NationStates Jolt Archive

Seriously, are they becoming intrusive, not only do they dominate the top of my page, sometimes they even seem to be intruding into posts.

Sure, adblock, but I don't mind reasonable advertising, it just seems they're beginning to dominate the experience.

Yea I'm looking at this ad in your post. That's crap.

Rabble rabble rabble rabble

All I have to say about this is...I'm the Secretary of State, brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Yea I'm looking at this ad in your post. That's crap.

That's what I'm thinking, it's becoming unreasonable and, as much as the site is free, it truly irritates me and would actually cause me to stop using the forums at all, a great loss I imagine :)

User experience is important, this really crosses the line.

That's what I'm thinking, it's becoming unreasonable and, as much as the site is free, it truly irritates me and would actually cause me to stop using the forums at all, a great loss I imagine :)

User experience is important, this really crosses the line.

Yeah, in the post is unreasonable. When the ads were on top and between posts, that wasn't bad. It's almost as if the ad is invading your private space now:eek2:.

Adblock, anyone? (Or Greasemonkey, Stylish, et al.)

There's no need to see any ads on the net.

Yeah, in the post is unreasonable. When the ads were on top and between posts, that wasn't bad. It's almost as if the ad is invading your private space now:eek2:.

To be honest, even the ads at the top are becoming irritating, it might be the post-intrusion that's taken it over the line but, whatever, annoying.

I hereby use the machine gun icon!

:mp5:

The advertisements that are actually inside people's posts majorly cross the line for me. I was already irritated by the ones in the middle of threads, but that's just ridiculous.

Honestly, I fear this may end up driving me away from NSG, no matter how much I like the forum, because I'm on dial-up and I don't really enjoy waiting five minutes for each page to load because they've clogged it up with so much crap.

I see you Lydias, make it stop!

Seriously, are they becoming intrusive, not only do they dominate the top of my page, sometimes they even seem to be intruding into posts.

Sure, adblock, but I don't mind reasonable advertising, it just seems they're beginning to dominate the experience.
the ad in your post is replacing the banner ad that usually is (used to be?) in its own space under the first post on a page.

i dont care of there are ads. i dont pay for this forum, they do.

The advertisements that are actually inside people's posts majorly cross the line for me. I was already irritated by the ones in the middle of threads, but that's just ridiculous.
Jeebus, people!

Click (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865). Install. Be ad free.

Jeebus, people!

Go (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865). Install. Be ad free.

Why?

I don't mind relevant advertising but it's self-damaging to have advertising that ruins the user experience, I'd rather have it in a useful way as opposed to blocking it altogether.

People who are vehemently against advertising irritate me as much as advertising that is just unwelcome.

Of course, it's your choice, I respect that but I don't mind this site from making money off the service, just where it's annoying.

Putting ads on the site in a way that irritates people using the site enough that they install ad blocking software seems somewhat self-defeating to me.

Inside the posts is a bit much, I agree. I didn't mind the ones in between posts, but to shove someone's words all off to the left hand side of the post box so you can fit this gargantuan ad on the right is absurd. It is intrusive enough to make me download ad blocking software.

Putting ads on the site in a way that irritates people using the site enough that they install ad blocking software seems somewhat self-defeating to me.

see, that's the thing. I'm a gamer, so I don't MIND some of their ads. When an ad for a review or a new game comes up, I might actually click it. But get me to the point I block it all...and that stops happening.

I don't mind ads. For some things I even appreciate them. Get it too obtrusive and I just turn them off.

It's not just that they're in the first post, and this might just be because they haven't programmed it compatible with Safari, but the writing is actually obscured by running through the ads.

Neo Art's post above, I can't read the full quoted post by Rambhutan, it's ridiculous.

Why?

I don't mind relevant advertising but it's self-damaging to have advertising that ruins the user experience, I'd rather have it in a useful way as opposed to blocking it altogether.

People who are vehemently against advertising irritate me as much as advertising that is just unwelcome.

Of course, it's your choice, I respect that but I don't mind this site from making money off the service, just where it's annoying.

Advertising is a great way to spread malware. I use adblock plus, a hosts file that blocks 90% of ads anyway, and noscript.

It's not just that they're in the first post, and this might just be because they haven't programmed it compatible with Safari, but the writing is actually obscured by running through the ads.

Neo Art's post above, I can't read the full quoted post by Rambhutan, it's ridiculous.

I just see a small very light gray box that says ADVERTISEMENT:

Jeebus, people!

Click (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865). Install. Be ad free.

I've got that, but it doesn't seem to be working :(

Yea I'm looking at this ad in your post. That's crap.

Me too. It's featuring a busty piratey lady (...mhh...)

Advertising is a great way to spread malware. I use adblock plus, a hosts file that blocks 90% of ads anyway, and noscript.

I just see a small very light gray box that says ADVERTISEMENT:

Whatever, even that would be annoying where it actually cuts across the writing.

Again, I don't mind advertising, as a case in point, on FIFA '0whatever, users actually demanded advertising on pitch hoardings to make the experience more real.

This is just silly though.

The advertisements that are actually inside people's posts majorly cross the line for me. I was already irritated by the ones in the middle of threads, but that's just ridiculous.

Honestly, I fear this may end up driving me away from NSG, no matter how much I like the forum, because I'm on dial-up and I don't really enjoy waiting five minutes for each page to load because they've clogged it up with so much crap.

I highly recommend Firefox and Adblock Plus. You can use a filter list to take out most ads, and then manually add any extras which slip past that and irritate you. Simple to use, very clean, and extremely effective.

Why?

I don't mind relevant advertising but it's self-damaging to have advertising that ruins the user experience, I'd rather have it in a useful way as opposed to blocking it altogether.

People who are vehemently against advertising irritate me as much as advertising that is just unwelcome.

Of course, it's your choice, I respect that but I don't mind this site from making money off the service, just where it's annoying.

You can fine-tune Adblock very carefully, to only take out particular ads, if those ones only are annoying you too much. I just resent having advertisments pointed at me any time except when I'm directly looking for a product, so I go for the widespread approach.

adams901, I see you too, deal with it!

I see no useless ads (other than the word "Advertisement" in the first post and the occasional "Action canceled" at the top of the page), no useless avatars, no useless sigs, just the useless crap people post on this forum. :tongue:

see, that's the thing. I'm a gamer, so I don't MIND some of their ads. When an ad for a review or a new game comes up, I might actually click it. But get me to the point I block it all...and that stops happening.

I don't mind ads. For some things I even appreciate them. Get it too obtrusive and I just turn them off.

Exactly. I've clicked ads on here before when something looked interesting; now they've made it irritating enough that I'm downloading Adblock as we speak.

