Ads

[dannyboy35]

 I want to throw up any time I see these ridiculous religious ads.   I get the feeling if this was all atheistic ads all the time something would be done. What the Catholic Church did to innocent children and the creepy leaders who clearly thought there was nothing THAT wrong with it , not enough to get rid of this crap. Disgusting. How offensive does it need to be ??

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

There are free ad-blockers available.

[dannyboy35]

  So Celticsblog can’t keep these from appearing? I just don’t wa t to be a part of this forum if they have the ability to remove these big let them go. But I honestly have no idea how it works.

[dannyboy35]

  Coalition for priests? I mean there has to be a way to have this not be a part of something your proud of. The ads are revolting.

[dannyboy35]

  If these ads fund the site I just want to leave. Been here years and years. Never really noticed the ads . If there is any way to keep these ads off the board and it’s not done I’ll assume the mods have no problem with it . Pardon, but I know victims who have not survived abuse of priests. I don’t click on putrid topics like this so it’s not my search history.

[jambr380]

I want to throw up any time I see these ridiculous religious ads.   I get the feeling if this was all atheistic ads all the time something would be done. What the Catholic Church did to innocent children and the creepy leaders who clearly thought there was nothing THAT wrong with it , not enough to get rid of this crap. Disgusting. How offensive does it need to be ??

I finally broke down and got AdBlock, and it's been fantastic. No more anti-gay, anti-masturbation, anti-abortion, burn in hell, Biden vs the Priest, etc. It's ridiculous that this has been going on for years now and nothing has been done about it, but I guess it's not my problem anymore. This place is a lot more refreshing when you don't need to stare at those things constantly.

[ozgod]

I never see any ads. I'm using AdBlock. I can understand the need to find a way to cover costs though. We all use this site for free but the people who have to pay for hosting have to pay for that monthly. That's a cost out of their pocket that helps us all use this site for no cost. Advertising is one way to do that, as annoying it is for all of us. Subscription is another, and I'm certain none of us want that 

Also if it is Google ads they are usually based on your own profile and things you have clicked on elsewhere. Unless there's a specific selection for certain ads to appear that the administrator has chosen.

[dannyboy35]

 Again, I don’t click on didgusting garbage like these ads. Is there a moderator that will answer these questions? Can one of you answer if you pick these or do you have a right to refuse these and do not? Do you not think it’s important that this is being advertised here?
  I have 3 religious ads on my page now. One about helping  the cancelled priests. It’s a matter of principle. I love this site but I’d love if this was answered honestly so I have a choice whether I want to be here or not.

[Roy H.]

Again, I don’t click on didgusting garbage like these ads. Is there a moderator that will answer these questions?

I think the mod staff has answered the question several times.  The staff has no input over the ads.  That's a Byennie issue, and he's weighed in previously, as well.

Right now I've got a Black Friday in July Sale ad, a Bill Dodge Auto Group Ad (which, as I type, has scrolled over to an NCAA ad), and a Coalition For Cancelled Priests ad.  I've managed to ignore all three of them.  Byennie has to pay for the site somehow.  I don't think there should be any political or religious ads on the site, but if that's what keeps things up and running, so be it.  Those who hate them can install an ad blocker.

[ozgod]

Again, I don’t click on didgusting garbage like these ads. Is there a moderator that will answer these questions? Can one of you answer if you pick these or do you have a right to refuse these and do not? Do you not think it’s important that this is being advertised here?
  I have 3 religious ads on my page now. One about helping  the cancelled priests. It’s a matter of principle. I love this site but I’d love if this was answered honestly so I have a choice whether I want to be here or not.

https://adblockplus.org/

Takes literally 15 seconds to install if it really bothers you, which it seems like it does. Won't affect your browsing. Then you won't have to worry about seeing them ever again 

If you feel like you shouldn't have to take actions of your own to avoid seeing such ads, then it's really up to you if your love for the site outweighs having to see the ads you dislike. Otherwise maybe Byennie can put a donation link up so everyone can help him defray the cost of running the site.

[byennie]

Again, I don’t click on didgusting garbage like these ads. Is there a moderator that will answer these questions? Can one of you answer if you pick these or do you have a right to refuse these and do not? Do you not think it’s important that this is being advertised here?
  I have 3 religious ads on my page now. One about helping  the cancelled priests. It’s a matter of principle. I love this site but I’d love if this was answered honestly so I have a choice whether I want to be here or not.

