Aa
Premium Subscription without ads
Hi MedHelp,
I would definitely be interested in paying a monthly or yearly premium to be able to view this site "ad free."
Currently I have two annual subscriptions to online magazines -- for subscription holders the site has no advertising, and for those who don't want to pay, they have same exact access but with ads.
Maybe you could figure out how much you would need to charge for that service, then post in every forum to ask if members are interested. There might be a lot of people who never read the MedHelp Suggestion forum...
And, maybe other members who vote yes to Premium Subscription could add their name to this thread...
I like the new changes -- Thanks for continuing to make this site better!
pK
PS At the very least, could you please take off the "moving" ads! They make my eyes and head ache after a while...
I would definitely be interested in paying a monthly or yearly premium to be able to view this site "ad free."
Currently I have two annual subscriptions to online magazines -- for subscription holders the site has no advertising, and for those who don't want to pay, they have same exact access but with ads.
Maybe you could figure out how much you would need to charge for that service, then post in every forum to ask if members are interested. There might be a lot of people who never read the MedHelp Suggestion forum...
And, maybe other members who vote yes to Premium Subscription could add their name to this thread...
I like the new changes -- Thanks for continuing to make this site better!
pK
PS At the very least, could you please take off the "moving" ads! They make my eyes and head ache after a while...
We'd like to extend our thanks once again for the continued suggestions and input into the advertising as current and also to the potential future option of a "premium" or upgraded non-ad service!
Fully agree. It would be worth a subscription fee to get rid of ads.
I agree with you 100%, Cheryl.
It's been a labor of love.
I don't even have a problem with financial reward if they get so lucky. They deserve to be rewarded.
But peekawho makes the same point I do.
I assume MedHelp has no control over this.
I LOVE THIS SITE.
I apreciate the staff and the founders and all the people that are working behind the scenes to keep it up and running.
The ads, not so much.
Most people would have a cow if the ads were stopped and we had to pay to play. It's likely that very few would actually prefer to pay. I'm waffling, and I am sick of those ads where you're supposed to erase away the wrinkles.
The money has to come from somewhere. Advertising. I get it.
When I see an ad promising a cure for hypothyroidism or a guarantee to lose twenty pounds in a week, It makes it a little tough to discourage people from trying every goofy alternative thing that comes along.
But I am thankful MedHelp is here. I really, really am.
It's been a labor of love.
I don't even have a problem with financial reward if they get so lucky. They deserve to be rewarded.
But peekawho makes the same point I do.
I assume MedHelp has no control over this.
I LOVE THIS SITE.
I apreciate the staff and the founders and all the people that are working behind the scenes to keep it up and running.
The ads, not so much.
Most people would have a cow if the ads were stopped and we had to pay to play. It's likely that very few would actually prefer to pay. I'm waffling, and I am sick of those ads where you're supposed to erase away the wrinkles.
The money has to come from somewhere. Advertising. I get it.
When I see an ad promising a cure for hypothyroidism or a guarantee to lose twenty pounds in a week, It makes it a little tough to discourage people from trying every goofy alternative thing that comes along.
But I am thankful MedHelp is here. I really, really am.
As pointed out in the MedHelp post above, the story of how MedHelp was founded will touch anybody's heart - pls. take a moment to read it.
Having been an active member for almost 2yrs, it is my strong personal opinion that the way this entire site has been designed, run, and grown -- along with keeping their members in mind 100% of the time as their top priority without losing thier "pesonal touch"-- to me is a constant reminder of the real-life people behind MedHelp.
They would never put ads before the needs of their members in my opinion .. they are people like you and me with a common goal - "finding cures together".
Cheryl - Co-CL Thyroid
Having been an active member for almost 2yrs, it is my strong personal opinion that the way this entire site has been designed, run, and grown -- along with keeping their members in mind 100% of the time as their top priority without losing thier "pesonal touch"-- to me is a constant reminder of the real-life people behind MedHelp.
They would never put ads before the needs of their members in my opinion .. they are people like you and me with a common goal - "finding cures together".
Cheryl - Co-CL Thyroid
Advertisements run because of a business deal. Its impossible to see the ad and to know the parameters of the deal. Sometimes advertisers pay for impressions, sometimes for clicks, sometimes a combination of both.
Ads are computer code. The animation you see or any interaction -- someone wrote that. Just like any other piece of computer code, they can have bugs.
There was an ad just the other day that would spill all over Swampy's screen. It was a bug --the ad writer did not mean for that to happen. That ad was also otherwise a good ad -- it gave useful information, it wasn't overbearing in its color or animation, and it was accurate.
Medhelp certainly will have internal standards for ads. Ads that are not medically accurate, ads that write text of graphics outside of the assigned space, ads that have a pop-up box or a floating survey are all ads that likely violate one of these standards.
In the past, Swampy has reported some of these things to Medhelp and they have taken action.
So, the long and short of it is, if you see an ad that behaves badly, take a screen shot, and report it using contact us. In your report, tell Medhelp what kind of browser you are using (help->about from your menu bar).
However -- don't report ads because you simply don't like ads.
Ads are computer code. The animation you see or any interaction -- someone wrote that. Just like any other piece of computer code, they can have bugs.
There was an ad just the other day that would spill all over Swampy's screen. It was a bug --the ad writer did not mean for that to happen. That ad was also otherwise a good ad -- it gave useful information, it wasn't overbearing in its color or animation, and it was accurate.
Medhelp certainly will have internal standards for ads. Ads that are not medically accurate, ads that write text of graphics outside of the assigned space, ads that have a pop-up box or a floating survey are all ads that likely violate one of these standards.
In the past, Swampy has reported some of these things to Medhelp and they have taken action.
