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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 17,637 ✭✭✭✭elperello


    I'm following this thread to keep up to date with Important News ie. messages from Boards owner, staff and mods about the survival of the site.

    Instead it's being filled with a lot of irrelevant posts.

    Could we at least split of all the chat into another thread and leave this one as a notice board ?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,092 ✭✭✭gameoverdude


    One i noticed at the end of a page and you thank a comment, it brings you to a full page advertisement.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,090 ✭✭✭✭con747


    Have a look in the motors forum or the electrical/diy/building/renewables/bicycle/fitness and many more that people go to and ask how to do things, the site is as good as ever for people helping others out when in need. There is way too much emphasis being put on a couple of forums here when there are plenty of well run well used ones on the site with no issues and full of well intentioned members willing to help others.

    Don't expect anything from life, just be grateful to be alive.

    Help Keep Boards.ie Alive sign up here

    https://subscriptions.boards.ie/ Keep Boards Subscribed To.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 5,637 ✭✭✭Slutmonkey57b


    In this case, why would your name and address be captured in order to process the payment?

    Boards are not delivering anything to your house, so they do not need your address or your name.

    The payment processor needs your card details, and to get authorisation from your bank. Again they don't need your personal details to do that.

    Your bank don't need your personal details to authorise the payment.

    Boards will know that email address x belonging to username y authorised a payment. They already got that information when you signed up.

    The only way someone would find out your real name and address in this scenario is by asking your bank/ card issuer/Paypal to divulge it. Which they can't do under GDPR.

    So what makes you believe that boards is going to be able to link your username to your real identity based on a card transaction?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,297 ✭✭✭eightieschewbaccy


    1000062337.png

    The mobile website gets a full page ad every few clicks.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 281 ✭✭user060916




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,066 ✭✭✭ForestFire


    Its not really my concern...but I understand the question, that some people don't want their posts easily associated with their name and address.

    Card details and emails are irrelevant.

    As I said for me, anyone that knows me in real life , wouldn't take long to know it's me here. Anyone that wanted to identify me probably could from my post and username. So again for me I don't care.

    But can boards not confirm of the 648 subscriptions so far, did they receive an address, even for one, and even if unintentionally? Its a simple question, and others speculating does not help.

    Maybe card company sent it in error, or send if regardless of delivery, or for invoices, I have no clue, only boards can give a yes or no answer for the subs and payments they received so far.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,309 ✭✭✭✭dulpit


    Opened up boards on Mobile. Clicked star for my bookmarks. Clicked into a thread. Clicked star to go back to bookmarks and that's when I got a full screen ad.

    1000086490.jpg


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,309 ✭✭✭✭dulpit


    And to finish journey:

    Took screenshot of the ad, closed it. My bookmarks appeared. Clicked into this thread, posted the above. Clicked into bookmarks again, another full screen ad.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,219 ✭✭✭✭Snake Plisken


    Have you paid the sub yourself? As I dont see "paid member" beside your user name?



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  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,983 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    @gameoverdude please stop filling the thread with nonsense.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 3,099 ✭✭✭Oíche Na Gaoithe Móire


    Equally obvious is the condescension and lecturing from the 'Paid Members' a large cohort of whom happen to be some of the smugest posters across boards.

    Ones I've found to be some of the most unwelcoming on boards. I'll never forget might first experience of posting in the rugby forum in 2016. I was making a point about Graham Henry's recognition of Joey Carberry. I got absolutely fleeced about what would Henry know. I pointed out he won a RWC in 2011 as a manager, something no one commenting had. The reaction! That has been one side of the Boards experience for me, you don't really forget it.

    Post edited by Oíche Na Gaoithe Móire on

    'Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns It's lonely eyes to you.'



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 365 ✭✭Banjo Carney


    Same as that, along with the jumping the site is a real pain to use, on mobile anyhow.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,649 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    I'd say most of the people on motors (or any other form) asking questions and getting answers are people who have been for years anyway.

    I'm here decades and have recently asked questions in motors for the first time in the last year.

    As I said it's not like it used to be, (young) people today are less likely to look here for an answer to their question.

    Thus traffic numbers will always be falling.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 15,490 ✭✭✭✭Arghus


    Maybe there just isn't enough hours in the day or literal bodies available for it, but is there any plans to actively publicise this outside of the site?

    I think there's people out there who would subscribe but they don't even know there's a drive on to save the site. If you aren't logging in regularly you could easily not have a clue. I'd be giving quotes to every media organisation in the country. There's still loads of goodwill out there towards boards.

    And it's a compelling story, in my view: home-grown, massive history and presence in Irish online - even social -life, the whole social history aspect of it, the uniqueness of it, how its struggles are indicative of changing Internet & communication in general.

    Maybe there's plans a foot I don't know, but if you really want subs that bad I'd be trying something along those lines.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,297 ✭✭✭eightieschewbaccy




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 3,099 ✭✭✭Oíche Na Gaoithe Móire


    The Monk was asked about the boards.ie situation earlier…

    He replied 'ye'se are like a shower of fcuking dying wasps'.

    'Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns It's lonely eyes to you.'



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,115 ✭✭✭CrowdedHouse


    .…

    Screenshot_20250808_172741_Samsung Internet.jpg Screenshot_20250808_172913_Samsung Internet.jpg

    Seven Worlds will Collide



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 5,637 ✭✭✭Slutmonkey57b


    Who is speculating?

    Start a payment, don't finish it, you'll see what information they ask for.

