Good grief, people, quit piling on Skinner and the admins

[KitchenWitch]

They gave us fair warning about the Google ads and basically said that they could possibly eliminate the need for fund drives. I do not currently have adblock enabled on my browser and although the ads are not completely unobtrusive, they are no more invasive than the stickies from the last fund drive. Even with the ads, I figure this site is far better organized, more easily navigable, and better designed than Freak Repugnant.

Give Skinner, the admins and the rest of us a break and stop kvetching already.

[Binka]

1. INDEED!

:kick:

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KitchenWitch]

22. Hey, why don't you get a fucking life

and leave Binka alone.

[nonconformist]

23. This has to be the most vile, vicious post I've ever seen on DU nt

[linazelle]

29. Some people hate success--especially DU's success. Hmmm n/t

[KitchenWitch]

32. True

but the post was a personal attack in response to Binka's post.

[niallmac]

58. Glad I missed it.

[Kipper58]

24. You're still here?

I thought you would have slunk off back to where you came from after getting your butt comprehensively kicked in the thread you tried to hijack yesterday!!!

[KitchenWitch]

26. Not here anymore!

[Gman]

63. I miss seeing the tombstone

in the profile of the dead troll!

[KitchenWitch]

80. Me too!

:cry:

[Lochloosa]

78. Hey Binka. I didn't catch the deleted message....

Do I need to take them outside and explain life to them?:evilgrin:

[madokie]

2. Have to give 'em time to work out the kinks they warned us about

The first time an add reaches out and grabs me I might complain. but until then give 'em time to filter out the offensive and objectionable ones. Hell, if it was easy everybody would have their own du

[shaniqua6392]

3. I completely agree.

All sites need advertising to help with funding. If you go on Air America, Randi Rhodes, Ed Schultz, etc. They all have advertising. It is the smart thing to do. It is the right thing to do. The DU admins should not have to worry so much about people getting all upset over changes they decide to make. I have the utmost respect for what they do. It is a thankless job at times. I have never seen so many "progressive" people get so upset over changes. Go with the flow people! Show some respect to the admins and trust their judgment. They have made many great decisions so far. It takes money to make this operation run. Advertising=money. DU does not happen because of magic. It is hard work on the part of the admins and money.

[life_long_dem]

14. Exactly.

I have some real estate I want to sell, and yesterday I heard an ad on Air America Radio from a local real estate agent. It only makes sense to support AAR advertisers, that is, if I want to continue to receive their programming. So, I will list my property with them. I encourage everyone else to support AAR advertisers and those on DU.

P.S. Thanks DU, for providing a haven of sanity in this screwed up world.

[shaniqua6392]

45. Our local progressive radio station here in Detroit

started using ads from BD's Mongolian BBQ. So, I scheduled my daughter's confirmation party there and we had a wonderful time and great service. I sent a follow up email to the company telling them which radio station I heard them advertised on and how wonderful it was. "Thanks for advertising on am1310 Detroit. I had never heard about you before and now I am a loyal customer". They listen. Advertising is necessary and is not always a bad thing.

[Major Hogwash]

4. Besides, we're here for the news, not the piling on of the admins.

Right?

LoL

[KitchenWitch]

5. One gets to wondering sometimes!

:hi:

[Mabus]

61. Exactly

I got addicted to DU because of the news I was able to find here. That this is such a great site for news is a testament to the kind of people that DU attracts and a reflection of all the hard work (real hard work, not the kind Bush does) of the admins.

The admins and moderators (past, present and future) do a great job. In fact, they do such a great job that I don't even notice them (except for those rare times that a post gets deleted :shrug: ).

Running a website, especially one that is successful and gets a lot of hits, costs money. If all of us gave just one dollar per year to help offset the costs of running DU we could probably do away with the fund drives all together. But not all of us are able to give. I know I wasn't able to for quite a while but donating (when I can) is something I do out of appreciation for all the work that the admins do and for the great service they provide to all of us. I also donate to sustain this forum so I can continue to be informed of what's going on in the world, get other people's perspectives and sometimes find out I was wrong.

[symbolman]

6. I try to think of this as an exercise in TIVOism

When you have cable on and are watching a show you like, then commercials come on, don't most of us just pick up the remote and FAST FORWARD through them?

Well, there's a scroll bar here that lets you do just that isn't there?