Regardless of whether one uses Adblock or dislikes the intrusion, both are detrimental to the site itself, that's for the administrators to deal with.

Perhaps they can count on time dealing with the situation, I remember similar complaints about mid-thread advertising, we got used to it.

No matter, where a quote is in the first post, the writing goes through the advertising, that at least needs to be fixed,

What can we do, move to another forum if they refuse?

An insight into the abuse of power and the acceptance of the masses.

As usual, we have living proof that Google had the right idea. Make the ads relevant, so that people who notice them are likely to be interested. And make them unobtrusive, so that people don't get irritated and use Adblock. Simple as that.

I wonder if I use that ad blocking program I was told about, and run NS with Firefox, will these annoying ads'll stop. It's one thing to see them at the top of the page, but it's rather grating to see them break the page and now, it seems, also on our posts.

see, that's the thing. I'm a gamer, so I don't MIND some of their ads. When an ad for a review or a new game comes up, I might actually click it. But get me to the point I block it all...and that stops happening.

I don't mind ads. For some things I even appreciate them. Get it too obtrusive and I just turn them off.
This.^^ Especially because when I opened the page your post was on, a possible glitch caused the text of your post to overlap the ad, making part of your post unreadable.

That's what we in the advertising racket call A MAJOR FUCK-UP.

Jolt, or whoever they are now, need to fix this NOW. Get the ads OUT of the user posts and in the margins where they belong or risk losing their advertisers. And since we ain't payin' for this service, that means good-bye to the game/site they just bought, and any ad revenue they might hope for.

I so incredibly hate people who "improve" stuff to the point where it doesn't work anymore and goes belly up. It's fucking stupid, and there is no excuse for it. *wishes I could fire the person who decided this was a good idea to try*

I wonder if I use that ad blocking program I was told about, and run NS with Firefox, will these annoying ads'll stop. It's one thing to see them at the top of the page, but it's rather grating to see them break the page and now, it seems, also on our posts.

Probably not all of them. My ad blocker didn't stop the stuff at the top of the page, but nulling out www.joltonline.com in my hosts got rid of that one. :D

Probably not all of them. My ad blocker didn't stop the stuff at the top of the page, but nulling out www.joltonline.com in my hosts got rid of that one. :D

Oh cool. Thanks for the link.:)

Oh cool. Thanks for the link.:)

Testing... Yep, that link resolves to 0.0.0.0, as it should do. :D

Testing... Yep, that link resolves to 0.0.0.0, as it should do. :D

I'll check later on if it works for Mac.

Probably not all of them. My ad blocker didn't stop the stuff at the top of the page, but nulling out www.joltonline.com in my hosts got rid of that one. :D

That worked!!!! :D
But I still get those fuckers inside people's posts... any ideas?

Shouldn't we be paid for hosting the adverts in our post...

<<
>>

I'll check later on if it works for Mac.

Most probably not quite in the same way...

That worked!!!! :D
But I still get those fuckers inside people's posts... any ideas?

That's a programming issue they need to resolve, nothing one can do, it only seems to affect quoted posts.

Demonstrates the sort of rigorous thinking that went into putting the ads into the posts in the first place.

That's a programming issue they need to resolve, nothing one can do.

Bad style, jolt. Seriously bad style. :(

Most probably not quite in the same way...

Gah, maybe I should consider buying a regular laptop. Less hassle.:(

But I still get those fuckers inside people's posts... any ideas?

It happened on one of my posts.:(

I've got that, but it doesn't seem to be working :(

I had the same problem here. Left click, on the header and adjust adblock was what worked.

Adblock is all well and nice, but this is another thing that pisses me off. If I need to change my browser and install new software JUST to avoid being irritated by some idiot who couldn't figure out how to put ads on a forum without disrupting use of the forum, guess what's going to be an even easier fix for me? Going to a different forum that has smarter admins. Either way -- by users installing Adblock or by users leaving -- their advertisers are going to get fewer clicks and will stop buying ad space on this forum, until finally there will be nothing here but Middle Eastern dating services and malware traps. Seriously, if I were an exec with the owners, someone would be in danger of losing their job over this.

I had the same problem here. Left click, on the header and adjust adblock was what worked.

It did now for me.
For some reason, it just wouldn't work right after installing and rebooting... I didn't get the block option in the pop-up menu.
But now it's there, and those ads are blocked... NSG looks normal again. :)

That worked!!!! :D
But I still get those fuckers inside people's posts... any ideas?

Well, I don't see more than an empty box there, because my ad blocker blocks them.
But adding
0.0.0.0 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
0.0.0.0 partner.googleadservices.com
0.0.0.0 pagead.l.google.com
to your hosts file will probably indiscriminately kill off the right fuckers. :D

This.^^ Especially because when I opened the page your post was on, a possible glitch caused the text of your post to overlap the ad, making part of your post unreadable.

That's what we in the advertising racket call A MAJOR FUCK-UP.

Jolt, or whoever they are now, need to fix this NOW. Get the ads OUT of the user posts and in the margins where they belong or risk losing their advertisers. And since we ain't payin' for this service, that means good-bye to the game/site they just bought, and any ad revenue they might hope for.

OMAC - them's they folks to blaim. Jolt was doing an alright job til they started tinkering with the forums last summer.

I so incredibly hate people who "improve" stuff to the point where it doesn't work anymore and goes belly up. It's fucking stupid, and there is no excuse for it. *wishes I could fire the person who decided this was a good idea to try*

I'm wondering what's going to bite OMAC faster - their TAUFU of NS2 or frigging the forums.

Adblock is all well and nice, but this is another thing that pisses me off. If I need to change my browser and install new software JUST to avoid being irritated by some idiot who couldn't figure out how to put ads on a forum without disrupting use of the forum, guess what's going to be an even easier fix for me? Going to a different forum that has smarter admins. Either way -- by users installing Adblock or by users leaving -- their advertisers are going to get fewer clicks and will stop buying ad space on this forum, until finally there will be nothing here but Middle Eastern dating services and malware traps. Seriously, if I were an exec with the owners, someone would be in danger of losing their job over this.

Unfortunately, as someone alerted me to earlier today (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14542748&postcount=27), this isn't the first time OMAC's come in and fucked over a game. Lot's of angry former OMAC players here... (http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=197353)


http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=197353

the giant Jolt bar at the top of the page is annoying, too. it'd be fine if it were a bit smaller, but it makes the first post end up about half way down the page, when it should be at the top.... its just too big. and ads IN posts is sucky as hell. google text ads are great, though Opera won't block them (but they're discrete enough not to be a problem)

I think they should just remove the ads from inside the posts, I mean for god sake, it just messes it up, looks ugly as hell and for people (like me) who value presentation it just is a real off putter, can ignore banner ads, but SERIOUSLY, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING, ADS IN A POST!?

the giant Jolt bar at the top of the page is annoying, too. it'd be fine if it were a bit smaller, but it makes the first post end up about half way down the page, when it should be at the top.... its just too big. and ads IN posts is sucky as hell.