So, the long and short of it is, if you see an ad that behaves badly, take a screen shot, and report it using contact us. In your report, tell Medhelp what kind of browser you are using (help->about from your menu bar).
However -- don't report ads because you simply don't like ads.
My personal problem with the ads is particularly aimed at the ones that push weight loss "miracle" products. I do not like to see those, I think they are harmful, and I think its 1000% wrong for a medically oriented, health promoting website to accept those ads.
Granted, MH is not promoting the truly dangerous pills and products, as some other sites do. But the concept in general of "lose weight overnight" is damaging. We all know there is no quick fix in regards to weight loss. And I personally think that if MH endorses a product by accepting advertising for it, it may tend to legitimize the product in the eyes of a person who sees it.
"Gee! This Ancient Chinese Miracle Weight Loss Tea must really work. After all, its advertised on one of the greatest medical websites in the world".
That's my problem with the ads.
I'd pay for premium service, but I'll always be upset with MH for accepting snake oil ads such as that. And I'll always try to point out the irony in promoting such products on this website, whether I see the ads or not. If they're there, I will object.
Granted, MH is not promoting the truly dangerous pills and products, as some other sites do. But the concept in general of "lose weight overnight" is damaging. We all know there is no quick fix in regards to weight loss. And I personally think that if MH endorses a product by accepting advertising for it, it may tend to legitimize the product in the eyes of a person who sees it.
"Gee! This Ancient Chinese Miracle Weight Loss Tea must really work. After all, its advertised on one of the greatest medical websites in the world".
That's my problem with the ads.
I'd pay for premium service, but I'll always be upset with MH for accepting snake oil ads such as that. And I'll always try to point out the irony in promoting such products on this website, whether I see the ads or not. If they're there, I will object.
Peggy,
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
It is sad to see our active members accuse us of starting MedHelp only to sell products.
Please read through our “about us” (http://www.medhelp.org/history.htm) to learn more about why we started MedHelp and why we have worked on it for the last 15 years. If you have ever gone through such an experience you will know that there are things in life that are more important to people than just selling products. For many years we funded MedHelp ourselves as we believed the service was too important for it not to succeed.
As the site grew it required more and more resources. We asked our members whether they preferred us to charge for the service or fund it with ads and the majority opted for the ads. In an ideal world, the service would be free and there would be no ads, but in an ideal world everything would be free so that we could all work for free and not worry about hosting charges, utilities, and rent. The reality is that it costs to deliver the service and we need a way to fund it. Sorry you consider the ads insulting but please let us know if you wish to help us fund the service so that we can work towards removing the ads.
MedHelp
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
It is sad to see our active members accuse us of starting MedHelp only to sell products.
Please read through our “about us” (http://www.medhelp.org/history.htm) to learn more about why we started MedHelp and why we have worked on it for the last 15 years. If you have ever gone through such an experience you will know that there are things in life that are more important to people than just selling products. For many years we funded MedHelp ourselves as we believed the service was too important for it not to succeed.
As the site grew it required more and more resources. We asked our members whether they preferred us to charge for the service or fund it with ads and the majority opted for the ads. In an ideal world, the service would be free and there would be no ads, but in an ideal world everything would be free so that we could all work for free and not worry about hosting charges, utilities, and rent. The reality is that it costs to deliver the service and we need a way to fund it. Sorry you consider the ads insulting but please let us know if you wish to help us fund the service so that we can work towards removing the ads.
MedHelp
To me the ads are insulting. I am not coming here to buy something. they just get in the way.....
It reminds me of why tv was invented....so people could sell their products through commercials.....
I guess now we see why med help was created.
It reminds me of why tv was invented....so people could sell their products through commercials.....
I guess now we see why med help was created.
I might be interested.
I can tell you one thing from past experience on another board. You need to couch it in terms of a donation, in return for premium features. If you sell it as a service, people will eventually either be banned or decide for some reason they want a refund on the unused portion of the year.
A refund policy would be a nightmare, so you need to set it up in such a way that you are not obligated to refund anybody a penny, or you will spend a lot of time and money doing just that.
The Google ads are an embarrasment to the whole site. You can't control the content they place here, but a lot of it is snake oil ads, or ads designed to entice people away from your site and onto other sites. I can ignore them. What I can't ignore are the animated ads, which bother me a lot.
Whether or not I would pay to go ad free depends on cost. I realize you people need to make money to keep the site up and running. I'm just not sure whether I would invest money or not.
I can tell you one thing from past experience on another board. You need to couch it in terms of a donation, in return for premium features. If you sell it as a service, people will eventually either be banned or decide for some reason they want a refund on the unused portion of the year.
A refund policy would be a nightmare, so you need to set it up in such a way that you are not obligated to refund anybody a penny, or you will spend a lot of time and money doing just that.
The Google ads are an embarrasment to the whole site. You can't control the content they place here, but a lot of it is snake oil ads, or ads designed to entice people away from your site and onto other sites. I can ignore them. What I can't ignore are the animated ads, which bother me a lot.
Whether or not I would pay to go ad free depends on cost. I realize you people need to make money to keep the site up and running. I'm just not sure whether I would invest money or not.
Add me to the list.
I've never had premium service -- when ads are blocked, what happens to the space on the screen where they once were? Is it white space?
C~
I've never had premium service -- when ads are blocked, what happens to the space on the screen where they once were? Is it white space?
C~
I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Thanks for the great suggestion. We've considered this option in the past and would be happy to offer it and invest the time and resources to create a premium service if there are members who would actually use it.
If there are members who agree with pKinCA, please do as she suggests and add your name to this list. We'll look into posting this in some of our popular forums to see if there's any interest there as well.
Thanks again!
If there are members who agree with pKinCA, please do as she suggests and add your name to this list. We'll look into posting this in some of our popular forums to see if there's any interest there as well.
Thanks again!
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