I agree that advertising, only for companies we recommend, might seem to be a good idea. However, this could easily become a problem. The first scenario that comes to mind is:
We accept advertising from the Acme widget company because they make the world's best widgets. Some time in the future they change their manufacturing process and their widgets are now junk. We still have a contract with Acme and are stuck advertising a product that we know is inferior.
It's also difficult to maintain objectivity and impartiality when you have advertisers. Personally, I'm usually wary of recommendations I receive from a site that has advertising. I'm not saying we would become the next LHOTI but it's a slippery slope.
Just my 2 cents.

JD

Thanks for the suggestion Dave.

Steve and I actually discussed banner ads when we started the forum years ago.  Having ads just didn't feel like the right thing to do for the LHBA, and we still feel that way. 

I guess if Stihl or Husky called and offered saws at cost to all members in exchange for a banner ad... well... umm... no comment :P 

Here are a few thoughts, to give you insight into our perspective: 

We don't plan to allow advertising on the forum, or to use the forum to sell advertising.  As others already pointed out, there are a lot of downsides and not much upside.   

We don't plan to do fundraising or donation drives to support the forum.  We recognize that the forum is an invaluable asset to Association members after they attend the class, and we're happy to invest in it.

We don't plan to charge members a monthly or yearly subscription fee to use the forum.  I know other forums do have fees.  Heck I've happily paid fees on other forums myself (forums like Glocktalk, Candlepowerforums, and AR15.com).  With LHBA it's very different.  Once you become an Association member, and attend the class, then that's all there is to it -- member benefits are free for life.  

We hope to add new features to the site, like maybe blogging features, photo gallery options, email service, et cetera.  We don't plan on charging Association members any fees to use new features.

I know this all might sound very weird, in this day and age, when most people try to turn each page view into a dime, and each dime into a dollar. 

Yes, it is totally different than how most other forums are run.  I'm not saying other websites are wrong, I'm just saying we do things differently ;)

Thats one reason I ditched TV sets..to get away from those dang idiotic repetitive annoying commericals where they crank the volume up 5 extra notches louder...and the reason I use my "pop-up blocker" on my computer.

Kola

Amen Kola. I don't watch TV anymore as well for the same reason, and that most of the shows are mind numbing.

I suspect that this forum(and the Association) requires much more work and effort behind the scenes than we are aware. Mr E, I was gonna shoot you an email on this one, but since we're kinda on the topic, is there anything that us regular old members can do to help take the load off the rest of y'all? I sure would rather contribute some time and energy into keeping things going than to have to resort to getting paid advertisements.

Many folks think I am crazy for abandoning TV but if ya know me, I am a outdoor guy, even in winter. There is a trend happening where many others are choosing the same path (Hoorah!). I just read where people are not watcing the news shows like they used to. (Hooray again!). The internet helps us to be more selective as well.

People tell me of some cool shows that I would like, such as that "alaska" series and a logger one. I used to like orange county choppers too.
But I do not live a cave without any other form of entertainment. If I want to watch something or listen to music it is I who makes the choice and no damn commercials (yeah even the radio drives me insane). I collect a lot of DVD's. I have all 9 seasons of Seinfeld, many of the The Great Valley episodes, almost all of the Bonanza series, tons of westerns, many many NA Indian DVD's, tons of nature shows and DIY stuff. I am sure it won't be long before they release some of those TV logger shows and Alaska living ones on DVD's. I can wait. :)

IMHO The best type of entertainment is right in front of us and it is free, our gift from God (Creator). I can sit and watch the clouds turn into funny faces and shapes, watch the redtail hawk soar the sky and hunt, observe the millions of stars, smell the cactus flowers, and listen to the wind talk and hear the thunder rumble and crash.
Turn off the damn idiot box, take a nice refreshing walk and turn on Gods Nature Channel. Its live and free, no commercials and no re-runs. The reception is darn good too!

Kola

i just gotta get the book and watch the movie too!

and welcome belange01. I have read some of your posts and think you have LHBA blood in your veins.
Btw, I love Canada (grew up close to Buffalo, 20 miles from the border) and often traveled up north to hunt and fish. I played some hockey up there too. IMO, and in the old days Canadian-style hockey was the best, clean, fast skating, finesse and team players. It has become "americanized" into a goon sport with solo players...kinda of sad. I also got umm..well... ahh....kinda dragged into those "ballet" theatres in Fort Erie too! Them french women were definately oo-laa-laa. The rest has been censored...bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep..bleeeeeeeeeeep.