I'm running adblock specifically because of the ads they started sticking in the threads last year. I was surprised to see the ad header, but Adblock kills it as well.

As others have pointed out, they've created a self-destructive circle.

For a business, rep is rather like Mr. Hand Grenade. Once you've pulled the pin, Mr. Hand Grenade is no longer your freind... Same goes for players, fucking up the game/forums, and advertising...

Look at this screenshot I just took.... Just LOOK at this... i mean.... HOW MUCH WORSE CAN IT GET:

http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo10/xresNTAP/Picture9-1.png?t=1235494947

Not the best picture, but you get the idea of how HORRIBLE this situation is

EDIT: I just realized how ironic this screenshot is, read what the ad says xD "epic in scale, looks great"

Unfortunately, as someone alerted me to earlier today (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14542748&postcount=27), this isn't the first time OMAC's come in and fucked over a game. Lot's of angry former OMAC players here... (http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=197353)


http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=197353

I noticed how this was the one post other than the original post with an advertisement within the post.

It seems almost as though OMAC is in the BUSINESS of destroying online games. They're like a Uwe Boll of browser games or something.

I noticed how this was the one post other than the original post with an advertisement within the post.

Indeed. :rolleyes:

It seems almost as though OMAC is in the BUSINESS of destroying online games. They're like a Uwe Boll of browser games or something.

Heh. You just put a connection in my mind between OMAC and the idiot who manages the building I live in. 10 years ago, Mr. S decided to do some maintanance - he painted some walls where the paint was cracked and peeling. Unfortunately, he didn't scrape the cracked, peeling paint, and days later the new paint was more or less in the same sorry condition. 5 years ago, he did the exact same thing. The result was a triple layer of cracked, peeling paint.

Well, it's been 5 years now, and guess what he did a few days ago?

Looks like NS1/2 are in for the Mr. S. treatment....

Ah, I now installed Adblock and No Script, and I feel better. *lets out a happy sigh*

anyone know where you can get adblock (or similar) for mac computers?

Jeebus, people!

Click (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865). Install. Be ad free.

Nice. Thanks.

Nice. Thanks.

Not all of us are cool enough for firefox ya know.

Not all of us are cool enough for firefox ya know.

But IE7 doesn't show Cree fonts.

But IE7 doesn't show Cree fonts.
I don't understand...mine does.

Also, kisâkîtin, nîcimos. I use RSO anyway :P

I noticed how this was the one post other than the original post with an advertisement within the post.

It seems almost as though OMAC is in the BUSINESS of destroying online games. They're like a Uwe Boll of browser games or something.

Or perhaps Harold P. Warren (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_P._Warren).

I'm using adblock plus, yet I can STILL see annoying adverts at the top of the screen, and I don't have an option to block them! RAAGE

I'm using adblock plus, yet I can STILL see annoying adverts at the top of the screen, and I don't have an option to block them! RAAGE

I'm running Adblock Plus with Filterset.G and one extra rule, and every ad is gone. The extra rule: I've blocked */forumheader/*, which is likely massive overkill. The various 'joltonline.com' suggestions should also do it.

I vehemently dislike the fact that this forum is changing the content of my posts. Ads between posts: fine. Annoying, but bills must be paid.
Ads IN posts, pretending that I put them there myself: not fine.

Another issue...

I'm active in Sports RP over in the NationStates forum, particularly the long-running NS World Cup.

The hosts of each Cup often put a lot of effort into formatting the first post of a thread. Now that formatting's b*ggered. Worse, even if the hosts use adblocker themselves, there's no guarantee that some of the less technically-minded participants (and right now we have about 80 nations a cup) will be using adblocker, meaning that some people are going to see that first post differently.

Summarised, this new advertising makes it well-nigh impossible for someone to carefully format the OP of an RP thread.

Another issue...

I'm active in Sports RP over in the NationStates forum, particularly the long-running NS World Cup.

The hosts of each Cup often put a lot of effort into formatting the first post of a thread. Now that formatting's b*ggered. Worse, even if the hosts use adblocker themselves, there's no guarantee that some of the less technically-minded participants (and right now we have about 80 nations a cup) will be using adblocker, meaning that some people are going to see that first post differently.

Summarised, this new advertising makes it well-nigh impossible for someone to carefully format the OP of an RP thread.

Make the formatted post second, which doesn't have the ad.

Grab the links for ads you find on other web pages, and link them into your posts here.

It's becoming pretty clear the that the OMAC admins simply don't give a shit. Pretty much every game hosted by jolt is up in arms about the new ads, and not one OMAC admin has posted a response yet. Pathetic.

No, Khadgar. We shouldn't have to throw in a dummy post just because OMAC failed Advertising 101.

Well I have now downloaded and installed IE7 pro and have removed the nasty in-post advert and for good measure got rid of the big adverts at the top of the page. No more clicks on adverts from me. Way to get a downturn in your advertising revenue OMAC.

Agreed, the new ads are pretty bad.

Honestly, I really didn't mind the ads that are across the top of the page or even the ones that were between posts. I've been on quite a few forums where they've managed to seamlessly integrate them into the overall forum theme and they look rather nice. But shoving them inside the posts, pushing over all the text, and at times allowing the text to write across the ad is going too far. It makes the forum look cheap, rather shoddy, and quite frankly hideous. If I was new around here, that would turn me away the moment I stepped foot in here.

Sadly, blocking it out simply removes the ad itself, but not the frame its in so it looks like we'll have to put up with that.

I don't mind the ads. Actually, some of them are for things that sound interesting and one of these days I might get around to clicking on one. They aren't pop ups or pop unders, they don't take crontrol of your browser or exploit jscript, they don't require you to acknowledge their existence in order to keep reading; they are what all internet ads should be, unobtrusive and out of the way. I have no problem with them.

Except they are extremely obtrusive and insert themselves directly into the body of your post!

I don't mind the ads. OUR MORTGAGES ARE THE LOWEST EVER Actually, some of them are for things that sound interesting and one of these days I might get around to clicking SINGLE ? LOOKING FOR LOOOOVVEEE ? WE CAN HELP !on one. They aren't pop ups or pop unders, they don't take crontrol of your browser or exploit jscript, they don't require you to acknowledge their existence Have you let Jesus into your Life yet ? Call 1-800-666 for a free Bible ! in order to keep reading; they are what all internet ads should be, unobtrusive and out of the way. I have no problem with them.

