We're looking into setting up proper, paid for hosting for the website, to releive strain on Si's server etc, but this costs money, and I was considering adding adverts to the site to cover the costs slightly.

They would be text based Google Ads, made to match the colour scheme of the main site, placed unobtrusively (such as at the bottom of pages).

The ads would not be used for profit. They would primarily be used to fund the webserver, any extra money would be put towards our gameserver fund (the donations for buying, maintaining and upgrading TCHS game servers). Note; the gameserver fund will never be used to pay for the webserver, any extra money needed for the webserver will come out of my own pocket.

Anyway, what are people's opinions on this?

P.S. If anyone knows any good, cheap webhosts, feel free to suggest, we already have one in mind, but if we see a better one, that would be good.

EDIT: There are now adverts on the site, at the top and bottom of every page

Do NOT click on ads unless you are interested in them. If we get invalid clicks, we risk banning from the Adsense program.

If it helps... (and I assume I'll have to add them )

the gameservers come free with a webiste option that i believe u can put ur own stuff on etc. therefore si wouldnt even need to use his router or anything.

i have already suggested ads. and the gameserver website before lol.

The Gameservers website may work, though we have doubts about their bandwidth. We have around 30,000 page views a month, and at 2.5GB monthly transfer, that equates to less than 0.1MB per average page view, which isn't much. Their paid for plans are better, though we can buy better plans cheaper elsewhere.

if i get firefox back sometime soon i block all adverts on here so go ahead and use them it won't bother me.

lol most adverts only wrk if they desplay n gt clicked so if every1 blocks them out theres no point at all lol hopefuly if we add thm itl cm up with intresting links tht we cn gt mony 4 using

Yeah, I did consider that problem, Wigo. I figured it's worth a shot, might aswell see if they're effective or not. I would think most people who come here do block ads, though, so it possibly won't be effective.

Looking at some stats, about 1/3rd of our visits use IE, so it may not be too bad, plus not everyone with FF blocks ads.

lol i use ff n never block ads lol use the links quite a bit in lots of sites when im looking 4 things

Sure thing.

I dont see a problem with adverts, I've been agreeing with Si on this for a while now. Adverts are on every single web page i go on, other than here... So if its essentially "free money" why the hell not get it? And anyway, we can always click the ads on purpose xD

True, I block ads, but generally when I'm looking for stuff I use Google, and those ads still work.

That's another thing, unless Si has other plans for a search, we will be using Google search for the site, and that will probably have adverts too that also pay us (it's one of the things you can set up on adsense).

Well, Skillers, if you want to set up the account next time were all together at the same pc (prob at Wigo's), i'll add it where suitable (e.g. under "Who is online" on viewtopic.php, etc.")

I'll probably set it up sometime during the summer, probably the same time I buy hosting. I don't really see why we all need to be together to do it.

Would it be possible to add it to the Footer section? I'm thinking that would be easiest.

Makes it faster to impliment i assume if youre altogether at the same place O.o

Not really. All it is is me creating an Adsense account then Si putting the code in the right place in the right place. Plus, it's not particularly needed to be done instantly.

As long as it helps this clan, I'm not bothered about adverts on the site.

Skillers has a point... that and I just remembered it takes like a week for the code

Heh, I thought it would be instantly generated or something.

More ads=more site=more management=section for me to manage?

I want to do more for the clan, other than just playing, only I don't really moderate stuff anymore.

Well actually, the ads are just intended to cover server costs, which we are planning on getting due to Si's home server being non-maintained while he's away. Also, would be faster and alright for more stuff.

Site is still planned for this summer. It will include sections for you to write extra stuff in. If you want to manage something, organise something yourself, like a clan event/war etc. Generally I won't tell someone to manage something, I'll leave it up to them to invent something (fun) to manage.

Half the time i get sidetracked cz i click on adverts on sites, I think it's a good idea if it's going to help, I don't mind adverts, it's pop ups that drive me insane lol I don't get that anymore thankfully

If theres ever anything i can help with all u gotta do is ask lol

Nope, there wouldn't be popups or anything, just Google ads, most likely just the text version.

woo! yoink wants to secretly spam the forum with ads

LOL, no, just small ads to help cover costs.

care to explain?

I think Met edited my name out of it.