The pro prop 8 ads NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM DU

[Ayesha]

I have found myself not reading this forum because every time I come here I get assaulted with them. Often there are 2 per page. My wife and I got married here in CA on the first day and those ads make me sick. If DU cannot filter out these ads they need to remove all advertising from the GLBT forum. Would they be allowing racist ads to stay up?

Until the ads are gone and an apology issued to our community I will not renew my donor star, nor use DU links to make donations. How many more days does this have to go on before we get some respect?

Me and my wife on our wedding day:



We deserve better than this, as do all Californian and GLBT DUers!

[silverojo]

1. DU doesn't deliberately select those ads

The ads are chosen by key words in the posts. So if there are posts about that proposition, ads for and against will appear. Same for any other issue.

It's not worth giving up on DU, just because computers and the internet behave the way they do.

[ColbertWatcher]

2. I agree with the OP.

I don't think DU should hide behind "the computer does it."

There has to be a way for DU to request certain ads not be included.

If google wants DU's business, they should be able to allow filtering.

[LeftyMom]

10. They can be removed by the admins

There was already a thread explaining exactly how to do it.

[MsUnderstood]

16. the ads need to go

from what I remember being posted when the ads first began, DU can control some ads by banning them.

Maybe Skinner is out of the office but hopefully someone tomorrow tries to address this?

EDIT: Here is the advertisement information (found by clicking on the ? above the ad) http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=announcement&id=296
I e-mailed skinner and am sure once he gets to work this will be resolved.

[cboy4]

3. You know, I totally understand your frustration...apparently the

google ad system is not perfect, but provides valuable revenue for the site .. (although I'm not defending the set-up at all. It irritates me to hear about these YES ON 8 ads.)

There's certainly a double standard, because I doubt Ku Klux Klan or anti Jewish/Neo Nazi ads would be allowed here, even though DU reportedly does not have control over this. If there really is not a filter system to weed out ads that are at odds here at DU, that's a little disturbing/disappointing, in my opinion.

I can only imagine the justifiable outrage from African Americans and Jews, etc if they had to see those kinds of hate ads.

I would only say that for as a little as a one dollar donation, you can shut off all of the ads .. not just the offensive one(s).

I know it doesn't solve the principle of the matter dilemma, but as others have pointed out, let's face it, it's doubtful the Yes on 8 ads are going to sway a bunch of California DUers into voting against marriage.

It would be like if McCain had a google ad, who from here is going to vote for him except maybe trolls?

Having said all of this, I don't blame your frustration for a minute. We shouldn't have to come to our presumable safe haven and be subjected to that kind of bullshit.

I for one would like to hear from the administrators about how the google ads work, and how they're not just allowing bigoted ads to be displayed here, and just how important the google ad system is as a much-needed financial tool.

I've heard a lot of explanations from DU members .. but frankly, nothing from anyone of authority at Democratic Underground.

I think it's time, in wake of multiple posts about the offensive Yes on 8 ads.



ONE EDIT.............T-Y-P-O

[lligrd]

4. Hey, I Am All For Letting Them Waste Their Advertisement On DU

Much better than reaching people who might actually be stupid enough to fall for them.

[Greyskye]

5. It's easy to remove them yourself - here's how.

Download (for free) AdBlock Plus. www.adblockplus.org

I use the Firefox plugin, and it works brilliantly. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865

[cboy4]

6. It's also the principle of the matter Greyskye.

The argument is not that the ads are difficult/impossible to block.

It's that they exist on a Democratic website.

[Greyskye]

7. I realize that...

...but the OP stated that viewing the ads made her physically ill.

I provided the means to stop that.

I stand by my action.

[cboy4]

9. Oh, you stand by your action. Gee, such the humanitarian.

:eyes:

[FreeState]

13. They dont belong here period n/t

[Ayesha]

8. It is the principle of the thing

I realize that donating makes the ads go away but why should I pay when the DU admins don't even have the decency to remove the ads, regardless of the financial cost to them. Again, if the ads were racist they'd be long gone by now. If DU needs the revenue so badly, they should pull the ads until after the election, explain the situation, and hold a fundraising drive. They could also help by doing a No on 8 fundraiser via DU like they have for Obama.

I am not leaving DU, but they won't be seeing a penny of my $ until they show some spine when it comes to our rights. I will save my donations for Americablog and Pam's House Blend instead - places that would never allow anti-gay ads to remain on their site!

[FreeState]

11. Agree - one more kick to the Greatest n/t

[cui bono]

12. And I'm sick of hearing them on my local "progressive" radio station.

If you use Firefox just get the Ad Blocker add on. I don't see any ads. :)

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865

[Luminous Animal]

14. I am sick and tired of hearing excuses.

There are no pro-McCain ads on this site. For a good fucking reason. If there is a way to filter out those, there is a way to filter out the bigots ads.

I've posted this in GD...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4226609&mesg_id=4226609

[Usrename]

15. That sounds good to me.

I'm convinced. What the hell are those kind of ads doing here anyway? Hey, Skinner!...

[nichomachus]

17. It's a continuing problem with automatic-feed ads all across the Web

It's not just this forum. They're triggered by keywords and then the ad service supplies ads that are related to those keywords.

I know there are some ways to filter them in some instances, but I'm not sure how successful those filters are -- sort of like the filters that are supposed to remove spam from your email, but let spam through while deleting messages from your friends.

It's a new technology and they haven't worked out a lot of the kinks yet.

Unless the site owners can successfully filter these right now, it may be a price we all have to pay for getting some revenue to keep the site going.

BTW -- my partner of 25 years and I are getting married next Sunday, and yes I get a little hot under the collar when I see the ads for Proposition Hate too.

[blueraven95]

18. have you alerted the admin about the ads?

often they will not see a thread, and if they are unaware of the ads, then they won't be able to stop them.




Congrats on your wedding!

[wryter2000]

19. DU has no control over it

My AAR station is stuck with their ads, too. As Angie Koyro says, "Just remember they're wasting their money playing their ads on this station."

If you're a donor, you can turn all the ads off, and you won't see it.

[dsc]

20. then where are the McCain ads

I fully understand why racist ads wouldn't show up (google would filter those) but why don't McCain ads show up. None of us have gotten anything like a reasonable explanation for that.

[dbackjon]

21. And the Prop 102 (Arizona) Ads

Same thing