What happened to the ads? - YouLookFab Forum

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What happened to the ads?

Aziraphale

Veteran

I just noticed that this site is now asking for monthly support donations. I hadn't even noticed that there are no longer ads in the margins. Granted, I'm not known for being particularly observant. Out of curiosity, why is this? Was there a vote? Do people prefer not to see ads? Now I feel a bit uncomfortable visiting the forum and not donating!

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15 replies

Latest reply was from Aziraphale

viva

Veteran

Here's the link to the post that explained it all:

https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....upport-ylf

Aziraphale

Veteran

Thanks, viva! I read all the links. I see why Angie and Greg chose as they did. However, I still feel awkward now.

Anonymous

If you aren't a member, you'll see the ads. I did when I forgot my credit card had expired and was not putting through my YLF membership for a couple of months recently

Aziraphale

Veteran

LisaP, I'm confused. I'm not seeing any ads at all if I'm logged in, and I don't donate.

Actually I kind of like it when ads pop up on the other websites I visit -- they are targeted, of course, and often show me cool stuff. I have yet to make a purchase from this kind of click bait, but it's nice to know what's out there without having to spend a lot of time browsing.

I thought about why this is making me uncomfortable. It's not the money. It's knowing that I could afford the $8 a month, but feeling like I would then have to justify it by visiting more regularly and I don't like feeling pressured. And now I feel like I'm "cheating" because I pop in sometimes and I don't pay.

Diana

Veteran

I believe the ads don't show up at all if you are logged in, regardless of whether or not you are paying. Just another reason why YLF is great. =)

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Diana said. (Thanks, Diana). You shan't see ads on YLF when you are logged in BECAUSE we decided that was the best experience for our members. No more pesky, inappropriate and ugly ads.

We do however lose quite a bit of revenue keeping the ads off our site, which is why we have also given our members the option of supporting us should they like to - thereby becoming a YLF Patron. But your YLF experience as a logged in member stays the same whether you become a patron or not, and there is no obligation to become a patron either. Hope that makes sense.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Hi Angie -- it does make sense. I know there's no official obligation to become a patron, and I appreciate the fact that the site has continued as normal for logged in members.

For me, this site is a guilty pleasure. I have limited free time, and technically I should not spend too much time messing around on the computer. However, I like this site and the community and so I keep coming back -- which is a compliment to you and Greg. You made a fantastic place! Still, if I'm honest with myself I almost always visit YLF when I should be doing something else. If I were to contribute financially, I would be in effect legitimizing the time I spend here (and it is soooooooo easy to spend far longer than I should, because I type slower than I talk). And I can't do that. I can't imagine trying to justify it to my partner, come to that.

I'm really sorry about this. It really is a great site. I'm a sporadic participator anyway, and now that I've said explicitly that I'm not going to pay to support it, I will probably have to be even more sporadic. Maybe one day if I feel like I have enough spare time that can spend some, guilt-free, on YLF, I'll support it -- but in the meantime, I vote bring back the ads. You guys shouldn't lose revenue because of that!

Greg

To say we thought a lot about the model would be an understatement. Many ads are great. Aesthetically pleasing and quick to load. But there are occasionally ads that are offensive or that cause the site to load slowly. We were spending an increasing amount of time tracking those down and blocking them.

There are also more people using ad blockers over time. Sometimes because they just don't want to see the ads, but also because they object to the data that the advertisers are collecting about their browsing.

Finally, there is a race to the bottom in terms of ad pricing. In the long term there is no way that YLF could be sustainable on that model. So it is extremely unlikely that we will take any steps back in that direction.

We don't want people to feel obligated to contribute, which is why it is optional (and also why there is no visible indication of that fact that people are contributors). If it makes you feel any better, the contributors are only a tiny fraction of members and visitors overall. Most people use YLF without contributing, and we couldn't be more happy to have those people here. Just by contributing, you are adding value that we really appreciate.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Thanks for the explanation, Greg. What you say makes sense -- especially what you say about a "race to the bottom" -- something that is sadly true in many industries, I think. So disheartening.

