Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

Ok, I'm just getting sick of this. Everywhere I see now, on the discussion boards, in the links section, we are getting bombarded with Advertisements! STOP IT! PLEASE! STOP IT! I'm not going to name names, or even give links, and please don't feel totalyl offended by posts, but this is not a place for advertisements of your wares! IF you would like to make a product annoucement send it to james or marcus at visorcentral! That's all I want to say abotu the discussion boards. well actually a bit more, 1) It's aganst the thing you clicked through to do this, 2) WE might want to make a foroum for this kind of thing, but we don't have one right now.

Now the links. Look at todays links on the main page of VC. PRICES IN THERE?!?!?! come on. Click the first 5. a couple of them are articles, but most of the top 5 so far, lead to manufactors websties tryign to sell you somethin! MArcus! What's going on? I know VC's ultimate goal is to make money, as anyhting is, but don't lose your integrity. You'll never be able to get it back!

ok I'm done ranting.. enjoy please comment.

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-miradu

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

What pisses me off more are the people who don't have the integrity to just out and out say they're advertising. It's one thing to come on and say "Here's my site, what do you think?" vs. "Hey, I found this awesome site!!! Games galore!!! And they're all free!!!!!!! Can you believe it?????? These guys must be GENIUSES!!!!!!!" in four different forums.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

Not quite the same thing and I don't know of a way of stopping people from posting "ad's" as messages but since I am on this subject, you can squash ad banners in web pages.. Use Ad-filtering software..

Some commercial ones are Norton Internet Security, and I know there are some freeware ones , JunkBuster comes to mind http://www.junkbuster.com/ijb.html (I think it's available for most platforms too)..

I use the predecessor to Norton Internet Security, Called AtGuard, it filters cookies, ad banners and ad panels, allows you to control if a web site is allowed to use Java or Active X controls,, it's a real nice piece of software, it also gives you firewall protection as well (great for nabbing SPYWARE trying to call home - use ADAWARE to clean spyware Trojans from your computer http://www.lavasoft.de/aaw/index.html )..

I haven't seen an AD banner in years... You do have an option to control all this junk that streams into your computer, and for folks on slow connections, not having to load all that advertising baggage can really speed up things, Atguard even gives you a "time saved" chart based on how much it blocked at various speed.. Pretty neat, like I said, AtGuard isn't sold anymore, Norton bought the rights and the code from WRQ, and they now make their own. I'd recommend looking into it..

(just my two cents)

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"One of the most important things you learn from the internet is that there is no �them� out there. It�s just an awful lot of �us�." -- Douglas Adams

Last edited by EricG on 05-22-2001 at 06:40 AM

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: El Segundo,CA
Posts: 374

I agree that some of the ad posts have been uncool, but I have found out about some neat stuff that way. Maybe some rules need to be posted on the reply screen for these new guys.

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My Treo has more memory than I do.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Champaign, IL
Posts: 200

We do have a Buy/Sell/Exchange forum, which seems to be a good place for people to advertise commercial stuff. Overall I agree with dick-richardson, if people just said "Come see our new site" or "Buy my brother's ThinPlugJam module," and said it just once, it wouldn't be annoying.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: King William, Virginia USA
Posts: 70

quote:

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Originally posted by miradu2000


[snip]

Now the links. Look at todays links on the main page of VC. PRICES IN THERE?!?!?! come on. Click the first 5. a couple of them are articles, but most of the top 5 so far, lead to manufactors websties tryign to sell you somethin!

[snip]

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: June 10, 2001 San Clemente Pier , CA
Posts: 211

Just another comment:

..I'm a gimmick junkie and I check techbargains.com EVERY morning.

..I really enjoyed the posting recently on the 33.6 HS modem secret markdown at Staples. It was neat to see sooo many posters take advantage of the sale and write it about their acquisition so excitedly.

..I also learn about new products by those 'other' little posts. ie, I didn't know about TapPad. I don't need it. But I liked learning about it.

..I did buy my 64mb smc for $47 at newegg.com after it was posted here. I wouldn't have known about it, otherwise.

..the mini-ad posts don't bother me, I can read on to 'good' stuff easily enough.

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"I cannot live without books." Thomas Jefferson

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Inglewood, CA, USA
Posts: 390

Separate "Deal" section...

How about a "Bargin Hunters" section like I've seen on another site. Any special deals we find that we want to share with others can be put there, and not mixed in with everything else.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

Re: Separate "Deal" section...

quote:

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Originally posted by narnia_77
How about a "Bargin Hunters" section like I've seen on another site. Any special deals we find that we want to share with others can be put there, and not mixed in with everything else.

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: June 10, 2001 San Clemente Pier , CA
Posts: 211

Great idea for the new site!

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"I cannot live without books." Thomas Jefferson

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 604

I don't mind the posts too much. They are deceptive and sneaky, but it amuses me that the folks posting the most blatant ads think we won't figure out that it's really an ad.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

Re: Separate "Deal" section...

quote:

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Originally posted by narnia_77
How about a "Bargin Hunters" section like I've seen on another site. Any special deals we find that we want to share with others can be put there, and not mixed in with everything else.

