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Page name: About the Elftown ads [Logged in view] [RSS]
2009-06-03 00:57:53
Last author: Hedda
Owner: Hedda
# of watchers: 16
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About the Elftown ads


As seen on <URL:donate.html>, Elftown is run on hardware bought from donations from its users, so why are there ads?

The thing is that Elftown's server ([Elftron]) is quite hungry for both electricity and bandwidth. And since it became too much trouble to have it at Linköping University with power-failures, restrictions on what to do with the server and that it's located far from where anyone can fix the hardware problems (and locked in during weekends for anyone who cares), someone else than the university has to pay for it.

So because the donations are meant for buying new hardware, it feels wrong to use them keeping Elftown running.

So therefore there are ads at the following places:

1) When you log out from Elftown on top of your house. If Google does its job well, the ads should be accourding to what you've written in your presentation, but so far Google seems to do a bad job at it.

2) To the right of wiki-pages unless you're logged in. Logged in Elftowners who help producing the wiki-pages don't get any ads.

3) At the bottom of the different news-pages (<URI:news.html>, <URI:poems.html>, <URI:featured_member.html>, <URI:featured_wiki-pages.html> and <URI:drawings.html>). At least at the drawing and poem pages, the ads seem to be close to the subject so someone might actually enjoy the ads.

I thought of having ads on the entrance page, but as that page is an advertisement for Elftown, it seems like a bad idea. It's better with a new Elftowner than a click on an ad.

About clicking on the ads
For the Google ads, Elftown gets income for every time someone clicks on them. What ads that are served depends on the content on the page their are shown on and what you click on. If you avoid clicking on your favourite shop's ads, then they have to pay much more for every click to be seen, and if you click a lot on some ad, that advertiser gets the clicks cheaper.

The Project Wonderful and the other ads on the bottom of pages are not paid per click at all, but per impression.

The links in the Elftown Mall (<URL:mall.html>) don't give Elftown a shit unless you buy something following those links.

What do you think?
About the Google Ads (logout and news-pages):
3.0/10

About the Project Wonderful ads (Right bottom and Mainstreet):
2.8/11

The MyStarship.com ads (bottom):
2.5/10

The big ugly ad at the bottom (Might not always be seen):
92.1/10

The Elftown Mall (<URL:mall.html>):
2.7/9



Update 2009-01-17

I'm trying out some new ads now. The Elftown Mall (<URL:mall.html>) hasn't sold one single item yet and both [Hedda], Lilo and [Elftron] need food and shelter.

There is some word-ads from Kontera that appear on exported wiki-pages. They give very little money per click, but I personally don't think they are in the way, but I've heard other opinions, but not from Elftowners.

There is a huge totally annoying ad that pops up when you move to the top-links (after 3 seconds after the pages is loaded) now. I'm not sure if it will be irritating and I'll test it out myself now. (Update That is removed now)

Another ad...

Now there is a link at the bottom of the pages from http://mystarship.com/
These ads basically gives Elftown's ad (Right now looking like http://elftown.eu/elftown_468x60.gif) the exposure on other sites. The more that is is viewed and clicked on, the more Elftown's ad is shown on other sites. I'll try it for a while at least. All these ads should point to science fiction sites, so they should at least be remotely interesting.

As for the Chitica and Kontera ads, I think I'll be removing them. There are some other ads that needs removal too, because they don't give anything.


Even more ad test... (2009-01-19)

Sorry about this, but I have to try out some ads. There is a big one at the bottom of pages now. I think I'll switch between that and the Project Wonderful ads (and remove the MyStarship ad), but not have both at the same time. Update: ADSDAQ said that Elftown is a filthy piece of shit and that they want nothing to do with it. Maybe because they fucking morons that don't like the language we use here. So no ads from there, which I guess is just as well as their ads tend to be annoying. Eh... Wait, it says: "Domain is primarily a social networking application" as one of the possible reasons. I bloody selected that as a type of site and then it isn't OK. Grrr! Wasting my time.

More stuff (2009-01-20)

There are also AdEngage ads at the bottom now. It isn't more ads, but it's replacing the left Wonderful Project and MyStarship ads a little. So now you get three kind of ads on that place. Should make it more interesting than seeing the same ad/kind of ads all the time.

I got a really good deal here, and I really hope you like it and want to take a few minutes to try it out at least:

2.5

8 votes

(Seems like no one likes it. I honestly can say I blame you. There are no shortage of free really good games to play (See some other ads here.).)

Message ads

(2008-02-19) There are now an ad in your messages. Seems like the Elftowners spend a huge part of their time (about 4%) on checking if people can read their messages yet. So I though they can just as well spend some time on watching some ads if they are that bored... The ads should be somewhat targeted at your interest if you have the right ones selected. (poetry, hunting, cats, physics, board games, beer, whisky, LARP, dogs, fashion, stocks, operas, wines, fishing, knitting, Mac and Linux are the ones used now and everyone gets ads about fantasy and scifi, of course).




