Official Ares Free Download

 Two things:

1) On Friday we had some unpleasantness from a reader

2) On Saturday I posted a story headed up New p2pnet advertiser, a now-deleted write-up on the Pinball Publisher Network’s Platrium games offerings.

1) My post on Platrium started, “As I’ve said a couple of times, I have no problem with advertising per se. I just don’t like the kind of garbage purpose-built to hijack user information. Can you says Fa$ebook? And can you think of any other names?

“To keep on keeping on, sites such as p2pnet have to find advertising which fits — nothing tricky, no spyware, easy to install and uninstall, all of which apply to Platrium Games which makes ad-supported – note ad supported — playware.”

And I thought I’d found a good ad partner with Pinball Publisher. The idea was: every time someone installed one of the company’s Platrium games, I’d get between $1.45 and 24 cents, depending where in the world the person was.

I had its ad and link up for the first offering, Bubbleburst, for three or four hours — until I saw a comment post from Jay, a fellow Vancouver Islander, and had a chance to read a couple of emails. They sure burst my bubble because ad supported is one thing, but tracking is another.

Jay’s comment post pretty much sums up the contents of the emails >>>

I wont be installing this game. I dont like that it is targeted ads for what I search for on the net. I wouldnt mind if it was a random ad for a random company but I dont like when programs keep track of what I search for and then use those search terms for ads. Im sure Google or other websites may use cookie information to track my comings and goings but I have cookies deleted on browser closer. But to have a program I install keep track of that info? Nope. I read through the EULA and it also says it becomes the default search browser. Im sure for some people this may help pass some time playing games and bring in ad revenue to p2pnet. But Id rather just send you the buck lol.

I emailed the company when I took its ads down and I’ll let you know how it responds.

Why didn’t I see this before I even began? I’m a writer and my ability to suss out things like that is zero. I apologise. But from now on, I’ll make sure ads are just ads.

p2pnet as a free service

2) On the nastiness, basically, a comment poster was suggesting I’m a) looking for hand-outs, and b) being completely irresponsible by taking out a loan to support myself and my family while we get p2pnet onto a firm financial footing.

I’ve been providing  p2pnet as a free service since 2002, but last December virtually all of my income disappeared at the same time. So I asked for help from p2pnet readers.

“In his original reply to [a] poster, Jon mentions that he has received $450 some odd in donations,” says my wife, Liz, in a response.  [I did the addition in my head and got it wrong. Actually, it was less than $400 at the time.]

There was a second Reader’s Write, but it was virtually the same as the first, except, as Liz points out, it also suggested I was looking for free hand-outs. So I deleted it.

Liz goes on >>>

I don’t know how those people who did contribute financially – and thank you to you all – feel about their contributions but I believe ‘donations’ is not exactly the right word to use. Jon has been publishing p2pnet for close to 10 years and he has provided this service free to readers, thanks to a changing roster of sponsors and advertisers.

Due to the financial meltdown in the US, as of this January, that situation has changed and in reality what Jon has been doing is to see if the readers of the site were willing to pay for the service they are getting in order to keep it going.

He has even offered extra incentives in the form of music tracks of his own and tracks contributed by musician friends.

Lots of people are having to shift gears with the recession and that is what we are doing here.

The Rupert Murdochs of this world seem to be able to monetize their projects but then their projects are not of the same spirit as p2pnet. So if you are a reader who thinks p2pnet might be worth something to you, again, thank you.

But it is insulting to Jon to say he is asking for hand-outs.

I’m not usually bothered by negative comments, but this really got to me.

But what started out as something unpleasant suggested another track which might help bring in some money while I get sorted.

My friend Crosbie Fitch has been developing a payment system for quite some time. It’s called 1p2u – one pence to you. It’s the orange icon at the bottom of the page and the service isn’t finished yet. But when it is …

Meanwhile, he had several ideas about how readers who want to see the site continue might pay for their reads.

Here’s part of what he posted >>>

Right hand column – sponsored by. Let’s say it’s available for a group purchase at $3,000 CAD.

A kickstarter sale is available at $3,000 for 100 shares at $30 per head. As soon as (and only if) there are 100 pledgers (when the kickstarter completes), the following month then fills that RH column with “This month sponsored by” and a list of names, URLs and 24×24 pixel icons to those 100 sponsors.

What you could then do is price it differently. Top of column large font: $200. Next 9 names medium font $90. Remaining 40 std font: $50. If no-one buys the higher priced options, you wait until the $3,000 is made up by more $50 sponsors, i.e. up to 60.

When the month’s over the right hand column describes the sponsorship offer and gives details of how to become a sponsor. Moreover at the foot the previous top ten names can be listed as some of those who sponsored the previously sponsored month. Sponsors are listed in order of signing up (not alphabetical).

I’m going to try to get something organised along those lines. Will that work, do you think?

For now, on the right you’ll see where things are at for the moment.

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