AAH FORUM WANK
So...um...this is my first wank. Yeah. Sorry I couldn't pull anything bigger out of my ass.

Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with fandom.

As many of you may know, ezBoard (http://www.ezboard.com) is a message-board service that, for the most part, is free.

However, the service has multiple tiers: the free one (where you get an account, a board with ads, and some features) and two paid ones (with more advanced features and no ads. But, I bet you already knew that.) Recently, they decided to add an option where Gold Community members can get compensated for displaying ads (as in extended Gold Community days) on their communities. It's in beta mode and perfectly optional.

However, one person thought it treason for ezBoard to run this promo, since everyone regardless of status would see it. Wank ensues.

(Post a new comment)

	dawnswalker 2003-06-27 06:27 am UTC (link)
	Uh... isn't making it visible for all accounts sort of the point, since non-Gold Members might be inspired to go for Gold Membership if they see the new deal? Besides, it's not as if they're forcing people to use this system, as far as I can tell. (Reply to this)

	daijinryuu 2003-06-27 08:46 am UTC (link)
	God forbid he should see a banner ad once in a while. IT'S A CONSPIRACY!!! (Reply to this)

mpoetess
2003-06-27 08:42 pm UTC (link)

I think the point he was making was that people who have *paid* to not see banner ads, will, under this new plan, see banner ads. I'm not sure where the wank is (after wading through 3 pages of people talking at each other), aside from the people refusing to acknowledge the original guy's point.

It seems to go like this:

Free boards have ads, provided by EZboard. Paid-for 'Gold' boards don't have to have ads, but the owners are allowed to go out and find their own advertising surces, if they want to help pay for their board.

You can pay *not* to see the EZboard-provided ads on the free boards. This doesn't get you out of seeing ads on the paid-for boards, because those ads are placed by the board-owner, not by EZboard.

EZboard is now offering an option to those 'Gold' board owners where EZboard will provide ads for them to place, when and if they wish to. The people who paid *not* to see ads, will (at this point) be forced to see those ads, just as if they were the sort that the board owner had placed himself.

The original poster on the thread is pointing out that by offering to provide the ads, and potentially making money from providing those ads, EZboard is violating (in spirit if not in letter, thus the accusation of it being unethical) their agreement with the people who paid EZboard not to see any EZboard-provided ads.

Not seeing the wank on his side -- though I can see it in the people who continue to cry "It's totally up to the board owner; why are you blaming EZboard?" Er, because they're providing the ads and possibly getting revenue byproducts from them?

[clarification for other commenters -- it's not that everyone would see the Promo, that he's protesting -- it's that everyone would see the *ads*, which some people paid a fee *not* to see.]

(Reply to this)

	rann 2003-06-29 01:27 am UTC (link)
	By the way, I must inform you that your icon classifies you as one of the odder people I have ever met. ... ... ... Will oo be my fwend...? (Reply to this)