Legend

This site doesn't do pop ups, it means that you have spyware on your computer. Probably from visiting one too many dirty sites. The only thing this site is doing are the google banner ads. So you might want to check your computer.

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Dragon Ball

The only thing that has changed is the placement of the ads. No more or no less ads were introduced.

The benefits of paying the $20 is that it would help maintain the server and possibly get a memory upgrade to improve performance.

Alternatively, if you have a solution or 2, I'm all ears. So much easier to complain rather than offer a solution I know.

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lebasiara

The idea is really good and I like it.
Plus it is not so much to ask one single payment of $20, and it will be for our own benefit (members). Removing the adds would be amazing... however... those "annoying" adds are what reduce the costs for DB. But yet he gives the option of removing those just for $20.

On the other hand I understand those that do not have access to money yet... (well even I do have access... I don't have much of it ^_^;; ). Believe me I do understand... and I know that DB understands that too 'cos he is adding a free removal just by sending him the links...

I think that's a fair deal. Also I think it is a way to support the site ^_^... and I re-state this... it is a benefit for us (members). It is only one payment of a minimum amount of money... and you don't have to... it is if you want to remove the adds... and yet there is a free option. ^_^

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aceman67

Like I've said in a previous post: Pre-Paid credit cards are very easy to get a hold of. If you're under 18, you can get your parents to get one for you, and if you don't have money, there is only one solution to that and its going to be painfully obvious: Get A Job. Pure and simple.

I bought my first computer working at McDonald's. Its not that hard to make a lot of money in a short amount of time. Especially when you're young and you have no expenses like rent, car loan, groceries and bills.

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dark1angel

Well that was part of the problem with my computer i had it maintained and now is simply heading towards a different site when ever i try to head towards to the Forum Central to see all the threads, and now i am simply using my Control Panel to check the AO Central i know is hard to understand me but i sincerely hope to have a spam free place of my computer due to the fact that it blocks pop ups for almost an entire day depending on how much time i use the internet.
My question is this "is it requiring for anyone to pay 20USD everytime you wish to remove ads?"

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AngelMage

Yeah like putting it in a signature in another forum or somewhere on a myspace,if we can then I can make it happen too DragonBall.-^__^-

gren

I believe Dragon Ball stated that this would be a one-time donation, i.e. you would only have to pay $20 once and the ads would be permanently removed for you.

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Gren's Music

tsurara

is there a reason the ads need to interrupt threads? I mean, other than to be obnoxious and force users to pay you $20 for a site they provide all the content for anyway? :P

It's one thing to offer an option to remove the banners and leave them where they've always been. Sticking them in a new, far more disruptive place serves no purpose but to make the site incredibly obnoxious for those of us who won't fork over the cash.

I've donated more than enough money and time to this site already... I admit, I'm a bit insulted. I think there are others here without the mod status who also have the right to feel a little betrayed.

As for the "Running cost" schpiel. This site passed through 3 other owners: none implemented thread-intrusive advertisements... and they all seemed to think the site would make them enough money to purchase it in the first place in spite of not having been long-term users or people we'd ever even heard of. People don't run sites like this out of the goodness of their own hearts. They run them to make money. I'm curious to know the ACTUAL bill involved with this site's operation and how much revenue it generates by selling advertising space/promotions/etc.

If bandwith is indeed such a problem, it would be easily throttled just by denying gallery access to non-members.

I find it hard to believe that DB is running this site out of charity... or that he doesn't intend to make a profit if he possibly can.

And while there's nothing wrong with that: if he wants members to provide the content he's going to sell -- he should find a way to sell that content without stepping on members toes (or they will stop providing it at all).

As for alternatives which have worked for other sites (and this one in the past):
-partnerships/sponsorship with/from relevant advertisers
-collections to pay the ACTUAL server fee (ie. users are given the option of donating money directly to the service provider)
-auctions of donated items
-general donations (which are rewarded with "contributor" status bars or other profile bling)

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Dragon Ball

If the ads don't interrupt the threads, then what's the point of having ads? To hide in the corner and make no impact?

