I HATE the new look of the forum!!!

I second.. or 3rd.. or whatever its up to now. I'm not really annoyed as I am use to ignoring things.. but I fully disapprove of those pictures being up there.
 
thanks for all the input and I will try to clarify the change.

1) yes, these ads are supporting the forum. The more it grows, the more expensive it is to keep it running. The ads are targetted ads and controlled completely by google's "algorithm". Whatever you guys are talking about in the posts is what ads are going to appear (based on what keywords the advertisers are targetting).

2) the images were added because they have been proven to increase the click-rate of the ads (which is the only way the money is made).

3) please don't complain about the scrolling. If that was an issue you guys wouldn't be filling the forum with those weight loss tickers :D (which are 1000x more annoying ... trust me)

4) it has also been proven, that even though some find those images to be "negative" that those images are suggestive of being fit, and even though your concious mind says they don't help, subconsciously it does (read "Blink"). Most (not all) of the people in those pictures work their butts off to be in that shape. Some of the pics may be of annorexic women, but if you look closely at most of them, those women are toned ... you don't get that from not eating.

Personally, I used to be in horrible shape and I've been working my ass off for the last 3 years and enjoy looking at those pics because I can feel how close I am getting to be in the state where people admire the shape that I'm in as well.

5) I'm thinking of changing the forum to a tiered membership. Pay a one-time fee of something miniscule, like $5 and you get an ad free time ... feedback on that issue would be appreciated.
 
Feedback: I think you will loose alot of members and someone else will start a forum without the ads or paid membership. I own an online game, I have my own domains and pay for hosting and servers also. I have ran forums before.. hell.. many of us have the ability. Invision boards one can get for free with unlimited bandwidth.. and if you know how to pull it off.. add free aswell. We come here not to have adds for pills and magic diets shoved down our throat.. not to see pictures of food or skinny girls that make many of us hang our heads at letting ourselves go so far.. we come here for support and the atmosphere. But if it starts to becoming a business and marketplace I can see many saying to hell with that.. and maybe someone else will step up to the plate.

Thats my 2 cents.
 
the bandwidth is not the issue. it's the server to support the traffic so that the forum loads in an appropriate amount of time. We have already had to upgrade the server once this year and now have the site on a dedicated server.

As far as the membership, it would be an additional tier, so it would be an option that you could take. Everything would be exactly as it is now, except that, if you wanted, you could pay $5 and get an add fee experience.

If it were that easy to build a successful forum (graphics, nice software - Invision is garbage, along with all the other free ones - and attention), then there would be a lot more of them out there :)
 
... oh, and for the moderators, we don't see the images at the top :) ... little feature I turned on for us ... i hate scrolling ;) ... might do the same thing for the ads ... we put in a lot of time (more the moderators than me over the last year) and deserve those little bonusses
 
"If it were that easy to build a successful forum (graphics, nice software - Invision is garbage, along with all the other free ones - and attention), then there would be a lot more of them out there "

There are alot out there.. just they are attached to online games. And maybe you are right.. there need to be more out there. I hope people take the initiative to build one.
 
Avi2Kat is right. You risk losing members, especially your high posters - women who have a lot of weight to lose and are on here a lot because we are combatting emotional issues already.

AllCdnBoy - you obviously have no real understanding of the mind of the average overweight woman. We are trying to tell you that these pics of toned, skinny women in scanty workout gear are NOT inspiring. They are annoying, intimidating, and cause us to feel worse about our own bodies than when we came here.

Maybe the images increase the click rate for questionable weight loss plans because they trigger desperation - a feeling common especially among young women who are prone to try just about anything to lose the weight. So many of your frequent posters are trying hard to help others avoid this mindset, but it seems that ad-generated revenue is more important than support and healthy long-term weight loss.

Okay, if that is the way it is, let me just be among the first to go. I am going to find a website that values its members and their health - both physical and emotional - more than dollar signs. Yes, the images on this forum have THAT MUCH negative effect for me.
 
I don't really mind the ads....they actually give me a little boost 'yes kaitie, you can have that flat stomach' kind of a thing.
 
I think the pictures are beautiful and I love looking at them....must admitt I am jealouse of those wonderful looking vegetables.....they can't be real...my vegetables don't look that perfect...not a spot on them, perfect shape and as for the color.....well I could go on for hours.:D :D
 
all i can say is we wish ya the best and good luck in the new forum!
 
I don't mind them at all. I don't really even pay attention to them. Now that I know the forum gets money if you click on the adds, I'll click them all the time.
 
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