If you don't like a commercial on TV you just ignore it, at least I do..

I'm here to post and read, not to click on ads or scream about them.. screw an ad you don't like, the site is damn worth it, to keep it alive.. think of a web without DU as an alternative..

If you don't appreciate what they are doing for us, maybe go make the website of YOUR dreams and refuse Google ads there.. Jesus Folks, every one of us has now or has had before authorities, or rich folks, or Bosses we have to bend over for, but you work anyway for your kids, your car, your very life, if you can put up with that, a few ads hanging around ain't gonna hurt you..

Personally I have trouble with the Salon shit, where you have to watch a commercial before you even get to READ the story.

You'll get used to it, and year from now you'll wonder why you wasted all that adrenaline :)

[TomClash]

7. I don't mind the advertising

but the layout is a bit busy for my taste.

[chefgirl]

18. That's kind of how I feel

I don't mind the advertising at all, but maybe we could keep them out of the list of topics. Im just sayin... :shrug:

Either way, its hardly worth animosity.

Skinner and the Admins. do a great job with this site, and suggestions are something very different from complaints.

-chef-

[Minnesota Libra]

8. Some people think everything has to be perfect from the outset even.......

.....though those same people are far from perfect themselves.:grr:

We were warned and like you said, this could mean no more fund raising drives which hit my budget a bit harder than others. So I'm willing to quietly give it a try.

PLUS, like Skinner said, Google contacted them - they did NOT contact google. That means DU HAS ARRIVED for google to notice. Wonder how they would incorporate ads over at sick city otherwise known as puke republic. Think about it, it is so bland and uninteresting there. The ads would probably be more interesting than the threads, at least it would be color.:puke:

Plus, if anyone truly doesn't want to put up with ads it's their own fault if they choose to do so. Firefox is by far one of the best browsers out there :applause: and they have an AD BLOCK something or other that takes care of all those ads. Plus, and best of all, Firefox and the ad ons are ALL FREE.:applause: So if a person wants to put up with it then fine but don't fill up the forums b....... about it.

Thanks for the chance to :rant:

[H2O Man]

9. Yes but he refuses

to open a forum where we can discuss the movement to legalize Lonnie Anderson's hair.

[KitchenWitch]

10. ...

:spray:

:rofl:

I say set up yer own board for that! :P

[H2O Man]

12. Clearly you are

part of the conspiracy to silence Lonnie Anderson's hair. Let me throw down the crystal myth: can you name six major differences between Brian York's position on the National Review, and Skinner's on DU:GD, in regard to the Free Lonnie Anderson's Hair Movement? Without bringing the booklet from Magical Mystery Tour into this discussion, yet again?!?! This post will probably be wisked to the bowels of the Israeli-Palestinian form before the sun sets in Northern Alaska.

[KitchenWitch]

13. ...

Can I have just a little of what you are smoking? :smoke:

[Minnesota Libra]

40. OMG, that is just too I'm........................

....:rofl: :rofl: Good one!! :rofl: Thanks for the laugh :rofl: :rofl:

[donheld]

11. The Google ads haven't bothered me in the slightest

I just ignore them. Why is everybody so fussy?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

15. I'm opposed to ads...

I think Skinner should be expected to sell his plasma to pay for DU.

And maybe a kidney.

[KitchenWitch]

16. There you go!

And how about Elad becoming an exotic dancer, using his tips to pay for DU!

[kmla]

33. I don't think it would work... I heard through the grapevine

that he was the valedictorian at the Elaine Benes School of Modern Dance.

[Stand and Fight]

75. Yeah, and it's all about "the little kicks."

:rofl:

[Skittles]

34. OOH OOH I WOULD PAY FOR THAT

YES INDEED

[KitchenWitch]

36. LOL

Me too!

:evilgrin:

[seabeyond]

17. couldnt agree with you more. we are now in such a world people

are outraged by the simplist of things. this is nothing in the scheme of things. i cannot believe people are jsut throwing such fits. and this board is great. with you kitchenwithch

[sendero]

19. Hear hear..

... I have one simple message for those who are bitching nastily (bitching politely is ok) about the new policies.

Get your own damn board.

Learn how much it costs to fund a zillion gigs of bandwidth a month. High-end servers that can handle not only the basic traffic but the immense computational crunching of constant database querying.