Kola (jnsert happy face)

When my wife and I moved to the D.C. area, we decided not to bring the T.V. with us. We had already stopped watching the evening news by then and had noticed how much happier we were. We just thought we'd stop watching all our shows for a while and then pick up something in a few weeks.

Well, it's been more than 2 1/2 years without a television and we don't miss it at all! Our friends are amazed. Everyone wonders what we do without the boob tube or the every-popular game consoles. I tell them we read and do other projects. I encourage everyone to give it up but so far no one's taken me up on that offer.

Some things I've noticed....

1) T.V. has a HUGE influence on how and what people think. I especially see it in the in-laws. They're always so upset about whatever's on the news. They repeat what's talked about as if it was their own thoughts. The talking heads and the people behind them are definitely in the driver's seat in regard to what's talked about in this country.
2) You spend more when you watch television The commercials and the shows, which are also commercials, encourage mass consumerism mostly for products you don't even need.
3) You are not uninformed if you stay away from T.V. I would argue that you're better informed.
4) The Internet can be just as bad as television This is especially true of web sites with user-directed content. We have to be careful with this.

All-in-all I think we are much too overstimulated in this life. I can't wait until I build my place to unplug myself from everything. Well almost everything.

My experience is that user-directed content is often much better than the corporate-directed content you get on major internet sites and the TV news.

For issues of science I tend to take the most stock in scientific journals. That's where scientists publish their work. Many of them cost quite a bit of money to subscribe to, but generally your academic institution will pay for it when you are yourself doing work in the field. Also most academic institutions have subscriptions that they offer free of charge to students who want to do research.

If you really want to learn the truth about global warming, go to the local college, find the library, and start reading the journals. Dont use the TV or internet, go directly to the scientists doing the research.

The vast majority of the world's scientists have emperical evidence that global warming is not only happening, but is caused by humans. That's what the journals say, and that's what I tend to believe. My experience is that most scientists are concerned with truth and disregard politics. And the scientists have been warning us about this since the 70's.

Not everyone in the world has a political agenda

Attended Class March 25th/26th of 2006.
Excellent information. I have had this in mind when trying to listen to both sides of this issue, you just put into words what I could not.

Yuhjn,

I think you miss the point greatly.

It is one thing to present a theory to your peers for review (having your work peer reviewed) and another to tell a layman or any other scientist that the very reason they should believe your theory is because it has some sort of "peer review."

Yuhjn, the logic does not stand.

Apeal to Authority is what it is.
Invalid argument form.

It takes a "leap of faith' to draw conclusions from the current science.

Seems to me that religion has just taken another form for some.

Sorry about the diabtribe I wrote, but
you're putting words into my text I never wrote. I think you missed my intent with your paraphrasing.

Dismiss scientific research? I say quite the contrary. If you read my posts, I've emphasized using the empirical/scientific method. I do not dismiss peer review journals. I only believe that they should have very little merit in the public debate. Appeal to authority muddles any argument.

If I, as a layman wanted to start researching the research, then the journals would have value and meaning to me.
But, if I as a layman, but a logician too don't want to do the research, I am not going to be swayed by the peer review argument.
I will however, be swayed by facts and a well made argument. If you can show me that what is being ascerted can be tested and reproduced at will by others, I will give it weight.

either Proove it, or show me.

We see very little of either side trying to "show us," much of the detail, let alone the corroberated science behind it.

This far, the only common argument I see from either side is:

I believe/disbelieve in anthropogenic global warming because:

1. I see/don’t see correlations
2. What I believe is published in a peer review journal or some other "authority" says it so.

Where are the facts in all this?

To me there are good (valid) theories (ones that don't fall apart the minute someone looks at the underlying support for it) or there are invalid theories.

By the way, many in science have a big problem with the idea of scientific "laws." I am one of them.

To my mind, the idea of "gravity" is still in the theoritcle realm (and thus far we have not disproved it! So, we use it and rightly so). We can test to come to the same conclusion regarding it, but as math is a contstruct, and science for that matter is too, and we use a decimal system I can never be 100% sure. But, I don't think I have to be, but I must be very, very ,very (many decimal points after this) sure! In my world, I will go forth believing in gravity. Not because someone stated it in a peer reviewed journal, but because I've been explained the rational behind the idea and understand the repeatable tests that support it. I have fetted the underlying argument to it and it stands up.

Yujn, I think you may be looking at this as all "black and white." To my mind there is far too much grey in the matter.

I'm not too sure where the religion thing came up, but to me both sides of the issue are acting in a very dogmatic fashion.

Me, I prefer to take a "third way" approach. I cannot argue for or against at the momment. I can only show where the logical holes are.
I do, however, understand what both sides have tried to argue and it just doesn't stand up.

We need MORE science.

Peace