Forum Ads from Google - WTF?

[Arne]

Is anyone else seeing the "Click here to see your arrest records" ads here? I wonder what Google is trying to tell me? I'm pretty certain the ads are intended to be relevant to the viewer? :stupid:

[Wade Nelson]

I run the Ad Blocker Plus extension to Chrome / Mozilla.

I don't see 98% of all ads.

I even create my own filters (child's play --- click the ABP icon, then highlight the offending item...) and block the other 2% on some sites.

[psdenno]

I believe the Google artificial intelligence equates owning a sports car to having an arrest record - probably not that big of a stretch, but a forum annoyance just the same.

Dennis

[Mike]

I run the Ad Blocker Plus extension to Chrome / Mozilla. I don't see 98% of all ads.

Did you know that running an ad blocker actually takes money away from the site which helps pay for us to stay alive? Ads, which I am trying to keep them in good taste, will enable us to do a lot of things here. Considering it's a free site, this is what I have to do to make this place stay afloat. It actually helps even more if you like an ad, to click and follow it. Sorry, just being an admin trying to make sure we can continue to make ends meet.

Arne, I was experimenting with allowing all ads, even non-related content. However, that was a mistake and I've reverted the settings to show only ads that are relevant to your stored history/cookies. If you are still seeing the ads to check your background, you might want to clear out your cookies or make sure you know where your friends are taking your computer when you aren't around.

[EuroDat]

It actually helps even more if you like an ad, to click and follow it.

Common sense really, but I just didnt realise it:stupid: Ill use the link in future to visit the sites I use.

Chas

[Mike]

Common sense really, but I just didnt realise it:stupid: Ill use the link in future to visit the sites I use. Chas

Thanks Chas! Appreciate you supporting the site by visiting the sponsors. I shouldn't have been so mellodramatic in my previous statement. Ad blockers are good for some things, just not for supporting your favorite web sites. Likewise, I always recommend turning the blocker off when you want to help the sites you visit frequently (and not just this one).

M

[Mike]

Back to Arne's topic, the ads 'should' stay relevant to two areas, your browsing history and/or the content of the page you are viewing. For instance, if the page you are reading has something about auto glass in it, and yesterday you visited an insurance website, you will probably see an ad about auto glass repair or an insurance ad showing a broken window. Now,its not always perfect, but you get the general idea.

In Arne's case, he might have opened a forum post about someone else's speeding violation, and then saw an ad for checking your criminal record. Although they are totally different, the company who purchased ad space probably put some kind of key word in their campaign that matched something on the site. That, or someone jumped on his computer last week to look up criminal records.

Anyway, that's sorta the idea behind the Google ads.

[TomoHawk]

Did you know that running an ad blocker actually takes money away from the site which helps pay for us to stay alive?

Is there something you could suggest, say for every user here to visit one of the ads a day or ever few days or each week? It supports this website, but without having to pull out our wallets.

[kjohnson2444]

I use Ad Block Plus, but I allow ads on this site. Click on the ABP Stop sign and choose disable on classiczcars.com. Also, whenever I want to go to the MSA site (or Ztherapy, etc.) to look something up or place an order, I will purposely go though here. Hopefully it helps.

[TomoHawk]

Are there No Pizza or Beer ads available?

[Mikes Z car]

Hopefully free beer and pizza.

Usually I leave ads on unless there is so much distracting movement (like a movie ad with lots of action) that it makes it hard to read what I want to read. Sometimes I shove the browser window partly off screen if it gets bad enough.