# Cycle Chat Account Upgrade (Advertisement Removal)



## Shaun (17 Nov 2018)

Milkfloat said:


> I just saw them myself. A question for @Shaun or anyone else that knows. Do the ads give revenue only when clicked, or do you get revenue just for displaying them? The answer will determine if I block them or not.


It's a combination of the two, depending on which ad wins the auction for the slot. They shouldn't be too obtrusive though, I've put them out of the way of the main page content and there aren't any auto-playing video ads, dating ads, or those giant-sized browser-crashers.

For anyone who would like to remove the banner ads from view whilst at the same time supporting the running costs of CC, I've added an account upgrade that is hopefully affordable to most members: *https://www.cyclechat.net/account/upgrades* - _if it's not affordable but you'd still like to support CC's running costs and go banner-free, get in touch and we'll come to some arrangement. 
_
As to ad-blockers, I can't stop anyone using them (and I understand why they have increased in popularity over the years), but if you do choose to block ads please consider creating an extra thread every three or four visits to help entertain and interest your fellow community members, and to grow our Google footprint and attract potential new members.

Of course it goes without saying, but doesn't hurt to say anyway, that your continued support is very much appreciated. 

Thanks a lot,
Shaun


----------



## ColinJ (17 Nov 2018)

Shaun said:


> For anyone who would like to remove the banner ads from view whilst at the same time supporting the running costs of CC, I've added an account upgrade that is hopefully affordable to most members: *https://www.cyclechat.net/account/upgrades* - _if it's not affordable but you'd still like to support CC's running costs and go banner-free, get in touch and we'll come to some arrangement._


Excellent - that is what a lot of us had been asking for even before the ads started appearing. I will sign up next time I log in from my laptop.


----------



## ianrauk (17 Nov 2018)

9 Squids a year..... a bargain


----------



## Joey Shabadoo (17 Nov 2018)

Is it pro-rata?


----------



## Drago (17 Nov 2018)

So if I click on an ad and follow a link the site earns a fee? I'm happy to click on random ads several times a day if that's the case.


----------



## midlife (17 Nov 2018)

Paid . Can still see ads but I guess it takes a bit of time to work its way through lol


----------



## ColinJ (17 Nov 2018)

Drago said:


> So if I click on an ad and follow a link the site earns a fee? I'm happy to click on random ads several times a day if that's the case.


The ad networks are not stupid! They have systems in place to pick up such abuses and would react accordingly.


----------



## Drago (17 Nov 2018)

ColinJ said:


> They ad networks are not stupid! They have systems in place to pick up such abuses and would react accordingly.



Ah, ok. I'm not a genius with these computer things. I guess you're right, if it were that easy the bots would be clicking continuously and earning their owners a mint.


----------



## midlife (17 Nov 2018)

Gone


----------



## ColinJ (17 Nov 2018)

midlife said:


> Paid . Can still see ads but I guess it takes a bit of time to work its way through lol


It tells you that after you pay! 



CycleChat notice said:


> When the payment has been approved, your account will be upgraded.


----------



## Pale Rider (17 Nov 2018)

ianrauk said:


> 9 Squids a year..... a bargain



Some will think that way, but you are up against an ingrained culture that content on the internet should be free.

Bona fide news publishers struggle to get users to pay a subscription.

Were CycleChat to be put fully behind a pay wall the site would be dead within hours.

Facebook isn't daft, they are committed to the 'free at point of use' model.


----------



## ColinJ (17 Nov 2018)

Pale Rider said:


> Some will think that way, but you are up against an ingrained culture that content on the internet should be free.
> 
> Bona fide news publishers struggle to get users to pay a subscription.
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, you are right about all of that!

Anyway, the ads disappeared for me almost immediately after paying. The results are good on my laptop but even better on my phone - I was having a few page resizing problems on that and they have obviously gone away now. (Things like clicking on a photo - the site would resize the image properly, but when returning, ads were full browser width but the thread content itself was shrunk to about half width.)


----------



## Pale Rider (17 Nov 2018)

One might say the alternative to paying nine quid is an adblocker for free.

But experience tells me they can slow loading times, and some features on sites don't work when a blocker is installed.

Paying £9 gives you a superior technical solution.

Slightly mischievously, I wonder what happens if a nine quid member gets banned - is there a pro rata refund?

I think I'm still banned from a couple of threads in news, can I sign up for £8.90 in recognition of the fact that I don't have full access?


----------



## cosmicbike (17 Nov 2018)

Pale Rider said:


> One might say the alternative to paying nine quid is an adblocker for free.
> 
> But experience tells me they can slow loading times, and some features on sites don't work when a blocker is installed.
> 
> ...


As a slightly mischievous response, the money from banned members goes into a pot which is shared amongst the Mods, consider it a Christmas present for all their hard work


----------



## Joey Shabadoo (17 Nov 2018)

Hmmm - £9 to Shaun's coke and hookers fund or 9 FB pies? Tricky one.


----------



## Slick (17 Nov 2018)

Ads instantly gone for me. 9 quid is worth supporting something I use almost daily and getting rid of the ads is just a bonus.


----------



## Soltydog (17 Nov 2018)

ianrauk said:


> 9 Squids a year..... a bargain





Pale Rider said:


> Some will think that way, but you are up against an ingrained culture that content on the internet should be free.



For me it's an absolute steal. The money I've saved in bargains & tips on CC is far more than £9 & the odd CC ride is a bonus too 



Pale Rider said:


> I think I'm still banned from a couple of threads in news, can I sign up for £8.90 in recognition of the fact that I don't have full access?



Maybe if you have been a naughty boy & banned from some threads maybe you should have to pay £9.10 

PS Thanks @Shaun could have lived with the ads, but I'd rather pay a few squid to help CC & not have them


----------



## Slioch (17 Nov 2018)

Subscribed.

I use an adblocker so I don't see any ads or banners, but I'm happy to pay to support a forum that I use daily and that gives me a great amount of entertainment (nobbers and all ).

The thread linked to @Regulators flounce was worth the £9 on it's own. As was @Drago 's "comeback" thread.

My ambition is to one day, when I'm brave enough, venture into the News & Current Affairs section of the forum . But I'm not quite brave enough just yet.


----------



## Pat "5mph" (17 Nov 2018)

Slioch said:


> I use an adblocker so I don't see any ads or banners, but I'm happy to pay to support a forum that I use daily and that gives me a great amount of entertainment (nobbers and all ).


I'm a Mod so I don't see ads either, but I still paid, for your same reasons.
Without CC I would never have met the folks of CC Ecosse, never would have dreamed of cycling the distances we did, never would have known how to commute on icy days.
And, of course, I would never have known about the many bikes, bike accessories, bike tools a girl simply must have


----------



## Bazzer (17 Nov 2018)

As said up thread, the tips and bargains have more than paid the suggested sum, so I have gone banner free.


----------



## Jenkins (17 Nov 2018)

Another subscription taken out at a decent price - I paid more than £9 for burger, chips and a couple of pints for lunch yesterday, and that's at Hungry Horse cheap prices.


----------



## Milkfloat (17 Nov 2018)

I already renabled the ad-blocker, but happy to contribute to a site that costs me a lot of time, makes me spend inordinate amounts of money on N+1 and is populated by a bunch of weirdos. Worth every penny.


----------



## classic33 (17 Nov 2018)

Milkfloat said:


> I already renabled the ad-blocker, but happy to contribute to a site that costs me a lot of time, makes me spend inordinate amounts of money on N+1 and is *populated by a bunch of weirdos. * Worth every penny.


Speakk for yourself!


----------



## subaqua (17 Nov 2018)

Pale Rider said:


> Some will think that way, but you are up against an ingrained culture that content on the internet should be free.
> 
> Bona fide news publishers struggle to get users to pay a subscription.
> 
> ...




If you aren’t paying for product , then you are the product. 

75p a month seems good value ...


----------



## Salty seadog (19 Nov 2018)

Subscribed, and the bonus was when I went to post I had £7.76 in my PayPal account I was completely unaware of. 

Like finding a tenner down the cm of the sofa.


----------



## Freds Dad (19 Nov 2018)

Paid but I will miss the ads for Women's clothing and kids toys.


----------



## TheDoctor (19 Nov 2018)

Diogenes said:


> Hmmm - £9 to Shaun's coke and hookers fund or 9 FB pies? Tricky one.