Indeed. Adding content to posts is nothing to make a fuss about.

Make the formatted post second, which doesn't have the ad.

A potential solution, agreed - though to work, it would require the first post to read something along the lines of 'DO NOT POST - THIS POST IS ANTI-ADVERT PLACE HOLDER ONLY; PLEASE WAIT FOR SECOND POST' until the formatted post was up. But I resent having to adapt six years of tradition and RP practice because Jolt's decided to insert ads into the first post.

Call me inflexible if you will, but why should we have to change the way we've been playing the game for 6 years just to accommodate an insensitively-placed piece of advertising? And I have been running one nation since early 2003 - just not this one.

Except they are extremely obtrusive and insert themselves directly into the body of your post!

I'm not sure what they look like on your browser and resolution, but on mine they are unobtrusive. They are off to the side and clearly distinguishable from the post its self, not requiring you to make any extra clicks, scroll any more than usual, or anything. They really don't bother me.

A reasonable enough solution (though to work, it would require the first post to read something along the lines of 'DO NOT POST - THIS POST IS ANTI-ADVERT PLACE HOLDER ONLY; PLEASE WAIT FOR SECOND POST' until the formatted post was up), but I resent having to adapt six years of tradition and RP practice because Jolt's decided to insert ads into the first post.

Call me inflexible if you will, but why should we have to change the way we've been playing the game for 6 years just to accommodate an insensitively-placed piece of advertising?You know that wouldn't last all that long before OMAC comes down with a directive that you can't make filler posts like that.

What ads? I studiously ignore all advertising.

Indeed. Adding content to posts is nothing to make a fuss about.

If your sample were how the ads appeared, then I would have a different opinion. But when the ads are out of the way and clearly distinguishable from the actual post, I don't see a reason to complain.

If your sample were how the ads appeared, then I would have a different opinion. But when the ads are out of the way and clearly distinguishable from the actual post, I don't see a reason to complain.

As several people have indicated - not all ads are at the side. Some people actually see the image over or beneath the actual text of the post.

Second - the ads in my example were also perfectly distinguishable from the text you typed. Nevertheless, one might consider them annoying. One might also inadvertently take something you said differently than it was intended due to the ad present - like the way I put the ad for Jesus after your "acknowledge their existence" statement. Since the ads showing are often related to the words in the topic they appear in (for obvious reasons) this is not too far fetched imo.

Third - I just dislike the mere suggestion that I posted something I did not.

A potential solution, agreed - though to work, it would require the first post to read something along the lines of 'DO NOT POST - THIS POST IS ANTI-ADVERT PLACE HOLDER ONLY; PLEASE WAIT FOR SECOND POST' until the formatted post was up. But I resent having to adapt six years of tradition and RP practice because Jolt's decided to insert ads into the first post.

Call me inflexible if you will, but why should we have to change the way we've been playing the game for 6 years just to accommodate an insensitively-placed piece of advertising? And I have been running one nation since early 2003 - just not this one.

Not to mention that I can see them in posts other than the first one.

As several people have indicated - not all ads are at the side. Some people actually see the image over or beneath the actual text of the post.

Second - the ads in my example were also perfectly distinguishable from the text you typed. Nevertheless, one might consider them annoying. One might also inadvertently take something you said differently than it was intended due to the ad present - like the way I put the ad for Jesus after your "acknowledge their existence" statement. Since the ads showing are often related to the words in the topic they appear in (for obvious reasons) this is not too far fetched imo.

Third - I just dislike the mere suggestion that I posted something I did not.

It isn't suggested. The ad appears in its own box that clearly says advertisement on it and no one mistakes it for your thoughts.

If your sample were how the ads appeared, then I would have a different opinion. But when the ads are out of the way and clearly distinguishable from the actual post, I don't see a reason to complain.

Here you go, this is what they appear like on my system, or would if I didn't use Adblock: 1 (http://b.armory.com/~xyzzy/ads1.png), 2 (http://b.armory.com/~xyzzy/ads2.png).

Note, in particular, that they eat so much space I can't even see the first post without paging down. This is far too much.

I don't have anything against advertising per se, as long as it's unobtrusive and relevant. But when ads are big, brightly coloured, and eat literally hundreds of pixels out of my page, they will be blocked.

It isn't suggested. The ad appears in its own box that clearly says advertisement on it and no one mistakes it for your thoughts.

I often post images.

I often post images.

And "Advertisement" is your artistic name, present on all your images?

Here you go, this is what they appear like on my system, or would if I didn't use Adblock: 1 (http://b.armory.com/~xyzzy/ads1.png), 2 (http://b.armory.com/~xyzzy/ads2.png).

Note, in particular, that they eat so much space I can't even see the first post without paging down. This is far too much.

I don't have anything against advertising per se, as long as it's unobtrusive and relevant. But when ads are big, brightly coloured, and eat literally hundreds of pixels out of my page, they will be blocked.

Perhaps they should be taking people with smaller resolutions and classic (non-wide screen) screens into account. I would feel the same way if I were you, but it's not so much a advertising issue as it is a formatting issue.

Yep, this (http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/285/sshotjolt.gif) definitely looks a lot more relaxing.

And "Advertisement" is your artistic name, present on all your images?

Of course. I copyrighted the word and get $ 0,01 whenever it is used.

Every 15 posts. The top of each page on default settings...

Hmmm, it seems that OMAC ads aren't just the first post, but also the 16th, 31st, 46th, 61st....

Notice to OMAC employees: Life is not a version of the board game Go For Broke.

Hmmm, it seems that OMAC ads aren't just the first post, but also the 16th, 31st, 46th, 61st....

Notice to OMAC employees: Life is not a version of the board game Go For Broke.

Did you really spend the last 15 minutes discovering what I just said? :confused:

they ARE getting a little intrusive.. the site helps make your point by stuffing a Chevrolet ad in your post!

Another thing I will say about this is how everything looks thrown up there without the slightest thought about how it blends in. Its just flat out ugly, really. Plus, those ads along with that ghastly looking "Jolt Features" banner make the pages load much much slower than without it all. Often enough, that same banner will not load properly and will break the page, sending its text down into the post.

And I do rather like how well AdBlock can make a page look: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/TheQ2005/Miscellaneous/joltads.jpg

Did you really spend the last 15 minutes discovering what I just said? :confused:

Actually, I got sidetracked; your post wasn't up there when I started it.

I've installed Adblocker!

I'm rather suprised by how well it works, and a little relieved, because the new ads really did step over the line. I'm pretty sure Jolt will do something about it though - not that I will notice, seeing as I am now permanently immune from advertising... I've a feeling that wasn't the response Jolt was looking for.

