i haven't seen a pop up ad for a very long time. there are tons of progs out there that will kill pop up ads before they ever get on your screen. i installed one and am very happy with it. i use yahoo on occasions and had no idea there were pop ups on their site. this site is free and until it starts charging, i wouldn't complain about ads too much.

Here's my 2 cents for whatever it is worth.

I really dislike pop-ups/unders.

The thing is, I've never been one who is affected by advertising/marketing ploys. A lot of the commercials on TV may look really cool, the ads in magazines look pretty slick, but they don't make me want to buy the product, because for the most part, I'm not interested in the product.

I haven't bought any dvd's in over a month (budget constraints). I rarely buy on line any more because BJ's and Walmart's prices are pretty close to what's on line and shipping is usually more than the sales tax. When I do pick up a dvd it's usually one or two and again, the shipping isn't worth it on such a low number of DVD's.

So, I don't know what else I can do to help. Unless I'm really looking for something, I ignore most ads on most sites. If there is a thread that says, click on this ad for us one time so DVD Talk gets some cash, I'll do it. Other than that, what else can we do?

das - I laughed too.

Geoff, I just made a donation through PayPal. Consider it my statement that while I have greatly appreciated this site over the years, I do not appreciate the pop-unders...

I decided to put my money where my mouth is, and I hope my payment (along with others?) will cause you to consider dropping the pop-unders. Please, please, please, drop the pop-unders...

~LurkerDan

LurkerDan,

Amen Brother! Thanks for putting your money where your mouth is.

I'm doing the same. As a show of support for your support I am DROPPING POP-UNDERS for this week. This week I'll also work on a list of things people can do to support the site and maybe there's a way if enough people are willing to help we can keep the pop-unders off the site.

Here's a list of things people can do to help support the site which I posted back in the Other forum a while back:

Thanks all of you who have given/shown your support.


The little things can add up:

Subscribing/renewing magazines: <a href="http://www.magazineoutlet.com/magoutlet/partners.asp?affiliate_key=00799402" target="_top">Magazine Outlet</a>

<a href="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=26917872&siteid=37798139&bfpage=homepage">BookingTravel at Expedia</a>

<a href="http://www.qksrv.net/click-280928-2202639">Listing and Bidding through our Ebay Lin</a>

<b>One of the things which can be a huge help is to get a no-annual fee Amex card if every active otter got one through our link it would go a LONG way to paying for bandwith etc</b>


<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=cZdGXyuEAtc&offerid=29496.10000045&type=3&subid=0" >American Express(r) Platinum Cash Rebate - 2% cash back and no annual fee.</a><IMG border=0 width=1 height=1 src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=cZdGXyuEAtc&bids=29496.10000045&type=3&subid=0" >

<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=cZdGXyuEAtc&offerid=29496.10000098&type=3&subid=0" >Blue from American Express - No annual fee. 0% Introductory APR. Online Fraud Protection Guarantee.</a><IMG border=0 width=1 height=1 src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=cZdGXyuEAtc&bids=29496.10000098&type=3&subid=0" >

Actually one of the most important things you can do as a DVD Talk Member to help support the site is:

<a href="http://www.dvdtalk.com/subscribe.html">Sign Up and Read the DVD Talk Newsletters (we have many)</a>

We've also set up a new <a href="http://www.dvdtalk.com/subscribe.html">"Special Deal"</a> Newsletter which we're REALLY trying to build.


- Geoff

PS. Here are the links to the 2 shops with DVD Talk Suff:

http://www.cafepress.com/dvdtalk
http://www.cafepress.com/dvdtalkother

Perhaps regular users of the Exchange forum and such threads elsewhere might like to Paypal $10 for every 20 successful trades?

Geoff, I’m doing my bit to support the forum by not posting this in the Other thread as it’s a bit off topic. (Although perhaps it could add a little spice to the topic and perhaps increase the posts/views? You seem to place at least some worth on the number of views: to which I would respond “Is there really something new in there?” But I digress.)

