A Modest Proposal

[twelvefootboy]

As a newbie, I have no street cred and only wish to offer an honest opinion, but no actual solution.

I have enjoyed this forum very much since blundering into it looking for Cindy Stowell info. I enjoy it even more now that I just learned it is ad-free. If there's an alternative besides the status quo, and besides the modest proposal, it would be nice to keep the purity of the space.

I barely have noodled other threads besides game threads, but I did find that there are volunteers by the month and am/was prepared to step in and step up. I conclude that the modest proposal is probably the best solution. But, I wonder how many casual readers realize that there is an underlying need for fundage? Would a pledge month work to recharge coffers until they hit a certain level? A donate banner would maybe be enough in some cases, but I have no idea. I've donated to wiki a couple of times, and even shareware authors, but I've stiffed hundreds of them as well I'm sure.

It does seem that the concept has already ballooned into a pick-your-charity possibility, and those can become somewhat distracting. (You wanna donate $1 to the underprivileged red-haired lefthand children's fund with your coffee purchase?).

Best wishes and much gratitude from a free rider who hopes to hang around and contribute. I'm prepared for the disappointment of being targeted for ED drugs and funeral arrangements instead of skateboard and vodka ads.

kd meares, aka twelvefootboy

[doihavetoreally]

Yes.
Echo the sentiments on security, sounds, unobstuctive ads etc that's converted by others.
Hope you consider charities that don't have high overhead costs.

[pinkfreud]

Ads are OK with me. It might be good to have a poll to select the charity.

[Cat Hammarskjold]

Since this is a site discussing a trivia show, would people be okay if it went towards the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence's non-profit fund? It usually helps lower-income school districts go to quizbowl tournaments, and would help build the pool of future J! contestants.

[triviawayne]

Since this is a site discussing a trivia show, would people be okay if it went towards the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence's non-profit fund? It usually helps lower-income school districts go to quizbowl tournaments, and would help build the pool of future J! contestants.

I like it.

[jwatcher16]

Hi all, I wasn't originally going to chime in, but I thought maybe I should...

Ads > embedded spyware > FB feeds > A Confederacy of Dunces vote on A Modest Proposal.

and

My only concern with ads is security, especially if it's an offsite host and they make jboard run their javascripts.

Of course I also hate sound ads, autoplay videos/ads that aren't silent, and pop-ups. But security and privacy are even more of a concern... From what I have noted, ads now seemed to be designed to track you. Now all of us go to sites with ads. Myself, though, I am very wary of registering or creating an account with a site. Now on JBoard, we have listed info on our profiles, the extent of which varies from boardie to boardie. That reason is why I might be wary of doing this...

[alietr]

At this point, I'm just gathering feedback on whether it's a good idea or not, and I appreciate all of the input I've gotten so far. A few things to think about that I hadn't thought about before.

[AFRET CMS]

No, I'm not going to sell anyone's children for food. I was thinking that JBoard generates a fair amount of traffic that, like many websites, can be monetized (we're currently the 54,339th most popular website in the U.S.!). As you are all aware, I have kept ads off the site, which I'm sure people appreciate. BUT -- would people mind an ad (I'm not thinking of more than one) if the money went to more properly compensate Brian's hosting fees and then the rest goes to charity? I feel like it's potentially free money that's going to waste. And no, it will not be going to the Trump Foundation. If people hate the idea, I obviously won't do it, but I would like to hear people's reactions.

I'm in favor of the basic concept; "nonprofit" does not equal "in favor of losing money" and I don't like the concept of board managers spending out of their own pockets to produce a product the rest of us use and enjoy for free. They're already devoting much time and energy to maintaining and managing the site (and it's MUCH appreciated).

That said, I'll second the multiple motions to have any advertising be anchored (scroll with the screen), no pop-ups, no video. An ad at the top of the screen below the JBOARD banner, anchored in place, maybe no larger than the JBOARD banner, would be perfectly acceptable to me. And I would definitely restrict advertisers from info about board members.

jks

[bpmod]

I seem to have a dissenting opinion.

I would prefer to keep JBoard ad-free. But I do like the idea of the JBoard community supporting some charity or other, perhaps more than one.

I have always liked the idea of a 'donate' button whereby people could contribute according to their wishes and abilities. If there is a way to set it up so that a predetermined (or selectable) percentage goes to a charity (even better a shortlist of charities from which said donor could choose), that would be my preference.

I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of this community these past 5+ years, and of all of the places I have hung out, this one is most like family to me. I think that any monetization of this site should be kept at home, so to speak.

Brian

[Kenny]

OK by me, but I'd prefer not have the ads that send you to their website when you accidentally tap it on an iPad.

[MDaunt]

My preference would be no.

I would add a donate button and once you have a couple of years hosting fees in the bank, take it down.

[Robert K S]

My preference would also be no ads.

[JayK33]

I'm fine with it, if they're appropriate, only appear in a banner or something on the top of the page, and don't disrupt our website experience with any of those awful popup windows.