I was very surprised today to see on SFN page an add for a creationist book.

Can't you handle that?

 

 

I'm sure it's a bot that checks for keywords.

 

Click the ad link! (not sure if the revenue is from page views or clicks) I have no problem with the site making money off of creationists.

 

BTW, I've deleted your link, since that does actually count as advertising with regard to our rules, and is a no-no.

I have no problem with the site making money off of creationists.

I find that remark amusing, and I quite agree with it.

So you have no problem in hosting creationists on SFN?

We have a lot of discussions on ID and other religion vs. science topics... So, if these guys advertise here, these are likely very effective advertisements, because we draw traffic through Google hits. So, yes, they may pay us a little to advertise... but from their perspective this is money well spent.

 

I am not sure I am happy that we are providing a valuable service to the creationists... then again, I am not sure it is easy to do something about it, as some bot decides what you see. Some bots even know your search history, and will target you individually... so, michel123456, maybe you just spent a lot of time on our religion forum, and the bot thinks you might be interested.

 

I have luckily never seen that ad.

Ads like these are driven by the individual. I was researching CRM applications for a client recently and now that's all I see in the ad spaces, links to all the CRM services I checked out.

 

So I suspect michel has been checking out the dark side. Perhaps calculating the age of the Earth from all the people mentioned in Genesis?

So you have no problem in hosting creationists on SFN?

 

We're not hosting them. They're paying to be here, among a crowd that knows they're full of BS. It would be wonderful if they had to pay per page view, because that means we're taking their money with almost zero chance they will sell anything. A not-very-intelligently-designed strategy.

We're not hosting them. They're paying to be here, among a crowd that knows they're full of BS. It would be wonderful if they had to pay per page view, because that means we're taking their money with almost zero chance they will sell anything. A not-very-intelligently-designed strategy.

 

I think they still have a higher chance to be successful here than on some random other forum.

We may have loads of scientists who don't believe their BS, but we do generate a lot of relevant keywords that will attract Joe the Google Searcher.

I think they still have a higher chance to be successful here than on some random other forum.

We may have loads of scientists who don't believe their BS, but we do generate a lot of relevant keywords that will attract Joe the Google Searcher.

Yes. Anyway I find the situation bizarre. Like an announcement of Al Qaeda on the site of the CIA.

Edited April 12, 201312 yr by michel123456

Yes. Anyway I find the situation bizarre. Like an announcement of Al Qaeda on the site of the CIA.

Freedom of speech is alive and well.

Freedom of speech is alive and well.

I beg your pardon?

freedom of speech on SFN?

I beg your pardon?

freedom of speech on SFN?

 

I suspect the statement was meant to be ironic — the hypocrisy of you, advocating censorship, given your history.

Ads like these are driven by the individual. I was researching CRM applications for a client recently and now that's all I see in the ad spaces, links to all the CRM services I checked out.

So why am I getting ads for nanotechnology products when I've been searching for penis enlargement? Is it a conspiracy?

So why am I getting ads for nanotechnology products when I've been searching for penis enlargement? Is it a conspiracy?

 

Not at all. Does the ad read, "Bananotech.com: Solutions For The Big, Hard Questions"?

Michel - You do understand that the staff here and the server owners don't choose which ads and banners appear on the site, don't you? It appears that you think it was chosen by the site owners and placed there intentionally like an avatar or signature.

We can, hypothetically, ban certain ads from SFN by adjusting some settings with the ad network. I believe dave has access to the account, but he is very busy these days and doesn't have much time to tinker with SFN.

We can, hypothetically, ban certain ads from SFN by adjusting some settings with the ad network. I believe dave has access to the account, but he is very busy these days and doesn't have much time to tinker with SFN.

 

Is revenue based on page views or click-throughs?

Both. Advertisers can pick either method, and then Google picks the ad expected to result in the most revenue for us. Or something.

Michel - You do understand that the staff here and the server owners don't choose which ads and banners appear on the site, don't you? It appears that you think it was chosen by the site owners and placed there intentionally like an avatar or signature.

I don't think it was intentional.

But IMHO advertising should be controlled.

Isn't it a paradox that advertising inside the post is against the rules but advertising by anyone outside the post is allowed? (note that the ad is a link, it is not simply a picture). My link that was deleted in post #1 was nothing else that the link of the picture.

Isn't it a paradox that advertising inside the post is against the rules but advertising by anyone outside the post is allowed? (note that the ad is a link, it is not simply a picture). My link that was deleted in post #1 was nothing else that the link of the picture.

 

Paradox? No, I don't think so. In-post advertising does not generate revenue. The external ads do.

Paradox? No, I don't think so. In-post advertising does not generate revenue. The external ads do.

Oh.

That's all about money.

 

Would you find it natural to find a internet site about healthy products that advertises Mcdonalds?

It is ridicule.

 

----------------------

Do everybody here see the same ads?

Oh.

That's all about money.

 

Would you find it natural to find a internet site about healthy products that advertises Mcdonalds?

It is ridicule.

 

----------------------

Do everybody here see the same ads?

 

I am no expert, but here is how I think it works:

 

There are advertising agencies.

Various companies can go to these companies, and have a bunch of banners made for their products. They pay the advertising agency.

Various websites (like SFN) can go to the advertising agencies, and say they have a spot for a banner. The advertising company pays them a little to have that banner on their site - regardless of what the banner is about. The advertising agency chooses what will be on the banner, not the website. SFN have nothing to say about this.

 

Banners have a number of standardized sizes. So, the banners can be changed easily.

 

In the old days, they would just have the same banner for every visitor. But now, some smart (and annoying) software monitors your interests, and tries to show you banners that you may be interested in... to be more effective. So, some piece of software thought you might be interested in intelligent design.

 

So, when you see a website for healthy lifestyles with a McD's advertisement, it is not that website that does the advertising. And it is not McD's either. It is the advertising company.

 

If you visit a website, your browser gathers data from multiple addresses, and combines that into a single picture on your monitor. The advertisements are not even stored on SFN's server! SFN have nothing to do with it. All we can apparently do is request that some advertisements are not used.

I am no expert, but here is how I think it works:

 

There are advertising agencies.

Various companies can go to these companies, and have a bunch of banners made for their products. They pay the advertising agency.

Various websites (like SFN) can go to the advertising agencies, and say they have a spot for a banner. The advertising company pays them a little to have that banner on their site - regardless of what the banner is about. The advertising agency chooses what will be on the banner, not the website. SFN have nothing to say about this.

 

Banners have a number of standardized sizes. So, the banners can be changed easily.

 

In the old days, they would just have the same banner for every visitor. But now, some smart (and annoying) software monitors your interests, and tries to show you banners that you may be interested in... to be more effective. So, some piece of software thought you might be interested in intelligent design.

 

So, when you see a website for healthy lifestyles with a McD's advertisement, it is not that website that does the advertising. And it is not McD's either. It is the advertising company.

 

If you visit a website, your browser gathers data from multiple addresses, and combines that into a single picture on your monitor. The advertisements are not even stored on SFN's server! SFN have nothing to do with it. All we can apparently do is request that some advertisements are not used.

you could put a warning above or under the ad banner.

Stating fro example: "SFN is not responsible for the content of this ad, it has been chosen by "someone else" (a bot?) on the basis of your recent browsing history".

Or something like that...

you could put a warning above or under the ad banner.

Stating fro example: "SFN is not responsible for the content of this ad,

 

Isn't that the case for basically all advertising? (advertising, not sponsorship)

Something like this: