Q: I don't know why my computer is blocking ads. How do I enable ads for your website on my computer? A: Unfortunately there are a lot of different software products that are capable of blocking ads on the user's computer, and it is simply not possible for us to know which one is being used in each case, or how to configure them. All we see from our end is that your web browser is not requesting the graphics for the ads from our server.

If you don't have a dedicated ad blocking software installed, most often it is the Internet security packages, such as a firewall or anti-virus program, that have a separate component that can block ads. You don't have to disable your firewall or anti-virus program of course, but simply allow the ads to be shown on GameKnot, which would not leave your computer unprotected in any way. Various parental control software can also block ads. Please contact the technical support department of the company that makes the software installed on your computer with any questions about configuring its options.

Alternatively, please simply subscribe to a premium membership and no ads will be required for your account.

Q: How do you know that I'm blocking ads on my computer? Did you install spyware on my computer without my consent? A: No, of course not, we hate spyware as much as anyone. It is easy for us to see when the ads are blocked on the user's computer from our end because in that case the user's web browser never requests any ads from our server (we serve the ads for our website ourselves). So it is as simple as checking our server logs.

Q: It is my computer and you have no right to tell me what I do on it. A: You are certainly right, we have no right to demand or even request that you do anything with your computer that you don't want to. However, please understand, the only reason why we are able to provide a free account to everyone is because of the ads. The servers and the bandwidth (i.e. Internet connection and computers) cost a great deal of money for a large website, as do salaries for our programmers and support staff. If all users with free acounts blocked ads on their computers, we would no longer be able to pay our bills. Therefore, please subscribe to a premium membership or allow ads for our website, whichever is more convenient for you.

Q: I have now allowed ads for your website, can you remove restrictions from my account? A: Sorry, unfortunately once your account is flagged after 2 prior warnings, you have to subscribe to a premium membership if you wish to continue to enjoy playing chess on GameKnot.

Q: I never click on any ads anyway, and since you only get paid for clicks, why does it matter if I see the ads or not? A: There are different types of ads and advertisers -- some pay for clicks and some pay for "impressions" or "views" (or both). So while it certainly helps us earn more money if you click on the ads, just having the ads visible to you on the page is also generally enough for GameKnot to earn some advertising revenue, and in turn for you to enjoy your free account.

Q: Can you give me the list of sites/domain names you use for the ads, so that I can unblock them? A: We are using many different advertising networks, and also change them over time, so unfortunately there is no single permanent list of domain names the ads are served from. Please simply allow all ads for the website "gameknot.com", regardless of the domain names used to serve ads.