ORIGINAL: MikeL
Michael, have a look at sites like avsforum.com and howardforums.com. AVS is an add-driven site like this one with a very clutter-free look, yet they're advertising supported. Granted, they do pull in a lot of high-end companies to buy space. Howardforums deals with cell phones mostly, and brings in a lot of business from smaller e-commerce sites. Both of these forums are about the same size as RCU, yet don't resort to obtrusive advertisements.
I went to avsforum.com. Hmmmm....if you ignore the impossible colors they have, one has to wonder what the value is of being one of 15 different postage stamp ads at the top (see image below). One of the things we try to do is balance consumer needs for pure content with advertisers' needs to be seen effectively. Also, our survey showed that a vast majority of folks like ads.
We are listening. This morning, I'll be working on an approval queue for all links and promo descriptions used in any keyword available on our site (suggested by another member). This will ensure the relevance and usefulness of the link. In the end, the links are far less obtrusive than most ads (remember, if a user decides to highlight or link a word, it will supercede the keyword underline). You don't have to click on the link and if you want to peek at what the link might be, just mouseover. I view these as mini portals to other resources -- available, but not mandatory. Once we begin filtering where they go, they should prove to be useful for many many members.
If we are wrong, I'm sure the members will let us know!
Thanks for your constructive comments.