Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Scholar
Original Poster
#1 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 4:40 AM
Default Your feelings/experience with ad.fly and other ad hosters
!!!
Hey guys, this is me venting but also reminding others of one of my biggest pet peeves and interests, the issue of malware, which is so ridiculously prevalent these days and becoming more difficult to dodge.

1. I want some cc, and I'm completely willing to to download it through ad.fly, well up until like the past four months where I found the site opening new tabs with dangerous redirects and to top it all off after the timer is over and I click the skip ad link I still never get to the content. What opens instead is another shifty new tab with something clearly malicious for download.

2. I learned a couple of months ago you could right click and do a "open in new tab" on the skip ad link. They picked up on this and got rid of it.

3. I added the ad.fly skipper extension and it worked for a few days but now ad.fly picks up on it as well and redirects to another shifty malware hosting site just like it (bc.vc?) .

Just ten minutes ago I tried downloading >>http://zauma.tumblr.com/post/154086401445/ts3-downloads-dump-dec2016-so-here-is-something<< a blush from this tumblr and tested all of these steps and I'm having the same issue. I messaged zauma and hope she takes pity on me.

-------------------------------------
ANYWAY

What has been your experience with ad.fly if you do still bother to download content attached to it. Has it actually been working recently?
What's your outlook on the dilemma between creators wanting to get paid but also putting their audience at risk for malware?
Do you have any tips or tricks for me so I can still get the content ; u ; ?
Advertisement
Instructor
#2 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 5:16 AM
I don't trust any of the redirect websites so I use a combination of ad-blocking extensions to avoid them. As a freelancer myself I can understand wanting to make money, but when it comes at the expense of the safety and security of my computer I have to put my foot down. I actually even don't mind whitelisting banner ads because at least those are generally slightly safer.
Theorist
#3 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 5:25 AM
I hate it. I don't always remember to do this but I try to 'open link in new window' because a lot of time I have to cntrl-alt-delete to get out of those pages that are trying to force me to click on them. That way I don't end up having to close down my whole browser and lose every tab I have open.

But I have found that sometimes I can try again and I won't get that evil redirect and I can get the item.

As for how I feel about it, I think it's disgraceful that anyone needs to put up adfly links. Yes, a lot of time went in to creating the content but I'm pretty sure that EA's rules state that you can't make money off of their game. Plus it's suppose to be a hobby. If you want money, go get a job.

ETA Besides all that, I've noticed that a lot of creators don't think twice about violating other creators' TOU and using their content to make something from it/revise it. Or they take a piece of EA content that they did not pay for and use that. It seems like a double standard to me! I'm OK with sites that ask for donations, though. I've only donated a few times to a few creators but that's totally voluntary so if I felt the content was worth it, I have done it.

¢¾ Receptacle Refugee ¢¾ ~ Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket!? ~
Laura's Legacy
Instructor
#4 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 5:38 AM
Garbage. Malicious garbage. Each and every one of them. I use NoScript to avoid their ad pages from displaying entirely, and then just bypass them without allowing any script to run. The majority of these ad hosts can't be trusted.

The Sims 4! Weirder Sims! Aren't they weird!? Look how weird they are! Bet you can't wait to see how weird their stories are!?
Forum Resident
#5 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 7:46 AM
Quote: Originally posted by MarcyRoars
Garbage. Malicious garbage. Each and every one of them. I use NoScript to avoid their ad pages from displaying entirely, and then just bypass them without allowing any script to run. The majority of these ad hosts can't be trusted.


I do this too.
Or, if I see an adfly link without an alternate option to adfly, I simply close the link and don't download the content.
I don't want your content if you're going to put it behind a stupid malicious link like that. I also recommend to others not to download it either, and try to find an alternative.
While I appreciate the time and effort that goes into said content, I don't need it enough to have to put up with malicious ad hosts so someone can make two cents. Every other game I've modded I've done so for love of the game. Not money.

♥ Receptacle Refugee ♥
InnaLisa Pose Archive
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#6 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 1:33 PM
AdGuard does a pretty good job of blocking most of that stuff. I just had a go at that Zauma link and only got one popup, plus the two timers.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Mad Poster
#7 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 1:58 PM
I use adblock and an adfly skipper. I have a long-standing hate towards sites like adfly. Can't stand them, so I go around them every way I can. Because of the increasing annoyance with ads, I no longer trust any sites, so my adblock is on for all sites. I also don't like unnecessary timers much (TSR, and some very annoying download hosts), but if they don't limit downloads and if they're less than 10 seconds, I can deal with it without getting frustrated.

