Your OTT upgrade experience and thoughts

lreops · Nov 30, 2013

Because I really enjoy, along with learning so much from OTT that it was not out of the question to throw some support towards the site and become a Lifetime Member.

As a perk, it said "Fewer Adds". I don't seem to see any difference, especially concerning "Green" ads.

"Special Member Tags", no big deal, but a nice touch.

"Bigger PM Inbox", Don't really do a lot of PMing, but nice to have if needed.

"More Gallery Space", could become useful.

"OTT Decals", Haven't heard or seen how these are acquired.

"Helps support the Site", My main reason for the support.

So, my question is, what is your assessment of "Upgrading" and has anyone gotten their OTT Decals?

Ron

BAP · Nov 30, 2013

I joined when it first was available. I haven't seen any decals and have just as many annoying adds as before. I really enjoy the site and learning from others, so I felt it was a good investment to support the operation of it. I am a little disappointed that the promises haven't come thru.

lreops · Nov 30, 2013

Well I'm glad, or should I say, disappointed that someone else has noticed the same thing, especially that there are NOT fewer ads.

I am not sure when this feature first started, so maybe there is a lag time of the perks described to start working.

Like I previously stated, My main intent was to support the site, but the extra perks would be nice.

Ron

Benhameen · Nov 30, 2013

Interesting...

WFM · Dec 1, 2013

There are a ton of ads..and they even take John Deere ad money just to bug us....BUT HEY VIC needs to eat too....

Rob · Dec 1, 2013

All seems to be the same as before to be honest, still getting the same volume of ads which is a bit of a pain as i thought they would be really reduced.
Never recieved any decals either, a bit disapointing as i had was hoping to get OTT splashed over my kit over here in the uk.

was it worth the membership cost, not sure at present ,probably no at this time as i havent seen any noticable difference from the non paying membership.

Oh well, i'll watch this space just in case of any updates etc.

rob

m32825 · Dec 1, 2013

The way I figure it, what I've learned in the short time I've been here has saved me many times more than the upgrade cost. I don't have the experience many others have to contribute, so it's one way I can help keep a forum that I enjoy in business.

-- Carl

Rob · Dec 1, 2013

I am happy to support OTT either free or by paid lifetime subs, its a great site and has been a constant source of help and interest for me so no questions .
I had hoped that by opting for a paid mambership that it would help reduce the volume of ads, which from my experience to date , there has been no change at all, if anything i am getting more

.

I know that the site needs to advertise to generate funds to cover cost etc but i dont feel i'm getting a better level of service despite the membership cost .

Decals would be nice but just if they dont get here then albeit, its the ads that really drive me mad at present , especially the big ones .

rant over and normal service can be resumed.

lreops · Dec 1, 2013

m32825 said:
The way I figure it, what I've learned in the short time I've been here has saved me many times more than the upgrade cost. I don't have the experience many others have to contribute, so it's one way I can help keep a forum that I enjoy in business.

-- Carl

Can't argue that, Carl. Fact is that probably the majority of folks on here feel the same way and have gained a priceless amount of knowledge and are willing to throw some support towards the site.

But.....the 'said' site threw out an offer and reward for being a loyal supporting member and should be a little more forthright in fulfilling it's promise.

Plus, now that this practice is becoming known to the general membership, what incentive is there to draw in newer paying supporters (yes, there are those that need NO incentive, but let's face it, there are many that will ONLY do it if getting some perks are involved).

$40.00 ain't gonna brake me and I can live without the mentioned perks, but now question the motive and running of the site I really enjoy.

Ron

Mr. K · Dec 1, 2013

Hello Ron and others, thank you for posting your concerns,

The membership program is a new one so there are some kinks to be worked out. I am certainly open minded regarding tweaking it a bit to make sure that our regulars receive good value for their support dollars while at the same time not bankrupting the site. It's a balance that I agree we can work on.

Couple of Quick Clarifications
1) The advertising space that we offer goes into a "pool" which is managed by our ad agent. Companies who wish to advertise on our site bid against one another for a limited number of "spots" (ad impressions per month). The reason you sometimes see "green" ads is because John Deere has bought a portion of that advertising pool. In short - we do not hand-select advertisements.

2) We cannot show no ads - I would love to because it is the best experience bar none but OTT needs to be fiscally self-sufficient. 5% of visitors (you guys, who we love very much), consume about 40% of the site's resources in terms of server power and bandwidth. The membership fees are a boost but do not fully compensate for the long term revenue that would be obtained from advertising (over the span of years).

3) We did order some decals but had some quality control issues with the first vendor we picked. I didn't want to ship something out that folks would be disappointed with. That could have been communicated better I agree, this one's on us. We're spending a bit more to get a better product elsewhere at the moment. Will keep you posted.

Ad Placement Update - You Asked, We Listened!
Regular members (not Premium or Lifetime) are exposed to 8 different ad placements per page. I've made some changes just now to reduce the number of ads that Premium and Lifetime members see - now only 3 whereas previously this was 6.

Premium and Lifetime members will now only see the 3 image advertisements in these locations:

top page image banner
left sidebar image "skyscraper"
"second post" square ad

Looking forward to your replies and continuing this discussion. Again, appreciate you raising the flag on this. Vic and I really value all of our members, especially those who take the extra effort to contribute to the site.

Mr. K

Rob · Dec 1, 2013

thanks for the update Sir K, i think we will all appreciate what you are doing , i certainly think you have a difficult balancing act to perform to keep us all happy.

may the force be with you ...

or something like that ...
rob

pmhowe · Dec 1, 2013

My computer is a MacIntosh, and I run Firefox as my browser. On Firefox, I have the optional application Adbloc Plus. I don't see any advertisements on Orange Tractor Talk. Install Adblock, and let Mr. K include as many advertisements as he can sell. That way, you aren't bothered by ads, Mr. K gets the necessary funding, and the advertisers have their ad available to you if you are interested in their product.

Rob · Dec 1, 2013

tried firefox some time ago, no real improvement over IE or chrome.
must be a mac thing.

lreops · Dec 1, 2013

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!, Mr K. My stock in this site just went up ten fold. To know that our concerns are actually being heard is a hard thing in this day and age. I knew that I was probably only seeing a part of the "Big Picture" so to speak, and that I was questioning the integrity of the site. I apologize for that, but am happy with the results it brought.

I am looking forward to continue the learning and sharing that I have enjoyed since finding this forum two years ago.

Again, Thank you for your explanation and please continue the good work.

Ron

lreops · Dec 1, 2013

All that I can say now is "WOW", Mr. K has already come through with the ad issue. Very nice to view, what is now an uncluttered screen.
I am now experiencing a very nice benefit of my support.

Ron

Mr. K · Dec 2, 2013

Ok, sounds like we're back on the right track.

Eric McCarthy · Dec 3, 2013

I for one got an email to my personal email from Mr. K asking for my mailing address so he knew where to send the decals and had a note stating the vendor issue problem. Matter of fact I recieved it December 1st.

So maybe yall should check your email you used to sign up to this site and see if you have the same thing I did.

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Your OTT upgrade experience and thoughts

lreops

Member

BAP

Well-known member

lreops

Member

Benhameen

Active member

WFM

Well-known member

Rob

Member

m32825

Member

Rob

Member

lreops

Member

Mr. K

Administrator

Rob

Member

pmhowe

Member

Rob

Member

lreops

Member

lreops

Member

Mr. K

Administrator

Eric McCarthy

New member