Having sponsors on the site is "normal". Adding a "sticky" INSIDE the forum that is nothing but an ad is not. Who was the brilliant tactician that decided this was a good idea?

If Anti-Monkey Butt Powder decided to be a sponsor would you create a sticky inside this forum to tell everyone their car interiors would smell better if they put Anti-Monkey Butt Powder on the upholstery?

 

unfortunately, whether it is a sticky or an ad is just semantics. if you choose to ignore the ad, it will not be a problem. that is why this is a free forum for hybrids. we can choose to make it private but that will require a yearly fee and no guarantee that it wil thrive if nobody pays. there is no smart tactician that decides it. it is all handled by internet brands(or vbulletin).

 

I think I see what is happening. Many people (such as myself) run AdBlockPlus, which nukes all the advertisements, and presents a clean and eyestrain-free viewing experience. However, ABP obviously cannot block an ad disguised as a normal part of the site, so this allows marketers to circumvent it and sneak their message through.

 

I disagree that it is just semantics. It's not simply a matter of where it is placed. It is a deliberate attempt to make it look LESS like an ad, and MORE like a regular post. The idea being to get more people to read it under the guise that it is something other than an ad. It's essentially the same thing as those fake checks you get in the mail that are actually credit card offers or some such other nonsense. It is an attempt to trick you into reading something you are probably not otherwise interested in.

We all expect that Sticky posts are general/global information of importance to this forum as a whole - FAQ's, Posting Rules, Maybe even an ongoing TSB list. An ad for tires does NOT fit this definition. It is junk mail, and we already get enough of that at home.

 

being a mod, I see more junk than you do and of course have to zap them before they multiply. If I had been here in this forum earlier, then the gallery, etc as well as the threads are not lined up with spam. I just go to the forum that I like and choose and never being bothered by so-called ad. maybe if the sticky multiplies to all the subforums then it can be an issue. for now, it stays....

 

Well,

In that case, It's been fun.....

 

Seems rather silly to toss all your toys out of your crib over a sticky at the top of the page that you can just as easily ignore.

 

Nope, just tossing one toy. I stay on a lot of car and garage forums and have never seen this BS on any of them. I will check in on occasion and help someone with a issue on their car if I can but other than that, I can live without the rest of it.

 

I don't have an issue with that. That is sort of how I've treated this place from the start.

On the other hand it's quite possible or even likely given the amount of activity here in the last six months or so that this forum has run its course anyway.

Cheers
Steve

 

LOL! You think this forum is dead, check out the Ford Fusion Hybrid forum. It's like a mausoleum over there.