Gaia: Think Tank - Gaia Sponsors - What do you think?

Re: What do you think?

http://lovejasmine.gaia.com — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:42:16 GMT

~

i just wonna say again that i soooooo love ur ads (especially those that move (flash)) n thx to one of them i'll be doing some yoga in the middle of Times Square this w/e

soooo cool ^.^

Re: What do you think?

http://transcend-include.gaia.com — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 05:34:30 GMT

This is such a long thread, I apologize if this has been mentioned before.

I make a habit of going to all the sponsors, since so many have cool stuff or interesting things to read, and to support zaadz.

But I just went to organic style and I nearly gagged! A small box of cookies for 55 dollars? We're not talking about fancy ingredients for special diets, we're talking flour. Organic, sure, but that doesn't mean a 1000% markup is a reasonable price.

How much do you folks look into these companies? I mean, where is that money going? While a certain not-very-nice part of me is happy to see stupid rich people parted with their money, I don't think this slick company deserves to be here amongst such superior vendors.

This isn't a huge deal, but it does add a certain yuck factor that turns me off.

Re: What do you think?

http://cz.gaia.com — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:31:52 GMT

i am so happy, and grateful, that zaadz has returned to a web experience we can enjoy without being exposed to blinking ads. my thanks to the zaadz decision makers! our eyes and minds will benefit... namaste, c.z.

Re: What do you think?

http://sandrajensen.gaia.com — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:42:32 GMT

So wonderful that there has been change here, thanks Siona and all.

I did want to add one final cent on this, it was posted on my own thread on Diving Deeper about this - one member brought up the fact that blinking lights and pictures can cause seizures & that in the UK there is regulation about how many blinks are allowed in ads because kids where having seizures. This was posted by someone who has a seizure disorder. I now believe this to be a very important issue, beyond my 'distraction' issue first posted.

Love to all,
Sandra

Re: What do you think?

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:26:08 GMT

I have noticed the blinking stopped! even the big bird on the 365 days to enlighenment ad, that drove me nuts, has quieted down.

I'm amazed and grateful for the fast action that has been taken after so many zaadsters shared how they felt about them.

thank you, team!
now back to the seeds discussion! ;)

sending love,
Gabriele

Re: What do you think?

http://ADLIAC.gaia.com — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:10:38 GMT

Siona, wrt

community members who include animated areas or sound in their profiles or posts or messages? Should we impose a general site policy against such things? I ask only because it does seem to be an issue of respect, but some people might not know how bothered others are by these features of technology.)

For myself, I think what people do in their z-places that we go and visit is a totally different matter from what is "in our face" no matter what page on the site we are on. I would be opposed to any policy against animation or sounds on people's own spaces. Not everyone is offended by animation or sounds in EVERY context. If people don't like them in someone's profile or other pages, they can tell the person. Or people who use them could ask for feedback. Zaadz could encourage people to ask for feedback.

i personally love some and hate others, in people's pages, so it really depends!!!!!!!!

Thanks for asking . You are sooooooo awesome......

Blessings, OM Bastet

Re: What do you think?

http://alphaomega8.gaia.com — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:31:39 GMT

Hello friend, in all honesty I did not even notice the blinking add until they were mentioned. I guess in my line of work I've learned to ignore blinks, zings, flashes and so on............
In my opinion, these adds could be way more obtrusive. Compare these adds to ten web sites and tell me the score. I like the way they are formatted on one side of the page, because it makes it alot easier on the eyes. Goodness sakes, we could have adds popping out all around the screen, I'm sure glad that isn't the case. Well advertising is the way to help keep zaadz up and running. And I surely do not want to see zaadz stop! so to have those adds on the side, in continuity with the personality of zaadz and nothing going to crazy - well it is what it is. I kind of like the dancing adds, click here to win, and the peel down ones that take up the top of the screen. O.K. I'm being sarcastic, but it is a good comparison. I have always seen those blinking adds as christmas lights, cool, but time to move on.
take care,
Paul

Re: What do you think?

http://siona.gaia.com — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:00:56 GMT

Everyone?

I'm just weighing in again to say that we're in the process of moving back to a much stronger no-animated-flashy-flashy-blinking-ad policy. I have to say I don't mind some of the subtler fades much, but I understand both the distraction--and even pain--that's resulted, and we'll make it clear to our upcoming sponsors that (y)our goodwill depends on their being good citizens as well.

Feel free to write to any of them to left them know of how you feel, though. I think THAT would make the most difference!

(A hypothetical question: how do you feel about community members who include animated areas or sound in their profiles or posts or messages? Should we impose a general site policy against such things? I ask only because it does seem to be an issue of respect, but some people might not know how bothered others are by these features of technology.)