OMAC's not going to do a damned thing. They're laughing, in fact, because this is what they do. They buy out internet games and shut 'em down by bombarding them with more and more intrusive ads while setting up their own games somewhere else where people eventually flock to, and repeat the whole process after awhile because it gets them a lot more profit. [/conspiracy theory]

Server costs for maintaining a forum are going down every year, with new tech handling more forum with less hardware.

Yet ads have gone massively up.

Why is it that thousands of other sites provide for forums and profit with nothing more than a few small text ads at the top, while jolt/OMAC puts out a massive amount of highly intrusive graphic advertising?


Only one answer: OMAC didn't buy jolt to keep it running at the same profit margin. Greed. Squeeze all the juice out, when the people leave, buy another site.

Server costs for maintaining a forum are going down every year, with new tech handling more forum with less hardware.

Yet ads have gone massively up.

Why is it that thousands of other sites provide for forums and profit with nothing more than a few small text ads at the top, while jolt/OMAC puts out a massive amount of highly intrusive graphic advertising?


Only one answer: OMAC didn't buy jolt to keep it running at the same profit margin. Greed. Squeeze all the juice out, when the people leave, buy another site.
They can go screw themselves. I'm not leaving NSG, and I'm certainly not clicking on their shit.

Here you go, this is what they appear like on my system, or would if I didn't use Adblock: 1 (http://b.armory.com/~xyzzy/ads1.png), 2 (http://b.armory.com/~xyzzy/ads2.png).

Note, in particular, that they eat so much space I can't even see the first post without paging down. This is far too much.

I don't have anything against advertising per se, as long as it's unobtrusive and relevant. But when ads are big, brightly coloured, and eat literally hundreds of pixels out of my page, they will be blocked.

Not to mention that new Jolt banner is fucking ugly as hell. Jolt's older look was much better.

Well, bugger it, I've installed adblock on Safari, if only to get rid of the in-post ad.

Just seems a wanton disregard for the user,

*investigates OMAC*

They can go screw themselves. I'm not leaving NSG, and I'm certainly not clicking on their shit.

Actually, repeated clicking on their shit coupled with lodging a click-fraud complaint about OMAC to Google, who I guess are serving the ads, would lead to an investigation and a possible halt on the advertising.

Not that I condone this behaviour in any way whatsoever.

EDIT: In no way related to the above, ads these days are not charged unless the user is on the clicked-thru site for, I think, 3 seconds, just as irrelevant trivial information of course.

Indeed. Adding content to posts is nothing to make a fuss about.

hehehehehe *titters*

Agreed, the new ads are pretty bad.

Heheheh. When the staff from another game come in here to post that OMAC's bad...

It isn't suggested. The ad appears in its own box that clearly says advertisement on it and no one mistakes it for your thoughts.

http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo10/xresNTAP/Picture9-1.png?t=1235494947

You may like that, but you appear to be the only person here who does....

They can go screw themselves. I'm not leaving NSG, and I'm certainly not clicking on their shit.

They may have in this case.

Well, bugger it, I've installed adblock on Safari, if only to get rid of the in-post ad.

Just seems a wanton disregard for the user,

*investigates OMAC*



Actually, repeated clicking on their shit coupled with lodging a click-fraud complaint about OMAC to Google, who I guess are serving the ads, would lead to an investigation and a possible halt on the advertising.

Not that I condone this behaviour in any way whatsoever.

EDIT: In no way related to the above, ads these days are not charged unless the user is on the clicked-thru site for, I think, 3 seconds, just as irrelevant trivial information of course.

^^^ This is why they may well have fucked themselves. If they keep screwing over players, they'll eventually screw over the wrong person.

EDIT: In no way related to the above, ads these days are not charged unless the user is on the clicked-thru site for, I think, 3 seconds, just as irrelevant trivial information of course.
Don't see it working. That requires heavy scripting elements that aren't present on the sites. The best that's possible is to monitor whether the visitor makes a click on the site or not, but it's still pretty taxing.

Also, never seen such an offer, and why would they keep it secret.

^^^ This is why they may well have fucked themselves. If they keep screwing over players, they'll eventually screw over the wrong person.

Indeed, though I am not that wrong person, it's not enough to just do it randomly, it takes a concerted effort to click over 1, 000 times a day, probably requires programming a bot,

Otherwise the danger is that you're just feeding their revenue.

The best thing is to install adblock and not click at all, what bugs me is that complete lack of response, it simply leads me to believe that they really don't care for the user whatsoever.

If a developer brought my neighbourhood and then started stacking up advertising hoardings everywhere as a revenue stream, we could take them to court but the key would be that it devalues my property, I wonder, in future, if there could be a test case where a company willfully destroys an online community.

Not going to happen here, we're pretty insignificant but as a hypothetical, it's an interesting consideration, to what extent do users, as part of a community, have any rights.

One could argue that there is some 'value' in the community in general, the lack of monetary value, I suppose, means it's not recognised by law but then that might be considered a fault in terms of where we lay our values.

Don't see it working. That requires heavy scripting elements that aren't present on the sites. The best that's possible is to monitor whether the visitor makes a click on the site or not, but it's still pretty taxing.

Also, never seen such an offer, and why would they keep it secret.

I'm not sure what you're saying, probably my comprehension skills but, just as backgrounder...

A company can sign up to an affiliate program, that program serves the company's ads to all affiliated sites under the program.

Each time an ad is clicked, the company pays a click fee, say 2c, to the affiliate program, which then pays say .25c to the site on which the ad was served.

That's the revenue stream for OMAC but there are instances of click-fraud, whereby either a competitor or the site itself clicks on the ads with no intent to buy (or sign up to a game where that's what is being advertised).

The ads are served by 'keyword', hence a thread about bras will generally serve up ads offering bras, or by cookies, that is, if you click on an ad, a cookie is served to your computer, they can then build up a history of our likes and dislikes and serve relevant ads.

When done well, it's a good system, serving relevant ads to you, the user, when done badly, as in a site that's only purpose is to generate ad revenue -which results in the plastering of ads of this forum - it's a pain in the ass and just self-defeating, as seen by everyone installing ad blocker.

The fact that OMAC do not choose to respond means this is merely a revenue stream for them, they have no interest in the forum whatsoever.

A thread has been started over in the main Jolt forums, in the Feedback forum (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=584726). No one from here other than the OP, Erastide, and myself have posted there.

Might I suggest that those unhappy with this action go there and respectfully post their opposition to the change.

This is what I posted there:

As I have posted elsewhere - in the NS technical forum - I wish it noted that I utterly despise this sort of involuntary advertising. I will not visit any site so advertised. And further I feel that it is insulting to the posters to involuntarily put advertising in their posts.

