The ads are getting crazy and often block usability of the site (popups opening over areas I need to click). I will be pulling my files and going elsewhere if things get any worse.
8 Likes
cough cough adblocker cough cough
4 Likes
no one whats to risk putting soming bad when its not a youtube chanel or tv servis so no point in having one everytime u do anything like wow
1 Like
As per my other post to skrimgrim, do you mind sharing a screenshot of what it looks like on your screen? We can see if we can mitigate the ads.
Like I also told skrimgrim, we are working on an ad-free premium version of the site, and more going forward, premium features to monetise the platform while still keeping all files free to download and not hiding any content behind a paywall.
2 Likes
or u can just go look for yourself or did u give yourself vip with no adds if so sad af
We all use different devices, screen sizes, browsers, in different countries, getting served different ads, etc. so things might look very different. I spend my entire day on Thingiverse and I get to see a lot of ads, but that’s only on my 1 laptop, so any input could help to understand someone else’s perspective. Let me know if you get a chance.
this is a screenshot the pop up ads I am talking about are indicated by the green arrows. additionally I get the fuzzed screen with a popup in the center periodically. I have a pi-hole but it blocks adds too well and I have been restricted from using thingiverse if it is detected. I want to support thingiverse but you are quickly becoming as bad as the recipe websites or those that host software. Maybe don’t use popups and stick to banners?.
1 Like
Depending on the adblocker thingiverse will stop you from accessing the site if it’s detected. These ads are especially annoying because they block my view of what I’m actually here to see. Also my privacy settings are pretty strict and I get a recurring Jewish ad. I’m not Jewish. I know thingiverse doesn’t pick the ads and they just lease space to ad servers but it’s a weird ad to get. Cults 3d is looking like a better option for file hosting and you can actually sell your designs.
I posted a screenshot of the ads for you, but forgot to reply directly.
1 Like
Do you ever use any devices with blocking software installed, or connected to networks with domain blockers?
Also keep in mind, the anti-adblock solution you had chosen can be triggered with certain antivirus programs, and it is definitely considered bad optics to force someone to disable antivirus due to the risks involved.
Here’s my two cents. I’m instinctively not clicking on all the clickbait and irrelevant ads I’m seeing right now. It’d help if they were more relevant, but what doesn’t help is having them in places I’d click by accident. I started using Brave browser for this reason. I have no problem supporting the platform in a different way and will probably do that.
I see, thanks for sharing
im fine with ads but please can they be appropriate!!!??? a lot of the ads are explicit
1 Like
As a forum owner myself (a fairly large one) it always irritates me when people complain about ads in general. Just how do you people think free sites survive? You make all these demands about functions and never consider what it costs to put those functions in place.
That being said, I also despise the popup ads. I completely refuse to use them on my own site.
3 Likes
grneyedvl,
thanks for the creative ideas. I fully understand the costs of upkeep and need for ads. But use banners or inserts. if you want an example of hell on earth visit a recipie or software site. they are flooded with popups, talking ads, and decoy ads. I am speaking up and saying as a consumer, I don’t like that. I will move my files and whatever traffic I generate to other businesses if it gets worse (I doubt I am alone). Cults 3D is looking like a strong candidate with alternative funding sources to feed their business without spamming popups. Im not saying it’s terrible now, but dont make it worse.
1 Like
Gallagher,
I agree on the annoying ad types. But some of the people in this thread went straight to the ad block solution. As a site owner myself, I find that attitude more than annoying. My big site generates 2 million or so page views a month and about 170 thousand ad impressions. So less than 10% get shown ads. And the people running the ad block are the first to complain about a feature or a problem or file size caps (200 gig cap).
Most months the site does not break even but I have still kept it going for nearly 20 years now, because its fun. Its a hobby site with 600k members, 15 million posts, and thousands of modded game files.
I won’t post a link but you can certainly google my user name and find it very easily if you want to see how those ads are laid out. None of the annoying stuff you are talking about, but there are still ads. And people still complain.
Comparing Thingiverse to a site like Cult3D is a bit of a misnomer, as many of the files on Cult3D are paid files and I am sure they get a percentage. As far as I know there are no paid files on Thingiverse, if there are I have never seen one.
This entitlement attitude where people think everything should be “free” has caused more sites to die than anything else. My own site has run on a shoestring for nearly 20 years. There are months I make $50 and months I lose $50. Last year I was in the hole several hundred dollars.
That is not a complaint, just a simple fact. I do not run that site to make money and I handle all the technical stuff, so its not a big deal. But if it gets to the point that bandwidth and hosting costs severely outnumber the ad income then I will start blocking people who use ad block. There is no other choice, and technically its very simple to do.
For a site like Thingiverse that probably gets 50 times or more the traffic that my site gets and has millions of members, a single person cannot handle the tech side of that. This means employees and lots more expenses. Multiple servers in multiple locations, its a vastly different scale of operation.
So either pay a fee or enable ads, or the site does not survive. There are no other choices.
I agree popup ads suck. But “nice” ads that do not cover content or have loud audio
2 Likes
Thanks for the feedback all.
The ad experience right now is not where we want it to be. Popups covering content and explicit ads are not acceptable and we’re actively working on cleaning up the ad placements and filtering.
The ad-free subscription Romain mentioned is in final stages of development. In the meantime, if you’re seeing explicit or malicious ads, screenshot them and post here or use the support form. Every report helps us pressure the ad network to clean up.
Use uBlock origin
1 Like