Feel free to leave a comment about this.

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2009-01-25 [Hedda]: It works for me. Have you really tried to reload?

2009-01-25 [Artsieladie]: Reload the page (link)? If so, then yes, I just went and tried it again, both options, and hit 'reload' on the link with each option.

2009-01-25 [Artsieladie]: Ah, I see this little advice you placed with that Arcade Game Ad:

Try it out! You need a creditcard, and remember to sign off after 30 days unless you want to pay (Tip: Write a reminder with the form at the bottom of your house!). /[Hedda]

LOL

2009-01-25 [Dr. Androgynous]: As for visual appeal, the adds are pretty horrible placed as well.

2009-01-25 [allenp]: Where would be the best place?

2009-01-25 [Artsieladie]: [allenp], I typed in basically this same question, like:... And where would be the best place? But then I decided not to hit submit. lol

2009-02-08 [raw10]: i think the ads are well placed, they're not in the way and probably couldn't be clicked on accident like most websites have them. they are a bit of an eyesore, but it's not so bad that i'll stop using elftown. though i think some of the ads may be a bit inappropriate for some of our younger members, like i just saw an ad with a link to "kinkytoystogo.com". lol

2009-02-08 [Hedda]: I checked that site and I doubt you can find one single kid who can become hurt of it. Maybe some parent might get an awkward question, but that's their own fault for not using a condom...

2009-02-08 [raw10]: oh good. plus it is the parents fault for giving their child the power of internet.. much worse things out there. no complaints tho. ;D haha.

2009-02-09 [Hedda]: For a kid, Internet is thousands of times safer than the kitchen. It's a great place to learn. I don't think clicking on my ads is the best way, but it's the way I like the most...

2009-02-09 [Artsieladie]: I agree it's a great place to learn WITH COMPETENT ADULT SUPERVISION. It is certainly no place for a child without it. Even if the ads themselves are harmless, it's where a child can get to from these 'ad sites' that can be quite inappropriate and harmful. But.... the true knowledge 'about' being a parent, can only come from 'actually being' a parent.

Maybe some parent might get an awkward question, but that's their own fault for not using a condom...

So it's the parent's fault as well, for wanting a child? It's pretty difficult to have children using condoms, don't you think? So, what, every child is a mistake? There shouldn't be any children born at all? You were once a child yourself or did you simply materialise? I doubt your mum would agree that you just materialised one day.

2009-02-09 [Hedda]: "it's where a child can get to from these 'ad sites' that can be quite inappropriate and harmful. "

Explain exactly how that is "harmful"! Do kids' heads explode if they see a couple fucking? Or do they have nightmares? And would the supposed problems be worse because they encounter this the first time on the Internet? And, seriously, what kind of sick people are believing that the parents should supervise kids' first encounters with "dirty" things? Should the parents be there for the first masturbation or sex too?!? People need privacy, kids too.

"Maybe some parent might get an awkward question, but that's their own fault for not using a condom..."
So it's the parent's fault as well, for wanting a child?

If you become a parent and expect to get no awkward questions, then you need a slap in the face. When the parents do get the awkward questions they mustn't blame the kid, the Internet, the world or anything else, but just accept it.

2009-02-09 [Artsieladie]: Well, [Hedda], if you have to ask these questions... -sigh- It's clear that you don't have a clue about the true meaning of being a parent, but I'm not faulting you for it, because you've never been a parent. Hell, [Hedda], we parents should just be willing to expose our kids to EVERYTHING, whether they be 2 or 10 and most definitely a parent should never interfere in this 'total exposure', because it's so much better for the kids to be left with unanswered questions and then seek those answers from people that can't be trusted. Good thinking, [Hedda]!

I think most parents expect some awkward questions asked from their children. I think parents should be honest when they do answer, however, and not sugar coat that which is not so sweet.

2009-02-19 [Hedda]: Note: The new ads in your messages are showing a lot of herpes ads at the moment, but it will go away after a while. I hope... Unless Elftowners starts clicking on them like mad, but then I guess it's good ads for you, you lucky bastards!

2009-04-25 Shaun Davis: Hey just a heads up, I wanted to let everyone know that Xio Dibin speaks English. I hope I posted in the right location?

2009-04-26 [Hedda]: No, you didn't...

2009-04-27 [Mortified Penguin]: Strange...

2009-05-08 Satan229: I only have one main issue with the ads that are popping up when you log out. The blasted thing posp up in the middle of the screen blocking part of the page from view and you can't move it. Fix that problem and they are fine. It doesn't matter which Browser I use same problem and reloading the page doesn't work either.

2011-01-12 [Akayume]: I like how they're supposed to be based off of what's in your house, and all my ads are for sex sites and to rate your sex life. X3 (I am quite the scandal apparently.)

2011-01-12 [Chimes]: Same here. :P

2011-01-12 [Akayume]: Well we can be scandalous together Chimes. :3

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