I just left the bakery for a few weeks (involuntarily) and there is talk about shutting it down! If it's that serious a few cents in fees could help [jutta] over the dry stretches. Google offers advertising technology that allows independent website publishers to earn a little extra (link). If the rightmost column in the HB screen is used for Google ads it wouldn't disturb me. Annos would start underneath the links.
Context words for the ads could be selected from the initial posting of an idea or from the latest comment. Pillsbury (link) could rent the space at the top, between the HB logo and category listing ("Tired of fishbones? Try Pillsbury Crescents!")-- kbecker, Mar 08 2004 Google Pays https://www.google.com/adsense/I have no real idea how it works, but the advertising sounds good. [kbecker, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] (?) For those with a fishbone-yard http://www.pillsbur...sbury_crescents.asp [kbecker, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] I generally dislike advertising, but Google has the least annoying ads I've seen. I often click on them first when buying something just to support their great free tool (Google) and to support not-in-your-face advertising.
Of course [jutta] hasn't said anything about money, so this may not even be the problem.-- Worldgineer, Mar 08 2004 Wait a second... with more people finding out about the HB, *more* people will come with their //crap, puns and chat.// Not supposed to make the problem worse, [kbecker]!-- spacecadet, Mar 08 2004 Yeah, like the HB isn't already the first link for about anything you enter as a search term. (searches for Bathroom Button - first site - tries Alphabet Soup Punctuation, second site - tries the first two words that pop into head Type Donut, 31st site (Duelin' Donuts))-- Worldgineer, Mar 08 2004 //... but self-referential crap, puns and chat ...// Even that is much easier to bear if you have a little money for a few beers or a soothing ocean wave generator.
//with more people finding out about the HB// Why would more people find out? The links are out of the HB to other sites.
//move this idea to the halfbakery: category// I don't want a new category. All posts are subject to keyword search.-- kbecker, Mar 08 2004 Amazon (and many other sites) will pay linkees a referral fee if their link leads to a sale. Many ideas here generate links to a specific book - either factual or sci-fi - which elaborates on whatever point the poster is trying to make. Same goes for movies, music, etc. I'm sure the HB has been responsible for many sales that wouldn't otherwise have been made - seems only fair to me that the site manager should get a little something for their part in the transaction.-- lostdog, Mar 08 2004 [spacecadet], you must not understand. This isn't the halfbakery advertised and shown on google, this is about google adds advertised and shown on the halfbakery. Shouldn't attract more trolls. Or morons. Wait, is there a difference?-- ghillie, Mar 08 2004 I don't think this necessarily solves any current problem. Having said that, I would have no issue at all with advertisements on the bakery.-- waugsqueke, Mar 09 2004 Some fairly discreet (by that I mean they musn't start flashing, dancing around the page and singing. And the ought to fit in with the tasteful colour sceme.) adds wouldn't hurt much, especially if they are matched up with the idea categories. You never know, they might even be useful. (e.g. add for a fuel eficient car in the kill all SUV drivers section, comicbooks in the superhero section, etc.)-- RobertKidney, Mar 09 2004 As a newcomer to the halfbakery, I seem to be fast becoming addicted. Please put some ads, blinky things and banners, so It's not such a shock when I return to the rest of the internet, and make it easier for me to limit myself.-- n81641, Jun 12 2008 Ha! That's part of the problem you see. This place teaches you to hate sites with blinky stuff, clutter and anything except for the reason you went there. Which is all of them.-- wagster, Jun 12 2008 Whew. Didn't see the date on this and was worried for a mo.-- david_scothern, Jun 14 2008 random, halfbakery