The ad band accross the bottom of the page was bad enough - now every time we come back to the site there is a pop-up that covers half the forum. This is really getting tedious!
Unfortunately, we are using a forum that is provided for Free
…
Drink Blab Beer! The beer for the guy with a big mouth!
The more you drink the more you talk,
The faster you drink the faster you talk.
Blab Beer, the beer for the guy with the big mouth!
Now in the big mouth bottle!
…
by the owner of said forum, and as such, we are subject to the rules of the rudeness of the advertiser and their greed for money.
All we can do is click the “X” and deny them our cash.
Yep. They have a product to sell, and they are pushing it down our throats.
YUK!
For the past 50+ years I had always viewed Kalmbach as a class organization. With the increase in pandering advertising I am being forced to reassess that opinion.
They already have that MR+ thing going on the other side of the site. I wonder how much longer before the forums are pay-to-play?
The ad had been appearing when I first entered the Trains forum section, but hasn’t (so far) my current, latest session. I’m sure now that I wrote that, it will soon reappear.
Jeff
GAAAH!!!
Soon we won’t to be able to see the forum for the trees. Take that as you may.
The ability to get into your head visually or aurally is important in all businesses today…and so your head has a price on it. With profit margins on so many businesses so tight, or at least thought to be tight by investor standards, then every white space and every lull in the conversation will be filled with some kind of advertising, promotional, or propaganda message. That’s not just loss of class, its loss of dignity in our whole society.
I’m a little surprised you would express this opinion, Henry.
I mean my own experience is that pretty much all of us are looking for something for nothing. Is your experience any different? And if somehow we feel we are entitled to something for nothing aren’t we choosing to sacrifice our own dignity?
As I understand it, and you know more about it than I do, publishing today is very competitive. None of the people involved in it get paid for their good looks. So why should we?
John
I ahve been in broadcasting and advertising for almost 50 years…and we have become whores…
It is a well known axiom that “Half of all advertising works, but no one knows which half.”
They have learned that getting people’s attention works, but they have not learned that alienating people in getting their attention does not work to their benefit.
Some advertisers have learned that making people laugh is a good idea, but they have not learned how to get their product associated with the good feeling of laughter except by massive repetition. Think of the advertising you have seen in the past that has made you laugh and then try to remember what product was being advertised. I would dare say that only those advertisements that you saw HUNDREDS of times will you know the product. They also fail to recognize that not all humor is acceptable and if they insult a segment of the public, they won’t buy their product. I know that many advertisers think that immorality is funny and when I see that, I “BOYCOTT” them.
Too many advertisers think that they need to completely fill their entire TV advertising moment with audio… Think of the advertisements you have seen wherein the announcer talks with very few pauses… and those few pauses are completely filled with loud music (the volume of the “background” music is even amped up to a higher level than the announcer’s voice). It is not as though they have too much to tell you in the allotted time, but that if they fear to let you think during their moment because you might recognize the fallacy of their product claims. What they fail to recognize is that flooding my ears with noise makes me hit the MUTE button or change channels, and if I do happen to remember who the advertiser is, I “BOYCOTT” them.
Too many advertisers think that the public has no “attention span” at all and so cram into their TV advertisement as many images as possible in the allotted time. What they have not recognized is that it r
Would you subscribe to the magazine if this web site did not exist? Ten years ago that answer for me would have been “sure”. Now I’m not so certain I would; I spend much more time online than I devote to the magazine, and I learn more on a wide variety of topics. For me, this online site is the most valuable offering Kalmbach produces.
Just as I suffer commercial advertisements in the print magazine, I suffer them here. In my perfect world neither would exist, but am I willing to pay sufficient subscription increases for Kalmbach to eliminate them? I don’t think so.
It is fascinating watching the publishing world attempt to cope with the digital age, but I’m glad I’m not in their shoes!
Yes, I would still subscribe. OTOH, no one I know likes being constantly bombarded by trash ads.
Tasteful, entertaining ads such as the Budweiser Clydesdales do sell a lot of beer in a very inoffensive way.
It is not a well know fact! This may be so only with those who either don’t advertise or don’t advertise intelligently. The media is as much to blame as anyone…after years of studies and practices the media has fallen into the hands of investors who play numbers rather than intelligent evolution. They will send thousands out to do their bidding without knowledge of the product or the talent to make advertising work for the advertiser…they sell commercial spots on radio and TV, space in newspapers and banners and squares on the internet and they sell it by price; but they don’t sell advertising. Too many business people don’t use advertising wisely because 1) they don’t understand their own businesses and their specific clientele in terms of age, gender, geographical location; 2) they will buy whatever the media sales rep tries to sell them without understanding what they are really buying and what results to expect.; I’ve seen so many by a cheap ad–broadcast spot or print space–with no idea who will hear or see or where they are from compared to where the business is but knew that it was cheap. 3) most businesses don’t budget for advertising, it becomes an afterthought; for some reasons accountants and CPA’s, bankers, etc. do not feel this is an essential factor of being in business. My proof is the number of businesses I have seen fail within 18 months or less after opening doors because they didn’t advertise or were not prepared to make wise advertising decisions. How does one tell if advertising works? They get customers.The right advertising, intelligently purchased and placed, will bring them in, but the business has to make the final sale and keep them as customers.