---

__________________
"One of the most important things you learn from the internet is that there is no �them� out there. It�s just an awful lot of �us�." -- Douglas Adams

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

Re: Separate "Deal" section...

quote:

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Originally posted by narnia_77
How about a "Bargin Hunters" section like I've seen on another site. Any special deals we find that we want to share with others can be put there, and not mixed in with everything else.

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 152

quote:

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Originally posted by EricG
you can squash ad banners in web pages.. Use Ad-filtering software . . . I haven't seen an AD banner in years... You do have an option to control all this junk that streams into your computer, and for folks on slow connections, not having to load all that advertising baggage can really speed up things, Atguard even gives you a "time saved" chart based on how much it blocked at various speed.. Pretty neat, like I said, AtGuard isn't sold anymore, Norton bought the rights and the code from WRQ, and they now make their own. I'd recommend looking into it..

(just my two cents)

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Here's The Rub

My "take" is that we don't mind a promotional post if it comes from "someone like us" that is, a developer, power-user or true industry insider. What we resent is when our senses are assaulted by the likes of "Judy, the new girl in advertising" or "Ken, who just came over from Jenny Craig" who's concept of initative is spending the day making faux bulletin board postings to "drive site views" and "promote hockey stick growth".

I hate to break it to Judy and Ken, but these less than subtle tactics have led directly (and indirectly) to the deaths of thousands of two-bit dotcoms, and it is no way to establish a substantive business model. There is an effective way to promote sites, software, and hardware to this community, but speaking to us as though we were late night informercial viewers is not going to work.

Take that little missive back to your Friday afternoon marketing "wrap session" and while your at it, you might bring up the reason that your employer won't actually give you a Palm or a Visor is that they can't afford to have you walk off with the hardware when they declare bankruptcy.

But, as far as VC goes, Banner Ads are fine with me (a necessary evil).

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: at work...
Posts: 736

Re: Separate "Deal" section...

quote:

---

Originally posted by narnia_77
How about a "Bargin Hunters" section like I've seen on another site. Any special deals we find that we want to share with others can be put there, and not mixed in with everything else.

---

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

I'm NOT talkign at all abotu banners. I support banners, and they are official, and not annoying.. Thank god..

Last night, after I made this post, I thought of some more things to clear it up, but now I've forgot them all. Iguess the big thing is, when a annoucement of a new service/product goes from beign "cool! hey let's get it" to, "ugg"

I think that deals have a right to be on VC, they are helpful, and I love them, And I also think that annoucement for new sites/services are cool to, but It's how they ar epresented.. If you have a bargain, get itin the VC news, and than maybe make a small post about it on one foroum, if you are a direct company, try to keep it more in the news, and let users talk about it, without too much help from you. I like it when comapnies talk, but only in responce to users' questions, commments.. rememeber our friend Inventorb? Point said.

I knew I started a flame war here, and it's a big dicussion. I guess what I want this thread to represent is an educational tool, to those who want to post something. To make it unobtrusive and appropriate. Post those comments here!

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-miradu

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

quote:

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Originally posted by dvIceT


I know this is likely to draw some fire, but why? Do we really want to punish James and the rest of the VC staff for adopting a seemingly naive business plan(money for ad banners)? I'm pretty sure the bulk of the money used to support VC comes from advertising. I'm sure a lot of time, effort, and money is expended keeping VC the quality and *free* membership site that it is. A few ad banners seems like a worthwhile tradeoff for quality discussion and information. The more people use ad-filtering software, the sooner advertisers start sticking their money in more worthwhile endeavours and the sooner we'll see VC and similar sites turn to fee-based access plans like so many other websites have done.

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__________________
"One of the most important things you learn from the internet is that there is no �them� out there. It�s just an awful lot of �us�." -- Douglas Adams

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: King William, Virginia USA
Posts: 70

quote:

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Originally posted by miradu2000

[snip]

I knew I started a flame war here, and it's a big dicussion. I guess what I want this thread to represent is an educational tool, to those who want to post something. To make it unobtrusive and appropriate. Post those comments here!

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Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Pembroke,MA
Posts: 307

Here's my take...

I support banner ads, as it keeps sites like this running. I certainly want to keep the site running. Unless the site is a plaster of ads all over it, I'm for funding the site that way. I don't want to pay directly to be a member (I'm cheap like that). Heck, I've even made sure I linked through the VC site when purchasing Visor related stuff, so that they get credit for the "through click to purchase".

I do not support vendors getting free advertisement on the site, or posting a decieving topic so that you will see what the post is about, only to find an ad. I, personally, will never purchase these items, knowingly (in the case of EricG scenario).

I think that these types of vendors should simply give a sample of their product to VC for direct testing, and let them decide to post a review of the item, or an announcement of the product. It's always worked well this way in the past, and it give us all the opportunity to see official reviews/announcements, instead of the "check this cool thing out" posts.