--- Want to disable all the ads on the Codex? It's doable with just a small donation: https://rpgcodex.net/myaccount.php ---
You're all probably aware that websites not run by rich kids who can afford to pay for all the running costs themselves need advertising to help pay the bills. Amazingly, the Codex is no exception here. It's a big site, with a lot of people always on and a lot of content, which consequently requires an appropriate server, software and staff to handle it all. We've got all that, thank you.
Where you come in is advertising. The Codex doesn't require you to pay anything. The Codex doesn't even ask you to click anything (but it doesn't hurt if you do). What we do ask you, respectfully, is to not be a bloody leech and block all the ads. By blocking any advertising here you take away even those few cents a month that the site would otherwise get from your visits. Those few cents require no action whatsoever on your part. You can even close your eyes and scroll past the banners (if you can manage that), it's cool. So merely letting those ads load is not much of a request. Some of them do pay merely for showing, so it's not a "I won't click on them so it makes no difference if I block them" situation.
The consequences of a few people blocking ads are unnoticeable. But when it gets to the point that ad blocker discussions (which are now a banned subject, btw -> Retardo Land express post) regularly take place in any community and there's indication that many in the community use them to block advertising on the site they enjoy, it's a big problem.
Why is it a big problem? Because the majority of advertising available to independent sites today pays very little. The kind that would pay at least moderately (pop-ups, interstitials, etc.) has only been used on the Codex sporadically and infrequently. Which consequently means that every cent made from advertising is earned in blood and needed. It won't not matter if you and half of the Codex visitors do your best to block all the advertising here.
I won't say that it will result in shutting down of the site if you do, because it won't. What it inevitably will result in is more ads for those people whose first reflex isn't to block all the ads on any site they frequent. I realize that you could be a cold-hearted bastard who doesn't give a damn about that. I'm not fooling myself that I'm going to convince you or anyone else set on getting a free pass not to block all the ads.
What I can do, however, is to inform the people who might care about the consequences of ad blocking that there's more to it than installing an ad-blocker on your end. It eventually creates a sizeable problem on the management's end.
So, the tl;dr summary:
1) Please don't block ads on the Codex. The ads pay for most of the expenses the Codex generates on a daily basis. Get legit ad-free if the ads bother you too much.
2) If you're intent on blocking the ads, keep your dirty little secret to yourself and don't discuss it here. Too many people are blocking the ads as it is so don't expect any sympathies for any kind of ad blocking software promotions. The administration reserves the right to retardo or remove any posts on the subject of ad blocking as we see fit.
Having said that, I do realize that now and then there comes an ad which makes everyone twitch. And no, we're not just going to remove every mildly annoying one. But if there's anything malicious or REALLY excessive about any ad, like carrying a trojan, virus, constant audio, seizure-inducing flashing, spawning more ads and such - this will NEVER be tolerated, and will be reported for removal as soon as I hear about it. Which brings me to
3) You can always report a supposedly bad ad to me and have me look into it.
WHAT CONSTITUTES A BAD AD?
* Malicious ads. This includes browser session hijackers, auto-installers, trojan/spyware-carriers and the rest of the crap that won't be tolerated here.
* Non-user-initiated audio ads. This means any ads that make any sound on their own, without any action on your part.
* Adult ads. This means any ads with nudity.
* Excessively flashing ads. Any ads that flash ridiculously fast and/or with colours hard on the eyes are bad.
* Pop-ups that make closing them difficult. Any pop ads that don't want to immediately close after clicking the [X] in their window's top right corner are considered bad.
Here's the holy trinity of valid reports about problematic ads:
1. Take a screenshot of it.
2. See where the ad points to (target url), and copy the url. If you can't get the target url by right-clicking on the ad and Copying Link Location, click on the ad and copy the url that you land on.
3. Describe what the ad is doing that is problematic.
Then PM me with all of the above (screenshot, target url of the ad, description of why it's a problem), and I'll look into it. Opening separate threads about it or posting pictures here is only wasting your time, because without the information requested above I can't do anything to remove such ads, nor do I regularly monitor all the threads here.
If there are any other ad-related problems that you are having, feel free to discuss them here. Feel free to also ask any other questions either here or via PM. Thank you.