The skill required to make a piece of software like this behave, and then continuually improve it to boot.

The people skills to recruit moderators and train them to be fair in the application of their duties.

If you can do better than DU, by all means start your own board. I will join you as a user. Because I've participated in a zillion internet discussion forums and this is one of the best, if not the best, I've ever seen.

Rather than complain that the excellence here is compromised with those piddly ads, perhaps folks should suggest a way of generating revenue that is more to their liking.

Come on people, this is a great place - think before you excorciate the people who created and run it.

[bunkerbuster1]

21. Like you said, plus--"Meet Democratic Singles!"

Who's got a problem with that? Huh?

[life_long_dem]

57. Unfortunately, my wife has a problem with that.

But, she didn't vote for **, so I still love her. LOL

P.S. To my wife. If your reading this at work right now, It was a joke, I promise.

[bunkerbuster1]

62. If my wife's reading this

I'm just having a cold one with life_long_dem.
Honest. He can vounch for me.

um, Barkeep? Two more!

[4_TN_TITANS]

64. what he said...... n/t

[LWolf]

25. Is it possible that

disliking the ads or disagreeing with their use is not the same thing as "piling on Skinner and the admins?" Is it okay to point that out?

I don't like the ads. I don't think they ought to be there. I do think that DU should continue to be a place where dissent is allowed, including dissent about ads.

I haven't been kvetching about them up to this point, but I really don't like being told to stop expressing my disagreement with something. I'm more likely to have more to say when I'm told not to, if you follow that. Even if I'm not one of the kvetchers you are posting to, as soon as I read that DUers are supposed to stop expressing disagreement, I have to jump in and disagree, just on principle.

[KitchenWitch]

27. There are entire threads saying "Get rid of the Google ads"

and all manners of whining and kvetching is happening in these threads. Frankly, my energy is better spent dealing with REAL problems.

[LWolf]

82. Somehow I missed those;

I guess I've gotten pretty good at scanning the post titles to find those of substance, or those that catch my notice. The first thread I caught was yours, kvetching about kvetchers, which is apparently a REAL problem, lol.

I find the add banners to be irritating; I don't mind saying so, but I promise not to start any threads about it. ;)

[KitchenWitch]

28. I just want to express how much I appreciate what the Admins do for us

an often thankless job. Not only do the admins require the requisite hardware and software skills, they also need much tact and diplomacy in dealing with the diversity of the membership here. A daunting feat indeed.

[johnaries]

31. I couldn't agree more! Thanks, KW! n/t

[CrispyQ]

44. Ditto.

This is the best damned forum I've ever visited. The layout & features are amazing! And when you consider the number of users it's boggling what a great job the admins do! The ads don't bother me at all.

I wish, however, that monthly contributors could get in on the fun of hearts & stickies without having to shell out more. ;)

[lildreamer316]

30. Well said. n/t

[AllieB]

35. Agree, KitchenWitch

:thumbsup:

The google ads haven't made any difference in my enjoyment of DU.

[Major Hogwash]

37. Hahahahaha! It's on the greatest threads page now!

KitchenWitch rawks!!

[KitchenWitch]

38. LOL

My evil scheming is going as I pictured it, and my work is done here!

:evilgrin:

[Major Hogwash]

39. You are outstanding - as far as witches go!

Man, I wouldn't mess with your pots and pans if I had to!

LoL

[sweetheart]

41. Your advertizers

Combined with your message, your corporate endorsement:

Jobs with MI5
Mi5 are now recruiting Visit MI5 website for information.
www.mi5careers.co.uk/

Emergency Preparation
Be prepared. Emergency preparation kits for personal and corporate use
SurvivalBox.co.uk

Latest News Here
Quran desecration at Guantanamo US military admits abuses!
www.kuwaitifreedom.org

[Nye Bevan]

42. A good solution would be a no-ad premium subscription option

I like Accuweather but I hated the ads on their free site (much worse than the DU ads). So I bought a premium subscription that gives me an ad-free site (as well as a few other benefits).

The whiners would then have the choice of paying up or shutting up.

[silverlib]

52. That would be too much like our government...

I don't won't DU to cater to the elite - save that for the repugs.

I commend you for offering a solution with your complaint - that is admirable. It is even a workable solution. I just worry about the underlying implication.

[tlsmith1963]

43. You Have to Pay the Bills

That's the only reason they are on here. This site needs to be paid for. With me, they aren't that noticeable. I just ignore them (gotta love Firefox--it has adblocker).

Tammy

[many a good man]

49. Technology triumphs

I updated my AdBlocker and I have no effin' idea what they're talking about. Ads? What ads???

[riona]

46. Yes, be nice, people

This is a great website.

[JuniperLea]

47. Havarti!

I have one complaint about the ads... we need some cheese served with all this whine! Get on that, Skinner, et al!


:P

[KitchenWitch]

48. Not sure how much cheese is in the Admins penthouse

but I know they have a lot of Swedish Fish!

[JuniperLea]

51. Well blessed be and pass the gefilte!

:P

[Strong Atheist]

50. Hear, hear! nt.

[DeepModem Mom]

53. Yep. nt

[ItNerd4life]

54. I say pile on...

The compliments and accolades to Skinner and the admins for doing a fantastic job!

This web-sites design is far superior to any other forums web-site.

[NMDemDist2]

70. Welcome to DU ItNerd4life!

:hi:

and you're correct, DU is the best forum layout on the 'Net IMHO

[wryter2000]

73. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[BooScout]

55. I have no problem with ads...

Hell, ads are all over the net. I either ignore them or once in a blue moon click on one. No biggie. People who whine about them need to get a grip.

[SmokingJacket]

56. Well, they did ASK for feedback...

And while I totally understand the need for more fundage, it would be nice if it could be done without sacrificing the coolness of this site. The fund drives are actually FUN -- the admins have been very creative (hearts, stickies, kicking the bush head, etc) and the drives have added to my sense of investment in DU. Ads, while possibly necessary, are much more off-putting. Hey, some nice person showed me how to block them, so I don't see them anymore, which makes me feel slightly guilty -- but I wouldn't have clicked on them anyway.

[FlaGranny]

59. Well, I really like the ad at the bottom

of THIS thread right now.

Edit: In case it's gone - it was selling "Impeach bush" bumper stickers.

[alittlelark]

60. Firefox has blocked all of them...

I didn't even get what people were griping abouut for awhile.

[IronLionZion]

65. If only they really would leave DU forever

instead of just talking about it. Geez, so many drama queens keep whining like little babies about everything, they keep saying they'll leave forever...but they're still here! Talk is cheap fools!

Talk about a whaaaamburger and some french cries. boo hoo, they're just ads. use adblock if you can't stand them.

[idgiehkt]

66. I don't want anybody to leave.

I just would like them to move the adds up a little bit, so they aren't right in my eyes. I post on another board that has them and they are up near where the icons are on this site.
Not right in my field of vision.

[theHandpuppet]

67. I'll second that

Frankly, I don't even notice the ads -- I'm too busy reading topics. Stop bitching, people! You're making mountains out of molehills!

[puerco-bellies]

68. Here Here. It cost money to run this site.

If this helps keep this site up, then fine with me.

[slide to the left]

69. click on the ads

They get $$ everytime someone clicks on them

[wryter2000]

74. You have the right spirit

But I think it's considered fraudulent to click just to help DU. I'm pretty sure Skinner said it wouldn't help.

[wryter2000]

71. Amen

The ads are there. So what? I've been watching commercials all my life, and these are non-intrusive. I've never understood how the admins run this place on our small donations. I'm all for an easy way for DU to bring in more money.

[aquart]

72. To YOU. They don't bother YOU.

But they do bother ME. Anything with motion on a screen is a problem for me. Those ads have forced me into a completely different usage of DU.

It really sucks when someone who has no reaction to a problem tries to belittle everyone who does.

[KitchenWitch]

87. And there are threads for you to express your constructive criticism

of the ads, and their placement.

I started this thread in response to the "Get rid of the fucking Google ads" thread. That particular thread was a tad on the flamy side, and made me want to crack open some cheese for that whine. It was not meant to be constructive criticism, as one could deduce from the hostile tone of it.

[Zhade]

76. Yeah, they shouldn't be attacked, but the rightwing ads STILL suck.

NT!

[roguevalley]

77. I don't care about the ads. if they help du, then fine. Put on your

big girl panties and deal. :)

[applegrove]

79. Please get rid of the polls. Google should not be push polling anyone

here. And that is what the Prime Minister Harper Poll was all about.. moving the goalposts..