You’ve done a lot of things in the past months to try to raise revenue, and the pop-unders is just another thing on that list. My question: do you honestly believe that these things will bring in revenue, or are they just knee-jerk attempts? (No offense intended!)

It seems to me that, speaking about pop-unders in particular, you’re just doing it because “if anybody uses the link, it’ll provide revenue.” Do you have anything that proves to you that anybody is actually doing anything other than just closing them?

You already have the links for us to use to buy stuff. We know where they are and how to use them. If they are not being used enough to support the forum, what makes you think that adding something that irritates everybody is going to work?

Just a thought.

[Geoff thinking] If I build it, they will click! [/Geoff thinking]

If we have some sort of paypal fundraising drive which is what Geoff seems to be suggesting in his latest post in Other, this is what I suggest:

-Have it (advertise it) forum-wide, don't confine it to Other. Let everyone pitch in.

-Keep an open running count of how much is needed and where we are currently at.

-Advertise it all over the forum and in the newsletter.

--------------
I think most people would rather send you $5 or $10 paypal instead of doing the magazine thing or whatever.

Wizdar, I don't know the economics of it all, but I am willing to bet a fair amount of money that Geoff gets money just for having the pop-unders. Maybe he gets more if folks click through, but the pop-unders bring in revenue just by being there...

That being the case, I don't have a problem.

See, I don't know, which is why I asked. If popunders were such a lucrative deal, then I doubt that LurkerDan and his ten bucks would be enough to turn them off.

A lot of folks are bothered by them, and Geoff has gone out of his way to be accomodating. A lot of folks tip-toe around the issue, not wanting to piss him off (or whatever reason). I have as much respect for The Founder as the next fella, but felt the need to ask the probing questions. A friend will tell a friend when their fly is down, n'est pas?

I'm certain there are a lot of folks who click-thru to make purchases. How many support the forum by clicking-thru a popunder?

I agree to an extent. It should be advertised everywher,e but it should be focused on other. Put more ads in there, make them more intrusive, or whatever it takes to get the regulars there to chip in as Geoff has said in the past that Other uses a ton of bandwith. I believe he said it uses more bandwith than all the other forums combined.

And it has nothing to do with DVDs or hometheater so I think more of the burden of keeping the site afloat should rest on that forum and it's users.

People that come here for the DVD info are more likely to support the site in other ways. Clicking on DVD ads, using affiliate links when buying dvds etc.

There's lots of people posting in other that have stated in the past that they don't even own a DVD player, so obviously they aren't going to click on DVD ads or buy DVDs through affiliate links. They need to chip in some other way IMO.

Just out of curiosity,

How much money does it take to keep DVDTalk open on a monthly basis?

Melodramatic boy here . . . my point was that things can start off with the best of intentions, and then careen hopelessly out of hand (ask any of the dotcoms who have gone under, or any of the daily scandal plagued companies in the news).
<P>I hate to say this, but quite frankly I do not do a lot of business on the internet. I try to use DVDTalk links even when just looking for info (such as on Amazon). As for the newsletters, send them on Father Geoff. Send me all of them.
<P>I do realize that you are a business and we all would like to you to survive. But there is something to be said about business ethics and customer service. If my local indpenedent video store decided that they could make some extra $$ by selling my information to telemarketers I would remove myself from doing business with them. $$ do not make it right. I consider the pop-up to be one of the hotbed issues regarding online advertising today.
<P>My base feelings are known -- I do not like them -- and here is why: Yes, it is just one little click and it goes away, BUT I have to sit and wait while it ties up my computer and connection loading and closing. I am on a little old dial-up connection and sometimes if things are slow to start with . . . . my second problem with pop-ups was a controversy that went on in the Store Forum not to long ago, in which a company designed the pop-up to sell the customer the product if they did not close the pop-up in a specific way (the credit card information was transmitted from the desired website into the pop-up window). Not that you have our credit card numbers, but it is an issue about information and privacy.

