I am a lifetime member after contributing $100 so why am I besieged by adverts

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mpitfield said:
If you have a script blocker just block googlesyndication.com and the ads go away or add an entry to your local hosts file for syndication.com to resolve to 127.0.0.1
Click to expand...

Why would he have to do that if he paid a membership fee?
 
dixontj93060 said:
Why would he have to do that if he paid a membership fee?
Click to expand...

Exactly, I am hugely disappointed in the way this site is run, I know for a fact that it costs about $10 a month to run a forum as I run several myself, this attempt to moniterize the forum can only lead to the death of it. (which I sincerely hope doesn't happen)
 
It is good question, if you don't have a free blocker. On another thread someone said to use the free blocker that comes with Firefox. Since I have Firefox, I found the blocker and it was easy and free to activate. For me this question is no longer a pertinent issue.
 
Or more specifically if you do not want to use an ad blocker then simply add the following two lines to your hosts file:

0.0.0.0 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
0.0.0.0 resources.infolinks.com

The hosts file has no extension and requires local admin to modify or write to that directory and is located here C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. A simple way to do this is to right click the file and open with notepad, copy the two lines above to the bottom of the file so it looks like the following, that is unless you have already modified it then just add the two lines to maintain the original integrity of the file. Once done select save as and save it as a copy on your desktop then rename and remove the .txt extension, you will get warnings but just ignore them. In the original file location rename your old hosts to hosts.old then drag and drop the new hosts file from the desktop to move it to the original directory. Again depending on the O/S you will get UAC warnings thrown up asking you to provide either admin credentials or approve it as an administrator.


# Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost
0.0.0.0 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
0.0.0.0 resources.infolinks.com

In simple terms this just tricks the computer to look for the source of these two links on your machine, of course the source is not there so it ends up preventing those two sources from delivering whatever service they provide.

However there is nothing preventing the webmaster from rewriting the web code to get around this, which is why the easiest and most flexible way to simply use a script blocker or adblocker.
 
Simon said:
Exactly, I am hugely disappointed in the way this site is run, I know for a fact that it costs about $10 a month to run a forum as I run several myself, this attempt to moniterize the forum can only lead to the death of it. (which I sincerely hope doesn't happen)
Click to expand...

the person or persons who bought this forum has proven time and time again they do not care about it. It gets hit enough on the archives it will continue to generate money well into the future, even if we all stopped posting today.

No effort is put into making it any better, or developing new posting or thought.

The traffic here is likely costing them more than a ten spot a month, but it isn't much more, and they're just going to rape it out til the end. Such is the cycle.
 
mpitfield said:
Or more specifically if you do not want to use an ad blocker then simply add the following two lines to your hosts file:

0.0.0.0 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
0.0.0.0 resources.infolinks.com

The hosts file has no extension and requires local admin to modify or write to that directory and is located here C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. A simple way to do this is to right click the file and open with notepad, copy the two lines above to the bottom of the file so it looks like the following, that is unless you have already modified it then just add the two lines to maintain the original integrity of the file. Once done select save as and save it as a copy on your desktop then rename and remove the .txt extension, you will get warnings but just ignore them. In the original file location rename your old hosts to hosts.old then drag and drop the new hosts file from the desktop to move it to the original directory. Again depending on the O/S you will get UAC warnings thrown up asking you to provide either admin credentials or approve it as an administrator.


# Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost
0.0.0.0 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
0.0.0.0 resources.infolinks.com

In simple terms this just tricks the computer to look for the source of these two links on your machine, of course the source is not there so it ends up preventing those two sources from delivering whatever service they provide.

However there is nothing preventing the webmaster from rewriting the web code to get around this, which is why the easiest and most flexible way to simply use a script blocker or adblocker.
Click to expand...

Wow Pit,,,,,
You da man......
Very impressive indeed.....

Teddy
 
onebadhawk said:
Wow Pit,,,,,
You da man......
Very impressive indeed.....

Teddy
Click to expand...

Thanks Teddy, you are always so complimentary.

Truthfully though and I imagine that most IT folks including and a good portion of regular PC users, know how to edit the hosts file. The only somewhat tricky part is figuring out what to block. Like most challenges with computers there are may ways to do this including several methods using tools built in to the O/S...no 3rd party tricks.

So as impressive as it seems, it is really just basic stuff. Us IT folks just like to use TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) to confuse the general public; kind of like a foreign language, so people think things are a lot harder than they are.
 
