General question to Ron or Parker --
Do you guys have any control at all over the Google ads which show up here at HTF? Is there any way that either of you can specifically reject any particular ad?
The reason I ask is that, quite frankly, some of those Google ads are pretty...ummm, how can I put this euphemistically?..."questionable". (Questionable in their own right, but doubly underscored by any perceived association with a site with the reputation of this one.)
A specific case in point:
http://ultimatetvshows.com/index.asp...sites_20_1_200
Given stated forum policy on certain issues, I just don't think that these sorts of ads need to be here. In fact, their inclusion on this site (or, their simply being allowed to be presented here) strikes me as more than a bit hypocritical in light of the HTF's good reputation and stated purposes and policies. It is just NOT a good juxtoposition. (Personal opinion, of course.)
Of course, all Google advertising suffers from a certain problem: ALL of their ads...even the legit ones...lose effectiveness (i.e. - they tend to fall off the radar of folks who prefer not to deal in grey areas or get tangled up with questionable vendors), solely as a result of their misfortune in being parcelled out alongside such questionable ads. A few bad apples CAN spoil the whole bunch, and busy folks get tired of constatnly trying to separate the legit from the non-legit, so they simply reach the point of ignoring ALL the ads...
But, the bigger problem, and my main point, is that the inclusion of such obvious "bad apples" on legitimate sites (such as HTF) can cast a rather questionable (even if unintended) shadow.
I can well understand that the specifics of the Google ads may be beyond your control, and that the money to be made probably makes it seem worth the reputational risk. (I disagree, but I'm not the one paying the bills, so that's not my call to make. But, as a member, I do feel that I have the right to at least question and comment.)
That being said, I guess I'm writing this in the hopes that you two DO have some measure of control over the Google ad content, and that some of these have just somehow slipped by...
Bottom line...it just really bothers me seeing ads for sites advocating piracy (and, let's admit it...that's all that particular site is offering), here at HTF, and I'm hoping that that situation is something that you two can -- and will -- do something about.
At the very least, even if the situation is beyond your reasonable control and there's nothing you can do about it, I hope you will at least agree that ads such as the one I pointed out above are totally inappropriate here at HTF. Other types of "questionable" ads don't bother me nearly as much (they're mostly just cases of "buyer beware"), but this one really leaves a bad taste in my mouth due to the fact that it is so totally opposite of everything that HTF is supposed to stand for.
Please know that these comments are NOT directed toward either of you two, since I'm assuming that this "deal with the devil" is either totally beyond your control and thus bothers you as much as, and for the same reasons, it bothers me -- as opposed to being something that you're actively choosing to endorse -- OR that such ads have simply escaped your notice, if you do have any measure of control over the Google content.
Thank you for reading, and please feel free to delete this post/thread if either of you deems it inappropriate for any reason. It is NOT intended to question forum policy or any aspect of site administration, but I can understand it being perceived as such. If that is the case, please accept my apology in advance.
Believe me, my only concern in addressing this issue is that I consider this particular ad, displayed on THIS site and advocating what it's advocating, to be a slap in the face to the HTF itself (and all it stands for) and a bruise to its reputation. I'm simply hoping that there might be some resolution to the situation.
