ad free / subscription version of audioshark?

aKnyght

aKnyght

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Jan 18, 2018
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saṃsāra
i fully realize the importance of ad revenue in supporting this site...

however, given the plethora of ads now populating every crease and crevice of audioshark.org causing poor site performance and injecting all sorts of cookies, data, trackers, etc, it seems logical / desirable to at least pose the question of having some type subscription membership which would be ad free.

i would certainly be willing to pay a subscription fee to use the site ad free. curious if others would as well?

btw and off topic: i thought politics were frowned upon here (see attachments) ;)
 

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The ads are all managed by Google. We don’t have anything to do with it.

I’ll be interested to see what the response to your question is. I would be happy to accept $20/year from every member to run the site. But the last time I asked this question, people said they were fine with the ads and keeping it free.

We are working through a number of changes (server) and upgrades to the software. We are continuing to iron out the kinks and I’ve asked the developers to please do what they can to tweak the site back to our original ad layout (I never requested it be changed). We have worked through a number of updates and changes the past week and everyone’s patience is greatly appreciated.
 
Mike said:
The ads are all managed by Google. We don’t have anything to do with it.

I’ll be interested to see what the response to your question is. I would be happy to accept $20/year from every member to run the site. But the last time I asked this question, people said they were fine with the ads and keeping it free.

We are working through a number of changes (server) and upgrades to the software. We are continuing to iron out the kinks and I’ve asked the developers to please do what they can to tweak the site back to our original ad layout (I never requested it be changed). We have worked through a number of updates and changes the past week and everyone’s patience is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

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When I log in, this is what I see. Not sure why you are still getting a giant ad at the top. Is this recent?
 
yes -- the ad at the top of the page is recent / since the server change. it does not appear 100% of the time, but certainly over 50%

btw: i am suggesting some type of freemuim model... use free with ads, pay to use without ads.

another forum i frequent has a freemium model with the paid subscription unlocking certain content which includes the ability to post in the classifieds -- i.e. buy/sell. the paid subscription still has ads but i value the extra content and pay ~$25/yr. i would be happy to pay more to eliminate all ads if that were an option there.
 
aKnyght said:
yes -- the ad at the top of the page is recent / since the server change. it does not appear 100% of the time, but certainly over 50%

btw: i am suggesting some type of freemuim model... use free with ads, pay to use without ads.

another forum i frequent has a freemium model with the paid subscription unlocking certain content which includes the ability to post in the classifieds -- i.e. buy/sell. the paid subscription still has ads but i value the extra content and pay ~$25/yr. i would be happy to pay more to eliminate all ads if that were an option there.
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I’m totally open to that, but the last time I proposed it, folks didn’t want it. Let’s see what folks say this time.
 
For those who are less educated, let me explain the Google ads:

We assign locations on our site for Google ads (through Google Adsense) to run their ads. The locations on the forum could be like they are now, the far right column. We do not pick what ads show. Google decides on the ads based on your browsing history. So, if you’re looking for a new dishwasher online, you may see ads for dishwashers.

AKnyght, I have asked the developers to completely remove the large top banner that you were seeing. I actually don’t know why it was there at all since during our migration and upgrade, there was no discussion of increasing ad space. But I’ve confirmed this morning it has been taken care of and aKnyght, you shouldn’t see anymore large ads at the top when you log in.
 
thanks mike!

as much as people here spend on their systems to get as high a signal-to-noise ratio as technically possible, one would think a few bucks a year to get the same S/N ratio from this site would be a no-brainer ...right?
 
Mike, one option to consider is a set-up where people can choose to pay some amount (perhaps $15 per year or $75 for lifetime, etc.) and not get adds. The site would be the same, except people who paid extra would get the benefit of no ads. Think of Amazon Kindle giving customers the choice to pay a one-time purchase extra $20 to avoid ads on a Kindle.

Best,
Duke
 
Duke97 said:
Mike, one option to consider is a set-up where people can choose to pay some amount (perhaps $15 per year or $75 for lifetime, etc.) and not get adds. The site would be the same, except people who paid extra would get the benefit of no ads. Think of Amazon Kindle giving customers the choice to pay a one-time purchase extra $20 to avoid ads on a Kindle.

Best,
Duke
Click to expand...

Absolutely! I would happily do this if folks are open to it. Just note, if we do go this route, I would likely ask the developers to put MORE ads on the free site and none for the paid user. And again, as always, 100% of the money is retained in an account to pay for all site costs - just like we do now with donations.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I'm in though to be honest I haven't had any problems other than the slow down which is effecting many sites.
 
I'd spring for a subscription as a means of supporting the site but that's because I've donated at least once and plan to try to remember to do so, yearly, as Audioshark has become a top visited audio site, for me.
That said, I don't find the ads offensive at this point. On mobile there have been occasional issues in the past but I mostly use a laptop when browsing and try use the desktop site when using a mobile device. The site works well on my end, though I have seen the spam and double posts, recently, too. But it looks to have been addressed in a rapid and effective manner. Great job!
 
Rnrmf said:
I'd spring for a subscription as a means of supporting the site but that's because I've donated at least once and plan to try to remember to do so, yearly, as Audioshark has become a top visited audio site, for me.
That said, I don't find the ads offensive at this point. On mobile there have been occasional issues in the past but I mostly use a laptop when browsing and try use the desktop site when using a mobile device. The site works well on my end, though I have seen the spam and double posts, recently, too. But it looks to have been addressed in a rapid and effective manner. Great job!
Click to expand...

Thank you! [emoji3590]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I would definitely be interested in an add free subscription.

I also wonder, would there be an interest in an executive or prime subscription where there is content that only prime members get. That might be something you are not interested in Mike, but was thinking would there be any interest or advantages to doing something like that?
 
I would say that for 15-20 $ a year i would also be in for that. As i also know there are cost with running a site like this.
 
As requested:

1- After logged in to the forum, go to this URL:
https://www.audioshark.org/payments.php

2- Select 25 USD, click ORDER.

3- Click ORDER USING PAYPAL

4- In the redirected paypal page, make the payment.

The $25 per year will give you ad free access along with a special members area which will soon be created.

For the record, I’m not a fan of this idea, I really wanted to keep everything free. But there were repeated requests for it, so I had it developed.

We are still testing, so be patient while we iron out any kinks. If you pay the $25, we will manually confirm your membership will be ad free


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
wow -- ok, i am in !!

that being said, my primary motivation for the OP was site performance. i certainly did not intend to start anything that would end up making the administration of the site more complex or difficult ...nor, something that goes against a vision for free access to the community.
 
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