Also, I suppose now might be a good time to present a little heads up about what will likely happen in January-- when we'll be providing an ad-free option for the site. We'll also be introducing a top banner for the occassional sponsor who wants to step up as a larger supporter of our community. We've heard from a few organizations (some commercial, some educational) who've been interested in playing such a role.

I want to emphasize that this spot is going to go only to those who understand the community and who know what we're about; we're not going to sell the space to just anyone and we want to make sure that their art and approach fits in well with the rest of the space... and, too, that what they're offering is a valuable service, or otherwise in alignment with our values. And again, you'll always be able to opt out.

Anyway. Just some news of what's to come (she says, crossing her fingers that everyone who's written will be understanding about these decisions--or at least open to discussing them more). And again, over the next two weeks... keep an eye on that right bar. It's going to quiet down.

Phew. You're all really something, you know that? :)

Much love,
Siona

Re: What do you think?

http://cz.gaia.com — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:41:40 GMT

hi to everyone, i haven't been on zaadz much lately, but when i logged on today i was saddened ( & distracted) by the invasion of the blinking ads. i consider this a serious problem with the zaadz experience... I understand why zaadz believes in the need for ads (although ideally, it would morph into having a more advanced model) and can deal with the inclusion of some static ones. but think of how great it would be if zaadz could be an example of a more meditative visual experience, a web respite of sorts. the net's current proliferation of rampant bad flashy content (amidst lots of amazing stuff as well, of course ;), means those who are online a lot are subject to eye fatigue, even if we believe we've become "accustomed" to it. physiologically, it's simply tiring to have images flashing away as one tries to think, or type (let alone ponder and get meditative, as zaazdsters are here to do!) i appreciate many of the advertisers; in fact, the tulsi tea featured in the ad that keeps seizing my right eye's field of vision is brewing in my kitchen. furthermore, i was seriously interested in the half-price sale the ad was promoting. however, i didn't need three different images to cycle by in the ad within a few seconds to convey the information! (can someone at zaadz marketing please pass this along to organic india? :) yes, it's possible for me to resize the window and "cut out" the ads on that side, but i don't want to have to do that each time i enter a problematic page; it's a waste of time and keystrokes. if i do so, it also means zaadz ad dollars aren't as well spent, and i'm that not having exposure to information that might truly interest me and lead me to investigate the advertisers. i've been planning to spend more time on zaadz, but the idea of such investiture is way more enticing if i'm not bombarded with animated ads-in-motion every time i visit. hmmm: just in the time i've taken to write this post, my right eye has really gotten fatigued and repeatedly distracted by the animations. time to go do some eye yoga! namaste, c.z. p.s. although i'm a newbie to the thread, could i humbly suggest retitling its subject title or starting a new thread with a pointer to the discussions to date? when i searched for "flashy ads", i got three hits to this blog, whose title confused me until i started reading the posts. when i search for "ads on zaadz" i don't easily come across any pods with the title, just rudyan's excellent blog posting at http://gospelwriter.zaadz.com/blog/2007/11/ads_on_zaadz

Re: What do you think?

http://warrenburrows.gaia.com — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:33:47 GMT

I tend to agree about the animated and blinking ads.

No ad makes me want to click on it because it turns somersaults, simply because I'm not in the market for these services. If I want something I go looking and that search is not restricted to Zaadz.

I do understand that we need sponsers but I'd prefer them to be as unobtrusive as possible ie not to blink, rotate, morph or animate.

I find it especially intrusive when I post and comment because they are unavoidable when a comment box opens. At least in a large thread they are at the top and a few scrolls makes them disappear so they don't bother me when I'm reading.

Jim x

Re: What do you think?

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:20:24 GMT

Well... I totally agree

What Matthew... a problem with committment?

Dothe advertisers really want ads that annoy the viewers? I doubt it. Someone should let them know the objections. If they don't voluntarily stop the animation (that IS what it is, Matthew) the ad should be turned off by the management. I would personally make it a point not to buy anything from an advertiser that violated the committment made tous when we joined not to have animated ads.

Re: What do you think?

http://siona.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:34:03 GMT

Ai.

Gang? You're amazing. Thanks so much for your feedback. I don't exactly relish the distraction either, and I think our sponsors should be a little more mindful of the wishes (and eyes and potential migraines ;) of the community. I'll bring this up again. I do want to mention that we will be offering an ad-free version in January (much has to happen for this to occur, but we'll get it done!) and that this might be a testing ground to see whether Zaadz can be supported by other means than sponsors and commercials. So Patrick? We're trying!!

I do want to emphasize, too, that the direction Zaadz is going is determined, overwhelmingly, by YOU. (Fine. We on the team can start putting up all manner of ads and we could start spamming your inboxes every day with 'come buy this we need money to support the site please sign up!' messages, but I like to think that's not going to ever happen.) If you give up in the love and intention and geniuine support of this community, well, we don't have much hope, do we? It's part and parcel. I, Siona, am certainly not going to start seeing you as a pool of social profiles, and I'm committed to looking out for the community's best interests and in doing everything I can to keep the site running smoothly and the Team happy and capable of support and to providing each of you an online sanctity. I trust that, because of this, you'll keep on coming back and supporting and inspiring and empowering each other. And I trust, in the same way, that you'll keep trusting me.