You're all probably aware that websites not run by rich kids who can afford to pay for all the running costs themselves need advertising to help pay the bills. Amazingly, the Codex is no exception here. It's a big site, with a lot of people always on and a lot of content, which consequently requires an appropriate server, software and staff to handle it all. We've got all that, thank you.
Where you come in is advertising. The Codex doesn't require you to pay anything. The Codex doesn't even ask you to click anything (but it doesn't hurt if you do). What we do ask you, respectfully, is to not be a bloody leech and block all the ads. By blocking any advertising here you take away even those few cents a month that the site would otherwise get from your visits. Those few cents require no action whatsoever on your part. You can even close your eyes and scroll past the banners (if you can manage that), it's cool. So merely letting those ads load is not much of a request. Some of them do pay merely for showing, so it's not a "I won't click on them so it makes no difference if I block them" situation.
The consequences of a few people blocking ads are unnoticeable. But when it gets to the point that ad blocker discussions (which are now a banned subject, btw -> Retardo Land express post) regularly take place in any community and there's indication that many in the community use them to block advertising on the site they enjoy, it's a big problem.
Why is it a big problem? Because the majority of advertising available to independent sites today pays very little. The kind that would pay at least moderately (pop-ups, interstitials, etc.) has only been used on the Codex sporadically and infrequently. Which consequently means that every cent made from advertising is earned in blood and needed. It won't not matter if you and half of the Codex visitors do your best to block all the advertising here.
I won't say that it will result in shutting down of the site if you do, because it won't. What it inevitably will result in is more ads for those people whose first reflex isn't to block all the ads on any site they frequent. I realize that you could be a cold-hearted bastard who doesn't give a damn about that. I'm not fooling myself that I'm going to convince you or anyone else set on getting a free pass not to block all the ads.
What I can do, however, is to inform the people who might care about the consequences of ad blocking that there's more to it than installing an ad-blocker on your end. It eventually creates a sizeable problem on the management's end.
So, the tl;dr summary:
1) Please don't block ads on the Codex. The ads pay for most of the expenses the Codex generates on a daily basis. Get legit ad-free if the ads bother you too much.
2) If you're intent on blocking the ads, keep your dirty little secret to yourself and don't discuss it here. Too many people are blocking the ads as it is so don't expect any sympathies for any kind of ad blocking software promotions. The administration reserves the right to retardo or remove any posts on the subject of ad blocking as we see fit.
Having said that, I do realize that now and then there comes an ad which makes everyone twitch. And no, we're not just going to remove every mildly annoying one. But if there's anything malicious or REALLY excessive about any ad, like carrying a trojan, virus, constant audio, seizure-inducing flashing, spawning more ads and such - this will NEVER be tolerated, and will be reported for removal as soon as I hear about it. Which brings me to
3) You can always report a supposedly bad ad to me and have me look into it.
WHAT CONSTITUTES A BAD AD?
* Malicious ads. This includes browser session hijackers, auto-installers, trojan/spyware-carriers and the rest of the crap that won't be tolerated here.
* Non-user-initiated audio ads. This means any ads that make any sound on their own, without any action on your part.
* Adult ads. This means any ads with nudity.
* Excessively flashing ads. Any ads that flash ridiculously fast and/or with colours hard on the eyes are bad.
* Pop-ups that make closing them difficult. Any pop ads that don't want to immediately close after clicking the [X] in their window's top right corner are considered bad.
Here's the holy trinity of valid reports about problematic ads:
1. Take a screenshot of it.
2. See where the ad points to (target url), and copy the url. If you can't get the target url by right-clicking on the ad and Copying Link Location, click on the ad and copy the url that you land on.
3. Describe what the ad is doing that is problematic.
Then PM me with all of the above (screenshot, target url of the ad, description of why it's a problem), and I'll look into it. Opening separate threads about it or posting pictures here is only wasting your time, because without the information requested above I can't do anything to remove such ads, nor do I regularly monitor all the threads here.
If there are any other ad-related problems that you are having, feel free to discuss them here. Feel free to also ask any other questions either here or via PM. Thank you.
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LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLIPOP
