(PETITION) unskippable video adds cross the line

[JimboUK]

If they bother you that much get your wallet out and upgrade, the site has to be funded one way or another, bandwidth is not free. Anyway good luck "compelling" Dark0ne. :thumbsup:

[Ultimatepurge]

I'm happy as long there is no captchas for the downloads.

 

though what would make this site more profitable would be a little Firefox addon that automatically clicks on all of the add links on a page but doesn't actually open the pages so that the little pay per click counter keeps ticking but no one is bothered by the adds

This makes ad networks mad. It is a bad idea.

If you are bothered so much by this, why not just buy premium membership?

 

The only issue I see is the one mentioned by DrakenGuard.

[Dark0ne]

Dark0ne's Nexus bill for 2011:

 

• 4 super powerful Dell blade servers each with dual quad core processors, 32GB of memory, dual 600GB SCSI hard-drives and pooled 125mbit of UK bandwidth (UK significant as it's twice as expensive as US bandwidth)
  
• At least one additional dell blade server, perhaps two or three based on the popularity of Dragon Age 2, Skyrim (that will definitely need it's own server) and the possibility of Nexus sites for other games
  
• Enterprise level backup solution using 1.5TB of space on an ultra-fast, ultra-redundant SSD NAS system so if the worst happens everything is safe
  
• 5 file servers with dual 600GB SCSI hard-drives each with 1Gbit unmetered connections pushing some 450mbit/second
  
• Cost of hiring on a part-time software programmer and a full-time web programmer to move things forward and get the most out of the sites
  
• Saving away money for rainy days, s#*! hitting the fan days, and competitions
  

 

That, right there, is a bill close to £80,000 (or around $128,000). I've already tried interstitials and I've already tried pop-unders but people bricked themselves because they thought they were less secure ways of advertising than any other way (not true). The video ads essentially tax the most costly part of the sites and 1 view of the video ads is worth 10 views of the box ad on the sites. It may not be necessary in the long term but it is in the short-term.

 

When you have the full picture you tend to be more willing to ignore complaints because (1) complaints are inevitable and (2) they come from people who don't have the full picture. The way I see it; watching a 15 - 45 second ad is more convenient than the Nexus just packing up shop. What do you think?

[Khettienna]

What do you think?

 

I've said it already, and you've probably read it, but just in case... here.

 

The big picture is important. The site has to get paid for somehow. You won't have a site without free users, though, because the modders will pack their bags too if they aren't getting high traffic (versus other sites, mod quality/popularity notwithstanding). I've never seen a community get this upset about ads, but I've also never seen so many abrasive ads on a "community" site. On all the other modding sites I visit, people complain about the ads on this site, or ask if you've gotten a virus again because there are so many ads. Fellow modder friends of mine have picked up their mods and moved elsewhere, because they don't even want to come here to check for feedback on their uploads. The breadth and volume of complaints is astonishing. I hope you will consider that seriously, and not just dismiss it because "of course there were going to be complaints".

[CommanderCrazy]

I was about to agree with OP, but reading Dark0ne's post... Wow.

That is a HUGE bill. It would take me 2 years to save that, 3 probably after bills, house maintenance and tax.

 

So OP, I suggest you learn to live with it, or buy a premium account. You know, I'm getting tempted to myself.

 

EDIT: Heres an idea. Have the amount of ads there is now for the people without accounts, downloading the small mods.

Slightly less for account holders, maybe make it so the download starts while the ad is playing for example.

Remove the video and replace it with a standard ad for supporters.

No ads for premium members.

 

(This is probably very difficult to accomplish, but the result would most likely be less whining from the community, and a big thumbs up from me. I have learned to occupy my time while the video is playing with something else, but there is room for improvement)

Edited February 15, 2011 by CommanderCrazy

[Lisnpuppy]

If these ads are the most bothersome part of your day...then I will trade days with you anytime. I have a premium membership so I don't have to worry about the ads until I am not signed in...but this place is worth far more to me than to worry about that. Turn on the mute, get a darn drink and suck it up.

 

Keep up the good work Dark0ne. If I win the lotto I will buy you a new server! lol

[Dark0ne]

The big picture is important. The site has to get paid for somehow. You won't have a site without free users, though, because the modders will pack their bags too if they aren't getting high traffic (versus other sites, mod quality/popularity notwithstanding). I've never seen a community get this upset about ads, but I've also never seen so many abrasive ads on a "community" site. On all the other modding sites I visit, people complain about the ads on this site, or ask if you've gotten a virus again because there are so many ads. Fellow modder friends of mine have picked up their mods and moved elsewhere, because they don't even want to come here to check for feedback on their uploads. The breadth and volume of complaints is astonishing. I hope you will consider that seriously, and not just dismiss it because "of course there were going to be complaints".

 

Your thinking is quite sensationalist to say the least and indicative of the sort of thinking that makes me resent posting in these threads.