Anyway. I just needed to weigh in. (And again, Patrick? Maybe you should write to the Pangea Day peeps and let them know what you think, too, though I'll certainly go ahead and pass this message along.)

Big hugs,
Siona

Re: What do you think?

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:30:21 GMT

I just want to support Sandra's post and say that I'm really bothered by these blinking adds. But in the end, I think this is a pointless fight. I was against these adds in the first place, and the fact that they now blink is just another step that seems natural to me, once you engage in that path. And I know what some people are going to say: These are spiritual adds, Zaadz needs to make monney and feed it's member and so on. What can I say ? Well it's just that if this is a community that wants to change the world, then we also have to be ceative in the way we're going to feed ourselves, and developp alternate means to do so. I feel this is not the case: Zaadz is using the same tools as ever and is beeing swallowed. As I'm writing now, I am disturbed by this "Pangea day, zaadz filmaker coalition" add that's blinking. As all people living in the year 2007, I've developped a certain capacity to ignore commercials and screens, in order to protect my brain. But as a psychologist (and honestly, you don't need to be a psychologist to know that!), I also know that, if I want it or not, my mind has recorded this add: it is simply creating an imprint in my brain. Plus, it doesn't matter if the add is made by someone on Zaadz! That is not a proof of sanity! On Zaadz, you certainly find the same proportion of people looking for money, fame and whatever than anywhere else. I know this goes against the idealization of some of us, but minus 5%, (lol) on which I can agree, I don't think that beeing simply interested in spirituality makes us so special and above the rest of humanity. also, It is interesting that a whole symposium on "conscious capitalism" (see:http://julianwalkeryoga.zaadz.com/blog?page=2) has been done and no one talked about an alternative to commercials. I honnestly think that time will prove me right and that Zaadz will become a pool of social "profiles" that can be targeted by companies. And I'll be glad to be wrong and accept it. Time will tell. Here's the link to an article that develops an idea to some alternate web 2.0 financing: http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2007/11/03/the_peer_to_peer_manifesto.htm This is certainly hard to imagine, but it's a try at least. In the end... forget the whole thing about my disapointment about the adds and the direction Zaadz is going, but please, don't make them blink!!!! Blinking with love, Patrick

Re: What do you think?

http://gospelwriter.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:00:42 GMT

Okay, I understand the rationale behind placing ads on zaadz – nothing, after all, is free. When I joined up only a few months ago I didn’t mind them, sitting quietly over on the righthand side of my screen in their discreet pastel colours and few but meaningful words, tastefully chosen. I look over now and see some of those still – the Bleep store, one of my favourites; Robin Sharma; yoga, spa… – quiet, unobtrusive. I have no problem clicking on these sorts of ads, or interacting with who- or whatever's on the other side. I am grateful to the extent that they are what permits something like zaadz (the original idea behind zaadz) to happen. But,

WE ARE NOT DEAF! THERE IS NO NEED TO BLINK THE ADS, OR ANIMATE THEM.

I will click on an ad if it's relatively unobtrusive AND if it's advertising something I'm interested in, in that order. I do not, ever, anywhere, click on a blinky or an animated. And that's not just because I have dial-up and those sorts of ads slow up the process of getting me to whatever is behind the ad's front (!). (My blog on this subject is here if you're interested.)

Re: What do you think?

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:13:56 GMT

I'm not particularly happy about advertisement in general. inspired by my annoyance with the new blinking and moving advertising strategy of some zaadz sponsors, I have written a whole blog rant on 'If I could uninvent something, what would it be? (Advertising! :)

but in short, for this discussion, I'd like to say that I find blinking and moving and ever-changing ads a quite aggressive form of advertising.

I understand that there are reasons for accepting ads here on zaadz, and that it's great to have sponsors, and money coming in and whatever else.

personally, I'm only using the free services of zaadz and I'm very happy to have that opportunity, so having a couple of ads on the pages seemed like no big deal when they started to spread a couple of month ago.

if you click on the ads, which I have done with a couple for the first time, just for the argument, you usually find a product for sale. which is the overall purpose of advertising. they are part of a sales strategy. advertising is not exactly a tool for changing the world.

so again, I see that there have been changes here on zaadz, that zaadz has gone commercial and is selling services, like an upgraded version (zaadz pro?) with ad-free pages, as I hear, and that's fine with me.

I'm not paying, I'm seeing ads, that's my deal. I still enjoy being here. just this blinking and moving and stuff - I really find that over the top, more then should be expected of us here to tolerate.