Nine quid won't get much in the way of coke and hookers.
Just about get you a dozen Greggs sausage rolls. Which would at least be (a bit) better for you!


----------



## User6179 (19 Nov 2018)

If Shaun could add a Brexit blocker as well I would be willing to go to 900 quid !!!!!


----------



## TheDoctor (19 Nov 2018)

I'd match that!


----------



## ColinJ (19 Nov 2018)

Eddy said:


> If Shaun could add a Brexit blocker as well I would be willing to go to 900 quid !!!!!


Would that be the _Stop-Brexit-happening_ blocker or the _Talking-about-Brexit_ blocker?


----------



## User6179 (19 Nov 2018)

ColinJ said:


> Would that be the _Stop-Brexit-happening_ blocker or the _Talking-about-Brexit_ blocker?




Just talking about it, you cant stop the will of the people for 900 quid !


----------



## Arjimlad (23 Nov 2018)

Happy to bung in £9 for this excellent site. Thank you


----------



## Kempstonian (3 Dec 2018)

I'm using Adblock Plus but I unblocked this site. The only difference it made was to display a white space at the top of the page where (presumably) an advert should be.

Anyway this morning I decided that I'm happy to pay the £9 anyway, if it helps the forum. So I just did it


----------



## si_c (10 Dec 2018)

Done. I don't see the ads anyway, as I use an adblocker but if it ensures the continuity of the site, so I'm happy with that. Also paid more for lunch today, so go figure.


----------



## Joey Shabadoo (10 Dec 2018)

Seeing I spend so much time on here during work hours, do you think I could put it on expenses?


----------



## Domus (11 Dec 2018)

Just paid


----------



## theloafer (11 Dec 2018)

the best 9 quid I have ever spent..


----------



## DCBassman (13 Dec 2018)

Take my money!


----------



## DCBassman (13 Dec 2018)

TBH, I was getting a little perturbed at the 'Stock Photo of Beautiful Woman, £5.80' ad. Certainly done nothing to provoke that!


----------



## DCBassman (13 Dec 2018)

Makes a huge positive difference when using a phone, too.


----------



## Levo-Lon (17 Dec 2018)

Excellent ,good value for me as im not going to see Rutland Cycles Specialized Levo add every day!!
that £9 may well save me 4-5k when im drunk 

Instant banner removal


----------



## Rooster1 (18 Dec 2018)

i like adverts


----------



## mickle (18 Dec 2018)

Happy to pay £9 so that people can read my many excellent posts and see regular pictures of my puppies without ads.

Wait.. Um...


----------



## Scottish Scrutineer (27 Dec 2018)

I’ve paid the £9 too. Great value to support this site which is extremely useful. As others have said, I’ve saved the money many times over from the “Found a bargain” and Classified sections here.


----------



## iandg (2 Jan 2019)

Paid my 'subs' for the upgrade - these sites don't run on their own and making a donation is something I agree with and do the same for other frequently used sites.

My 'adblock' must be working as I couldn't see any adverts anyway.


----------



## uphillstruggler (11 Jan 2019)

i didn't really notice the ads but for £9 a year, its cheaper than Shaun's coke and hookers (not my words)


----------



## Sharky (15 Jan 2019)

I've paid my dues and adverts have gone, but how much does it cost to have the "Cycle Chat Account Upgrade (Advertisement Removal)" removed?

Cheers Keith


----------



## Pat "5mph" (15 Jan 2019)

Sharky said:


> I've paid my dues and adverts have gone, but how much does it cost to have the "Cycle Chat Account Upgrade (Advertisement Removal)" removed?
> 
> Cheers Keith


Click on the top right corner of it, there should be an option "dismiss featured thread"
Let me know if this works, if not I'll investigate further.


----------



## Sharky (15 Jan 2019)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Click on the top right corner of it, there should be an option "dismiss featured thread"
> Let me know if this works, if not I'll investigate further.


Done - thanks

Keith


----------



## Slick (15 Jan 2019)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Click on the top right corner of it, there should be an option "dismiss featured thread"
> Let me know if this works, if not I'll investigate further.


Nice. Didn't know that.


----------



## Pat "5mph" (15 Jan 2019)

Slick said:


> Nice. Didn't know that.


