BA.org used to not have advertisements in its forums. Here’s why I don’t like that it switched:
1.) People who advertise instantly downloadable content on the internet very often can install malware in their clickbait. I frequently have to use anti-malware software on my computer to disinfect as a consequence of accidently clicking on and downloading from low-quality websites.
2.) They look bad; the overall style of those advertisements is usually inconsistent with both the aesthetic and content of this site.
I think BA.org should market itself as a more competent platform and consider pairing with more trustworthy and design-oriented brands related to advertising services, freelancing like Fiverr and Upwork, Adobe, and etc.
As time goes on and as blender gets better at what it does, people like me will develop their own either artistry or photorealism with different niches and eventually be able to showcase what blender is useful for in terms of art, advertisements and graphic design-related content for small/mid/large businesses/government-agencies/academic-institutions/non-profits and how forums like these help in that process of equipping non-blender-experts with knowledge they need to succeed, and/or, facilitating contracts. Maybe search around on for different acclaimed developers who regularly use Blender, and maybe showcase the kinds of mini-economies and render accomplishments that Blender contributes to before negotiating with other advertisers.
As time goes on and you scale up what you can do, you can maybe hire dedicated support specialists of your own, kind of like stackexchange, in a more community oriented, help-oriented innovative hub and less strict way so as to avoid demagoguery. But, it can’t just say that, it has to actually live up to its reputation, otherwise people won’t come back here often and it won’t grow much in the long-term.
We have no control over the ads you see. Like every other site on the internet, ads are based entirely on your browsing history, so they say infinitely more about you than us
I’ve never encountered a situation where I need to build a site that specifically relies on ad revenue, but I don’t think that’s true, I think some advertisers use randomization strategies, and some advertisers are actually specific in the sense that they correlate ads with search history at least if you pair with google. I’ve seen examples of both.
But…it’s y’alls website…how do you not have control over what advertisements are on your site? And how does that prevent you from partnering with major and indie networks that actively advertise?
Yeah I’m not saying without ads necessarily, I just mean ads that don’t have malware and don’t look like crap so as to break the aesthetic of this website.
That’s not empirically true, especially not across platforms like linkedin and instagram and other social sites. But since you mention Google Ads specifically, that makes more sense. Most websites I go to don’t rely on ad revenue and if they do then they immediately seem low quality to me except maybe wikipedia so I don’t spend much time on them. In fact not even BlenderMarket, which I’ve bought from a few times, seems to either.
In specific videos, specific authors will mention something like SkillShare or fiverr or their own personal portfolio website. I think a more personal approach is one way to grow.
Sounds like this approach should be rethought a bit, I actually don’t know of any successful for-profit website I go to on a regular basis that relies on Google Ads.
I think there’s some confusion here on multiple levels. You choosing to have advertisements on your website, is NOT mutually exclusive with advertising via Google Ads on other people’s websites and browsers and social platforms.
Secondly, the “90%” quote doesn’t mean much without both returns and quality assurance. If you can fool 9-year-olds into clicking on clickbait and infecting their computer/phone with malware created by cybercriminals, that’s not exactly the business model you should be using to win me over.
I can tell you as someone who’s worked with designers across multiple social platforms for years that I’ve never run into a single client who wants us to design anything for google ads, not even large businesses with hundreds of employees.
Yes, I’ve mentioned already that the content of ads is entirely up to the viewer, but I fear facts aren’t having much of an impact in this conversation
I don’t really see how it’s appropriate to blame victims of malware, but even so, that doesn’t really do anything to assure me that those statistics are backed up with measures of returns and quality assurance.
Are they simply manipulating kids psychology with over-saturated colors? Or, are they actually successfully businesses who pay their employees rent through careful strategizing of a legitimate product?
I feel like you’re getting weirdly hostile for no reason. This is not a gotcha question that demeans your status as a programmer or artist or whatever it is you think was insulted. My comments are out of concern for seeing this community grow in a more effective way that’s reliable, since I come here every so often.
Also, feel free to show users here how they can “choose” advertisements.
I don’t need to- the vast majority of people understand how ads work. I can lead a horse to water and all that, but I can’t force you to get this. You could, I promise, but if you don’t want to, oh well. Not my problem. Anyway, if you don’t like the ads, support us on Patreon
Okay, so I’m just going to say these things again because it doesn’t seem like you’re in the mood to listen, maybe you’re having a bad day.
I’m not donating to your platform after you denigrated me several times, after I came to you from a genuine place of wanting to see this site grow into something, and being given hostile lip service.
I’ve been working in design for years. No successful business I’ve seen has Google ads on their site. I have never been asked to design anything related to Google ads. I rarely go to any website on a regular basis that has Google ads spammed in them. These are facts, you can take them and try to understand why that is to grow this site, or you can leave them and continue doing whatever it is you’re doing.
Also, if I’ve been designing web content and I don’t know how to “choose” the ads, you can bet there’s other people who also don’t too, hence it would be helpful to explain. Now, in ad sense is an “x” mark usually in a corner. This does not mean you can “choose” anything, this essentially means you can apply a small bias to the ads it displays, in a chaotic trial and error method that likely isn’t worth anyone’s time.
I think the discussion got lost into a different direction, but I see the main point of taking care about what ads are displayed at the project forum or related sites a valid concern.
I think readers asking at least for some documentation on ads is a valid point, even if not at the same detail level as RTD or ethical ads. As well as the responsible for maintaining the site stating that ads are necessary, asking users to donate, etc.
The way Google Ads works is widely documented, being nearly universal, there’s nothing special about how it is used on this site. Anyone seeking info about Google Ads can easily find said info from more qualified or knowledgeable sources out there
This kind of arrogant attitude is precisely why I’m not going to donate and why I’m not going to recommend others donate. Ironically I anticipated this happening when I said this site had to live up to its reputation of being a community. I didn’t even know this site used Google ads specifically. It’s not worth my time to find out. Why? Malware. I’m not going to click on an ad from an unverified source, plain and simple. And if I do, it should look well designed and relevant.
To those of you who actually help and make this site worth anyone’s time, I appreciate your effort, I’m going to direct my time, money, passion and energy to other communities who take their platform more seriously, good luck with another 10-20 years of whatever this is.