(interestingly, I just notice there is not a SINGLE blinking ad on this thread, whereas when I clicked around a bit I found pages where there were three in a row, driving me crazy just looking at the page! and yes, I AM quite sensitive to any kind of sensual disturbances... may it be noise, pains, smells or visuals... ah, and now there is one, so they seem to rotate or something...)

I just saw that some of the other members think it's great having companies sponsoring here that share their visions - hm. well, that's an aspect I haven't thought about AT ALL so far. personally I actually don't know any company that shares my vision.

being peace.
being compassionate.
being love.
with ourselves, with each other, at work, where ever we go.

companies making a difference by not being profit oriented.
people working for world peace here and now, starting with themselves, on a daily basis.
communities focussing on clarity and transparent communication.

I'm not entirely sure what the point is yet - just that advertising to me seems much more part of the problem then of the solution... I'll think about it some more.

Re: What do you think?

http://sandrajensen.gaia.com — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:00:29 GMT

Matthew, I'm glad I'm not the only one!

I can't remember which ads were blinking the day I saw them ( I notice today there don't seem to be any) but I am fairly sure there were two ads blinking. Now that was really distracting, and actually quite disturbing, so if it were me I'd ask for no more than one blinking ad on a page (this is quite funny for me to write. I don't know if it is the same in the U.S. but in the U.K 'blinking' is a euphemism for a swear word).

The other possibility is that only a certain percentage of the ad be allowed to 'flash' or blink. Right now I'm looking at the Global Mindshift ad, a nice static ad with an image of the world and some words underneath. The logo, Global Mindshift, at the very bottom, could flash, or blink, perhaps, but not the whole thing.

Curiously perhaps 'animated' ads, depending on what actually is animated, might be less disturbing than blinking. e.g. same ad, the 'world' could rotate slowly, this would be far less disturbing to the eye and brain function that the whole ad flashing on and off or whatever.

I have to say, I like many of the static ads and actually look at them. If they blink, I have a negative reaction to the company putting out the ad. Perhaps if other users agreed with me, this information could be shared with the sponsors.

Love,
Sandra

Re: What do you think?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:50:18 GMT

I reeally like the look of the new "how to cook your life," "be organics," "falling fruit.tv," "spirit at work," and "Zen Clocks" ads. These are simple, not flashy, fun to look at, and seem well in-tune with our values. I hope we can do more like these and less of the "blinky" kind!

~M

Re: What do you think?

http://matthew.gaia.com — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:01:20 GMT

Hi Sandra,

I actually feel the same way. I think the blinking/animated ads are distracting. I'm also disappointed that we have stated that we wouldn't allow animated ads, and then these show up :(

I spoke with Siona about these inconsistencies and my concern. She said that we don't make these decisions lightly, that it's never easy to compromise (i.e. choosing ads that bring us closer to paying all the bills over holding firm to our committment to keep the ads un-animated), and to let you know that you'll soon have the option to turn the ads off.

But like I said above, I agree with you. I don't like the "blinking". I think it's distracting. I'd like to see us find ways to pay the bills without compromising (what I communicated as) our values.

Your suggestions to that end would be much appreciated :)

Hugs,
~M

Re: What do you think?

http://sandrajensen.gaia.com — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:32:57 GMT

Okay, I was so disturbed by the blinking ads that I had to stop what I was doing, reading one of the postings on my pod, Diving Deeper, and share here.

I found this on Think Tank written recently by Curmudgeon.
Matthew suggested he bring it here, but I don't see it so I am...

I thought I read somewhere that there would be no “animated” ads, yet is it not
animation when they blink between pictures? annoying and a waste of
bandwidth…

When I am reading the pieces on Diving Deeper, I am reading them to give feedback, encouragement and comments. Some of them are long pieces, and it is not so easy to read long pieces (for me) online. However I manage. Until today, I realised it was almost impossible to really focus on the work because of the blinking ads. I actually have a headache.

Love,
Sandra

Re: What do you think? <>

http://flyingbasil.gaia.com — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:58:49 GMT

Seems like I am a little late to join the discussion too, but heck, its worth a shot.

I admire the premise behind Zaadz and its scholarship campaign as well.

If Zaadz is considering expanding the list of advertisers, it would be great if the Zaadz team makes sure that the products sold are fair-trade. An advertiser's textiles/clothing line should be labelled in such a manner to indicate that they were produced in a non-exploitative manner (living wages for workers).

I also crossed upon an interesting example of the social networking site Yu-wie in a friend's blog. Apparently Yu-wie gives a share of the revenue generated by advertising proportionately to members according to the the number of visits they recieve.
--and I was thinking whether this concept can be applied to advertising on zaadz aswell, but rather than us receiving the profit, a portion of the revenue generated by the content providers will be donated to certain charitable groups.

just a thought

Thanks for reading!

(^_^)/"" be well