Quote Originally Posted by bear@bearkilts.com
People don't watch television for the ads but I hear that's a medium that's doing fairly well. Talk about a commercial venue! People tune in to enjoy the shows (forums) and in the process, see the commercials (ads).
I heard television has some rules about what you can say/do/show, as well. They're a bit stricter than this place. In fact they have their own censors!
Television is pretty much a one-way medium. The viewers don't interact with the show. A closer analogy would be a radio talk show.. they have commercials too. But, if there were a sports show where callers could not criticize the performance or comments made by players or management because the team runs ads, what kind of show would you have?

I wasn’t trying to kick a hornet’s nest here, contrary to what Graham and a few others may think. I understand the moderators are trying to walk a fine line and I really do appreciate the work they do to keep this board on-topic and static free. This is a wonderful place for many reasons, not the least of which is their good judgment. But, what keeps me coming back is the people.. all of you reading this. Even the ones I don’t agree with most of the time. I like to hear other opinions and experiences.

The fact that Hank turns a profit here is a testament to his savvy, but I don’t know anyone that comes here for the ads. They come here for the content that readers such as yourself provide. The open and frank discussion of all things kilted.. that is the “entertainment value” here. Making people feel they cannot post their honest opinion on a product or service and curtailing feedback to those comments in favor of protecting advertisers (or the appearance of such) frankly, takes away from the credibility of the forums.. something I, for one, do not wish to see happen.

The fact that this thread has not been deleted (yet) gives me great hope that maybe the situation is not as bad as some believe. It does inspire hope for an optimistic future!