The sudden realization that this website is no longer supported by advertising made me take a good hard look at my computer habits. I spend more time web surfing than I should (it's a time-honoured procrastination technique!) and this site is the one I come back to the most. Do I want Greg and Angie to be financially successful? Absolutely. But do I want to pay money for the procrastinating that I already feel a little guilty about? Uh oh. There's the rub. That means I have to be honest with myself about my current amount of time wastage. (I actually already have cut back on computer-related procrastination compared to a couple of years ago, but I still pop in here for a visit too often when I should be working on a boring paper or a difficult drawing. I have a mountain of homework right this moment and I'm not doing it!).

Maybe one day I will be a proper member (who posts WIW and everything! The sky might fall), but for now I'll just pop in occasionally. Thanks for making me feel welcome.

Anonymous

Aziraphale, obviously I can't speak for Angie and Greg, but my own personal feeling on this is that forum members like you contribute to making the site what it is, regardless of whether you offer financial support. I always enjoy reading your posts. Your comments are wise and insightful, and paying participants like me benefit from them greatly. I don't think of you as a sporadic participant at all (and please interpret that as my saying 'your wisdom stands out' and not as meaning you must be spending too much time on the site!).

To my mind, Angie and Greg have come up with a fantastic community-minded support model that I love. I have chosen to make a monthly contribution because I think of it as paying for advice from a top-level personal stylist. Actually, what I get is *more* than I'd get from paying my own stylist. Not only do I get Angie's blog and her direct advice on my posts, but I also learn from her comments on other people's threads. And I learn from the advice of others like you. We all benefit from Greg's genius and the time he puts into the site. (Applause to Angie and Greg, one day I want to visit Seattle and hope I get a chance to meet you!)

I hope you continue to participate and, if you feel guilty, just remember how much you are helping folk like me in the community.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Thanks, Aliona. That was a really nice thing to say. I will continue to participate, but I'm going to pay more attention to when I'm coming here for legit reasons (like my morning coffee break) versus when I'm coming here to put off doing something else!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Aziriphale, I can only echo Aliona's eloquent words. You are an extremely valuable member of the forum.

I hear what you are saying about not wanting to support your own procrastination. Like you, I often visit the forum when I think I "should" be doing something else. And I worry about spending too much time on the internet. But really, I think this site is actually less like other social media or other internet browsing and more like going out for coffee with good friends. Do I consider that a "waste" of my time or something I "shouldn't" do -- and do I think it wrong to pay $10 a month to do it? Not if it feeds my spirit. And visiting YLF does that, and a whole lot more!

anne

Veteran

I wanted to get back to this thread and second Aliona too!! (And now Suz)

For myself, I understand the procrastination thing too. For me (and disclosure, I only signed up recently - I only felt I could justify it in the budget after receiving a small pay rise) I felt that I'd benefited so much from Angie - especially in the early years when I don't think there were ads anyway, that it was the least I could do!

catgirl

Veteran

Don't leave! And don't fret.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Suz, Anne, Una, you are all so kind. And you make a good point -- YLF is worth supporting. Suz, it IS a bit like going to coffee with friends, except that even if I were doing that in real life, I wouldn't be doing it multiple times a day every single day!

There's also the issue of using my time more effectively in general, so that I DO get to see real-life friends more often. I'm a little concerned about how much time we all spend in front of a computer. Not that you all aren't fabulous women, but real-life human interaction is very important. (And the millennial are even worse when it comes to being constantly plugged in than us Gen-Xers! I'm worried that it will only get worse).

I'm going to try to keep to a brief check-in once a day, or every two or three days, for now, but my current lack of time-having has a lot to do with a heavy course load and full-time parenting. (I haven't had a day off since my mom's funeral in January). I won't go on like this forever.

Once I can justify putting in a little more time than this really minimal amount of time, I will look into supporting the site. (Right this very moment I'm a naughty girl; I'm supposed to be starting dinner!).