Non-Intrusive Ads… for a Short While

[IdanaHamz]

To those who want to see a financial breakdown, what exactly do you gain from that? Why do you care?

I don't. I want to know why everytime they open a fundraising method they quickly close it, only to be begging for money in a few months with a different method.

Like surely some methods are "safe" right? Like mousepad and other merch? Crypto with the higher requirements?

No matter how I think about it "creating a totally legit company and then putting a Support Us button there instead" is the furthest away from a "safe" method. Everything is becoming so weird might as well ask for the financial breakdown at this point, no?

 

[Angry_Panda]

Everything is becoming so weird might as well ask for the financial breakdown at this point, no?

Personally, I'd rather spend that couple of minutes reading manga on the main site, but if that's your kick, go right ahead.

 

[finalm]

I'll ask this question, even though I'm not entirely sure I want to know the answer:

To those who want to see a financial breakdown, what exactly do you gain from that? Why do you care?

Speaking for myself, the same reason you presumably care if a organisation you interact with is running fradulently and profiting off people's naivete (and we've been given a good amount of reasons to ask that question recently). Or don't you?

 

[Angry_Panda]

Or don't you?

I don't, so long as I get the product/service I've been led to believe I'm exchanging my money for.

 

[finalm]

I don't, so long as I get the product/service I've been led to believe I'm exchanging my money for.

I see. Can't say that's a very admirable attitude. What's more, even if I held it myself, I'd at least be pissed to be considered a mark by them. Oh well... as long as you never expect anyone else to care when you (or someone you care about) becomes a victim, then it's fine I guess.

 

[Angry_Panda]

I see. Can't say that's a very admirable attitude. What's more, even if I held it myself, I'd at least be pissed to be considered a mark by them. Oh well... as long as you never expect anyone else to care when you (or someone you care about) becomes a victim, then it's fine I guess.

...so you want to see their financials to give yourself a sense of moral superiority?

 

[BestBoy]

I hope MD staff posts one of those kindergarten fundraiser thermometers as their financial goal tracker.

 

[finalm]

...so you want to see their financials to give yourself a sense of moral superiority?

No need for that, just the way they've been acting so far lets me pat myself on the back in that regard and I'm not much of an activist, you know. You on the other hand sound like someone who's ok with a crime being commited in his view as long as it does not directly harm him. I don't think such a person has ground to stand on when trying to throw shade on another's sense moralality.

 

[Angry_Panda]

No need for that, just the way they've been acting so far lets me pat myself on the back in that regard and I'm not much of an activist, you know. You on the other hand sound like someone who's ok with a crime being commited in his view as long as it does not directly harm him. I don't think such a person has ground to stand on when trying to throw shade on another's sense moralality.

I have enough other shit going on in my life today that I literally do not care if a scanlation site is spending their budget on yacht payments, femboy hookers, and blow, so long as the site's up and I get to spend time reading my Japanese comics in order to detach and decompress for a bit. I have learned how to pick my battles, and how MD spends its money - including the few bucks I send them each month in appreciation of their keeping the site operating - is not the battle I have picked. Again, if that's your kick, go right ahead.

 

[finalm]

I have enough other shit going on in my life today that I literally do not care if a scanlation site is spending their budget on yacht payments, femboy hookers, and blow, so long as the site's up and I get to spend time reading my Japanese comics in order to detach and decompress for a bit. I have learned how to pick my battles, and how MD spends its money - including the few bucks I send them each month in appreciation of their keeping the site operating - is not the battle I have picked. Again, if that's your kick, go right ahead.

You speak as if I'm besieging their gates and about to let loose the trebuchet or at the very least taking premptive legal action. In reality both I and everyone else here are simply criticizing their actions. It's one thing not to share this disapproval, but you make it sound like it's somehow wrong to express it, not on moral grounds but on "I'm so busy I don't care" ones. That's just bizzare, since one would expect someone who doesn't care to just not participate in this thread, yet you seem oddly motivated to defend them, while claiming apathy. You also do this by appealing to... well hard to even say what. Convenience? A form of "it is what it is"? I must say I'm honestly baffled by that thought process.

Also you forget about one thing: this is not a case of us trying to dicatate how they spend "their money". This is supposed to be a non-profit initiative, in contrast to the aggregators which were always only interested in a quick buck. It's a founding principle of this site and community, literally the main reason it gained so much traction. When this principle is seemingly eroded, of course people are not going to be fine with it and be vocal about it. Especially if they're taken for idiots, by being fed crap like announcements about "non-intrusive adds".

 

[Angry_Panda]

In reality both I and everyone else here are simply criticizing their actions.

...and asking to see financial information. Which is an entirely different thing than 'oh, ads, bad'. So not 'simply criticizing their actions', in fact.

You also do this by appealing to... well hard to even say what. Convenience? A form of "it is what it is"?

Pragmatism. Spend a quarter century in the workforce and then get back to me on your priorities. (Better yet, don't, as I'll be retired by that point.)

Also you forget about one thing: this is not a case of us trying to dicatate how they spend "their money". This is supposed to be a non-profit initiative, in contrast to the aggregators which were always only interested in a quick buck. It's a founding principle of this site and community, literally the main reason it gained so much traction. When this principle is seemingly eroded, of course people are not going to be fine with it and be vocal about it. Especially if they're taken for idiots, by being fed crap like announcements about "non-intrusive adds".

