still want to support the site yet don't want ads, I am offering an Ad-free version for a very low cost so the field is leveled. Of course there will be users who don't want ads for support and don't want to donate for support either, but in the midst of everything, I'm just trying to see what option will be most favourable as I do need to generate revenue to support the site somehow, and the added support from the vignette ads would be extremely helpful if users are willing to tolerate them (or pay to remove them if they desire.)

 

So please remember that while this site will always remain free for everyone to use, it is absolutely not free for me to keep hosted and managed. I pay several recurring fees each month to keep the site running. Though, your guys' thoughts are important to me and you all make the community what it is, so that's why I wanted to gather some opinions on this before I implemented anything long-term x

[The Greatest 8,805]

I don’t know that people will ever really be honest about how annoying the ads are cause there is random politics on here where mods favor/ignore the behavior of certain people that show them outward support and people don’t want to get on their bad side 

[Sugar Venom 9,658]

1 hour ago, RormanNockwell said:

I personally think Lana should pay us for our valuable insights and unwavering stanship

Or perhaps a stalker frequently seen at her shows can pay for all of us to have the ad free version... certainly he can afford it

[xxmissdaytonaxx 30,079]

i understand why elle is doing it and, of course, the whole loan thing sucks, but as a user, the ads have really deterred me away from visiting LB right now. but if you're able to tolerate them, good for you bestie. i just can't look past them. i'm trying to put this in the nicest and most helpful way possible for miss elle. 

[Elle 122,823]

7 minutes ago, The Greatest said:

I don’t know that people will ever really be honest about how annoying the ads are cause there is random politics on here where mods favor/ignore the behavior of certain people that show them outward support and people don’t want to get on their bad side 

 

I'm asking everyone to please be honest here - again, if I really didn't care, I could have of course just silently implemented these and had everyone deal with it. It's because I actually care about you all and your preferences that I'm asking. You all make the community what it is. 

 

At least from my perspective, I always try to stay neutral. Unless someone says something outright rude to me, I have no reason to dislike certain users. & even then, I've had plenty of people say rude things to me, and I've never used my mod powers to unfairly punish them because of that. I always aim to stay a level-headed and fair admin of this site. I can't speak for the other mods on this site, but that's my perspective. & this decision really doesn't have anything to do with my mod team, just me and my funding for the site.

 

So, if you all are willing to tolerate the vignette ads to generate more revenue for the site, then that's wonderful! But if not, please let me know. I'm asking for honestly so I don't make a decision that people will be upset with, or vise versa, miss out on an opportunity because I didn't ask. 

You're not offending me or anything by voicing your opinion. & again as I said earlier, if I truly didn't care, then I wouldn't ask. But I do, so I am x

[99centlips 8,526]

19 minutes ago, hlxon said:

JSJSBSKSBSKDHSNKRIDNDJDUDHDGEHSHS

 

I THOUGHT YOU WERE JOKING WHEN YOU SAID THAT 

 

[99centlips 8,526]

16 minutes ago, Elle said:

 

This website will always be free to use. Always.

 

The two ways to support this website are to either view ads, or pay to get rid of ads if you have the means to do so.

If you don't wish to pay to remove ads, viewing them during browsing is a completely free way for users to help generate revenue to fund the site.

What I'm trying to gain consensus on here is that although these vignette ads are generating up to 5x more revenue for the site, will this upset users enough to not visit the site/use ad-blockers further detracting from revenue?  & for users who still want to support the site yet don't want ads, I am offering an Ad-free version for a very low cost so the field is leveled. Of course there will be users who don't want ads for support and don't want to donate for support either, but in the midst of everything, I'm just trying to see what option will be most favourable as I do need to generate revenue to support the site somehow, and the added support from the vignette ads would be extremely helpful if users are willing to tolerate them (or pay to remove them if they desire.)

