Never had this previously but now just about every second post comes up with a Google ad which is quite annoying. Is this something new on CAG. No objection to ads on side and above, but not in threads as annoying!

I have no idea why that is suddenly happening. I'm not aware that it is anything that we have changed.

Personally I find adds extremely annoying – but there have been discussions about this kind of thing before. It is only the large well resourced companies that can afford not to have ads. Examples include Lloyds bank, TSB, Barclays, HSBC, Nationwide, RBS, Currys, PC World, various debt collection agencies, various private parking companies, lots of cowboy building companies, Tesco's, Sainsbury's, O2, Vodafone, EE, 3, EDF, Npower, Scottish Power, SSE, Thames Water, Welsh water, British Gas, British Telecom, virgin, TalkTalk,… and the list goes on. None of these people have ads appearing on their websites to bother their customers.

People who visit this forum can always get ad blockers – but what this means is that we lose the little bits of revenue that we do get – whereas to all the big companies – some of which I've listed above – it doesn't matter a jot. In fact if you want to know, the companies I have listed above would probably be very pleased if everybody installed ad blockers. This would mean that all of the help forums, hobby forums, the community interest forums, all the little sources of interesting information which are put up by means of people and socially conscious groups around the world would probably cease to exist.

We haven't done anything to change the way ads have been displayed so I don't understand why it is happening but if it is bringing us a bit more revenue then that is a great thing – I can tell you that we really need it because by and large we struggle.

It seems that permission was not given for these ads to appear? Are you getting revenue from the Google ad banners that are appearing at the bottom of posts in a thread and how will you know? I have no objection to being a CAG supporter and paying a sum of i.e. £10 annually not to see this type of ad. No objection to the ads for Patrica Pearl and similar in the side bars as CAG needs a constant stream of revenue from somewhere.

With the new data protection laws will there be any effect on the way CAG is managed?

Are you getting ads that appear when you hover your mouse over specific words (NOT keywords used on CAG to inform)?

A while back, I managed to download (accidentally of course) a small program that did the above so that is why I wondered.

If there are any ads that appear in the main frame of the page (not the ones down the side) then you may have a problem.

In a thread at the bottom of every second or third post an Google Ad banner appears. I cannot recall any download except the big Microsoft update a few days ago. Another thing I have noticed is that I had Word 2007 linked to Firefox so that spelling mistakes were highlighted but that no longer seems to work? Maybe the Win10 update removed the link and I am not sure how to get it back.

Well I've just checked as thoroughly as I can – and there certainly doesn't seem to be a problem with us, any rate. We haven't heard about this from anyone else. Can I suggest that maybe you try having a look at the site on someone else's device. Is this a phone? Tablet? PC? Whatever it is, see if you can have a quick look at someone else's device and see if the problem exists there.

If it doesn't exist there then it may well be that you have inadvertently installed some software which is riding on the back of us and producing advertising revenue for them.

Nice of you to describe our revenue as "a stream". I really wish it was. Where there is ads or donations I can assure you that it is a dribble at best.

yes getting this on my Fire Tablet

started 4-5 days ago.

Very strange because I've just checked it on my phone and also on a tablet and I don't see it.

I'm not sure what to do – but as I said, we need all the ads and the clicks we can get – and generally speaking it's not happening

Very strange because I've just checked it on my phone and also on a tablet and I don't see it.

 

I'm not sure what to do – but as I said, we need all the ads and the clicks we can get – and generally speaking it's not happening

Had same problm on my Galaxy On7 phone but as living in SE Asia they related to the area I live. But I notice that they no longer appear

Very strange because I've just checked it on my phone and also on a tablet and I don't see it.

 

I'm not sure what to do – but as I said, we need all the ads and the clicks we can get – and generally speaking it's not happening

Have you thought about having a "supporter" status? To be a supporter you pay £10 per annum and do not see any ads. If you do not pay you still have access to all forums except perhaps to a "supporters or members" forum, but see ads? Maybe a way of having a reasonably steady stream of income?

It's always been a fundamental principle of this site that everybody gets treated equally and we make no distinction on basis of anything which might approach "ability to pay". We don't have VIP forums. We don't make references to CMC's or solicitors in return for commission (and we've had lots of offers in the past).

We just try to be solid and supportive – and always free of charge.

Yes I remember this topic before. It was thought the ads relate to your browsing history. There's the main element of that from what I receive and since I've had a clean up on PC the weird ads not appearing.