Google Ads has gone dark.

[sylnau]

I'll do what I can to help! I love this forum so much!

[Jeff-7]

What everyone else has said. Maybe I've missed all the threads that have had "naughty words and explicit verbage" but I thought that this place has calmed down immensely in the past year or so. I see that even though they've dropped us from their Ads program they're still sending their bots out to drag their slime trails all over the forum. I don't know if you would want to divulge this kind of info but what kind of annual costs are you seeing to host and run this site?

[Tristan]

Just to get it straight (I'm not that knowledgeable on this internet stuff) but does this mean ILF lost Google Ads as a sponsor?
It would be good to have an overview of how much needs to be raised monthly / yearly to cover this loss, I understand Tom might not prefer to do that but in a way I guess it's essential to keep things going and sustainable.
Also, I don't mind to chip in with a $100,- or do a ILF Donation BST or something but we need to have a sustainable solution and not let it burn Tom's back.
Maybe there's an easier and cheaper way of doing things, someone on here who works with / for a network hosting company or has their own server or something?
Who knows, it might actually be an upgrade and if everybody chips in we could also prevent these blackout / website down glitches that have happened this year and in the past (though maybe that's already fixed as I haven't noticed anything likewise lately).
Just thinking out loud here and expressing my view, please don't mind my ramblings if you find them impertinent, it's purely meant in a constructive way.

[phantasmagorovich]

Damn!

I've been mostly absent but this still sucks!

[intothegroove]

Just to get it straight (I'm not that knowledgeable on this internet stuff) but does this mean ILF lost Google Ads as a sponsor?
It would be good to have an overview of how much needs to be raised monthly / yearly to cover this loss, I understand Tom might not prefer to do that but in a way I guess it's essential to keep things going and sustainable.
Also, I don't mind to chip in with a $100,- or do a ILF Donation BST or something but we need to have a sustainable solution and not let it burn Tom's back.
Maybe there's an easier and cheaper way of doing things, someone on here who works with / for a network hosting company or has their own server or something?
Who knows, it might actually be an upgrade and if everybody chips in we could also prevent these blackout / website down glitches that have happened this year and in the past (though maybe that's already fixed as I haven't noticed anything likewise lately).
Just thinking out loud here and expressing my view, please don't mind my ramblings if you find them impertinent, it's purely meant in a constructive way.

Great ideas! I totally agree with this and what everyone has said. I love this place! I am on board to keep it going forever

[rustywire]

Bummer....and IDGI. The whole "selective morals" thing w/r/t business practices of a company like Google.
Isn't this a company who got busted for war driving on a global scale?
A company who analyzes every word typed into its mail service to tell you what you want to hear to profit off you?
A company whose advertising services can be seen alongside content that may infringe on copyrights, hosted on Google-owned servers?
A company that looked really cool, reasonable and even laissez-faire in The Internship?

And yet, some dubious "adult content" is too far out of bounds and beyond the limits of good taste to be associated with the brand...?

[KaosCill8r]

Bummer....and IDGI. The whole "selective morals" thing w/r/t business practices of a company like Google.
Isn't this a company who got busted for war driving on a global scale?
A company who analyzes every word typed into its mail service to tell you what you want to hear to profit off you?
A company whose advertising services can be seen alongside content that may infringe on copyrights, hosted on Google-owned servers?
A company that looked really cool, reasonable and even laissez-faire in The Internship?

And yet, some dubious "adult content" is too far out of bounds and beyond the limits of good taste to be associated with the brand...?

Exactly, who are they to come off all moral. The moral high horse they ride is an old toothless three legged donkey on its way to the mortadella factory!

[hclapp219]

Donated. And I agree some sort of progress bar/ticker on how much dough is needed would be a good reminder to pitch in when you can.

[zeravla]

Oh god, it's because I said "boner" too much isn't it? It's all my fault.
Sorry guys. I'll donate a little each paycheck as a tithe.

[KaosCill8r]

No I don't think anyone's to blame. We all felt this forum is a safe haven for free speech. Unlike other forums where you get the boot for the heinous crime of saying you don't like a particular pedal or just expressing a slightly warped sense of humour. The only rule here is " don't be an arsehole".

[Jwar]

How much do we need Tom? I know you want this to be free for everyone and we appreciate it for sure. But it shouldn't be only your burden to bear. Let us help.

[Jwar]

Only had a little less than 10 bucks in my paypal right now, but it's yours Tom. I'll send more when I get it.

[weed_killer]

Only had a little less than 10 bucks in my paypal right now, but it's yours Tom. I'll send more when I get it.

same situation for me.

[rustywire]

This shit only fosters negativity.
It's typically a smalltime aspiring despot taking the form of self-appointed moral authority. Occasionally one of these dbags acquires real economic power.
The People vs Larry Flynt has been on premium TV all month and it highlights a classic example of the hypocrisy w/the role of Charles Keating.
A fella who founded "Citizens for Decent Literature" to condemn nudity and sexual content, while believing less than honorable and ethical economic philosophy in his professional life in finance:

A sales document from this period urges staff to, "always remember the weak, meek and ignorant are always good targets."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ke ... ating_Five

According to his actions, to be moral one must protect the children from naughty words and imagery...while robbing them of their future and defrauding your own local and national community.

Guess it was intentional that his thought-police organization wasn't named Literature for Decent Citizens.

Anyway, I could rant about this shit all day. Not everything in the the world has to be kid-friendly.
I was a PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT LYRICS-minded kid and I'm a PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT adult.
Parent your own offspring, I wanna see more boobies.

[rfurtkamp]

One caveat on freebie hosting somewhere (from a member etc): it's not a secure, reliable solution. Money gets Tom out of a certain amount of hassle and 'will it be here tomorrow' that the friend situation wouldn't.

I have a box that handles related to this industry stuff, and I've been able to provide a little bit of insight here and there due to doing a similar business for a long, long time (DBA/admin on one of the fogey sites).

Will toss in a few more pennies myself midmonth.

Also, keep in mind these costs are ongoing, they're not a one-time thing. Even if there's other people willing to help out with admin type stuff etc., decent hosting isn't cheap.

My suggestion would be a recurring Paypal-type support/subscription for folks - even a few bucks a month from enough people adds up.

I don't hate the Google though, the simple fact is that their advertisers don't want to see tits and dope and obscenity associated with the product. It's the price of accepting advertising, one way or another.

Glad it was able to help while it lasted though.

And as always, Tom, you have my info if you need help/support/backup/admin stuffs.