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Since the Community Promotion Ad question seems to be for final products only, I thought perhaps we might have a discussion question concerning what types of 'ads' we might wish to see. It looks like this may be an opportunity for some of those messages we would like to get out to prospective users, and perhaps we can crowdsource here what might make for effective use of our 'ad' space. Perhaps post an answer describing a concept and then comments,edits and votes to select or help fine tune favorites?

Some other ideas someone might run with:

  • Holocaust question? click here first. With link to meta discussion explaining our higher standards on holocaust questions.
  • Homework Question? {possible second line Don't ask} -link to a meta discussion showing why we can't do their homework for them,
  • New User, Take the tour
  • Don't forget to accept the best answer I've seen this one somewhere else...
  • Nazi Troll?? Go Away with the required Indiana Jones poster (OK,this one might be taken as a challenge[counterproductive] or might not meet our 'friendly' community standards...)
  • Keep your isms to yourself over word cloud of nazism, sexism, racism, ... with a link explaining push questions
  • Visit meta, help define the rules! image of blind justice, or scales of law
  • Want a book recommendation, ask a Librarian with link to source requests being off topic

You can see there are quite a few issues we deal with repetitively here, which an occasional 'ad' helping to pre-inform users of policies or possible issues might just improve the site flow.

3 Answers 3

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  • Text: First Question? Learn how here.
  • Text: Have a Question? Make it a good one.

with a link to the [ask] page in help.

No idea on graphics, perhaps a page full of question marks, or a 'Question' mark made up of the 5Ws as a word cloud similar to this:

enter image description here

Might even break it up with a few of the most popular history 'tags'... enter image description here

(file size is a little too big though @211K)

enter image description here

A better background, but way too big (600K). By the time I shrink it I get to 178K (still too big) and (mostly) unreadable.

enter image description here

Just a possible concept. Perhaps we have some members better at graphic arts who can make a better version?

For resources I used an online word cloud generator, and found a parchment/old paper background at Pixabay. The cloud words are the first four pages of our site tags.

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  • While I really dislike ads in general, this one needs to be targeted at potential first time askers or other noobs. It only makes sense if that can be determined before its loaded and shown, depending on the viewer?
    – LаngLаngС
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 19:40
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    I'm picturing these as more community service announcements. I like your suggestion in the other thread concerning visiting meta. I could see similar graphics concerning why did I get a downvote, what to do if your question is closed, ect. All pointing to relevant meta links.
    – justCal
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 19:46
  • That's how I understand them best as well. But can they be targeted like that?
    – LаngLаngС
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 19:47
  • I asked on the other thread, and it looks like no limit to how many, but they would be randomly rotated is my understanding. (unless we narrow it down/accept a limited number) Hence my question here.
    – justCal
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 19:53
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    For something like this one, if we can get the new users each day just to look first, it may eliminate some problems later that we have to explain, fix or delete.
    – justCal
    Commented Mar 6, 2020 at 19:55
  • The word cloud thing is just unsuitable. Too much visual clutter, resulting in way too high filesize, especially when 'made old'.Nice idea, but given the parameters. — I'd like to see sth like an old Dutch master leafing through book pages; with a turban & pearl earring… (or maybe just sth like TheHonRose's avatar?), then added a upto3 word Q or instructions?
    – LаngLаngС
    Commented Mar 9, 2020 at 23:10
  • Ya, I agree, the word cloud thing is too, well wordy...It was just a concept anyways, I'm by no means a graphic artist
    – justCal
    Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 11:45
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The only ads which I would like to see on this cite would be ones aimed at improving our content. So, following on from justCal's suggestion, how about...

Text:

Have an answer to a question?

Great! Please help improve our site by giving sources.

(or something similar.)

Graphic: perhaps a simplified / less cluttered version of something like this below (with some modifications, e.g. an ancient inscription and / or a medieval painting and / or a 19th century cartoon and / or WWII archive material and / or a webpage and / or a book etc.)

enter image description here

Source: University of South Australia

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    Definitely an important one! Text could even be limited to 'Good answers need Good Sources'.(I'm not sure how much text and font sizes fit yet) Other possible graphic elements stack of old books, maps, lecturer at podium.
    – justCal
    Commented Mar 7, 2020 at 14:35
  • @justCal 'Good answers need Good Sources' - yes, snappier, I like it.
    – Lars Bosteen
    Commented Mar 7, 2020 at 15:01
  • Ahem, I do not get this picture. "help us by linking to frakbook, blogs, and bob's page…"? Or do I just fail to recognise a deeply frowning face on that figure? (And nothing related to WW2 needs any ads here…). The pic absolutely needs modifications, on all levels?
    – LаngLаngС
    Commented Mar 8, 2020 at 16:42
  • @LаngLаngС Like I said, the obviously inappropriate bits (like Fcbk) would be replaced with (maybe) some of the suggestions I made (and justCal added a few good ones). I agree that while WWII doesn't need advertising here, the quality of answers (WWII or otherwise) does.
    – Lars Bosteen
    Commented Mar 9, 2020 at 0:17
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The three nudges I'd like to see most would be along those lines, numbered for feedback:

1. First question? Learn how to ask it here:

First question? Learn how to ask it here.

  • Nicolaes Maes’s masterpiece … Girl at a Window 1653-5 (detail). Photograph: Nicolaes Maes/Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
  • 600x500 pixels, 142k GIF (although that size only 'works' with reduced colour palette)

2. Visit meta, help define the rules!

Visit meta, help define the rules!

3. History answers give sources and references

History answers give sources and references

  • Illustration of the ancient Library of Alexandria, Egypt.
  • 600x500 pixels, 146k
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    Nice. Though it might have been better for gathering input by breaking it into individual responses.
    – justCal
    Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 12:04
  • @justCal For the moment, it seems that feedback is so limited overall that it might suffice to number the pics? But if your comment receives 2 more upvotes, I'll separate them out…
    – LаngLаngС
    Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 12:31
  • Yes, feedback was not what I was hoping, I guess the community isn't that interested in the community promotion ads...
    – justCal
    Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 12:46
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    The general idea behind all three of these seems good — I'd rework the phrasing on the third one, maybe? Some closer to a call-to-action may work better: "remember to quote your sources and references when answering" or something similar?
    – JNat StaffMod
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 13:01

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