What is going on with all the ad's

Submitted by ldevon1 on September 18th, 2020 at 12:45 PM

This is just crazy. Is it my operating system or are others experiencing this. I can't even click on a post without an ad popping up and I inadvertently open some website. 

NotADuck

September 18th, 2020 at 1:15 PM ^

This is a viable and easy solution on chrome, however it does affect Brian's ability to support himself financially.  I remember hearing about that on a youtube podcast a while back.  If you block the ads, Brian won't get whatever amount he gets from you viewing his site without adblock.  Obviously it is your choice and I'm considering using it myself.

Joined: 12/20/2013

MGoPoints: 18453

Jack Be Nimble

September 18th, 2020 at 1:41 PM ^

For anyone who would prefer a no-ad subscription service, isn't that already possible? Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me that any Mgoblog user could just do this unilaterally whenever they wanted.

1) You can donate money to the blog anytime you want simply by clicking on the "About" tab and then clicking on $upport(lol).

2) You can get rid of all the ads anytime you want simply by installing an ad blocker.

So if you want to view the site without ads and support the site with a monthly payment, everything you need to do so is already right there. Paypal even allows you to make any payment to the blog into a monthly donation so you don't have to remember to pay it every month.

In every sense that matters, an ad-free subscription service is already available, isn't it?

Joined: 10/03/2014

MGoPoints: 1829

mlGOBLUE

September 18th, 2020 at 1:03 PM ^

I'm no complainer about ads - I'm well aware that this is a free site, and that Brian and Co. deserve to make a good living. But the constant "Infolinks" pop-ups! I get one every time I open a new MgoPage, with pop-ups blocked on Chrome, and never do on other sites.  If this is Brian's way of getting me to make a donation, I am ready. I just bought my first 247 subscription after many years of MgoBlog - would rather have paid Brian.  

Joined: 01/21/2010

MGoPoints: 1345

East Quad

September 18th, 2020 at 1:22 PM ^

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Joined: 11/12/2017

MGoPoints: 52780

MeanJoe07

September 18th, 2020 at 1:42 PM ^

The Biden ads make me, number one, now I don't mind an ad, but number two, well look, ads are, they're just not that bad really. Look man, I remember the time that we didn't have them, but everybody still said, you know, the thing. We have to take care of the ad revenue, that will make the problem worse no matter what.  I'm the guy who never liked the ads anyway. 

Joined: 09/15/2013

MGoPoints: 73336

MeanJoe07

September 18th, 2020 at 4:00 PM ^

Well, you know what they say. I used to camp back in Scranton and then New Castle after that. I camped so much my mother used to kick me back IN the house when I misbehaved. I ran into some bad dudes too.  I'll tell you what man, if you're undecided then you ain't an MgoBlogger. What are you a junky?  C'mon man. The choice is clear. 

Joined: 09/15/2013

MGoPoints: 73336

MeanJoe07

September 18th, 2020 at 1:47 PM ^

They're terrible. I know a lot of great advertisers. Wonderful people, but these ads are terrible. Truly terrible. The mainstream advertisers are coming for your screens, and they will stop at nothing.  Your kids will see them. They don't even care by the way. They're just terrible, horrible people.  I've done more for advertisements than than anyone. Anyone in history. I'll build the firewall.  I'll build it so big and strong.  It will be a beautiful firewall the likes of no one has ever seen.  We'll make the advertising better I promise you that. 

Joined: 09/15/2013

MGoPoints: 73336

michengin87

September 18th, 2020 at 1:36 PM ^

???  I honestly don't have an ad on my screen.  I'm at work and I use Chrome.  Not sure which of these is working, but based upon the other comments I feel like I'm stealing from Brian.  Sorry, dude.

Joined: 07/14/2009

MGoPoints: 4219

Hab

September 18th, 2020 at 1:39 PM ^

I learned what wrestlers I didnt know were married, what tv shows were canceled effectively immediately, and how to get a personal loan.

Joined: 01/02/2015

MGoPoints: 39676

Roy G. Biv

September 18th, 2020 at 1:51 PM ^

The additional ads are there for sure.  They even pop up in the middle of posts on the message board.  That being said, the blog is some people's livelihood and is a business enterprise after all, not a public service.  I dislike the ads too, but can deal with them in lieu of a paid subscription.  

Joined: 09/03/2010

MGoPoints: 6966

corundum

September 18th, 2020 at 2:01 PM ^

MgoBlog has great content and I really appreciate Brian's writing but the site is a joke. Half the time I can't even click the drop down menu on the left side of the banner to navigate to the board. I guess more ads get viewed if I have to refresh the browser every time I want to navigate to another part of the blog..

Joined: 05/10/2012

MGoPoints: 47323

othernel

September 18th, 2020 at 2:13 PM ^

A bit late to the party, but oh well.

I worked for one of the big three online ad companies for over 7 years, so I speak with some knowledge on the topic. The online ad space is facing a bit of a tipping point, and there's no single right answer for all sites.

Most ad networks now go through whats called a programmatic pipeline, which means that when you consent with Ad Network A to put an ad slot on your site, that they are essentially auctioning off that ad slot to hundreds of other networks (many of them much more shady) to get the highest bid. Many of those networks are then turning around and auctioning off that slot to another batch of networks, and on it goes. So even though a site signs a deal with reputable ad network A, that ad may end up getting sold to sketchy ad network Z.

This move from direct selling to programmatic means there's hundreds of computations events that take place for a single ad to show, and way more space for bad actors to appear. Because there are so many events that take place to sell a single ad, it puts a strain on user bandwidth and computational resources. On mobile devices, ad traffic accounts for almost 50% of battery drain. This also means that as more and more networks bid on advertising, they want more and more personal data in order to tailor these ads to you.

Because of all these reasons, ads have gotten more intrusive and more invasive to your data.

Now, where does that put a great site like mGoBlog? Well, they do so many things right with their content. They don't post clickbait or just have a bunch of outsourced writers in Bangladesh re-writing the same article or press release, like many many many other sites do (seriously, just google a piece of breaking Michigan news, and see how many different sites run the same article with a couple words changed). Brian, Ace, Seth, and company write incredibly compelling content, but this comes at a cost. They either need to monetize, or cut down on quality, or build a paywall. It's a tough call, and as I mentioned, ads make money, but also can add more problems, like the OP has complained about.

I personally try to support the site in other ways, like donations, buying HTTV's digital copy each year, supporting Ace's go fund me, etc, so that the site can continue on. I also am hoping that a pay option shows up, because I really want to be able to support the site, without having to scroll down past 15 banners to get to the forum.

Joined: 08/04/2009

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