I feel like I am not a valued member of the community when I find my posts have been effectively altered without my consent. When a poster has specifically formatted their post to present itself in a specific manner your insertion ruins their hard work.

And to have it done with no apparent preapproval commentary / input from those that post here further reinforces your apparent lack of concern for the community

I feel that if we want them to know how strongly we object to this we need to post there, where they have a greater chance of becoming aware of our disapproval.

*investigates OMAC*
Scully?

NooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOO!

Scully?

NooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOO!

I'd rather be liberated, I find myself captivated, stop! doing what you... keep doing it to..

Yeah, I had no problem with the ads before, but distorting the first post on every page? Wtf!?


It pisses me the hell off everytime I see it....

Its a bit annoying. I don't really blame them for trying to make some money, especially with the economy...

Jolt has gone too far. I found I was changing my mind on posting in a thread if it would have started a new page. (I know users can customise the number of posts per page but I don't want to see ads in my posts.)

I coped with ads on the top of the page and ads between posts, but ads inside posts are too much for me.

So yes, I changed to Firefox and installed adblock. Jolt loses.

I like the ads. I would never have discovered AstroEmpires, Oil Empire, CyberNations and Pirate Assault if it weren't for the ads. Keep it up! :)

Does anyone think the two people in here who like the ads have any relation to OMAC at all? :rolleyes: Or are they just severly medicated?

From what everybody here says, OMAC seems to be a stubborn creature. If they don't remove the ads, perhaps some kind of strike would be in order. It would be fairly simple (I say simple. Extremely time consuming, but then again I have no life so I'm good for time) to create a quick replacement of NSG and NSII using the free board creators on the net, using different names to respect copyright of course, assuming it could handle the traffic. Admittedly, the larger threads would have to be left alone for a while, and factbooks would have to be reposted, but I think it might be a good option. People use the replacement thread instead of good ol' NS for a few days. That way, OMAC loses traffic and income unless they remove the ads.
Opinions, good people?

Oh, and if I wake up with a ban... ;_;

Does anyone think the two people in here who like the ads have any relation to OMAC at all? :rolleyes: Or are they just severly medicated?

I don't even know what relation OMAC has with Jolt, nor do I care to research.

CyberNations is a fine game. RP'ing in NS looks like so much work, and NS2, to me is like NS + nicer GUI and stats. Without the ad I wouldn't have discovered CNs

No, the site has to make money, it's free for use.
Just use adblock.

No, the site has to make money, it's free for use.
Just use adblock.
You do realize why people buy ad space on sites like this, don't you? It's in the hope that we readers will click on the ads and visit them. And once we've all got adblock, that's not going to happen because we won't even see the ads. And eventually, the advertisers will stop buying ad space here because they won't be getting any payoff for it. And OMAC won't make any money. Etc. That's why ads = good, but ads inside posts = bad.

No, the site has to make money, it's free for use.
Just use adblock.

Looks like a move away from Jolt is being considered by those on high, failure all round it seems.

Oh, and my comments on Germans in the Japan pacifist thread were entirely in jest, well, not the Goering bit but the rest, sure.

Looks like a move away from Jolt is being considered by those on high, failure all round it seems.

Oh, and my comments on Germans in the Japan pacifist thread were entirely in jest, well, not the Goering bit but the rest, sure.
I just went and looked up what you were talking about, and it is interesting how immediate and broad-based the negative reaction to these ads is, and how silent OMAC is about it. I wonder if other Jolt-hosted games are considering the same.

Whatever the NS powers that be figure out to do, I'll hang with them, because the forums/community are great and my nation is surprisingly not an utter failure. :D But it's NS I like, not the forum host. I really don't understand why OMAC are so cavalier about pissing off their users so badly. Even if, for contractual reasons, they can't move the ads yet, you'd think they'd at least post an announcement that they are working on a solution.

You do realize why people buy ad space on sites like this, don't you? It's in the hope that we readers will click on the ads and visit them.
Yeah. And?
And once we've all got adblock, that's not going to happen because we won't even see the ads.
There's advertising things - and then there's stuffing things down your throat. It has become the latter lately.
And eventually, the advertisers will stop buying ad space here because they won't be getting any payoff for it. And OMAC won't make any money. Etc. That's why ads = good, but ads inside posts = bad.
Yeah, well, I'm not interested in foreign ads. They mean nothing to me.
Oh, and my comments on Germans in the Japan pacifist thread were entirely in jest, well, not the Goering bit but the rest, sure.
Good to know. :tongue:

You do realize why people buy ad space on sites like this, don't you? It's in the hope that we readers will click on the ads and visit them.
I believe that depends on what ad deal OMAC has going; revenue-per-click or revenue-per-page-visit.

Though it is probably the former.

And eventually, the advertisers will stop buying ad space here because they won't be getting any payoff for it. And OMAC won't make any money. Etc.
It'd be a real shame, but I'd rather NS(G) die than my web experience be dictated by ad companies.

Does anyone think the two people in here who like the ads have any relation to OMAC at all? :rolleyes: Or are they just severly medicated?

From what everybody here says, OMAC seems to be a stubborn creature. If they don't remove the ads, perhaps some kind of strike would be in order. It would be fairly simple (I say simple. Extremely time consuming, but then again I have no life so I'm good for time) to create a quick replacement of NSG and NSII using the free board creators on the net, using different names to respect copyright of course, assuming it could handle the traffic. Admittedly, the larger threads would have to be left alone for a while, and factbooks would have to be reposted, but I think it might be a good option. People use the replacement thread instead of good ol' NS for a few days. That way, OMAC loses traffic and income unless they remove the ads.
Opinions, good people?

Oh, and if I wake up with a ban... ;_;

Hehehe - reminds me of the good old days. Somebody actually tried to organize a strike like you're on about. It really was meaningless to stop posting. Now, posting while running adblock is effective.

I don't even know what relation OMAC has with Jolt, nor do I care to research.

OMAC owns Jolt.

Yeah. And?

There's advertising things - and then there's stuffing things down your throat. It has become the latter lately.

Yeah, well, I'm not interested in foreign ads. They mean nothing to me.

Good to know. :tongue:
The point is that you are contradicting yourself. You cannot say OMAC has a right to try to earn money with the site AND say that you don't care if they don't get the ad revenue because we are all using Adblock at the same time.

I believe that depends on what ad deal OMAC has going; revenue-per-click or revenue-per-page-visit.

Though it is probably the former.


It'd be a real shame, but I'd rather NS(G) die than my web experience be dictated by ad companies.
With us using Adblock, they will get neither clicks nor page visits.

