Answered Please remove adblockers

[Aviador]

First of all, thanks for all your work managing the forum and I understand what you are saying but like a lot of people right know I also have to be careful where I spend my money. I also think by contributing to discussions on the forum I am also adding value by stimulating discussion with other users.

When I look at the forum on my phone I do see the ads but I only comment on my work computer, which for a bunch of reasons I can't disable the security features on.

I appreciate the fact that the forum costs money to run and I would prefer some more targeted ads for things like airport parking, flights and flight compensation which can be provided through a link with services like Awin where the forum gets paid if I buy the services through the link.

I'd be happy to buy the services through those links knowing it was supporting the forum. At the end of the day most of the ads aren't relevant at all and I'm not going to keep clicking on them even if I see them and I know the forum only gets paid if I click on those ads.

Thanks



Thanks for this. I have parked at Hams Hall in the past and I didn't know it had moved, however the new location is worse for me and probably for everyone on the wrong side of the M42.

Sorry to barge in here. Just to be clear, nobody should ever click on forum advertisements unless they have a genuine interest in doing so.

Back to topic

 

[TM3]

Sorry to barge in here. Just to be clear, nobody should ever click on forum advertisements unless they have a genuine interest in doing so.

Back to topic

I disagree, because the forum only gets paid when people click on the ads. If you want to support the forum just allowing the ads to appear isn't enough you need to click on them.

I'd like to see ads there that are relevant to me as a user because with affiliate ads the forum can get paid a lot more if I actually buy the goods or services on offer.

But also I'm not a fan of the site being closed off if you don't disable the ad blocker as a lot of users can't or won't do this.

 

[Aviador]

But also I'm not a fan of the site being closed off if you don't disable the ad blocker as a lot of users can't or won't do this.

I can't do that. We don't have enough funds to maintain the forum and adblockers are doing what subscribers are paying to do which is to remove ads and provide funds to pay to run the site. Ads and subscriptions pay for the forum hosting and software upkeep. If I allow adblockers the forum won't last beyond the end of October.
In anycase as you talk about difficulty using the site in a work environment, my own data shows the majority of people using the forum are using a mobile device, not a PC or laptop. Interestingly, mobile phones tend to offer adblocking software more so that PCs or laptops.

I disagree, because the forum only gets paid when people click on the ads. If you want to support the forum just allowing the ads to appear isn't enough you need to click on them.

As I said, you should never click on ads unless you would actually like to visit the advertiser. Google uses clever algorithms and it knows when people are abusing the system and fake clicks are just discounted.

 

[TM3]

At the end of the day you've deleted all of my posts anyway so what's the point. I actually think you are completely wrong though as adblockers gates don;t make a penny for the forum they just choke off the number of users.

Contributors are also vital to keeping people engaged, so really what you've done here is the worst possible thing as the fact that people were engaging with my posts was actually good, regardless of whether they liked the content.

I work in advertising and I write headlines to get engagement. I know that saying BHX is the WORST at something will get people riled up but it also gets them logging in, using the site and contributing.

I think this forum clearly suffered during COVID as there was literally nothing to talk about here and it needs to do a bit of work to re-engage past users and win new users. From an engagement point of view this sort of contraversion content is gold. This sort of discussion also gets picked up by journalists looking for something to say about the issue. The discussions you deleted could have got picked up by the local press which would have got a mention, which in turn could have brought more users in.

I don't know who owns this forum but I think there are a lot of commercial opportunities here as it's the number one forum for UK airports and a lot of people are interested in that. I actually think a lot more people could be using this site if they knew about it. I think the right sort of partnership could make this forum run better and cover the costs aws well as getting more exposure for the issues discussed. Personally I wouldn't want to dicate too much to users what they posted and where but there obviously is an important role for moderators here to delete clearly inapporpriate content; eg racist, offensive comments etc.

I don't really think which comments go on which thread is that important as it is up to the user to find the best place to put the comment to get the most engagement.

Personally I wouldn't want to be a moderator because you probably get it in the neck from both directions but I'd like to see this forum continue and thrive, are there any other opportunities to assist behind the scenes with the forum to get revenue and engagement up?

 

[jfy1999]

@TM3 The discussion hasn’t been deleted, ir has just been moved to the BHX News section of the forum. It’s still in the list of latest threads on the forum homepage.

 

[Aviador]

@TM3 thank you for your feedback of which I welcome. @jfy1999 is correct, your posts were only moved into a more appropriate thread for the discussion, not removed.
With regards to forum advertising, I appreciate what you are saying but first and foremost I put the forums continuity first. There are costs involved with running the site. (It belongs to me by the way) I have a day job and run the forum as a hobby. All the moderators are just members of the forum community who on asking have offered their assistance to help run the forum. It is a hobby for all of us.
What I don't have is the knowhow to get the correct advertising on the site. The Google Adsense system is incredibly complicated to use and for those who succeed can make their site work as a business. If I could do that I wouldn't have a day job and I would be paying our moderators for their assistance. Part of the problem is having the trust to allow someone to work out how to properly manage the advertising system, another part is the cost involved in paying someone to do it.

 

[TM3]

@TM3 thank you for your feedback of which I welcome. @jfy1999 is correct, your posts were only moved into a more appropriate thread for the discussion, not removed.
With regards to forum advertising, I appreciate what you are saying but first and foremost I put the forums continuity first. There are costs involved with running the site. (It belongs to me by the way) I have a day job and run the forum as a hobby. All the moderators are just members of the forum community who on asking have offered their assistance to help run the forum. It is a hobby for all of us.
What I don't have is the knowhow to get the correct advertising on the site. The Google Adsense system is incredibly complicated to use and for those who succeed can make their site work as a business. If I could do that I wouldn't have a day job and I would be paying our moderators for their assistance. Part of the problem is having the trust to allow someone to work out how to properly manage the advertising system, another part is the cost involved in paying someone to do it.

Thanks for your reply, I'm happy to have a chat about this and I'll email you on the forum contact email.

 

[Seasider]

Here's to a successful outcome to your discussions TM3/Aviador.