[MisterCookie]

I was just on ffxi.somepage.com the other day without an ad blocker, and noticed that they are running several ads for IGE. These are not google ads, and apparently are hosted on the somepage servers. Should a movement be started to boycott them, and use alternate sources of information, like mysterytour or the FFXI wiki?

Again, these are not google ads, but intentionally placed ones.

[Murphie]

While I haven't boycotted Somepage, I do find myself using it less and less since the advent of the FFXIwiki.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ads.

[Jei]

Somepage is free for all to use and is very helpful. I don't really mind their advertising, they need to fund their site too.

[Xephus]

I can't offer my opinion because almost all FFXI sites have helped me, but somepage is good for like.....gardening and you can get that for a few sites, but boycotting isn't worth it, the site needs to get funded somehow..

[Caspian]

Honestly, I'm more irked that the ads get around the popup blocker than anything else. Could really care less what they're ads for.
But yeah, Wiki ftw. Explain things much better and I've found them to be more accurate as well.

[Auron517]

I really think of it as inevitable. The majority of the sites with tons of useful information on the game have succum to the almighty dollar, and have let RMT run ads on their sites.

DiV and FFXIclopedia are the only ones I noticed that don't have "buy gil now" adds on them. KillingIfrit, Allakhazam, Somepage, FFXIAH, even FFXIPlayers all have RMT ads. I certainly don't approve of this, me not using the information isn't going to change the fact that the ads exist.

Simply using the website and not paying attention to the rmt links is all you really can do

[Gentoo]

Unfortunately, having such a narrow niche, there's not broad number of organizations that somepage can attract for advertising money.

Free services like somepage use advertisements to keep themselves running (as opposed to organizations like allakhazam which have a subscription model). The advertisers, oddly enough, like a targeted audience so their money spent on advertising pays off.

Who else is going to advertise on a sit about Final Fantasy XI? REI? Volkswagen?

[Caspian]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Who else is going to advertise on a sit about Final Fantasy XI? REI?

I'm probably one of the few, but if they did it would be one of, if not the first ad I've ever clicked on a site.

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by Caspian

Honestly, I'm more irked that the ads get around the popup blocker than anything else. Could really care less what they're ads for.
But yeah, Wiki ftw. Explain things much better and I've found them to be more accurate as well.

Somepage gets data up faster about new updates than the wiki, however.

By the by, Opera blocks those pop-up ads just fine. I have zero issues visiting somepage.


Icemage

[Sabaron]

I've got a lot of the ads (esp from Alla) blocked on my router--I just get a nice little placeholder instead. Some of them get around it (Tribalfusion ads) I don't know where they originate from nor have I bothered to check, and Firefox isn't blocking them... maybe I need to adjust a setting.

Anyway, Somepage is extremely accurate compared to say, Alla. I mean, right now, the recipes for the Adaman Slayer Kilijs list Darksteel Kilijs instead... Even though the recipes were widely known before they even posted the update. Somepage has very thourough checking, but it's database is terribly limited. They have only the most basic information--mostly datamined. The FFXIWiki is much richer in detail and I use it quite frequently, but still refer to Somepage because.... well, I don't know why. Probably because they're there? FFXIClopedia has a wiki address interface which makes it much easier to look up an item--I don't even have to use the search box most of the time, I just reformat the object name and pass it to the top page. Somepage uses a (IMO) antiquated numerical index. Both sites are orders of magnitude faster then Alla, but they don't have 100 idiots and/or knowledgable people posting on each object. Of course, on Alla, you never know whether the information is bogus or not.

Case in point: I've been trying to learn Claw Cyclone for something like 4 days now (it's not that great of a spell, being AoE, but I want it) and I noticed that someone mentioned using Azure Lore gives you a 100% chance to learn the spell. Ecstatic, but wary, I tried this... Didn't get the spell, despite being 21st level (it's a 20th level spell)--I got Soporific on my first try (without AL), so I suppose that makes up for it.

[Likibiki]

Why do people even care about this?

No one's happy about it, sure, but it's never going to go away...

[Balfree]

On a side note, you support the host of the ads by clicking those ads, if its a site i like, i go ahead and click those ads, but if its a gilseller ad, i aint clicking them ever.

And yes i click the ffxionline's ads before loging in each time, lets all do the same for a good cause ;-P

*shameless plug*

[Mog]

You don't want to see advertisements? Get firefox and manually turn them off.

[Hantz]

I'm addicted to the wiki. The only time I check somepage is when somebody puts a link to it in a post here. I don't like the lack of pictures for some reason.

[Futan]

Originally Posted by Mog

You don't want to see advertisements? Get firefox and manually turn them off.

Or just use teh hosts file. ;o