flashing advertisements

[Webman]

I'm talking to the ad department right now and having them remove that circuit city ad and one other one that was unfortunately overly invasive.  If there is an ad in particular that is driving you crazy, please let me know and I will recommend its removal.  Thanks for your patience while we sort things out with the ad department. We need to provide advertising to keep things running, but we obviously don't want it to detract greatly from the experience.

[MikeA]

Webman,  I think a reasonable rule of thumb would be that no ad should invade any area outside the boundaries that the company doing the advertising is alloted.  It's bad enough that they flash, wiggle and move around.  I can just barely tolerate those but will NEVER purchase anything from them.  That type of ad always registers with me as a very amateurish way of Pissing people off.  It will NOT encourage people to click on that ad.  If I had my way, no company that had animated ads such as are promoted here would EVER get business from those frequenting the forum.Compare the professional ad from "H&R Block" on the right of the screen to the obnoxious ads from Circuit City and LiveStrong Gear.  I'm one heck of a lot more likely to patronize H&R Block than some childish ad executive's idea of portraying companies like CC and LiveStrong.  Believe me, I will make it a POINT not to buy anything from them!

[Webman]

It is up to the advertiser what ad they would like to run and if their chosen ad is not effective with you, that is an unfortunate circumstance. You may wish to express that to the company and perhaps they will change their own ad policies.
 
We will remove ads that are deemed overly disruptive to our services but they are responsible for generating their own creative, effective or not.
 
We will try to find the appropriate balance and policies regarding ad placement and appreciate the feedback.

[bigboy]

Out of curiosity, how much would you be willing to pay for a premium membership?
 
Retain the advertising in lieu of going to a pay status. This site has been a collaborative effort by many members. Many of us have contributed greatly to the rapid expansion of new members, as people realize that the senior members here will respond to their questions without the "attitude" that is so prevalent on many forums. Putting the cart in front of the horse right now on your question, IMHO.

[oej719]

I love all the flashing lights and adds. Makes the game a challenge. Have to learn how to zone in and block out the white noise. Then find inner peace like the grasshopper.

[Webman]

Retain the advertising in lieu of going to a pay status.
I believe the plan is for things to be relatively unchanged for those who do not wish to pay, so it will not be a step backwards for anyone.  Everyone will still be able to play games free of charge and participate in the community.
 
There will simply be additional benefits for those who do wish to pay for extra services, one of which will be removing the ads, as been requested by some of our users. Ads will remain in place to offset the cost for free users, who will likely remain the bulk of the membership.
 
We certainly hope the lineup of new features will be exciting enough to justify the cost of a paid membership but we also want the current experience to remain accessible to all.

[storm4sb]

Hi webman, I am the member who started this out of sheer frustration. By the way, have been with VP.com since day one! were talking years. were talking 3 PC's ago. have ridden along through every possible change. Right now you might a well change the name VP.com to live strong as it's about all one can see 24/7, non stop, non stop, non stop.
I really resent these ads ruining VP.com and that this is being allowed to continue.
I am in the casino business and have told at least 50 people about VP.com through the years, right now I'm embarrassed I did. VP.com has become the most ad intensive site I have every seen. This isn't the way.
I know this is falling on deaf ears,as I have been complaining about it for weeks, but I have loved the site and am a bit heartbroken that it's become a horror.

[Webman]

Storm4sb, your feedback is certainly appreciated and all comments are being considered.  We have a lot of changes coming up that I think you will find very beneficial. In the meantime, we need to let these ads run for a while and see how things pan out since it takes a little time to gather the data we need to make some smart decisions. We will be making changes to the system to make things more enjoyable for everyone as well as having more targeted ads that people will find useful. I hope you stick with us to see how things go.

[rosenr1]

   Not only are the ads annoying and to some, dangerous to their health, but it slows up the game considerably..and I use DSL so it's not my provider.