Im thinking of putting advertisements. Just one banner, that will be removed as soon as you register. The ad banner will most likely appear above the forums, not in content.
If you were a guest would you find that unattractive and draw you away?
Honestly, I don't like those Google Ads type of advertisements. They are so annoying and I just don't like seeing them. I prefer an ad-free site. But if I want to make money SLOWLY, you would recommend doing this.
Personally I don't mind seeing ads on forums as long as it is not over done. Some people recommend that if you do intend to put ads on your forum, you should put them there from the very beginning, because introducing them later will upset your visitors even more.
Saying all that it's worth remembering that there are a lot of people like WrT Sniper, who are completely turned off by ads.
If you conceal ads skillfully, then you won't ever need to worry about them. Some ways are like placing them at the bottom, placing them next to a quick reply, in a small corner of a user's profile. Having a massive banner at the top won't look good, and users will turn away.
I've also made my Ads hidden for the Registered users, I think it's another 'gift' you get for actually signing up to the forum. Getting rid of the Ads.
What I was wondering about Ad Setup, I've enabled them for my Guests and Banned users. I've set up two ads, one in the header and one in teh footer. Do you think I should add another place? eg after every first post of a topic?
