New Owner/Admin @CyB

[TLHKAJ]

My understanding is that the new ads are using google AdSense, which uses your search history to make suggestions for the ads. I don't think the Christian ads are setup yet, as I haven't seen any popup myself.

I'm not comfortable with this. It may deter me from being here. I don't care for Google, nor their tracking of my activity ....

 

[TLHKAJ]

Y'all may want to try adblocker browser (on Android) or Epic Privacy Browser on your computer.

Edit: there is Epic Privacy Browser for Android as well ...maybe iPhone, idk.
I'm using Epic and I'm not getting ads.

 

[TLHKAJ]

I will be honest I hate ads, BUT before everyone runs for the hills, decides they don’t like them, why not just remind yourself that change of any kind always brings reactions at first. We don’t like change as human beings. It upsets the status quo.
The amount of churches I have been a part of where ‘ I am going to leave if they do this ‘ has been spoken in haste because everyone wants things to remain as they have always been.
Or when a new pastor comes along and starts to do things differently, instead of encouragement they often get reactions and are bombarded with complaints……

My2c
Rita

This is different for me, tbh. This is about having my activity being tracked ....on a Christian site, no less.

 

[TLHKAJ]

I looked at getting ad blocker but was put off by the message saying it can "read and change all your data on all websites".

See below....

Quote: "Y'all may want to try adblocker browser (on Android) or Epic Privacy Browser on your computer.

Edit: there is Epic Privacy Browser for Android as well ...maybe iPhone, idk.
I'm using Epic and I'm not getting ads. "

 

[TLHKAJ]

I am not seeing any ads, so perhaps my ad blocker is blocking them. However, this is not a good idea for this kind of forum.

I strongly agree.

 

[Mantis]

New owners take note: this site all the sudden sucks and I guarantee people will leave.

 

[Cassandra]

@doughty You might want to discuss how much it costs to run one of these forums (I''m assuming around a grand per year--our Education site is Invision and runs about 1000-1500. We told the membership on our forum that we couldn't make those payments alone, and many many others pledged and paid.
Some give 10 , some give 25--not monthly , annually. If its a grand, you need 40 people to pay 25total, or 100 to pay 10, etc.You could take a poll and see who could pay a bit, and find out how that works. Then the ads wont be necessary, unless you are using them to generate income for yourself.
Those who cannot pay should still be allowed to stay.

 

[Cassandra]

Been looking into dying lately?

Yes. I found out there are Cremation packages for 895> ( I can afford that) It comes with a Celebration of Life thing (which I would have the church do).

No knee pain.

 

[lightlysalted]

Download Brave instead of using Google.

 

[Josho]

Hey guys! Owner here!

I’ve already contacted the agency about the astrology ad and will look into the supporter option to remove ads as well.

Bare with me over the next few weeks as we tweak and modify the ad displays to make them as reasonable as we can. Other than this, I don’t have any plans for the site other than community suggestions.

I’m also taking suggestions from the community for any improvements or features you’d like added to the forum.

I’ve already added emojis from @Angelina’s request. So please let me know if there are other things I can add to the site that you all would like.

Hi Doughty, welcome once again, I have another suggestion, that we should have more themes on here, you know how Google and YouTube allow you to change the page from white screen with black text to dark screen with white text, I reckon we should be able to do that here.

 

[WalkInLight]

I was told they would filter out ads considered inappropriate for a Christian site. So not necessarily Christian, but ads that are not inappropriate.
I’ll be monitoring closely during this change.

Hi Doughty,

Amen to preaching the gospel to people. There is a problem within what is described as the evangelical or protestant definition of the faith and what is acceptable or otherwise in christian communities. Bethel ie Bill Johnson has supported believers going to new age fairs and using christian tarrot cards to predict peoples future using the Holy Spirit as opposed to demons. This is a line of thought that says satan uses spiritual things that believers can use as well for Christ.

I say this because on visiting this site today "Free Angelical Horoscope" add appeared all over the place, which I have never seen before.
I would not trust whatever filter organisation for adds you are using if this is their approved of approach.

