A happy post from across the street...

[IGWT]

I run Firefox w/ Adblock Plus on the CU Forum (blocking not only ads, but also oversized signature pictures). I'm not banned.

[WoodenJefferson]

I run Firefox w/ Adblock Plus on the CU Forum (blocking not only ads, but also oversized signature pictures). I'm not banned.

 

Don might be reading this.

[michael]

I run Firefox w/ Adblock Plus on the CU Forum (blocking not only ads, but also oversized signature pictures). I'm not banned.

 

Don might be reading this.

 

be really careful you might be put into a pcgs work camp in siberia

 

and/or blackballed from the evil empire as these kool aid slabbers think they are the ONLY IMPORTANT ASPECT OFTHE COIN MARKET

[CarlWohlforth]

Truly over the top.

 

The amount of ads across the street are too much. The reaction of mgmt to ad blockers is very, well, reactionary! This site has more ads than my site but I find them to be acceptable.

 

When exploring forums it seems clear that people are seeking action. They will accept annoying ads just to be on a site with frequent posts. Lesson to admins: more traffic will bear more ads, little traffic suggests ad removal will help.

 

Even my hero, Bill Jones, admits visiting PCGS when things get slow here. This site is slow, but still probably ranks in the top 5 of the sites I've visited in the past few days.

 

I have signed up at about a dozen sites in the past few days. These sites are the ones on the first few pages when you query "coin forums". Mine is new and is on, like, page 24. Some software is better than others. Some forums display even more ads than PCGS does, believe it or not!

 

Anyway you don't make friends or customers by banning them!

[Coindude]

be really careful you might be put into a pcgs work camp in siberia

Is that where they teach you to grade two points lower than actual grade!!

[Schatzy]

be really careful you might be put into a pcgs work camp in siberia

Is that where they teach you to grade two points lower than actual grade!!

 

Unless your a dealer then you get one point higher than the actual grade!!

[MarkFeld]

“Anyone blocking ads will be removed from the board. “

 

DonWillis

President, PCGS

Friday June 19, 2009 11:19 AM

Do you mean banner ads? Surely it's a joke ?

I don't think it was a joke - the thread was locked. That said, I was shocked when I saw that comment by Don Willis.

 

Seriously Mark, shocked?

 

I'm perplexed and surprised you would think a PCGS representative (no matter who) wouldn't or couldn't come up with that.

Yes, Pat, I was shocked by that specific reply. Had it been accompanied by an explanation or been phrased less harshly, I would have felt differently.

[RareSov]

Wow harsh.. force fed ads ? no thanks. Server side could look at which IP addresses are not downloading ads despite page views.. I will make a point not to click them now..

 

Having the subject brought up simply makes me realise how many ads the site has when you look.. I count 11..

 

As for ads.. do we even have ads over here ? thanks NGC.. very few.

[EZ_E]

[font:Book Antiqua]PEOPLE CONTROL - GOV'T SANCTIONED[/font]

[DC Dawg]

As for ads.. do we even have ads over here ? thanks NGC.. very few.

I wouldn't know... I run Firefox with the AdBlock Plus and NoScript add ons!

 

Scott

[Coindude]

I wouldn't know... I run Firefox with the AdBlock Plus and NoScript add ons!

Scott

Banned!!!

[DC Dawg]

I wouldn't know... I run Firefox with the AdBlock Plus and NoScript add ons!

Scott

Banned!!!

[WoodenJefferson]

Sung to the tune of Bob Dylan's "Rolling Stone"

 

Once upon a time your collection looked so fine, large cents to a bust dime, in your prime, didn’t you?

People called said “beware of banner ads that should not be canned; you’re bound to be banned”

You thought they were all a-kiddin’ you

You use to laugh about everybody that was banning ads

Now you don’t talk so loud, now you don’t seem so proud

About having to be scrounging your next deal

 

How does it feel?

How does it feel?

To be without a forum home

Like a complete unknown

Like a collector gnome

 

[gbsten]

EXCELLENT!

[James_OldeTowne]

From the posts I've read from Don on the PCGS board, he seems like an utter person_who_is_obnoxiously_self-impressed bag. Other PCGS execs (David Hall, Ron Guth) seem to be nice people, but Don Willis does not seem to be a nice person at all.

I have dealt with Don several times prior to him going to PCGS, and he was always great to deal with. It would be really saying something if being brought into the PCGS fold changes someone's personality that much. Jeez, I hope that isn't the case.

 

Anyone know how the blocking works? Does the browser just not send the retrieve command for the picture?

 

I use FireFox with Adblock and am rather aggressive in adding blocks. I just looked at that link using IE and was surprised at how many ads are on the threads. Two picture ads at the top, then Google ads (including one for another slabbing outfit), then at the bottom more Google ads, and three more picture ads at the bottom.

 

BTW, if you use Adblock, you can see the statistics on how many ads are blocked based on each filter. Mine shows over 60,000 blocks from the PCGS site.

Greg, you're right! I just jumped over there as well, and there are blinking ads all over the place, compared to when I use FireFox. And... I am using AdBlock as well (someone else set it up for me).

