# Advertising in Wordreference dictionaries



## lintjack

Using Wordreference dictionaries has now become a daunting task for a  teacher who has been using Wordreference satisfactorily with his classes  over five years. This is so thanks to the large host of advertisements  that keep popping up on this site, making it difficult for students to  concentrate on their work. Videoclips advertising for condoms, windows  that won't close despite repeated attempts at clicking them shut, and  other niceties will eventually force me, and certainly other teachers,  to look elsewhere for a good dictionary online. Thank you for all those  past years.


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## JamesM

I'm sorry to hear that the advertisements are causing problems, lintjack.

Registered users don't see any advertisements. The registration process is very short and fairly simple. WordReference really only requires one piece of information - the user's native language. Location is requested and is very helpful.

Could you simply have your students register and login here? It would eliminate the problems with advertisements.

I have heard of many classes that do the same.


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## lintjack

Thank you so much for your hints.


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## mkellogg

I really would encourage you to click "report an inappropriate ad" when you see an ad that you don't like.  Follow the directions and I will personally review the ad.  That happened with the condom ad that lintjack mentioned.  Somebody reported it and I got it removed.

I'm actually in Spain right now and I can now see the ads that are showing here, and I hope to make some minor changes in the next couple of weeks.

Mike


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## panjandrum

It is not the purpose of this forum to discuss ways to prevent legitimate advertising.
Posts on that theme have been deleted.


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## aloysius

Dear Panjandrum,

I don't mean to be  contentious, and I find it legitimate for this site to post advertisements; however, the flashy, animated advertisements at the top of the page are very, VERY distracting, and it does NOT go away even though I am in fact registered.

I think it's fair to object to advertising that is so in-your-face that you find yourself greatly annoyed, distracted, and ready to go find another site. I don't want to do that because I think this is an excellent site. 

In my opinion, such advertisements ARE inappropriate, because they make it nerve-wracking to use the sight. And if registering does not make these ads go away, which it doesn't, then people are well-advised to consider installing the Firefox add-on AdBlock Plus. It does work.

Just to be clear -- I have no problem with an ad which does not distract from the main purpose of this site (for me at least), which is to study.  But just as in a library or study hall, where people are expected to be quiet and well-behave, ads should do the same.

Lintjack's complaint was legitimate, and JamesM's suggestion of registering simply doesn't work, so the problem remains. I believe this is a fair topic of discussion in a democratic society where freedom is dissent is a cherished right.


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## JamesM

Perhaps I am mistaken, but are you saying that if you register and log in you still see ads?  I only see them if I am not logged in.


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## aloysius

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I tried it just now again to make sure of myself. I am logged in, with AdBlock Plus disabled in Firefox, and I am getting those obnoxious animated ads at the top of the page. Are you saying your experience is otherwise?


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## JamesM

Yes, it is, but that may be a part of being a moderator.  I apologize for causing any confusion.

It is worth restating that there are significant costs to hosting and running a site like this, ranked one of the top 400 sites in terms of traffic on the internet.  Advertising pays those costs.

As Mike has said, please report any obnoxious ads.  I know he is able to filter out ads but he needs to know which ones are causing problems.


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## mkellogg

aloysius said:


> Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I tried it just now again to make sure of myself. I am logged in, with AdBlock Plus disabled in Firefox, and I am getting those obnoxious animated ads at the top of the page. Are you saying your experience is otherwise?


Hi,

First, I think you are talking about the dictionaries, not the forums.  People logged into the forums do not see ads in the forums, but they continue to see them in the dictionaries.

Second, if you are seeing obnoxious blinking ads, complaining here will not help much.  I highly recommend clicking "report an inappropriate ad" (in the dictionaries, below the ads on the right) and following the directions there to report the ad.  I will see the report and act on it (if I agree).  Not only will the ad disappear for you, but for everybody in your country.


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