Then vote with your mouse and your page views. The exit is one click away.

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

2025-10-05: We didn't expect the ad banners to get displayed the way they did (they're comically big due to us testing with smaller placeholder banners), and we're working on a rework to make the ads be less annoying in general.

Good to hear. Wasn't Max-Width and Max-Height used for these areas?

 

[WindOcean]

I'll ask this question, even though I'm not entirely sure I want to know the answer:

To those who want to see a financial breakdown, what exactly do you gain from that? Why do you care?

In short:
Donations are bound by the reason for the donation. Misusing donated money is not moral.

Long:
In my mind Mangadex is a place for the community.
If a scanlator takes my money, they can buy as many yachts as they want. I expect them to do as they wish. If mangadex takes my donation and buys a yacht I'd feel wronged.

Did they buy yachts? ¯⁠\⁠⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠⁠/⁠¯

Mangadex currently seems to transit to a for profit operation. Though is that true? ¯⁠\⁠⁠༼⁠ ⁠•́⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ⁠•̀⁠ ⁠༽⁠⁠/⁠¯

The ads came without warning. Why wasn't there an announcement beforehand? ¯⁠\⁠⁠(⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)⁠⁠/⁠¯

I do think, that the subscriptions weren't as successful as hoped, and I do think, that it is probable, that those ads are necessary.
Also there might be some good reason not to be transparent about the money.
On the other hand, there are many many many many bad reasons not to be transparent about the money.

I have doubts and I want them quelled.

@Angry_Panda Does this answer satiate you?

 

[Angry_Panda]

@Angry_Panda Does this answer satiate you?

It's at least clearly stated enough I can follow it, even if I don't entirely agree with it. So thank you for that.

I'm not sold on 'morality' being discussed on a scanlation site, as that's going to be a sliding scale at best. The question about 'going Crunchyroll' has been answered in the negative already, though I can understand why there may be some skepticism about that answer right now.

Most of us give money (or time, or other resources) to any number of organizations of various kinds over the course of a month with little to no thought about how it gets used once the transaction is completed. I see no particular reason MangaDex should be different in this regard. I will share that I have been involved with enough non-profits over my life to know that the less money is involved, the more room there is for egos, which seems to me to be at least a part of the backlash in this case.

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

They should buy a Yacht
Then have the server on the Yacht, putting it in international Waters outside the Jurisdiction of US law and be immune against DMCA's.
But, to defend against the US enacting the DMCA by freebooting, they also need the funds to amass a pirate fleet capable of taking on the US Freebooters
Plundering will also solve the financial needs of the site

 

[Angry_Panda]

Okay, would @BakedBanana like to explain the yacht? With pictures?

 

[Manko-sensei]

They should buy a Yacht
Then have the server on the Yacht, putting it in international Waters outside the Jurisdiction of US law and be immune against DMCA's.
But, to defend against the US enacting the DMCA by freebooting, they also need the funds to amass a pirate fleet capable of taking on the US Freebooters
Plundering will also solve the financial needs of the site

Too late for @Angry_Panda , we're already sailing ahead!

 

[BakedBanana]

Okay, would @BakedBanana like to explain the yacht? With pictures?

Uhhh, I haven't been following what's going on with this thread but the yacht joke originates from how the developers jokingly said they use the funds from events for buying yachts to live on. Later, it snowballed into a inside joke that both staff and regulars use. I even took a picture of said yacht (very sneakily, might I add)

Speaking of which, I still need to fulfill my promise with @Grogzilla about doing a second one.

 

[finalm]

...and asking to see financial information. Which is an entirely different thing than 'oh, ads, bad'. So not 'simply criticizing their actions', in fact.

It is criticizing, because we shouldn't even need to ask, transparency should have been a thing before they even suggested accepting donations. This is how it works with every honest organisation, but you still hold it's fine if it does not here. In fact, real honest organisations spend a lot of time and effort providing meticulous documentation that accounts for every cent received and spent, no one here even rasied that as a requirement here, so please don't pretend it's somehow unreasonable.

Pragmatism. Spend a quarter century in the workforce and then get back to me on your priorities. (Better yet, don't, as I'll be retired by that point.)

Sure sounds like a "pragmatic" excuse - basically you're telling me I'm too young (without a clue about my actual age, of course) to have the right priorities. Those priorities still sound mighty strange though, like I pointed out in the last post. You don't seem interested in addressing that, but you could have at least spared us that little attempt at dissmisal through the (supposed) wisdom of the elderly. Now I feel too old for this crap too...

Then vote with your mouse and your page views. The exit is one click away.

So in short, "don't talk about it, just go away". Yeah, that's pretty much your point to everyone from the beggining. That's a very ineffective way of "voting" or addressing any issue, really. What, is this also the fruit of 25 years in the workforce? Damn, good thing we're not in the same industry.

 

[finalm]

Also there might be some good reason not to be transparent about the money.

Like what? From the readers' point of view of course, since I can certainly think of a lot of good reasons from a for-profit company's side.