Anyway, I have decided to leave the forum, I'll kiss goodbye to my $100. I am very sad to do so as there are many lovely and knowledgeable people on here, but for me it is a matter of principle. If anyone replies to this thread I won't be reading it. This is my final post.
 
dixontj93060 said:
Why would he have to do that if he paid a membership fee?
Click to expand...

Quite possibly because the forum owner has absolutely zero interest in the user base or content of the forum. Kevin sold out to someone only interested in the click through revenue. What amazes me is the number of people here who still think this is the forum of days gone by. The people willing to fork over the $100 for "membership" or handle the moderation as a free service to a profit making enterprise. Personally I would (were I one of the moderators) repay the lack of interest by allowing the content to fall far enough into disrepair that their investment becomes a loss as folks migrate to other venues.

The interesting part to me is that folks griped about every aspect of the free forum until it finally ended up in the hands of someone who really does not care. Well that and a handful of well meaning folks who believe that managing the content here actually is providing a vital service to the community.

Me? I just ignore the ads.
 
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mpitfield said:
So as impressive as it seems, it is really just basic stuff. Us IT folks just like to use TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) to confuse the general public; kind of like a foreign language, so people think things are a lot harder than they are.
Click to expand...

You are not supposed to let that out. If other people can do this then how do we protect our well paying phony-baloney jobs?
 
Simon, your Block advertisement settings were not set to YES, block advertisements.

Go to Settings
General Settings
at the very bottom is Block Advertisements with a neutral box, then NO or YES.

Remember to save.
 
Admin said:
Simon, your Block advertisement settings were not set to YES, block advertisements.

Go to Settings
General Settings
at the very bottom is Block Advertisements with a neutral box, then NO or YES.

Remember to save.
Click to expand...

When I log into my settings page and review the Block Advertisements setting it is set to YES, however it has no obvious effect on blocking advertisements for me so I am currently using other means.
 
I will have to ask the techs about that. Thanks for letting me know.
 
Actually, I didn't mind the ads that much. It was the extremely bad response time that I had for this website. It would take a long time for a screen change. It only took about 10 seconds to turn on the Firefox blocker and right away TRF loaded and changed screens really fast.
 
Having read this thread and not having realised what "Lifetime Membership" is, I checked and found the following benefits:

-Less advertising.
-NO mobile advertising
-Unlimited private message space.
-Unlimited file attachment space.
-Unlimited gallery space.
-Larger Profile Picture dimensions and file size.
-The satisfaction that you are supporting a great community with a great cause

All I ask is whether or not all that that is worth $100?

$100 = 4 good model rockets or 1 good MPR.

Maybe we should spend more time building and flying?
It's been a bad week for TRF with much derision and division and now a much respected member leaving.
I think we should spend more time building and flying and, as they say "getting out more".

SO.
 
mpitfield said:
When I log into my settings page and review the Block Advertisements setting it is set to YES, however it has no obvious effect on blocking advertisements for me so I am currently using other means.
Click to expand...
That key is not activated unless you paid for a lifetime membership.

Regardless of what people think, the web is not free and someone has to pay the costs associated of a website. The vast majority of websites used commercial advertising to cover the costs, or have users pay a subscription fee to remove ads. If you have Yahoo mail, you can opt out of the ads for a fee. The same holds true for a number of similar websites.

Bob
 
bobkrech said:
That key is not activated unless you paid for a lifetime membership.

Regardless of what people think, the web is not free and someone has to pay the costs associated of a website. The vast majority of websites used commercial advertising to cover the costs, or have users pay a subscription fee to remove ads. If you have Yahoo mail, you can opt out of the ads for a fee. The same holds true for a number of similar websites.

Bob
Click to expand...

Sure I get that but...


 
I paid a 1 year membership and still get ads in the iPhone app. And yes, it is annoying, although the very existence of the app is so valuable that it doesn't deter my usage.
 
Space Oddity said:
Having read this thread and not having realised what "Lifetime Membership" is, I checked and found the following benefits:

-Less advertising.
-NO mobile advertising
-Unlimited private message space.
-Unlimited file attachment space.
-Unlimited gallery space.
-Larger Profile Picture dimensions and file size.
-The satisfaction that you are supporting a great community with a great cause

All I ask is whether or not all that that is worth $100?

$100 = 4 good model rockets or 1 good MPR.

Maybe we should spend more time building and flying?
It's been a bad week for TRF with much derision and division and now a much respected member leaving.
I think we should spend more time building and flying and, as they say "getting out more".

