[TechGuy]

Please reserve comments and complaints concerning the new sponsorships to this thread...

As we've become more popular, with so many people online at once, we've had to accept sponsorship positions from other companies to keep things working for free.

PLEASE embrace these sponsors, as they allow us to continue this service! Also, by using this side bar, we can avoid using nasty pop-ups and pop-unders! Support the sponsors that keep this site running!

If you're interested in having your link appear in the column, even for only a day, click the "Your Link Here!" link under the ads. Rates are <i>very</i> cheap as we introduce this new sponsorship opportunity!

Thanks for using the site. As always, I'm open to ideas and feedback, but please try to stay on-topic here. Thanks!!

[TechGuy]

Yup, I see it's a little buggy in the thread display... I'm working on it.

[angelize56]

Nice to see you talking to yourself! Makes me know you're normal!

I take it ad free members can't see the sidebar?

Take care and have a great week! angel

[TechGuy]

Great point, Angel!

As always, if you've donated the $20, there are no banner ads (at the top and bottom) and the new column on the right won't appear at all.

Oh, and I talk to myself all the time.

[anlore2001]

Quick Hijack of this thread

Originally posted by TechGuy:
Oh, and I talk to myself all the time.

Thats fine Mike... as long as you don't answer yourself

[angelize56]

Good thing he hasn't seen the other thread Mike!

[anlore2001]

Originally posted by angelize56:
Good thing he hasn't seen the other thread Mike!

I saw it ... Don't worry... I just decided to post in this one

[TechGuy]

Mike, don't you think it's time to get to bed? Yes, I think so.

[angelize56]

Go on now Mike! We're bound to keep you up all night otherwise! Good night! Take care. angel

[anlore2001]

Originally posted by TechGuy:
Mike, don't you think it's time to get to bed? Yes, I think so.

ok Mike... I do believe it is time for you to head to bed.... Yes Andrew, I think that is a very good idea


Good Night Mike

[Mosaic1]

Mike,

My free advice and hard work to help people is not enough for you?
I believe my help has driven a certain number of people to come here in the past and I know there have been donations as a result. People have offered me money which I have always refused and asked them instead to make a donation to the site.
I know there are others here too who help out and have a reputation. I cannot speak for them. Only for myself.

You now have a new Adbar in bright white going down the side of every page which can be removed for a donation of $20.00.

It causes a glare and makes it very hard for me and I bet others to read the posts.

Sorry. I don't do blackmail. And I don't do contests. I stopped going to a couple other forums because the system of "Rating" those who helped by awarding stars bothered me too much. If my help is not enough, then it isn't enough. I am not paying money which I don't have to give free advice. If I had it I would have helped out financially before. Now, even if I won the lottery, I wouldn't.

I understand the need for donations to keep these sites going. If someone gets help at a site then a donation would be very nice. And How much money have they saved by coming to a help Forum? And how much does it cost to keep one of these places going?

However, I have no intention of joining some list so I can be compared and rated in public. (even though there is already a Tech Guy generic account, which is fine )

I will not pay $20.00 so as not to be blinded while trying to help someone out with their computer problems. I make no money from doing it and resent being told I have to pay to continue in comfort. My eyes just can't take it.

I am very disappointed and regretfully have to leave. I can't afford the money. I hate the rating idea and my eyes can't take it.

It's been great, but the time has come to say goodbye.

Mosaic1

[mtbird]

Mike.....
Am I getting this right You have a sponsor that links to Warez I wouldn't think you would want that.

http://www.super-software-deals.com/


Debe

[oscar51]

Of all the changes in TSG screen display format in the past year or so, most have been for the worse, and this one is the worst yet. The only thing that could be even 'worser' (a term my kids coined when they were young and did not swim up to their best times) is to use black and purple like many other forums do.

The other problem is that even if I did pay my $20, it would only take effect when I logged on and 95+% of the time I spend here is reading and downloading as a not-logged-on guest.

I can't imagine what the genuine uninitiated and unsuspecting guest would think when seeing this 50% white-space screen arrangement for the first time. But then I'm old and old-fashioned and more used to picking nits than being constructive. As a teenager I always wondered why my old dad was so cynical. Now I know. God, please help me to be gracious.... [insert praying smilie here because I can't find one]

[TechGuy]

I'm not shocked that there are those who don't like the ads. No one wants ads, after all. It would be wonderful to be able to run a site for free and have no ads. Unfortunately, that's just not he world we live in. The bills have to be paid or the site goes down. It's as simple as that.

We try to make things easy going here -- the ads aren't too obnoxious, don't block content, and don't require you to click them. You don't have preview pages. The ads don't take up half or more of the screen. The bar on the right is only 130 pixels and doesn't interrupt your post. There are no pop-ups. We don't sell the email address you register with. We don't send spam. We only have a few ads around the content. If you still don't like the ads, you can donate and have them removed. I try to make things as fair as possible. Unfortunately, I can't continue to pay <i>everything</i> out of my pocket -- only some of it!

We've got to have companies like these supporting us. I, for one, really appreciate the fact that we can have this site run for free by only having a few ads here and there. I don't know how any service could continue to run for free without any source of revenue.

As always, I'm open to new ideas. That's how we've managed to only add 130 pixels of ads and keep running without pop-ups or without charging for membership. I hope that some people can appreciate that. I'd rather do this than close the site.

[oscar51]

Not protesting the ads so much because they are now a necessity. But you have gobs of white space in the left column under the blue tabs with member's names, etc. Why not just put the member's name and join date in a row above the post topic and then add a "Profile" button on the bottom row under the post. Those who want to know more about a member can click that button and get the full treatment. That way you get another 100+ pixels on the left for the post itself.