So i just noticed that there is now a slim banner ad at the top of the forum for an enertion deal.
Personally i think it’s a little scummy for a company who says this is a completely open forum to start advertising in ways that others can not.
Also i think ads are annoying, i would much rather see a post about the deal, then people could talk about it also.
what do you guys think?
I think if I paid to host a website for an entire community of people who regardless of what I do, aren’t necessarily going to buy my stuff, that I’d do the same thing. Frankly, I would have sold top and side banners to my competitors by now if I was Jason. My 2c.
Who said others can’t advertise? I acknowledge your complaint, however this is a trial, will need to analyse the datat and see what happens.
Unfortunately there will have to be some monetization at some point if this forum is to continue to be operational and we’ll kept.
It’s been running for 12months with zero ads and funded out of my pocket… someone needs to pay the server fees and I can guarantee the other vendors who I freely allow to access this forum to promote their own products aren’t going to chip in to help.
Also… it’s a really hot deal… the community has been begging for better prices on these items… and this deal will also allow me to fill my distributors warehouses with stock so that my overseas friends don’t have to pay 30% import duties…
If I don’t get the necessary numbers the entire deal falls through… so I need the support of the community to make it happen… I don’t think to many people will mind…
Personally, if I hadn’t literally just got a single 6374 I’d be all over this deal to run a dually sitch
I had a longer thing typed out but in writing it up i realized my main issue with this.
I think ads would be fine (banner ads, side ads, no popups though), but I think they should link to a post on the forum, not another website. 1. that would allow people to talk about the company/deal 2. it helps protect against malicious ads/links.
I think, if you’d be open to it, plenty of members would be willing to chip in. This would not necessarily cover all your costs. But it might help a bit. I’d personally be willing to ‘donate’ for sure!
+1 10 chars
When it comes down to it, its @onloop 's forum. He’s is the one managing it and most importantly paying for it. Its not cheap, at all. I get that it is a community forum but the community does not pay the bill. (granted a few people would chip in) So I really do not mind Enertion, Ollin, DIY, Jacob Bloy, Hummie, or myself to advertise (paid) on here. I do also see @Karmannghiagirl 's point, but I feel if they are member of the community with eSk8 businesses it would be appropriate to have outside links, because I am sure there is a topic all ready created about it. (like @onloop having a sale thread with all the nitty gritty details that may not be on his website)
Any way that is my two cents.
Outside links in the post would be fine, i just feel iffy about ads directly linking outside of the forum.
As would I, but if they are only advertising businesses on the forum i think it would be totally different.
true. if it was a well known person or business i guess i would feel better about those ads being direct links.
i think you should advertise. the forum cost money to run. sell some ad space to other people. whoever doesn’t like it can go and pay to be on another forum. the only issue i have is what about the people that want the limited offer but also need a wireless controller? 
Definitely gives a little bit of a proprietary vibe which I think misrepresents the true nature of this forum. Is it something I could live with…sure, but I do feel like it could give wrong impression to new members or first time visitors. Don’t blame @onloop one bit for trying to monetize the forum though.
@onloop I’m not so sure about that, although I’m a member and not a competitor\vendor, I would gladly chip in some money if you started a donation model for the forum. I bet that others would offer donations as well. If everyone chipped in a small amount I bet we could cover costs to operate the site.
I also don’t see a problem with you monetizing the site. So sell ads if that’s what keeps it going!
Ads are part of the deal and on most forums. I don’t mind them at all. Almost all forums i visit usually have a few. Somebody has to pay for the hosting and when you have an active user community they are valuable to market to. I ignore the ones i don’t like and click some that look interesting.
I’d ask they stay skate and esk8 focused. Start having viagra or the super annoying “this one thing will save-your-life/help-you-lose-20lbs!” and i’m going to be hanging out elsewhere.
i agree. no viagra ads. just esk8 ads.
I can 100% guarantee that non-related ads will never be shown on this forum…
my original dream for this forum is to promote the global movement of esk8 builders, this includes the various vendors, as @oneafrikan said “a rising tide lifts all boats”
I know well that if my competitors are doing good business they will also be marketing their products and actively promoting products to the market & educating the masses as a whole, this is good for everyone involved.
I also know that my competitors would have had a huge amount of traffic going to their website due to the creation of this website… this platform benefits everyone…
I don’t mind the banner at all. Tbh I would prob pay a small monthly fee to use this forum at this point so I don’t care who advertises lol
Not scummy at all in my opinion
When I first saw it, I thought it was kinda shady, since this hasn’t been an option for other vendors. I get its your forum, but if its your forum, and you use it in ways other vendors can’t, then it’s not a forum for the community. It’s being used in a way other vendors can’t to sell your products. So enough with “this forum is for the community” if you utilize the forum to promote your business. I get that other companies have grown because of this forum, and that has benefited the community. But in my eyes, it’s either for the community or for your own profit. I would be fine chipping in to help hosting, as many others have stated. It’s annoying to see “this forum is for the community” and “it’s my forum, so I can do what I want” in the same post. If its forum for the community, then these kinds of things would be the choice of the community, and not the owner