 

A few days ago, someone asked for a single pop report number on the forum ATS and Don Willis read him the riot act and told him he should pay for the pop reports rather than get them for free from others. Then other forum members pointed out how to get them for free (PCGS Registry, Heritage Auction Archives, etc.).

That's ridiculous. Do you have a link chance? I'd be interested the context of this instance.

 

I think that it's really poor form to be asking for an ad blocker in a thread on the forum you're utilizing. That's how the forum gets paid for in the first place.

 

Don probably misposted and that the spirit of his post was more along the lines of those seeking out adblockers or sharing them publicly on the forum will be banned. I actually kinda agree with that.

From the standpoint of cyberspace, I cannot agree. On numerous forums (non-coin related), I have seen such requests, and don't remember ever seeing an executive of the company hosting that forum threatening to ban someone for blocking ads. (By the way, I frequent camping and computer forums.)

 

By the way, I DO see banner ads and others here on NGC, but they seem to be very inoffensive and not distracting to me. I guess AdBlock is not configured to block them on NGC, but it does for the PCGS boards.

[RWB]

http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=724091&highlight_key=y

 

http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=724219&highlight_key=y&keyword1=pop%20report

 

A few days ago, someone asked for a single pop report number on the forum ATS and Don Willis read him the riot act and told him he should pay for the pop reports rather than get them for free from others.

[James_OldeTowne]

Correct me if I'm wrong - but isn't this the same Don Willis of Premium Numismatics that we are speaking of? These actions just seem so unlike him, or at least the way I remember him.

 

I hope there's a reasonable and sensible explanation of what's going on there.

[WoodenJefferson]

 

I hope there's a reasonable and sensible explanation of what's going on there.

 

They never see it coming!

[gbsten]

Hmmm...maybe we should give Don the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he hates that post as much as many. Many times just having the title doesn't mean someone else isn't pulling the puppet strings.

[BillJones]

It has been rumored for quite a while that the PCGS parent company is NOT doing well financially. Some have been predicting their financial collapse. When a company is in this position, it is usually hell to work there, especially if you are CEO.

 

PCGS has threatened to shut down their message board in the past. They can’t seem to get it through their heads that the message board is a huge asset to them that helps their marketing efforts immeasurably. If they were to shut down Collectors Universe, it would have a very negative affect upon the PCGS products.

 

[michael]

let them shut down their boards

 

i dare them

 

stop threatening to do it it is unprofessional and surly

 

either do it or shut up

 

 

good riddence

[Oldtrader3]

I smell the odor of a HRH rat in all this nonsense. I did not renew OTS this year because I am tired of the whole PCGS board management scene. The can take their board and burn it for all I care!

 

I second, Michael. Close the PCGS board or shut up and be civil for a change!

[RareSov]

I didn't renew.. was in for one year mainly for pop reports and submitted nothing. Takes longer and costs more the only coins I would send would be to get trueviews or to make them more liquid to those PCGS only buyers, generally both reasons..

 

But I didn't renew a while back.. is that why I lost my avatar there and had to pick one of the default ones ?

[Zoins]

Has anyone actually been bammed for blocking ads?

[CarlWohlforth]

It is in my personal interest for PCGS to shut down their boards. I don't see why they have to though, one would think that people, as I do, would get tired of being bammed or watching others get bammed or threads poofed. There are plenty of other forums for people to frequent. I have spent less them there directly because of their heavy handed approach. I still post to their B/S/T because they still get more traffic than other boards, like for example, these boards. It is interesting to me that they still get so much traffic!

[James_OldeTowne]

A friend of mine PMed me last night and said that a thread titled something like "when will CAC have a registry" was posted by Perry Hall and banned within minutes ATS. I think that speaks volumes about the fears and frustrations over at PCGS headquarters.

[Coindude]

Carl, I understand your point of view, but I think it's in our best interest that the ATS board stay open. My reasoning for that is that we don't want most of those guys over here!!! I hang out at both boards, but the fact is that there's a lot to wade through to find a quality post over there. There seems to be a lot of.... oh, looky what I just spent 10,000 bux on and bet you can't spend as much this week kinda thing.

 

I do realize that there were some members here that were poofed from ATS, but I couldn't tell you who they were by the style they write in because that pretty much doesn't happen over here. Most likely I'd bet people who are here got the boot from over there because they were asking the stand up questions that needed to be asked!

 

On another note, if you look at the posts over here, a quality post will stay on the front board for a week if not more. ATS you'd be lucky if it lasts the afternoon. And, if you aren't in the in crowd then you might get ignored altogether. There are a lot of great people here who don't have to be arrogant to feel good about themselves, and I for one enjoy that very much.

[James_OldeTowne]

Coindude, fantastic post!

[TomB]

There were at least two threads regarding CAC that were pulled last night. One had a dozen or so responses and dealt with the new online CAC population report while the other was a question asking about a CAC registry.

[leeg]

I think Longacre said his Happy Birthday post was "poofed" also.