SO.
Click to expand...

I took the advice of others some time back and started using AdBlock Plus. And got the benefit of it doing the same for many other websites, so should have done that regardless of TRF. So now when I see people complaining about ads on TRF, well, they could install an ad blocker and having the extra benefit of ads being blocked elsewhere too.

PM's..... don't care for that much. Like to do real e-mail. So when the PM box fills up, I delete a few to make a bit more room.

Pictures.... went to Imgur years ago. Another example below

Supporting the forum, well, I've been a contributor since 2004. Not with $, but other ways.

Anyway, too bad that Simon left, hours before finally getting an official response.

BTW - $100 can also help around the workshop. Latest addition, a 60" wide shelving unit, 6 feet tall, 18" deep. Got it to hold a LOT of boxes of various models, had run out of shelf space to store more. Have not even started to use it for real, the ones shown are test fits. Need to sort and organize models and boxes and do some labeling.

- George Gassaway



jB9J54d.jpg
 
I am curious about how many ads others are seeing. I only have 3 banners; two at the top one of which is what has been there for years. and one at the bottom. They don't cover anything and are not intrusive.

However, it is worse if I am not logged in. There are ads actually in a post along with the annoying double underlined words that produce a popup ad. When I log in those disappear.

Simon did not indicate if he has attempted to communicate with the forum management to resolve the problem. It does not make sense to leave if you have not attempted to address the problem. But, maybe he has in the past with no resolution.

When I look at the list that space oddity posted, there is nothing in there that compels me to spend money to support the site. The term "less advertising" does not mean anything. Less than what? Perhaps if they offered something tangible like tee shirts, mugs, calendars, If you donate a lot maybe a book. That, combined with paid vendor advertising, some banner ads, and quarterly begging campaigns and you may have something that people might support with $$.
 
This is the first I have heard of Simon's issue. I have had a tech and I have logged in as a Lifetime supporter with the YES added. I did not see ads, neither did the tech.
 
mkadams001 said:
I am curious about how many ads others are seeing. I only have 3 banners; two at the top one of which is what has been there for years. and one at the bottom. They don't cover anything and are not intrusive.

However, it is worse if I am not logged in. There are ads actually in a post along with the annoying double underlined words that produce a popup ad. When I log in those disappear.

Simon did not indicate if he has attempted to communicate with the forum management to resolve the problem. It does not make sense to leave if you have not attempted to address the problem. But, maybe he has in the past with no resolution.

When I look at the list that space oddity posted, there is nothing in there that compels me to spend money to support the site. The term "less advertising" does not mean anything. Less than what? Perhaps if they offered something tangible like tee shirts, mugs, calendars, If you donate a lot maybe a book. That, combined with paid vendor advertising, some banner ads, and quarterly begging campaigns and you may have something that people might support with $$.
Click to expand...


Same here. I see more adds in people's signatures than anywhere else on the board.
 
Simon said:
Anyway, I have decided to leave the forum, I'll kiss goodbye to my $100. I am very sad to do so as there are many lovely and knowledgeable people on here, but for me it is a matter of principle. If anyone replies to this thread I won't be reading it. This is my final post.
Click to expand...

Why do so many people get in their own way? He was hours away from getting what he wanted.
 
mrichhcirm said:
Why do so many people get in their own way? He was hours away from getting what he wanted.
Click to expand...

I think the answer to your question lay in the post you quoted but presumably failed to read.
Simon clearly stated ".... It is a matter of principle....".

Principle, a word not often used these days. Rarely driven by what you want.

SO.
 
Last edited:
Space Oddity said:
I think the answer to your question lay in the post you quoted but presumably failed to read.
Simon clearly stated ".... It is a matter of principle....".

Principle, a word not often used these days. Rarely driven by what you want.

SO.
Click to expand...

Oh I didn't fail to read it. "Principle" is the number-one reason cited by adults throwing tantrums. He could have had what he paid for but instead he decided to put on a show. His prerogative and his money, I guess...
 
mrichhcirm said:
"Principle" is the number-one reason cited by adults throwing tantrums. He could have had what he paid for but instead he decided to put on a show. His prerogative and his money, I guess...
Click to expand...

He had a point BUT didn't give it enough time for a resolution.

He posted the problem at 4:32 PM Thursday, then made his final post 5:59 AM Friday.

:confused2: :(

- George Gassaway
 

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