    Address and name information is not transmitted as part of a card payment request to your bank.

    It is not returned in the approval message.

    A merchant can't "accidentally" get your address.

    Ask your bank if you don't believe random posters on the Internet.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 677 ✭✭✭BP_RS3813


    I'm not getting any fullscreen ads, just the usual low banner horizontal ads(the rare time I don't have any ad blocker enabled on here).

    The reality of advertising is that ads are getting far too 'in your face'/invasive. Its the reason more and more people are using ad blockers myself included.

    Not to mention the scam/general bullsh*t/generative AI ads.

    Combine the AI results being built into browsers and legitimate companies paying less for advertising as people are paying for ad free experiences or are using ad blockers means ad revenue is naturally going to fall. Especially for an old discussion site like boards.

    I'm pretty sure DuckDuckGo (What I use) blocks some ads automatically anyway - the screenshots with the full ads seem to be using google/built in default browser??



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 6,710 ✭✭✭archfi


    The users here right now are the only or vast, vast majority of who will possibly save it, give it breathing space - the idea of mods in the hobby and speciality forums and some regional forums PMing the active users sounds like a good idea because those forums not CA or AH or politics are the engine of this site IMO.

    I've said from the start it is up to each individual whether they want to contribute or not and that remains but i'd hope posters that find the various forums they find useful (as in they're on them day in, day out and sometimes even trade and profit through them) and who can spare it could be nudged to make the big leap.

    Or click on the multiple ads to help the site out currently.

    They are the choices to help right here, right now.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 16,765 ✭✭✭✭Goldengirl


    Stripe are very reliable and don't send anything in error .

    Odhrán answered this question a few weeks ago here ..

    I won't be wading through it to find it for you but it's the week of 14th July I think ..I know thats a while ago so maybe @Boards.ie: Odhran could sticky that info for people if it is bothering them ?

    Help keep Boards going , subscribe or donate if you can.

    https://subscriptions.boards.ie/



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 8,678 ✭✭✭corkie


    Odhran said:- "Everything is stored securely on stripe.. we don't keep any card details." on 25th July!

    Sorry was told off before for quoting mod posts before, so not embedding the posts!

    The links are in my signature! But will add the links again so people can bookmark?

    Odhran & Mikes latest comments.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,899 ✭✭✭Quantum Erasure


    Mentioned here that the merchant can see card type, first 6 and last 4 digits, and cardholders name



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 8,678 ✭✭✭corkie


    I can't believe this is still an issue for some people still after clear statements issued? It is not like Odhran or any other staff are going out of there way to obtain as much information from the payment process!

    image.png

    Best of look to people needing to access their socials/websites when faced with the need to verify age! With information they may need to share.



  • Registered Users, Subscribers, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,747 ✭✭✭hometruths


    From the OP:

    Starting today, ads will be re-enabled across the site. From next week, we’re also introducing an Ad-Free Membershipoption. This subscription will help cover the basic running costs. If enough people support us through membership, our goal is to remove ads entirely. In the meantime, please consider whitelisting Boards.ie and disabling your ad blocker to help support the site.

    Our goal is to reach 2,000 paying members. We know that’s ambitious - but with a mix of member support and ad revenue, we believe we can keep the lights on.

    So the OP appears to me to state that with 2000 subs boards has sufficient revenue to operate without ads.

    That escalated quickly to boards.ie will be shut down entirely in 90 days if we don't get 2000 subs, here's the site to monitor progress keepboardsalive.ie, please step up and do the right thing etc etc.

    So which is it? 2000 subs is the goal to operate the site without ads, or 2000 subs is the goal to keep the lights on?

    I am not suggesting that boards is deliberately using this ambiguity and panic to boost the subscriber numbers, but a bit of clarity on this point seems to me far more important than fretting about whether or not Odhran is secretly planning to harvest your personal details from Stripe.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,257 ✭✭✭The Rooster


    That’s fair Tod, but people also go to forums to just chat with people of similar interests.

    I’ve seen the soccer forum get some stick, but i rejoined about a year ago and it’s really been an excellent place for great discussion. At least 80% of contributors and mods are mature adults who can discuss and agree and disagree like normal adults.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,649 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    Soccer died with the vanilla move, it got put into a group far away without threads appearing on the homepage, because access was restricted since the early '00s and it was not allowed to live with the rest of the site.

    Last year access was opened up and now it appears like a normal to thread.

    But the damage was done, now it's just club Superthreads, there is nothing there for the likes of myself with an interest in the sport but doesn't follow any club.

    Back in the day there were individual threads for each game of the premier league weekend, now there is hardly a season premiere league thread.

    I looked back on my old profile from 20 years ago and the amount of threads I was posting in in soccer was massive, it was 90% of my posting.

    But young people don't come here for a discussion.

    They get it on other social media. I'd love to know the average post count or account age of regular posters here, apart from rereg trolls if say it high and old.

    I find myself reading the comments on stories that appear on my FB feed as much as I do read threads here.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 92,222 ✭✭✭✭JP Liz V1


    It's a shame to see this site getting bashed in other places especially by whom I think are mods on here , pretty low behaviour imho

    No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change this World



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 56,021 ✭✭✭✭Headshot


    Yup, it doesn’t fill confidence for posters like me who have doubts about subscribing when a mod can effectively bury the forum. If some mods don’t seem to care, why should the posters?

    If some how boards survive these mods will just carry on in their position, the system is just broken



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