The short answer is no - nobody is picking the ads or has manual control over them, including me. It is extremely difficult to find ads that monetize on an "old school" forum site, and without a lot of maintenance involved. Unfortunately most of the major networks pay literal pennies or won't even approve the site due to the format. Silly if you ask me (but they don't).

Every now and then, this subject is revived and I understand a few people are really bothered by some of the ads. Maybe it's more, but I definitely don't receive any sort of steady flow of complaints. There seems to be a conservative catholic segment within the ad network that really hones in on Boston Celtics fans (a bit on the nose, I must say, but here we are). I don't see too many religious ads personally for whatever reason, but I have on occasion and I know they are sometimes over the top, so I'm not denying they exist.

I have no problem with some people who are genuinely bothered by some of the content installing ad blockers. Obviously it's not sustainable if everyone does that just for convenience, but I'm not in a position to maximize profit or anything like that. Just wanna keep the servers running.

What I can offer is to facilitate some sort of organized complaint and see where it goes. If someone is willing to compile a decent number of screenshots of religious ads they deem offensive, I will get with an account manager and see what's possible to filter or dial them down further. No promises, but I can pose it as a serious issue and press the issue to the best of my capabilities.

On a side note, if anyone knows a business who'd like to sponsor the entire site, or there's a groundswell of people who'd rather donate $$ every year, I'd take down the ads in a heartbeat -- it just hasn't been realistic/ panned out in the past.

[Roy H.]

Byennie, silly question, but have you approached anybody from the Celts about a donation?

[celticsclay]

For what it is worth the coalition for priests is a little over the top for me also and I don’t like it

[dannyboy35]

Again, I don’t click on didgusting garbage like these ads. Is there a moderator that will answer these questions? Can one of you answer if you pick these or do you have a right to refuse these and do not? Do you not think it’s important that this is being advertised here?
  I have 3 religious ads on my page now. One about helping  the cancelled priests. It’s a matter of principle. I love this site but I’d love if this was answered honestly so I have a choice whether I want to be here or not.

The short answer is no - nobody is picking the ads or has manual control over them, including me. It is extremely difficult to find ads that monetize on an "old school" forum site, and without a lot of maintenance involved. Unfortunately most of the major networks pay literal pennies or won't even approve the site due to the format. Silly if you ask me (but they don't).

Every now and then, this subject is revived and I understand a few people are really bothered by some of the ads. Maybe it's more, but I definitely don't receive any sort of steady flow of complaints. There seems to be a conservative catholic segment within the ad network that really hones in on Boston Celtics fans (a bit on the nose, I must say, but here we are). I don't see too many religious ads personally for whatever reason, but I have on occasion and I know they are sometimes over the top, so I'm not denying they exist.

I have no problem with some people who are genuinely bothered by some of the content installing ad blockers. Obviously it's not sustainable if everyone does that just for convenience, but I'm not in a position to maximize profit or anything like that. Just wanna keep the servers running.

What I can offer is to facilitate some sort of organized complaint and see where it goes. If someone is willing to compile a decent number of screenshots of religious ads they deem offensive, I will get with an account manager and see what's possible to filter or dial them down further. No promises, but I can pose it as a serious issue and press the issue to the best of my capabilities.

On a side note, if anyone knows a business who'd like to sponsor the entire site, or there's a groundswell of people who'd rather donate $$ every year, I'd take down the ads in a heartbeat -- it just hasn't been realistic/ panned out in the past.

  Thanks for this response. Other than typing on a phone/ keyboard, surfing web  that’s about as tech as I get . I don’t have any idea how these things work. I hadn’t noticed . Then did. Then didn’t say anything. Then it just really bothered me.
   I think people could understand feelings from someone who knew someone who lost their life due to priestly abuse. The cover ups after etc.
   If the Celtics organization themselves had such a sordid history I’d change teams .it hits home and it’s just do tragic for the people that loved those people and felt the hurt too.
  Thanks for the clear response.  Moving on here..

[byennie]

Byennie, silly question, but have you approached anybody from the Celts about a donation?

I have not. The only time I went for donations was the GoFundMe I ran when taking over the site, which forum members generously backed for a few grand at the time. That prevented me from going out of pocket while getting things in order, covered cost for a while, etc. Since then I've played the ad network game until one "stuck" reliably, albeit with the issues mentioned in this thread.