Why am I, a logged in WordPress user, seeing ads on my blog?
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That’s what I thought you were writing about.
The ads show up very often. There is no way to close them without clicking the link and they still show up on posts published days ago.
On a couple of my blog posts the ads showed up and the video on the post didn’t show up. So, I’m wasting my time seeing if something is wrong with the blog post. Nothing is wrong with the video coding either.
Slightly different topic (not the above ads from WordPress.com).
I have noticed that if I log out and use a different browser without Adblock, every post has an ad on them now. It used to be more rarely that the ads would be on the posts. -
@therapyfirst wrote:
If you are going to offer a FREE service, you don’t change the rules without notifying users first in personal contacts. But, there are other sites to use if they are up front with their agenda, and, after 10 plus months of this use, why is it happening NOW?
Our Terms of Service state:
10. Advertisements. Automattic reserves the right to display advertisements on your blog unless you have purchased an Ad-free Upgrade or a VIP Services account.
@therapyfirst, we have not changed this policy since you created your blog, and have in fact been showing ads on free blogs for several years.
As for ads showing up for logged in users, we are showing limited in-house ads to the site owner, but as far as I understand it, those ads are not visible to other logged-in users.
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These “limited in-house ads to the site owner” are not limited, that is my complaint. They are on all the new posts and even older ones with no way to close them. Even after clicking on them (wasting my time), they are on other blog posts.
I do remember that WordPress.com wasn’t going to place ads for logged-in users. So this is new.
As for the other ads that are run supposedly occasionally, they are being shown on all the new posts (when logged out).
Both ads (ones for us and ones for our readers) are not small intrusions on our blog posts but huge ads the size of a video.
I don’t have a complaint against WordPress.com using ads for my readers. My complaint is that they are very large and very frequent. It looks trashy, in my opinion.
From your “About These Ads” page: “We run these types of ads sparingly in an attempt to interfere as little as possible with the experience of reading a site.”
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Yes, these will be on your blog posts when you view them, but they will not be visible to other visitors to your blog.
If you log out of your account and visit your blog, you will not see the in-house ads in the advertising box. You may, however, see the same ads we have been displaying all along.
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From your “Ad-free” page, “…simple and unobtrusive”; but they are not. They are huge, video-sized ads on all the blog posts.
What is the purpose though? We already have a big blue button that reads “Go Premium” on all our internal pages on our blog.
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The ads are targeted to the blog owners. It is not our intention to make them obtrusive, and I apologize if you feel differently.
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Thanks for the apology, however, how many ads does one need to see every single day? I’ve been blogging here since the middle of 2007 and the blogging experience/atmosphere has gone down so much.
Like I already said there is a “Go Premium” button on all the internal pages on our blog, why is this necessary to put huge, very obtrusive ads on the actual posts?
It diminishes our blogging experience greatly.
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Jackie…thank you for the answer. So I suppose if I upgrade, then these particular ads will also disappear? Or will I still see them? Perhaps you should consider changing the info in the No-Ads page…it isn’t actually accurate is it?
I do have to say, I agree with dandelionsalad, that they are really quite unnecessary in our own posts, as we get them with the upgrade button, and also with the little box that appeared previously. The thing is, I like to preview my posts and see what they will look like for visitors before I hit publish. That ad changes that. I’d prefer it to be somewhere besides on my posts….like just on my dashboard somewhere would be much more appropriate.
Dandelionsalad….thanks for the suggestion to view from incognito…I just took the info on the no ads page at face value: simple and unobtrusive. But you are right. The video is the same size as the photos of my two column posts, and completely changes how I fell about the ads. They are obtrusive, and the same ad seems to appear on every post, so my readers to my butterfly site, who often read 50 or more posts, will see the same ad over and over.
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The new adverts for logged in users, about upgrading our wp.com sites, yes, they could be less obtrusive, or more interesting, clever, or amusing, but if we are the only ones—logged in, administrators—(do they appear for co administratores, editors, authors, contributors as well??)—then they may be annoying but, IMO, very ignorable.
WordPress.com is a business with every right to make money. That format, IMO, is intrusive. Can you suggest another option?
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Oh man!!! Now I’m really upset. I just saw an ad on my blog for the MGM Grand Las Vegas. This ad is completely inappropriate for me as a Christian. I am not happy to have an ad promoting sin City on my Christian blog, with pictures of people partying and immodest clothing!
But I guess now I don’t really have to think too hard about the decision…I don’t want these ads on my blog. Period. This ad has put me in an embarrassing position that I will have to address with my friends and readers. I can’t let them think that I approved of this ad!
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@sylviacole,
When you saw the offensive advert, were you logged in to your WordPress.com account or not? -
No. I used incognito window to view it as a logged out viewer. This is the regular ads that are showing to logged out readers. I took Dandelion’s suggestion to view what they were seeing. I have used my blog to keep friends updated on our work overseas through our WP blog, since 2005. Most of them are not logged-in. So they would see the ads. It’s quite embarrasing and disconcerting.
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Just for the record…I love you WordPress. I’m just a wee bit disappointed in you at the moment. I suppose I’ve been trained by all your excellent qualities over the years, to be a trusting. This is not your finest moment. And not what I’ve come to expect from all our past association.
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We appreciate your feedback, and the comments here will be taken into consideration by our ads team.
And once more, please keep in mind that the in-house WordPress.com ads are visible only to the site administrator, not the logged-out general public (who may see other ads, but that is not new).
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It does not matter to whom the ad is directed: if I see it and there is no way to remove it, however temporarily, it is intrusive.
Look. I know nothing good can last. And “free” is too good to be true for long. I don’t love having ads, but I understand the need.
I have been on WordPress for years. I encourage my friends to use it, and still will. I appreciate its beauty and responsiveness. But it’s become nowhere near as friendly as it was.
Question for the team:
Is there a way to plan layouts around the ads? The juxtaposition can be jarring. -
I’m sorry you feel that way, but as others have explained, there have been ads on WordPress.com blogs for years. The only difference is that as the site owner, you are able to see a certain ad now when logged in that you weren’t able to see before. Absolutely nothing has changed for the visitors to your sites.
If the ads bother you, you can purchase the no-ads upgrade or you can look into hosting on another provider, though in most cases a year’s worth of hosting will cost significantly more than $30.
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Yes, Jackie what you say is true, but:
1. As a logged in viewer I’m now seeing ads.
2. Ads are not “small and unobtrusive.”
3. Ads are not necessarily appropriateI see that you have now changed the No-Ads page to reflect that reality. Too bad you didn’t do that earlier :-). I suppose that in itself is an acknowledgment that it was misleading.
As I said before, I understand the need for ads…but as a very long time WP user, I expect better from you. I do feel that by putting objectionable ads on pages, you force us to buy something. Fine. So be it.
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