I'm of the opinion that if people need support for their sites, it should be on a voluntary basis, and something that does not force the visitor to go through potential computer threats or jump through hoops. Particularly if they use free download hosts like Simfileshare or similar. A donation button (that does NOT promise "special" downloads or perks, mind) and a few non-intrusing ads (no popups, no music/sound, no flashing, no "download here" trickery, and small+few enough to not be annoying) is fine.

I also have ctrl-click enabled for any popups, popup blockers, and settings in all browsers on mid to high settings, so there's not a lot of stuff I don't want that gets through. Plus I run full antivirus scans at least 1-2 times a week. So far, it seems my computers have stayed clean, and I want to keep them like that.

I do wish everyone in the Sims community who upload could use file hosts like Simfileshare, Box, Dropbox, and other non-timed hosts with few to no ads, and absolutely no adfly hoops or redirectors. TS2 players are mostly nice in this area, but too many TS3 and TS4 players see their chance at earning some cash.
Scholar
Original Poster
#8 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 2:01 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
AdGuard does a pretty good job of blocking most of that stuff. I just had a go at that Zauma link and only got one popup, plus the two timers.

Oh ok! so it takes multiple attempts... Still sounds like a roulette though for people who may not be as tech savvy. Luckily Zauma sent me the link. I think sometimes it depends on how old the post is since I do recall a time where ad.fly was roughly ok.
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#9 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 5:03 PM
I understand your point, simmer22, but if lots of people block all ads indiscriminately, then free hosts like SFS won't be sustainable in the long term.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Alchemist
#10 Old 13th Jan 2017 at 7:37 PM
I use uBlock Origin, it's more lightweight than AdBlock Plus and all around better - unlike ABP, uBlock Origin (make sure it's this one and not just uBlock) doesn't permit ads that you yourself haven't whitelisted. ABP was found to make deals with some ad companies and allow their ads to run, in spite of promising to block ALL ads.

With uBlock Origin you can also whitelist sites and block specific areas of a page very easily. I've whitelisted MTS and SFS completely and blocked certain non-ad areas on other sites (like the recommended blogs page section on Blogspot, because the loading times were atrocious). In AdFly, it only displays the header with the countdown and download button, not the ads on the page. However, I've noticed that uBO doesn't also block redirect pop-ups that are annoyingly frequent on MediaFire -- you click the download button and a new tab opens, which redirects you to another site. Haven't found out how to get rid of those or even if it's possible.

I've tried the ad.fly skipper extension too, but it's never worked for me.

Now to answer the questions: I would download from an ad link if I REALLY REALLY wanted that object, but I'd be less likely to download from that creator again. To be completely honest here, I've seen extremely few good creators using ad links, and they usually provide a non-ad alternative download link as well (in which case I'll gladly pick the ad version).

In a few mind-boggling cases, I've come across people using ad links within ad links!

P.S. With TSR, sometimes it takes only 10 seconds to download the file, while other times it takes 60. Haven't figured out why. Anyway, move the tab to another window if you want to do something else in the meantime; switching between tabs within the same window will pause the countdown.

Tumblr - more downloads! ◾ CC reuploads / creator backupsTS3 CAS Conversion Catalog - for basegame, EP, SP, and Store clothing!
Field Researcher
#11 Old 14th Jan 2017 at 6:47 PM
If you use Chrome (dunno if there's a version for Firefox), you can use the TSR Ad Skipper extension to skip the 60 seconds timer. I use it and it works like a charm

I'm bad at finding CC on my own
My simblr
I'm shy and so I might take longer to reply you '-'
dodgy builder
#12 Old 14th Jan 2017 at 7:00 PM
Ad.fly is so fricking annoying, so I often end up not downloading if I have to do it there. Usually I depend on Avast to sort out the malitious garbage.
Test Subject
#13 Old 14th Jan 2017 at 7:45 PM
Also sometimes such services die and you end up with no ability to get the actual link to file
Scholar
#14 Old 15th Jan 2017 at 5:25 PM
One time I got viruses from TSR on my old computer, which is why i swore to always use adblock after that day.
Field Researcher
#15 Old 15th Jan 2017 at 6:00 PM
I have ad block plus and when I'm downloading cc that links through ad.fly I disable on that page only, reload, and when it loads again I enable blocking on the page again. Then, the new window that opens (not the download) is blocked and the new tab that opens is the download! It's a bit tedious to repeat each time, but it keeps me malware free
Test Subject
#16 Old 15th Jan 2017 at 10:32 PM
It's annoying, but my antivirus blocks malware that attempts to install itself on my computer, so at least it is not harmful. However, sometimes you don't even get the content as OP said already, and that's really irritating. Like, why the heck was I waiting and closing all those damn windows and tabs, if I get nothing in the end.