As for a shame, I think it will actually be only an inconvenience for us. NS is not OMAC, and is already considering a move. For our politics arguing pleasure, we can use any forum (there actually is already another forum used by NSGers).

I happen to like advertising. That's why I get angry when I see it used so obviously badly. If OMAC does not change it, it will eventually lead to the end of this forum. Every marketing survey and article I've ever read suggests this is very likely. OMAC clearly must be a short-term-thinking company. They deserve to fail if that is how they operate.

Seriously, are they becoming intrusive, not only do they dominate the top of my page, sometimes they even seem to be intruding into posts.

Sure, adblock, but I don't mind reasonable advertising, it just seems they're beginning to dominate the experience.

With ABP it's not too bad. The empty boxes are a little annoying. But in an effort to compromise with OMAC, I will turn off ABP on forums.jolt.co.uk if they return to banner ads, and maybe ads beside the reply box.

OMAC clearly must be a short-term-thinking company. They deserve to fail if that is how they operate.

There seems to be some serious indications of this from the comments of the Earth 2025 and Planetarion crowds...

From PA:
http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=197353
Omac
**** you.

This is the last round of PA because OMAC are chicken-****ing us :/

They can worry about that right after they give me back the money they took from me for 2 games of planetarion that they're saying now no longer exist.
**** you, Omac.

If they have no interest in the game, they should just sell all things PA for a small price and move on...

Greedy ****ing useless funkilling shitheads!

At least I know what games I'll never spend any money on, ever....anything OMAC

And Earth 2025:
http://blog.swirve.com/2008/10/29/game-dates/
Yeah, but the thing is people make plans as to the REST of their lives as well. The complete lack of communication from OMAC has been terribly irresponsible.

Players organize chats, logins and etc…to work with eachother and schedule discussions regarding who has signed in to do what as well as offer advice to the few new players we may get in out KDs.

IF the game won’t start till March, FINE…tell us. If there is a problem going from IIS 6.0 to another web server…FINE tell us…if there is just some other stuff, just give us a hard date we can plan around.

Silence = Screwed.

Zero consideration for the players will not get them more players, which, since it is an ad supported game, I’m sure they are hooping to achieve. I realize this…so I also realize that this is costing them money…We just want to be kept in the loop to make plans.

ya know I can understand any thing, anybody , any company having problems when taking over anything.. but the total lack of Letting the “players” involved know what when etc I can see no excuse for , OMAC just let us know whats going on !! we can all understand having problems , but SILENCE !! is only creating hostility , and every day theres another just saing the heck with it and giving up … LEAVING the game when we need to be BUILDING the game

i dont think OMAC realises that without us ( the players) there is no game no company and finally no MONEY i’ve played on and off since 2000 and it’s been run fine if there were problems you were told about them but this total BLANK (which is what it feels like) is tottaly unprofesional of them how on earth do they expect us to spread the word if we all leave it’s not like they mass advertise or anything they rely on us the players to get freinds family co-workers ect. to join and the way things are going i know myself i won’t be recruiting anyone. So OMAC if you are looking at this all it take is an e-mail just a rough date, let us know if your having problems,cause all your doing now is turning us all away and that is not good for business

There's every indication that NS has been equally suckered in, and needs to get out of this ASAP...

I use adblock. Although all us adblock users are surely contributing to the increasing number and intrusiveness of online ads. After all, their revenue must come from somewhere. So it's somewhat of a lose-lose situation.

I use adblock. Although all us adblock users are surely contributing to the increasing number and intrusiveness of online ads. After all, their revenue must come from somewhere. So it's somewhat of a lose-lose situation.

the thing is, if ads weren't so intrusive in the first place, its likely that fewer people would use adblock or equivalents, and more people would see the ads. its a bit of a catch22/chicken-and-egg, etc.
i don't block ads that aren't annoying. i block the ones that are. simple. the more intrusive and annoyin it is (such as the flash ad in people's posts), the more annoying it is, and the more i'm not even going to look at it because i just feel affronted and want to get rid of it interfering with my browsing experience.

There seems to be some serious indications of this from the comments of the Earth 2025 and Planetarion crowds...

From PA:
http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=197353

And Earth 2025:
http://blog.swirve.com/2008/10/29/game-dates/

There's every indication that NS has been equally suckered in, and needs to get out of this ASAP...Well, here are some happy thoughts for you:

http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2009/02/25/index.html#rebirth <-- Seems we've already moved the main NS page off of Jolt

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14551293&postcount=47 <-- Violet is already looking for another host for the boards.

the thing is, if ads weren't so intrusive in the first place, its likely that fewer people would use adblock or equivalents, and more people would see the ads. its a bit of a catch22/chicken-and-egg, etc.
i don't block ads that aren't annoying. i block the ones that are. simple. the more intrusive and annoyin it is (such as the flash ad in people's posts), the more annoying it is, and the more i'm not even going to look at it because i just feel affronted and want to get rid of it interfering with my browsing experience.
Yep.

Incidentally, I wonder if people have noted this (http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2009/02/25/index.html#rebirth) on the news page. Looks like some sort of change may be coming.

adblock works for me.

Incidentally, I wonder if people have noted this (http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2009/02/25/index.html#rebirth) on the news page. Looks like some sort of change may be coming.

Wed, 25 Feb 2009

We're indy, baby

by Max Barry

I had a dream: we would snuggle close to a professional games development company, and they would deliver a brilliant, shining NationStates sequel while hosting us here for all eternity. But that didn't really work out, so we split.

NationStates is now hosted by me, and doesn't have terribly much to do with NS2 any more. The good news is that means we are free to do what we like here, including adding a few new features.

One thing this experience has taught me is how special the game is. We have something here. And it's due a little love and attention.

Cool. :eek:

Incidentally, I wonder if people have noted this (http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2009/02/25/index.html#rebirth) on the news page. Looks like some sort of change may be coming.

:eek: indeed!

Also, yay, my procrastination about getting (i.e. not getting) onto NS2 has been validated! ;p

Incidentally, I wonder if people have noted this (http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2009/02/25/index.html#rebirth) on the news page. Looks like some sort of change may be coming.

yay Max! i hope whatever change this may be allows the community to stay together. i love you guys :fluffle::fluffle:;)

yay Max! i hope whatever change this may be allows the community to stay together. i love you guys :fluffle::fluffle:;)

I wonder how OMAC took that. They seem to be pretty fucking ruthless about maintaining intellectual property and naming rights.

It's really, really weird how there's been no sort of response to this yet. You'd think they'd at least put on a face of being reassuring?

So should we begin boycotting NS2?

So should we begin boycotting NS2?

