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November 2009 
Big Towel
Posted on Oct 2nd, 2008
by 
mimi
mimi
I don't know about you, but the latest Gaia improvements are not all winners.
Take for instance the Big Towel Ad --
Instead of having 20 lovely Gaia friends showing - now there's only 8. .
And this big White Rolled up Towel has taken up the space where 12 friends lived.
I mean, come on folks, there's already a huge banner across the top. no I think it's 2 banners, and enough crazy things that if you are not accurate pointing and clicking the mouse, you get some crazy ad for something. The darn cinema thing is one i keep hitting.
Really, do we need more ads inserted on our home page? I would rather see the glowing faces of my friends, not a damn towel. Yikes, now it "affordable furniture."
Thank you..
Access: Public
If you squint and look at it, then the towel could be a big, blue cinnamon roll … on a half shell. :-) Nah, not really. Probably just my PMS cravings… . seriously, I hear ya about the ads.
Interesting. It makes one wonder if some of the layout changes were due to a new marketing plan that included taking over that particular spot on the page. Hmmm….
I have Gaia + and don't see the ads anymore, but…the idea of this still bothers me somehow…
and the ads are squishing the blogs…. they've taken over our sacred space.
Yike! yep, I am feeling squished on one side by a big seal or walrus, and the other by side by some eco=chic thing. What in hell is eco=chic?
isn't that an oxymoron?
Is that SoyJoy Bunny still hopping around? He used to drive me crazy; in fact, that's what ultimately led me to join Gaia +.
I hadn't noticed about the friends list! OMG, I've been replaced by a towel? :-D
The layout seems roomier…but so do the ads.
eco is the new ego tsk. the latest trend on the market.. when I looked at gaia offline earlier, my heart sank. the new size adds sure seem rather bombastic compared to the former lil square thingies with more space in between.. thank goddess it's not a wet towel ;-)
Hey MS,
I “missed” the SoyJoy Bunny. I was quite oblivious to the ads except when Miss Mousie wandered over to those nether regions.. Another friend mentioned some ad at the top (some dark haired guru type guy). I had not noticed him till she pointed him (the ad) out.
But because my friends icons were removed, it threw me off to see the Big Towel there. I liked having friends' icons showing, because it would remind me to say Hi, thinking of you. It seems more and more space is being taken up by ads.
Like Liza mentioned, the blog pages are squished now by ads.
Everything changes, we learn to live with it.
My dearest Res, you could never be replaced by a towel or anything else,. You are etched in my memory and heart whether your icon is there or not.
Hey Morningstar, the friend who pointed out the guru ad questioned me as to whether or not I had the ads or if I was ad free (because I had been chosen as ambassador) - like did I get the ad free thing. I did not even know you could pay to be ad free. That's what I don't like - nothing is for free or part of the service. Everything turns into a 'PRODUCT' - some way to make us pay. I hate that!
Hey Tara,
It seems everything is Marketing. Everytbing is marketed, people, concepts, service. Honestly, does it always have to be about the money. Must every cent be wrung out of us. I remember screaming in a bank, “Don't you people do anything for free anymore?” Aaaah, but that is another topic - the Banks ;>((((
More space? probably just room for future ads - I'd bet on it!
ladies and gents, I will have to agree… I have to go searching for my list, my friends, my pods, while all the ads are jumping up and down… I thought this was a spiritual community, not an ad board, this is old paradigm thinking and behavior… Did we have any say in this formate or did the Bush administration take over here too?
Hey all,
Sorry about the ad change. But at least we were able to drop the 6 smaller ads by using this one larger size. (And it actually makes us more money – so as co-owners/co-tenders of Gaia, hope you'll be happy that we can support ourselves more easily…)
And I promise your eyes will start to ignore it soon… I saw it for awhile, and then I just didn't. Love how the mind works like that.
Thanks for letting us take up a bit of the space, and hope the cleanup and better navigation makes up for the headache of getting used to the rearrangement…
Love,
C
Haven't you read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? When 2012 comes, you'll need your towel!
And gang? There's a bit of a conversation happening on this very topic in the Forum here, and I'd be honored if you all came to join. Again, we need to pay for the site in some way (confession: we've never come close to breaking even…), and our options come down to ads or subscriptions. I like offering both, so people can pick their poison, so to speak, and so that the site will always be free for those who wish! But other creative solutions are very, very welcomed… :)
Thanks for informing us of what we can do and how we can be of assistance.
Jeff
Hi gaias. We hear you! Ads are no fun. The new design is all about improved navigation and a more spaceous feel, overall. Our aim is to continue to make the site easier and easier to use. Ads are a fact of life, unfortunately, so we have to keep them in mind when we design, of course. It pains us to have 'em, but this site is here for you and we'll always need a bit of revenue to keep the doors open. Thanks so much for your feedback…. Much appreciated, as always! :)
I understand the need to create revenue.
Maybe be more considerate about where the ads are placed.. There is a lot of white space available. Removing friends to replace them with an ad is a bit “in your face.”. While it might be a good marketing ploy, it is more imporant not to annoy and alienate people. Never alienate your base. (remember New Coke)
Sure, we will get used to the ads. But introducing them skillfully would be a much better tactic. And someone check the wording. Don't be cute and meaningless (eco-chic) Be intelligent because we are intelligent. Don't underestimate us.
I understand we live in a capitalist society. Put all the ads in a row, so we can choose to look at the ones that interest us. If there be ads, make them interesting, say what you mean, be truthful, and watch where you are placing them. . Be gentle in what you do and how you do it. .Oh well, that is how it would be in my elusive Perfect World.
Mimi, smiling imagine unrolling the towel, like an arab rolled up in a carpet / rug we will magically appear. lol
well said Mimi! keep after them! I am right behind you!
Hey Jeff
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Sometimes “experts” sell ideas to companies. And they are bad ideas. Or sometimes, they are not half bad, but just need some tine tuning. Here at least we get a chance to complain, and as you can see, someone actually reads and listens and replies. In the end, it is their decision, but being listened to and acknowledged makes me feel good about what is happening here. We can't always get our way. But at least someone listens….kudos!
(((hugs)))to all
You know, if that towel is big, the shell in which it's resting must be HUGE…
Hey mum,
I like your idea of having all the ads in one place, and then you could go over to the place yourself and see what they have to offer. And if you saw something you liked, you could order it up.
I am worried, I keep seeing the ad for Affordable Furniture—most of friends are now under it.!
WhooHoo Siona, where can I buy one of those huge shells?
Oh dear! After reading the comments about these new bigger ads on Gaia, I want to make sure that a new ad I am developing for Terrill Welch – A Woman Behind Women enhances exposure of my work and doesn’t create negative feedback as another “in-your-face” advertisement.
Mimi, as one of my Gaia friends, (others are welcome to comment as well) could you possibly stop by my posting and have a look at and comment on the A Woman Behind Women advertisement before Monday night… and before I pass it along to the Gaia team for its blink-of-the-eyelashes exposure.
The comments here have pulled hard both on my desire for choosing when and what ads I am exposed to and my need to reach out and step up as a business so that potential clients know that I exist. I can only imagine what it must be like for the Gaia Team to be searching for revenue sources and finding ways to respect our advertising-sensitive community.
Anyway, here is a chance to influence at least ONE advertisement before it is posted.
I definately don't want to squish any of my friends!
With much warmth and appreciation… Terrill