 

So please remember that while this site will always remain free for everyone to use, it is absolutely not free for me to keep hosted and managed. I pay several recurring fees each month to keep the site running. Though, your guys' thoughts are important to me and you all make the community what it is, so that's why I wanted to gather some opinions on this before I implemented anything long-term x

 

i was mostly joking but honestly the ads suck and make me not even want to visit the site anymore..

 

i would suggest an open fundraiser that users can donate if, when and how much they want to. 

 

$2 a month can be a lot for some of our international users..

 

also if you do end up implementing monthly subscriptions, i hope some of the rules are followed for everyone? including mods or friends? 

 

my 99 cents 

 

o

[Terrence Loves Me 72,876]

keep them, if it's easier for you to manage and maintain the site i don't see any problem at all, after all you've done for us it's the least we can do <3

[99centlips 8,526]

Also my suggestion would be to grandfather the 1,000 users who are online the most with a pop up ad free edition and new members would have to pay. 

 

Also the user list badly needs to be purged. there’s thousands of members who have haven’t signed in 6 years 

[xxmissdaytonaxx 30,079]

19 minutes ago, 99centlips said:

 

i was mostly joking but honestly the ads suck and make me not even want to visit the site anymore..

 

i would suggest an open fundraiser that users can donate if, when and how much they want to. 

 

$2 a month can be a lot for some of our international users..

 

also if you do end up implementing monthly subscriptions, i hope some of the rules are followed for everyone? including mods or friends? 

 

my 99 cents 

 

o

99centboards.com when bestie?? the discord girlies have been waiting.  

[prettywhenimhigh 49,438]

they're annoying at the moment but I also vote to keep them, you shouldn't pay out of your pocket 

[Elle 122,823]

11 minutes ago, 99centlips said:

Also my suggestion would be to grandfather the 1,000 users who are online the most with a pop up ad free edition and new members would have to pay. 

 

Also the user list badly needs to be purged. there’s thousands of members who have haven’t signed in 6 years 

 

Your first suggestion wouldn't be beneficial for the site and would even result in less revenue than standard, as those who are online the most therefore generate the most revenue through ads. It also wouldn't be fair to treat new members any differently than members who are already part of our community. & again, paying for ad-free would be optional. Also, I haven't yet made the decision to permanently implement these vignette ads for certain, for now I'm just gathering opinions so I have some insight on what decision to make. Please know this website is not cheap to pay for each month, and although I host it willingly, it is always extremely helpful for me when Adsense can cover the complete cost, especially since the site is free to use. 

 

I am unable to delete accounts, as this would be very detrimental to certain tables of the site. Plus for archival reasons, I wouldn't want to delete content simply due to inactivity.

Some users have requested to have Usernames from users who have not been active in several years, and I have found a solution for those members. If that's something you're concerned about, feel free to message @admin to discuss further x

[5adboy 5,015]

enough with the ads  everyone better change their vote from yes to no RIGHT NOW

 

[May 13,313]

idk if it would be considered *+*tacky*+* to talk about ur adsense earnings but maybe it would be better to lay out how much the vignette ads are actually helping, I know you said you’re making up to 5x as much on some days but 5x of what? and for comparison purposes how much does the site cost to run? 
 

maybe if some ppl knew just how much of ur own money ur having to put into the site to make up for the lack of adequate adsense earnings they would be more welcoming of the ads, bc as annoying as they are for me i can only imagine how much more annoying it must be to always be being held back financially by this site and i don’t see it being sustainable in the super long run for anyone who isn’t particularly rich. if ur not comfortable talking about it then just ignore this post lol

[prettywhenimhigh 49,438]

1 hour ago, Surf Noir said:

i also dislike the idea of a subscription, i feel like it's off-putting and i don't think this is the kind of website where you should have to pay for it to be "better" and i don't think the ads are that terrible anyways

 

agree!!!

[xxmissdaytonaxx 30,079]

1 minute ago, 5adboy said:

enough with the ads  everyone better change their vote from yes to no RIGHT NOW

 

bestie i still don't know if this is real but i wouldn't be surprised