Will they be able to tell the difference? Everyone I know who is on here stopped playing NS2 after the first time they played it and thought....you know, this is really shit. Is there anyone on there who is still active?

The point is that you are contradicting yourself. You cannot say OMAC has a right to try to earn money with the site AND say that you don't care if they don't get the ad revenue because we are all using Adblock at the same time.
I'm not contradicting myself when I let them try to make money while I make sure my browsing experience is not getting on my nerves with all the adds.
I happen to like advertising. That's why I get angry when I see it used so obviously badly.
I happen to not care too much for advertising. Yes, there are clever advertisements; and yes, some of them are not annoying.

My point, however, was that the ads here have nothing to do with my interests, life, or country. So it's only annoying and I block it.

PM has made a very good point in his post which I wholeheartedly support:
the thing is, if ads weren't so intrusive in the first place, its likely that fewer people would use adblock or equivalents, and more people would see the ads. its a bit of a catch22/chicken-and-egg, etc.
i don't block ads that aren't annoying. i block the ones that are. simple. the more intrusive and annoyin it is (such as the flash ad in people's posts), the more annoying it is, and the more i'm not even going to look at it because i just feel affronted and want to get rid of it interfering with my browsing experience.

Will they be able to tell the difference? Everyone I know who is on here stopped playing NS2 after the first time they played it and thought....you know, this is really shit. Is there anyone on there who is still active?

I mod on it occasionally, and there are a few names I recognise -- not to mention the denizens of Forum 7 -- but it's up to them to out themselves.

It's now got war; complaints so far have been that you can attack only one nation at a time (no allies), you don't get to actually do or see much and the winning nation is likely to come off almost as badly as the loser (which is realistic, but unsatisfying). Also, players aren't happy with the cost/results balance for espionage. A fair bit of action happens in the world forums.

A nice feature is that you can display your nation's history (as written by you) on your nation page (if you pay for it) and you can give trophies -- what some people did with that feature was apparently a bit unexpected, but they've got it sorted now.

From a mod's POV, it's ... quite tempting ... to be able to change a nasty nation's motto, switch its flag or judiciously edit its history -- always for cause, of course.:tongue:

I still think NS1 is more fun, though. Inside a human head just has more scope than inside a computer program. But then, I'm no gamer.

So, yeah, on topic: I don't think they'd notice an NS1 boycott; it's a different mindset.

Will they be able to tell the difference? Everyone I know who is on here stopped playing NS2 after the first time they played it and thought....you know, this is really shit. Is there anyone on there who is still active?
I still log in fairly regularly, though usage has dropped dramatically; or, at least, loads of nations that I was in contact with have been inactive and many alliances I was involved in have died down completely.

The whole Ambassador status (pay monthly and get access to further stuff) is rather annoying; you can't, for example, mass telegram nations, even if you're the mod/head of a large alliance. To be fair, however, they always said this would be the case.

Still in beta, mind.

Will they be able to tell the difference? Everyone I know who is on here stopped playing NS2 after the first time they played it and thought....you know, this is really shit. Is there anyone on there who is still active?

I'm still relatively active. Mostly just for the LOLs.

I still log in fairly regularly, though usage has dropped dramatically; or, at least, loads of nations that I was in contact with have been inactive and many alliances I was involved in have died down completely.

The whole Ambassador status (pay monthly and get access to further stuff) is rather annoying; you can't, for example, mass telegram nations, even if you're the mod/head of a large alliance. To be fair, however, they always said this would be the case.

Still in beta, mind.

That "still just in beta" argument is what I don't get. A bad underlying game design's still a bad underlying design if it's in beta...

I wonder how OMAC took that. They seem to be pretty fucking ruthless about maintaining intellectual property and naming rights.

It's really, really weird how there's been no sort of response to this yet. You'd think they'd at least put on a face of being reassuring?

Unlike many of the online games OMAC has bought, the copyrights for NationStates no doubt remain with Max Barry himself, or at least his publisher. So I'd think. Whether or not they can do anything about NS2 I don't know - some manner of contracts were probably signed. But we don't care about NS2 anyway, do we?

As for the adverts in the top posts (it isn't every 15 posts, it's just the top post of every page - I've got mine set to display thirty posts per page, so I don't have to reload so often) they are extremely annoying, and I don't understand what they accomplish that an advert between the first and second posts couldn't.

If the ads are irrtating you , get Firefox, and download the add-on "Ad-Blocker plus" works great.

The point is that you are contradicting yourself. You cannot say OMAC has a right to try to earn money with the site AND say that you don't care if they don't get the ad revenue because we are all using Adblock at the same time.


yes you can.
1. OMAC have the right to advertise on their site and to make money
2. if they do it in such a way that irritates a significant portion of posters into blocking the ads, then its not our problem if they earn less as a result. they need to do it in such a way that it doesn't interfere with a user's browsing experience, or it'll just irritate people and backfire. like it has.

but then they are putting different types of ads on here than jolt used to. flash ads, etc, may earn more money for OMAC per ad.

I wonder how OMAC took that. They seem to be pretty fucking ruthless about maintaining intellectual property and naming rights.

It's really, really weird how there's been no sort of response to this yet. You'd think they'd at least put on a face of being reassuring?

maybe they're not saying anything or doing anything because this, despite irritating players, is actually more profitable?

yes you can.
1. OMAC have the right to advertise on their site and to make money
2. if they do it in such a way that irritates a significant portion of posters into blocking the ads, then its not our problem if they earn less as a result. they need to do it in such a way that it doesn't interfere with a user's browsing experience, or it'll just irritate people and backfire. like it has.

but then they are putting different types of ads on here than jolt used to. flash ads, etc, may earn more money for OMAC per ad.


Yes, you are right. It is physically possible for people to contradict themselves, as amply demonstrated in this thread. Therefore, I should not have said "you cannot" do it. Apparently, the point I was making is completely alien to the people in this thread. I give up, and it hardly matters anyway. OMAC has decided it. We're all going to block the ads.

You know, after a bit, the ads become sort of invisible. I only see them now when someone calls my attention to them or the format changes. That may be their motivation, change the format in order to get people to look at them again. When this new format becomes invisible, they'll change it again and there'll be another format change. They won't get rid of them, they'll just change the setup periodically.

So should we begin boycotting NS2?

How many of us are actually playing that?

How many of us are actually playing that?

I stopped after I kept getting the 'Template cannot be processed' error for EVERYTHING. Seriously, I'm stuck in an embargo with someone and can't do anything. :(

How many of us are actually playing that?

I occasionally poke my nose in there, but not very often. There's not much there to hold my interest.

Yeah I switch over to Firefox and got ad blocker (love the spell check :p). But how do you use Firefox to block the ads at the top of the page?