 

I've seen plenty of communities get this upset about ads and I have seen many, many community sites with more abrasive ads than this one. Hell if you compare the amount of complaints made on these forums about the ads compared to the amount of confused complains about PES "forcing people to pay to download" (because the link for free registration is so sneakily hidden) on the official forums then you'll understand why I don't think this is much to worry about. "The breadth and volume of complaints is astonishing" -- really, is it!?. 2 million members, 100,000 odd downloads a day and there's complaints from about 20 odd people on the forums. That is far from astonishing.

 

The reasoning is simple to me; many users on these forums are posting here because they like the community and they understand, at least in part, how much money, time and effort it takes to run these sites ergo they reply in support of the community. Many have also been here for a long time and were around for the "dark days" of Morrowind modding when community site after community site would rise, peak, and then fall because they didn't have a stable infrastructure in place to support their growth. The result was hundreds of lost files and mods from authors that were no longer in the community. Mods gone for good. A key aim of the Nexus was to stand the test of time and succeed where many before (Morrowind Files, Morrowind Mods, EuroMorrowind/EuroRPG, etc.) had failed. 9 years on and the site is extremely strong in it's position; a position that has come from careful planning and forward thinking. Introducing a new ad format is a part of that forward thinking.

 

As said I've already tried adding interstitials, they failed due to technical reasons, I tried adding pop-unders, they failed because of the negative connotation they have with adware/spyware/malware (and I listened to these complaints and acted accordingly) and I'm quickly running out of revenue streams I can try. So far the only complaint about these ads is that (1) the sound has no mute, which is annoying but I'm not sure I can do anything about it and (2) "OMG I HAVE TO WAIT 30 SECONDS TO DOWNLOAD!"...these complaints are not enough for me to remove a necessary revenue stream from the sites.

[Marthos]

Premium membership is £20 a year, that works out at 5.4 pence a day.

 

Tell me, for that price, where else could you get unlimited software downloads of free game content from highspeed servers with the added knowledge that all downloads have been virus checked ?

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I'm waiting for my answer.

[evilneko]

And lifetime is only twice that. (and even in USD, I could save up enough for it by just eating one meal at home instead of out for one month) Looking at the prices of premium membership compared to the bills it's clear that us premium members represent a tiny fraction of the revenue needed to run this site. Dark0ne's very generous to even offer us this. Another site I love, tvtropes, only removes ads from the forums for $20, and then only for 3 months--and TVTropes costs far less to operate than Nexus, as I found out when they had some issues with losing Google Ads and almost went under. (I even sent a pm to Dark0ne at the time asking if he had any advice I might pass on to Fast Eddie, but he never replied. :()

 

This is why I read and respond to threads like these even though I'm premium and don't see the ads. I can easily log out and see them for myself, and I have. It's not that bad. It's also fairly easy to simply mute the sound on your computer (it takes two clicks in Windows, and if you have one of those fancy media keyboards, you probably have a friggin' button for it) Obnoxious flash can be avoided by simply blocking flash, and given how improtant ads are, I'd rather people stick around and block flash and see the regular ads than leave and not see ads at all.

 

Even with the video ads, I'd rather be here than at FilePlanet or any other Gamespy-owned site. FilePlanet is horrible.

[DarkNinja13]

The other thing y'all need to remember is this:

None of the staff, from Dark0ne right on down to BlackBaron2 (who moderates chat) don't get so much as a penny for being on staff.

 

It's strictly a volunteer thing - their hobby if you will.

 

Now true, here are some of the site staff that strike me as being a bit unfriendly, however I put this down to them taking the site and what needs to be done to maintain it as very serious business.

 

Now you tell me, what other site has a group of volunteers that are this dedicated to not only keeping the site great, but working tirelessly to make it better? Nobody, that's who.

 

I have been to other sites for Oblivion mods (Chinese, Japanese, Russian, American, etc) and while some do indeed carry mods the Nexus will not host, there are some of them that make me nervous (Russian sites), are difficult to navigate (Japanese and Chinese), or just feel like they don't give two hoots about their visitors (Planet Elderscrolls). I've even been to a site that hosts only the mods the webmaster likes (which is okay, assuming you have similar tastes). But I always come back to the Nexus.

 

I have four mods and all of my comic strips here. Why? I only want the BEST site on the web hosting my work and as it stands right now, that is the Nexus. And it looks as though it will remain so for the forseeable future thanks in large part to Dark0ne and how he runs the site.

If the ads bug you that much, do what Jim UK was saying and open your wallet. Heck, Lifetime membership to the Nexus is only $65. By way of comparison:

That's a dull Friday Night out with your mates

That's a carton of cigarettes and a tank of petrol

That's what I spend on Lottery Tickets in 3 weeks.

That is nothing!

 

So you should just scrap this whole silly petition. There's a good thing going here, why ruin it?