Actually, I gave more than ten bucks... WHich is really quite remarkable, considering I'm living off of student loans...

But I don't know that Geoff turned them off because of the amount that I gave. Maybe he did, but I got that impression that it was more the fact that I complained about them and took an affirmative action to address the problem that caused him to use them in the first place...

I put my money where my mouth was, and he did the same (in that the pop-ups were put in only because he needed to generate more revenue, which I generated...). Now that I think of it, I guess the popups generated revenue after all!

GP - We're not to the point where we have to do a site wide pay-pal drive. It's an option but not one were going to do right now

Lurker - Pop-unders ARE billed out at 'cost per impression' so no matter if you click on it or not, it does genereate revenue

Wizdar- Fair point. People don't need to tip-toe arount the issue, I'm very aware that they aren't people's favorite form of advertising, and I've stated in the past I'm not crazy about them myself

joshhinkle - Yes there was a real problem with Other taking a huge chunk of bandwith, but with the reply box at the bottom of every post, a crack down on pad posts and the split out of mature and sports things are more equal. So I don't want to point fingers at the Others or people who don't own a DVD Player here, as Other is a VERY big part of our community one which is VERY welcome

Flay - Several Thousands of Dollars

Abob Teff - Well put. Thanks for your support and I REALLY do appreciate you expressing how you feel about the issue. Know that statements like yours are ALWAYS taken into very serious consideration when making decisions about thie site

LurkerDan - Yes it wasn't the amount, it was the fact you answered the call and 'DID' something about the issue. Honestly we probably would have made more money with the pop-unders this week than donation, but truly this issue isn't solely about money (or how much we can make) but finding a way to enable DVD Talk Members to easily support the site and ensure our ability to continue to provide the service we do, in the way which we do.

Geoff, thanks for the responses. If I understand correctly, the popunders generate revenue just by popping. That being the case, and knowing that you'll use them in moderation, I have nothing to complain about.

I think limiting them to once every 12 hours is MORE than hospitable. I would go so far as to suggest that if you could tie them in to the refresh button, you would get my support.

[Wizdar runs away and hides...]

Your wisdom knows no bounds. I assume we're tracked through some sort of session? If so, you should know if we request the same page twice in a limited period of time. It seems more than fair to me that if you're choking the bandwidth by requesting the same page over and over, you should see more ads.

If that's not acceptable, then perhaps instead of 12 hour intervals, make it on page requests. Every 250 page requests yields an ad or something. Seems to me that that would help establish a direct correlation between ad revenue and bandwidth. The more bw requested yield more frequent pop-unders.

das

The correlation with page views is a great idea IMO. That way those of us that frequent the site the most (and as a result use the most bandwith) are helping out the most.

I like the correlation idea as well and would take it a step further and limit it to the most resource draining part of the forum: Other. Otherwise it could drive away people from the more lucrative parts of the forum.

As for the drive, I think that would be a fantastic idea to do it forum-wide and get everyone involved. If every member contributed just $10, that would result in almost $300,000. If you get more than that through pop-unders though, hot damn, pop unders it is.

Ummm, thanks!

You've taken my basic idea and refined it to something workable and even quantified the parameters.

Shall we call this the das Wizdar concept?

Naaa!

Gallant Pig, a few months ago you would be right about applying it to Otter. However, the decimation of that forum that has been brought about by the inception of Sports and Mature surely means that Other is not the same bandwidth hog it once was.

I’m assuming that the Otters who are no longer regular posters have, for the most part, moved on to Sports and/or Mature. If that’s the case, considering the three forums as one for bandwidth purposes…

How about the <B>Wizzin' Monkey</B>? I'm sure the Otter artists could make a great logo.

das

I'm holding you responsible if that happens.

I made my humble donation to the cause. If I were richer, it would be more.

I also like the daz Wizdar Principle.