Crazy Ads on Goodreads

[Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (NURTURE)]

Am I the only one who has noticed an influx of random ads on Goodreads that aren't book related in any way? I'll be the first one to admit that it's really irritating & frustration when I accidentally "rollover" an ad that then expands and takes up half of my computer screen.

 

On Goodreads they have ads for:

• books

• trucks

• cars

• laundry detergent

• food stuffs

• movies

• household appliances

 

The list goes on and on.

 

I remember a time, not too long ago, when there were just book and book-related ads on Goodreads that I enjoyed looking at and clicking on from time to time, but now I don't pay attention to the ads -- books or not.

 

It's sad really...they are commercializing it so much that it's ruining the "atmosphere" that Goodreads was known for. I hope that they tone it down a bit...

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

[Grace]

Ads are annoying, but sometimes they are necessary to keep good web communities free.  Hosting and upkeep does cost money, and I'd rather there be some ads on the site than have to pay to use it.

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Books Without Any Pictures

[Mk - PopcornReads.com]

I've seen more movie ads than before but all the ones I've seen were movies based on books. Other than that, all of the ads I've seen were book related. I haven't seen the other kinds of ads you mentioned - that I would not be thrilled about.

I also recognize the need for advertising to keep good web sites going but I don't think it does much good for a site to use ads that don't relate to the content.

[Mary (BookHounds)]

I read a lot of books about dogs and I get hit with ASPCA ads every time I log in now.  At least it is targeted to me.  I think they may have started using Google contextual ads which track key words in your searches there.  They don't charge for the use of the site, so I don't mind the ads. 

Also, Shelfari is now owned by Amazon so I would expect to see a lot more of their ads there in the near future.

[Camelia Miron Skiba]

Can't agree more. I trained my eyes better than horses' glasses (LOL) not to look at those ads. On the other hand nothing comes free these days, right?

[Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (NURTURE)]

Sorry, I should have posted some examples:

 

Obviously I'm not referring to the book ads. :-)

 

[Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (NURTURE)]

[Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (NURTURE)]

Well, this ad gets a passing grade...sort of. :-)

[Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (NURTURE)]

[Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (NURTURE)]

Can you spot the ads? :-)

[Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (NURTURE)]

I found those 4 ads within a few minutes of being on Goodreads.

I guess the point that I’m trying to make, if any, is that I don’t see anything wrong with them making money from advertising (which they surely do), but it would be nice if (in a perfect world) they'd stick to book/eBook or book-related ads.

Just saying... :-)

[Zakiya LadyWings]

I agree! I'm not too fond of ads. The only one that catches my eye on GRs anymore is the trailer for Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But lately, even that one isn't appealing. Toning down on the ads would be ah-mazing!

[Christy]

I didn't even know they had ads on Goodreads.  I use Firefox with Adblock, and I've never seen one.