If you wont fork over the $20, then you can always get a back link into AO and the ads will be removed. I do offer a non-monetary means of removing the ads. It's simple give and take, rather than take take take. Simple.

Thank you for your time and money. It is appreciated. You shouldn't be seeing the ads anyhow as you're a mod. Mods do not see the ads.

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tsurara

I'm seeing them now.

And reguardless of whether I see the ads or not, deceptive/intrusive advertising WILL discourage intelligent users from sticking around here.

Frankly, there are too many other places, just as good, to hang out... and they haven't got ads in the middle of every page.

This WILL backfire in terms of forum quality and morale. They did the same thing on Gamefaqs last year and reversed it in 8 hours because so many people were so unhappy.

On a site with so few users to begin with, we should be doing all we can to make membership MORE appealing; not more annoying/expensive.

As for take-take-take... I think as a free translator, scanner and owner of an ad-free website that costs over $300 a year to host: I know all about it. This site "takes" quite a lot from me too. Magazines are not free, nor is my time. That's the way fandom works now, unfortunately. But you win more flies with honey than vinegar.

I would gladly pay $20 if I thought it would be used to improve this site. But I haven't seen enough improvement here to give me that confidence.

This site WAS improving... gradually... but this is a step in the wrong direction.

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Chiefblackhammer

Animepaper - uses ads which are far more obtrusive than here uses a "donate" option for removal of ads...yeah with a few thousand active members on at any point in the day I can exactly where your right and ads will "kill" the site.

Minitokyo - also uses ads which are far more obtrusive than here, I don't go on there much but I didn't see a method for removing the ads either. I DO know they aren’t hurting for members either.

gaiaonline - biggest forum in the world uses ads no more obtrusive than here...not sure if they have a donate to remove option either

ign - also much bigger than here and they have more ads than any site I have ever seen

and the gamefaqs you mentioned, sorry but they use ads too RIGHT NOW to be exact (I will send you a screen shot if you need it)

My point is cut the BS, sites cost money and AO is doing NOTHING any different than the rest of them...trying to survive and grow…so where are you going to run off to? I frankly can’t stand the attitude that is on AO, this “what can you do for me, give me, give me, give me. I do so much for the site, I post loads and upload images I DESERVE IT…blah blah blah”

Guess what SO DO ALL THE MEMBERS ON THOSE OTHER SITES and they don’t complain about how bad they have it. In fact it costs them more, most of those sites you have to PAY for some of their features either by your activity, images or with money. AO offers those same services for FREE. Check their gallery cost verses ours.

SO why are those sites growing? Why are those site’s members happy? They get the concept of community and because they love their community they give without expecting anything in return (though they do get stuff in return in terms of papers or credits for stuff which I might add we do here). In fact they spend their hard earned money on artbooks, scanning, posting, giving actual feedback (beyond the mods are so mean) helping code, make buttons, banners etc…and they LOVE doing it because it is their site and they take pride in trying to make it the best.

It isn’t the site owner who truly improves this site it is the members and if AO isn’t progressing it is the member’s (myself included) fault. Yes maybe you’re giving your hearts all, even to the point it hurts.

I don’t deny that some people on this site give much more of their time, money (artbooks cost we get that), intelligence etc…we appreciate it and I know you don’t get the proper “thanks” but guess what that is your choice and either you do it because you love this site and want it to be the best or you shouldn’t be doing it. Because whining and complaining is not what this site needs, you all hate people who whine and complain all the time so why become one yourself.

I give my fair share of time, money (hey I upload scans too and those artbooks & DVD’s cost me just the same), etc… and frankly I WANT the ads left for me unless I decide to donate to the site cause I don’t think that just because I am a mod or have given to this site for 4+ years that I deserve anything and I want this site to be as profitable as it can be so we can get upgrades and so DB doesn’t sell the site to a douche bag. I was there for the various owners and I happen to like the one we have.

Just my 2 cents.

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