On these forums there are many representations where people get very upset when you question the foundations of certain groups or beliefs in a truthful and walking in the light way. Some even after a few sentences of sharing, are certain they know you, which is clearly absurd.

I wish you well in this adventure of sharing our love of Christ and His ways,

God bless you

 

[Angelina]

@WalkInLight. I see you are new here. Welcome to CyB. Perhaps you could post in the welcome center also, so that folks here can get to know you. Blessings and welcome again

 

[David H.]

Hi folks, just letting you all know that we have a new owner/admin of CyB.

You may have noticed advertisements appearing around the forum which may be new to some of us, particularly myself. However, our new owner/admin has specifically chosen a Christian ad agency that will filter out the type of things/ads that would be considered inappropriate as believers in Christ...

hopefully they do not overmoderate the site like many other sites do, i like the nondenominational approach the site has had in the past, and the healthy debates that happen.

A sign of a successful forum is that it gets sold to "investors", let's hope and pray it remains a great place of fellowship for all believers.

The ads are annoying in the comment stream itself, on the side, and at the top does not bother me. if they could see if they can change that part that would be nice.

 

[doughty]

@doughty ....hello and I also thank you for the introduction, but hope that because of your background you will not fall back to what other sites insist on.....this site is open to all discussion and a policy of "you can't say that here" would see a lot of posters including myself forced to leave. It has always been my belief that an undefended faith is not worth having, so I hope you will keep that openness for discussion on all subjects. Its what makes this site so special and most of us here can keep it civil.....

I hope.....

Thanks for voicing your concern, I don’t plan on changing the culture here at all.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

hopefully they do not overmoderate the site like many other sites do, i like the nondenominational approach the site has had in the past, and the healthy debates that happen.

A sign of a successful forum is that it gets sold to "investors", let's hope and pray it remains a great place of fellowship for all believers.

The ads are annoying in the comment stream itself, on the side, and at the top does not bother me. if they could see if they can change that part that would be nice.

We’ve all seen a site we loved go down the tubes after it was sold, but let’s give the new owner a chance. He has to be given the chance to tweak the ad thing and he has said he’s working on it. So…let’s just see.
I also hope it doesn’t become overmoderated, with a long list of new rules. I checked out a site earlier today with such a long list of topics not to be discussed. Some of them were that tongues and “rapture” could not be discussed, in ANY form. They aren’t things I wouldnt discuss every day but I don’t think their discussion should be banned.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Thanks for voicing your concern, I don’t plan on changing the culture here at all.

That’s enough tar guys, let’s commence with the feathers. Lol.
We’re all looking forward to getting to hear from you doughty.

 

[doughty]

hopefully they do not overmoderate the site like many other sites do, i like the nondenominational approach the site has had in the past, and the healthy debates that happen.

A sign of a successful forum is that it gets sold to "investors", let's hope and pray it remains a great place of fellowship for all believers.

The ads are annoying in the comment stream itself, on the side, and at the top does not bother me. if they could see if they can change that part that would be nice.

Thanks for the feedback. I’m not planning on changing moderation at all. I like how things are done now and don’t plan to change it at all.

 

[doughty]

As for the tarot card ads and astrology that have popped up here is what I’ve been told.

“Theses types of ads are always on our target list to block however advertisers use some deceptive coding and naming which allows them to slip through. This might just be part of our startup but you and unfortunately a reader from time to time will alert us to one of these ads and we block that advertiser or ad. Our entire clientele are faith based and have the same zero tolerance for bad ads. We spend hours every week applying new walls to our filters in response.
I wanted you to know we take this very seriously and Andy has directed the team to respond.”

So they are working on it and the filter is going to get better and stronger.

 

[ScottA]

AdBlocker Plus is working so far on my PC, but not on my phone. Any Android phone ad block suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Google Image Result for https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eTMdQKmeSHI/hqdefault.jpg

We’re all outside your house now doughty.