BLOCKED ADVERTISING
Due to the fact that some or all of the advertising is
blocked on your computer/device (or ads are prevented from being shown due to some other reason)
unfortunately we are unable to continue providing you with our services unless
you subscribe to a
premium membership (any level).
As much as we would
love to provide a free unlimited membership to everyone, without asking for anything in return,
the
reality is that it costs a lot of money to run a large website like GameKnot. Including paying for servers,
high-speed bandwidth, salaries to our staff, etc. etc..
None of it can be found for free on the Internet, so we have to find a way to pay for it all somehow in order to keep the website running,
so that you can enjoy playing chess here every day.
There are only 2 possible sources of revenue to pay for everything that makes GameKnot tick —
advertisers or premium memberships. If you do not wish to allow advertisers to pay for your membership,
it is completely up to you of course. But unfortunately that only leaves one other way to pay for your account —
a
premium membership.
When you use a free membership on GameKnot, it implies that your account is paid for by the advertisers.
The ads are
required for a free membership.
If you have the ads disabled on your computer/device, unfortunately we are unable to provide you with a free membership.
Please subscribe to a
premium membership to continue enjoying chess on GameKnot.
Thank you for your understanding.
MINI-FAQ ABOUT BLOCKED ADS
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. Our server automatically flags accounts as blocking ads
if some (or all) of the ads that are being served for your account, are not actually being loaded.
I.e. while the page that you access has the code that should display the ad, your web browser never (or only occasionally)
requests the corresponding files/images for the ad from the server. All of which is done from our end.
Q: I am absolutely positive I do not have an ad blocker installed, and I even see the ads. Why am I getting the warning?
A:
You do not always have to install a separate program to block ads nowadays. Many software products come equipped with that ability,
including some browser extensions, security software and privacy programs. Some web browsers even come with an ad-blocker built right in.
We have no way of knowing the exact reason why not all ads are being shown for your account.
If it is not an ad-blocking software, it could be because your operating system or your web browser is misconfigured in some way,
or it could even be because you are using a web browser that doesn't support all modern Internet standards. The bottom line is,
if you do not have a
premium membership, you have to make sure that all ads are being shown
for your account at all times. Unfortunately there is simply no other way we can pay for the website otherwise,
and would have to close it down altogether.
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 playing chess on GameKnot.
Simply subscribe to a Silver membership for one month to bring your account back to good standing.
Provided that ads are no longer blocked, you will be able to revert to free membership afterwards.
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 accounts were to block 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 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:
It is a common misconception. 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.
