gismorail Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'm fed with with surveys that keep appearing on my screen when logged into RM web asking me to complete a quick question sheet , as well as some guy that wants to share his money making scheme on the internet , these only appear on RM web .......... spoils my enjoyment of this excellent site......anyone else having the same problem Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I find that my visits to the internet including the RMweb are becoming less frequent and shorter in length with time. I fail to see the relevance of adverts offering me Russian brides, aids, loan companies, accident and PPI claim companies etc. And when have you seen any ads on RMweb for those? I'm fed with with surveys that keep appearing on my screen when logged into RM web asking me to complete a quick question sheet , as well as some guy that wants to share his money making scheme on the internet , these only appear on RM web .......... spoils my enjoyment of this excellent site......anyone else having the same problem That means you have an adware/spyware problem on your machine. That's not been placed by us at all. I recommend you download and run the free version of Malwarebytes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I accept the revenue argument for the ads being there and wouldn't normally comment on a thread such as this, but... It appears to me that having the ads around slows down the navigating from one page to another. When I'm directly connected (ie hard wired) to a decent server (like...ahem...at work!) it's not so much of a problem but when relying on a WiFi connection (such as on this Voyager I'm currently travelling on) or - even worse - the Gooseberry, it can take an age for each page to load (and the latter device often 'gives up' unless the signal is really good). Usually, what you're waiting for is the ads to pop up (particularly those with animation). I notice this on other ad-heavy sites - you can see the information you are actually after but then have to sit and wait for the rest of the annoying rubbish to load up before you can actually start using the page for what you want it for... My simple (and probably naïve!) question is this. Does the size of the image/file that contains the ad affect the loading time and, if so, is there a strict limit on the size of file that the advertiser is allowed to submit? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian J. Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2014 Despite being on the dole, I would be prepared to pay a yearly subscription for an ad free RMweb, but only if it was truly independent. But of course that's 'kind of' how RMweb used to be, and it wasn't getting enough in voluntary income to pay for the server and bandwidth, let alone Andy's wages. In an 'imagined' independent arrangement, just think how much advertising would need to be in place in order for RMweb to be solvent, and how high the subs would need to be to offset that for the ad removal... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'm fed with with surveys that keep appearing on my screen when logged into RM web asking me to complete a quick question sheet , as well as some guy that wants to share his money making scheme on the internet , these only appear on RM web .......... spoils my enjoyment of this excellent site......anyone else having the same problem Seems common - if you've downloaded something from Sourceforge and inadvertently clicked on the wrong download button then this type of thing seems to happen. Follow Andy's advice - I had to take action to remove this. Fortunately the threat level is low, just ****dy annoying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Shedman5 Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 Just gone through the thread, I'm running Firefox without adblock and have visited the areas concerned. No adverts for a lady from Thailand! indeed no adverts at all. However I will keep a look out and if they start appearing will use adblock which in my naivety I was not aware of. Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Now having 24 hours of data regarding ad impressions and click-throughs I'm now testing a different scenario to compare the data where the Google Ads are visible to Guests but not to Members who are signed in. It will be interesting to see the comparison but what was surprising in the first 24 hours was the value of the ad revenue so it's evident it could make a significant contribution to running costs. The principle is therefore sound, we just need to tune the execution of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Google ads for not-signed-in members I certainly have no problem with - they could be seen as 'freeloaders'. However, with the wealth of knowledge on such a diverse range of subjects from the active membership base (I exclude myself from that, I don't consider myself an expert on much) their contributions to the rest of us are certainly of great value, even if not in financial terms towards the running of the site. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Unfortunately the internet is becoming like commercial tv which in itself is becoming more American whereby it is all adverts, not only do we have ad breaks but the actual programme is sponsored resulting in another advert, then more adverts either side of the credits etc. So, are layouts featuring RTR stock a bit like product placement? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 So, are layouts featuring RTR stock a bit like product placement? I'm sure we can look forward to the manufacturers providing stock+payment to exhibition layout owners then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold SHMD Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'm fed with with surveys that keep appearing on my screen when logged into RM web asking me to complete a quick question sheet , as well as some guy that wants to share his money making scheme on the internet , these only appear on RM web .......... spoils my enjoyment of this excellent site......anyone else having the same problem Pssst. Don't tell anyone but I have never seen any 'ad's on RMweb except the Index page and each page's Header. I haven't 'done' anything to make this happen - I don't know how - but, like the (virtually) ad-less BBC, I like it that way! Also, when I log on I never 'see' any of those things you do. Kev. (Using Win7, latest IE and Chrome. Could Norton be 'doing something'?) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul-dereham Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Just to clarify, I don't have a problem with the ads that have always been on the site, as these are relevant and I never found them obtrusive. What I don't like on many sites, not just this one, are the google pop up ads and it does put me off. I know they're targeted from browsing history but the fact I googled Removal Companies 3 years ago doesn't mean I still want to see adverts for them! I'm a member of one of the professional accountancy bodies but I don't want to continually see ads for student courses as I qualified way back in 1984! I'm on FB but rarely go on via a browser. Other sites with loads of pop ups I just move away from asap. The script I put into my blocker seems to be working so that's all good! (will miss the MILF's though ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 Now having 24 hours of data regarding ad impressions and click-throughs I'm now testing a different scenario to compare the data where the Google Ads are visible to Guests but not to Members who are signed in. It will be interesting to see the comparison but what was surprising in the first 24 hours was the value of the ad revenue so it's evident it could make a significant contribution to running costs. The principle is therefore sound, we just need to tune the execution of it. The information about ad revenue is interesting - is it based on the number of times the ad is seen or on the number of times people click on the link in the ad? If it is the former than it suggest to me that the ad is associated with a popular thread or subject area on the site while if it is the latter it might suggest that as many folk, or more, are quite happy to have the ad(s) there than the number who are not. mid you i suppose a third alternative is that nobody realised those sleepers might be a bit too big for 4mm scale (if it is indeed full sized ones which are being advertised - I haven't looked so I haven't got a clue). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's the latter Mike, it's the click that generates revenue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I've only seen a text add for railway sleepers, surely they're running out of wooden ones? One forum I rarely use anymore has adverts every 3 posts, placed in the topic in the same style as a post. That's annoying. The way googles adds works is, The business creates the add and gives google a budget they want to spend on advertising. Google buy advertising space off Andy to place adds on the site Each click on the add charges the business being advertised a small amount until the set budget for the month is used up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 So if we all spent a few minutes repeatedly clicking we could generate enough income to have the ads removed? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 No, google would replace it with another add and see us as a good revenue stream. One advert right at the bottom of a page I'm not really noticing myself Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2014 I must have a personal ad filter in my brain as I hadn't noticed any until I read this thread. Now I know abut them I realise they are there but I still don't notice them. I have to admit I often don't even notice adverts in magazines when they only occupy a part of a page when I'm reading an article. David Railway Modeller has always placed its ads in blocks at the front & rear of the printed magazine (maybe the digital version is different?). There seems to me no shortage of advertisers there, so presumably many readers must refer to the ads & deal with those traders, otherwise the RM would have changed that configuration years (many decades?) ago. Personally, I find it annoying to be reading an article & finding myself distracted into an ad. US magazines are notorious for that, far worse than British modelling titles. Perhaps RMWeb should do something similar, with clickable links to the advertiser pages? Most printed magazines have footers etc, 'reminding readers to support our advertisers'. OTH the worst thing to do with ads, is to constantly repeat the same ads, in a short time cycle, 'inviting' readers to go elsewhere). I did exactly that, on the radio station I was listening to, on the way home tonight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's the latter Mike, it's the click that generates revenue. Ah, but were they deliberate clicks, or just people clicking them by mistake ? If so many members have taken the adverts off, or are aware and will now avoid, it would be interesting to see if a second 24 hours of use makes gives a different set of statistics. BTW, I've stopped watching football as there are adverts on the player's shirts for money loans or electrical goods or air lines, I've stopped driving as there are adverts on buses for courses at the local college and billboards on buildings with adverts for washing machines, I've stopped buying a paper because there are adverts in there for holidays or stair lifts, I'm now living in a very small, dark room listening to local BBC radio (where they have adverts for local events I don't want to know about......) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Grafarman Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'm now living in a very small, dark room listening to local BBC radio (where they have adverts for local events I don't want to know about......) Ah, that's where you get the inspiration for all those toilet dioramas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Chris116 Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2014 I am quite happy to see adverts at the top and bottom of pages if it means that RMweb can continue to be such an excellent source of information but as I said before my work computer blocks sites with adverts which is rather sad. The adverts at the top of the page do not seem to be a problem but others could be and I do not want to lose RMweb from my lunch hours. For reasons best known to my work place the Cathedrals Express site is blocked as unsuitable but Railway Touring Company and UK Railtours are not! I can only assume that work has an over active imagination on what Steam Dreams are! EDIT Just seen a few adverts and work are not blocking them so back to being happy as I will be able to continue reading at lunchtime! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Izzy Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2014 Okay, I have revised my previous attitude based on what is now being delivered on each and every page in the form of advertising, and particularly that adds are being put at the bottom of each first post on a page. Very intrusive, and to me, especially with content that I have posted, totally unacceptable. So unless this changes, then very sorry, I'm off, and I will also attempt to remove all that I have put on here. Just won't tolerate this at any level. Just taken too far. Izzy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forest2807 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'm not seeing any of this. Is it because I'm on an iPad? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'm not seeing any of this. Is it because I'm on an iPad? Andy has changed it today. You see them only while logged out. If you stay logged in you won't see them. Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'm now living in a very small, dark room listening to local BBC radio (where they have adverts for local events I don't want to know about......) You want to try accessing the BBC website from the USA. That is way over the top - with 30 second adverts every time you want to watch a newsvideo. Multiple tricked out adverts on every page.It's as if the BBC was suddenly liberated from restraints and have to go over the top. Or watch BBC America..... But in the overall scheme of things this here on RMWeb is very small beer. I still haven't seen one.....OK the odd one on the starter page but they are all model oriented. None within the threads. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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