That works with all featured threads: I just featured another one you might want to dismiss


----------



## Slick (15 Jan 2019)

Pat "5mph" said:


> That works with all featured threads: I just featured another one you might want to dismiss


Haha, I did and now don't have anything. Excellent, thanks for that.


----------



## stoatsngroats (26 Jan 2019)

I never really noticed ads, but now I have paid, and they’re gone, Cc appears cleaner, and more involved. Great cost too, thanks @Shaun and the mods for facilitating this place, where I have learned so much!


----------



## Grant Fondo (20 Feb 2019)

Can I personally add that I would pay to see more ads. The pipette machine one that was on yesterday was the most random thing I have seen in years. PMC (Pipette Machine Chat) can only be weeks away.


----------



## ColinJ (20 Feb 2019)

Specialized Mick said:


> Hey Shaun, how goes it?
> I am a fairly new member. But what would you consider to be a reasonable/acceptable contribution to make?
> Your site looks really great and I would like to support it somehow.
> Please let me know what the average donation is please. So I can gauge it from there.
> ...


It is £9 a year, but when Shaun set it up he did say that if that amount is a problem then get in touch with him and come to some agreement.

PS Stick the 'at' sign in front of member names to alert them when you want them to read a particular message. Like this: @Shaun.


----------



## ColinJ (21 Feb 2019)

Specialized Mick said:


> Thanks @ColinJ. There you go. Ha ha.
> I was thinking of a lot more than £9 per month. Please don’t judge me as fascisious.


Yes, £9 a year _IS _a bargain, but don't tell Shaun - he might put the price up - ha ha!


----------



## ColinJ (21 Feb 2019)

£9 a *YEAR*!


----------



## TheDoctor (21 Feb 2019)

I'm sure we'd take £9 a month if you'd prefer! *hopeful*


----------



## Katherine (14 Mar 2019)

Specialized Mick said:


> Hi, everyone.
> I know it’s been a while, but how can I pay my £9 to the site?
> I am probably being thick and it’s obvious, but please would some guide me towards the right way.
> Thanks a lot in advance.


https://www.cyclechat.net/account/upgrades


----------



## captain nemo1701 (10 Apr 2019)

I use adblocker at home. One thing does irritate me about this site though is certain 'trigger' words turn into advertising hyperlinks.

Take, for instance, the name of a long river in Brazil. Every time I use that it links to their site. My posts are not ads for them & I resent a perfectly good name being hijacked to supply advertising. It would be great if you could turn that off. The long river in Brazil doesn't pay me to advertise for them.


----------



## Slick (10 Apr 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> I use adblocker at home. One thing does irritate me about this site though is certain 'trigger' words turn into advertising hyperlinks.
> 
> Take, for instance, the name of a long river in Brazil. Every time I use that it links to their site. My posts are not ads for them & I resent a perfectly good name being hijacked to supply advertising. It would be great if you could turn that off. The long river in Brazil doesn't pay me to advertise for them.


The site could earn a couple quid for the privilege though which keeps the cost down for the rest of us.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (11 Apr 2019)

Slick said:


> The site could earn a couple quid for the privilege though which keeps the cost down for the rest of us.


I don't mind ads as they are obviously ads. I do mind large international companies effectively 'owning' a perfectly good word and cheekily getting me to advertise for them when I use it. They never asked, no consultation. Worth noting that countries nearby the long South American river are now taking them on over appropriation of the internet name:

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-a...-domain-name-rights-brazil-says-idUKKCN1RF2TZ


----------



## iandg (27 Dec 2019)

I've had a renewal message appear, when I click ' here' it takes me to a page that doesn't allow me to do anything so can't renew. Anyone else having problems?



> iandg, your account upgrade named _*Banner Free*_ will expire in 7 days.
> Thank you for having purchased this upgrade and we hope you have enjoyed the benefits it offered.
> You may extend or renew your account upgrades here.


----------



## Sharky (27 Dec 2019)

iandg said:


> I've had a renewal message appear, when I click ' here' it takes me to a page that doesn't allow me to do anything so can't renew. Anyone else having problems?


Wait for the 7 days to expire, then try again. 
Should work then

Cheers


----------



## Pat "5mph" (27 Dec 2019)

@iandg, yes, please, wait until the renewal date.
Then it will work ... well, it has worked so far


----------



## Domus (27 Dec 2019)

Worked for me 👍


----------

