Dear Mr. Moulitas,
Please eliminate the banner ad above the Daily Kos Page Header.
Sincerely,
Mark D (aka Durrenm)
More below the fold...
Let me be clear, I am not asking you to remove all your ads. Just the banner ad across the top of the page.
The ads I see here are always tasteful, professional, and relavent. But the banner ad must go. Aesthetics aside, here's why
When I first learned that you earned a substantial income from this site I had two thoughts. The first was of envy, "Boy, what a great job. Full time writer and reader of all things politics but should he make money off of this?" My second thought? "Why not?" It's a great site, it runs well, many many good things come from the work here and you should be compensated for your foresight, and hard work. Of course, this reaction was in the context of the previous middle-column ad format.
Now I feel as though you have gone a bit too far with the banner ad. The new ad placement suggests that this site is about making money. As such, it detracts from the sites real value and purpose of providing a place where Democrats can convene, share ideas, learn, or report on relavent events.
Imagine a new reader surfing to the site. How might they react? If the first thing the new visitor sees is a prominent banner ad, he or she will probably think, "just another commercial site" and hit the "back" button. That would be a sad outcome.
I also feel it provides your detractors with "evidence" of your "real" motives. It won't be long unitl the right wing starts saying nonsense stuff like, "Moulitas is just in it for the money. Look at all the ads on his page." (Though they have probably already said such nonsense and I just missed it.)
Oh, and aesthetically speaking, it's ugly ;-)