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

81. Absolutely. The Ads Don't Bother Me One Bit. The Level Of Pettiness That

I'm seeing here is shocking. DU is bar none the best political site on the web. They ask little from us. They want to run ads I have no problem with it. That's the least I can do.

And besides, they are so small and inconsequential in my overall exploration of DU. My brain is already used to them and I'm boggled by how petty some are being and how seriously dramatic they are about such a minimally DU changing issue.

At first I think there were some legitimate concerns and gripes. But now, the endless whining about them is just becoming, well, whiney LOL I'm almost expecting all the ads to turn into ads for diapers and pacifiers soon, if all this cryin keeps up. :)

[Catchawave]

83. Go Team Skinner !!!

Best political website on the internets :toast:

[RoyGBiv]

84. Just one thing ...

Having an open thread attached to each of the announcement was, I believe, an invitation to comment. While it may simply be diplomac on their part, the admins have also expressed appreciation for some of the commentary because some of it is quite constructive or is at least intended as such. Also, I believe those who do have a problem with the ads would be remiss in their duties a good netizens by not voicing their opinion now, during the admin-described testing phase. From my experience in various administrative tasks like this one, nothing is more irritating than not hearing people's complaints until after proposed changes have already been made and finalized.

That said, the various threads, other than those attached to the announcements, criticizing the admins are getting a bit tiresome, and I will agree that needs to end, especially those involving shrill whining. (As an aside, I'd like to know the donation history on a couple of these individuals because my memory doesn't recall a few of them ever having stars or contributing much of anything but one-liners.)

With all due respect to Skinner, Earl, and Elad, they aren't infallible gods. They're good people who do a damn fine job of running an excellent political site, and part of that is that they *listen* to those who truly make this place what it is, i.e. those who visit and contribute to the site in some way. I and many others who have offered various criticisms fully understand the financial pressures on them, and I, for one, freely accept that a revenue stream like this is necessary. (I was very disappointed that the funding drive did not meet its goal and so was not at all surprised when this came up.) I have no problem with the basic idea, IOW, and just have questions and suggestions about implementation. I also believe it is both my right and duty to offer my opinion on the details and not just falsely believe everything will work out okay without the involvement of the community as a whole.

[KitchenWitch]

85. Very good points

I started this thread in response to seeing a thread with a subject line of "Get rid of the fucking Google ads" or something very similar (including the F word). I figured that threads like that cross the line from being constructive, to actively kvetching and whining. I figured I wanted to express my support for all the Admins do for us as a community.

[RoyGBiv]

89. Didn't see that ...

I agree completely that sort of nonsense is, to be kind, less than helpful. Well, let's just call it what it is and say that such childisness needs to end right now and have that critical energy moved into something positive and constructive. What I am not seeing from most of the more shrill complainers is workable suggestions about an alternative.

I personally have tried to make clear in each of my comments/criticisms that I do support the general idea and have no intention of going off half-cocked, but I do want to make my thoughts known. If my suggestions have no impact, that's fine. I'm a big boy. I may cry a little, but I'll get over it. :-)

[Lars39]

86. If he gets tired of the griping, he'll lock them.

And I do consider Skinner an infallible god. :D

[RoyGBiv]

90. Not Skinner ...

Romeo is the Infallible One. :-)

[KitchenWitch]

91. Romeo is Dog!

;)

[0rganism]

88. I would rather see a dozen fund drives than another Ann Coulter ad here

Personally, I LIKED the stickies. Some of them were witty, some were cute, and not once was I offended. Guess I'll just get more vigilant about blocking ad sites on my browser.

[Vadem]

92. Hear, hear, Kitchenwitch! Really, how inconvenient is it?.....

Not very much, at least, as far as I am concerned! If it will bring more dollars to DU to Skinner and Elad and EarlG, go for it! Truly, I have not found it to be intrusive at all!

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

93. A question to the Admins re: adblocking...

... I already had heavy adblocking in force on my browser well before your decision to publish ads, so I never saw a single ad here. There's no beef from me about your decision and you did warn us.

The question: some people have posted on DU with instructions for people on how to defeat the ads: will you continue to allow such posts? I only ask because I have seen other sites that implemented ads who forbade posts on how to defeat ads, since this deprives the site of that revenue. What is your position?