Also, I still don't know how to download from JS Sims. Whenever you click on anything (even just to preview content and see more details) it takes me to ad.fly, and often not tho the content that was displayed on preview picture. Several time I did download some content, which appeared to be not the stuff i saw on the pics.

My Simblr - Sims 3 builds and occasionally some other Sims 3 stuff
Scholar
Original Poster
#17 Old 16th Jan 2017 at 1:58 AM
Quote: Originally posted by SimmerHilda
It's annoying, but my antivirus blocks malware that attempts to install itself on my computer, so at least it is not harmful. However, sometimes you don't even get the content as OP said already, and that's really irritating. Like, why the heck was I waiting and closing all those damn windows and tabs, if I get nothing in the end.

Also, I still don't know how to download from JS Sims. Whenever you click on anything (even just to preview content and see more details) it takes me to ad.fly, and often not tho the content that was displayed on preview picture. Several time I did download some content, which appeared to be not the stuff i saw on the pics.


By JS Sims do you mean the Jinglestartk? Because I tried to download their stuff and it is quite actually the worst experience I've ever had.
EDiT: I think you're talking about someone else but it sounds like they have similar issues
Mad Poster
#18 Old 17th Jan 2017 at 8:04 AM Last edited by gazania : 22nd Jan 2017 at 4:48 AM.
I do notice the annoying proliferation of adf.ly and short.st links on way too many Sims 3 and 4 CC pages. I have noticed a couple re Sims 2, but only a fraction compared with 3 and 4. I guess Sims 2 is not popular enough. Adf.ly and short.st ruins some of the fun of enjoying CC; particularly since often, there isn't a way to know initially when you're going to have to go through ad.fly. And I'm always wondering if adf.ly and short.st will find a way to work around the blockers and skippers, as Mediafire tries desperately to do.

No. I will not disable my adblocker and skipper for adf.ly, short.st OR Mediafire. Ever. (Mediafire isn't a so-called moneymaker for users, but it does love to try serving pop-unders.) I already had my fun with adf.ly and Mediafire malware/adware/viruses, as some have here. And like many here, I try to avoid sites in the future that insist on using adf.ly or short.st. (I figured out how to work around Mediafire ... for now.)

I never, never thought I'd write this, but I prefer the waiting nonsense of TSR far, far better than these surprise redirects. At least with TSR, you know the drill. There are no surprises. If TSR figures out any skippers, I simply fold laundry or get a drink while the content loads. It's not so bad.

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#19 Old 17th Jan 2017 at 8:32 AM
I refuse to download anything on an ad.fly link. There are good creators who don't use such things, stick to them. I only know about TS2, but since more sims 3 stuff pops up when I google for sims 2 stuff I am sure there is plenty.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Alchemist
#20 Old 17th Jan 2017 at 11:52 AM
I hate ad.fly and similar services so much I have thought about stealing such creators content and share it for free, it would be lovely to see the angry reactions. Making money out of The Sims in a commercial way like that isn't legal.
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#21 Old 17th Jan 2017 at 1:11 PM
I think "making money" is a bit generous; AdSense pays about 0.003 cents (€) per view. Adf.ly claim to pay between 0.0025 and 0.5 cents ($US) per view depending on which country the visitor is from. I suspect that the reason adf.ly links pop up multiple ads is because adf.ly shows you one ad and then that ad spawns more popups, so creators are only getting paid for one ad per visitor, at approx. 0.25c. And that's assuming you hit adf.ly's apparent quota - their website suggests that if you don't get at least 1000 views in a 24 hour period, you won't get paid (found adf.ly's profit margin!). If you get the 1000 visitors required, you'll make $2.50.

Most creators probably miss that regularly; you'd have to be pretty damn popular to get 1000 downloads every day.

If you somehow manage to get 1000 visitors every day for a month, you'll make $75. That officially qualifies as a pittance.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Scholar
#22 Old 17th Jan 2017 at 3:16 PM
Ad.fly confuses me so much.
Alchemist
#23 Old 17th Jan 2017 at 4:09 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
I suspect that the reason adf.ly links pop up multiple ads is because adf.ly shows you one ad and then that ad spawns more popups

You know, I wouldn't even mind regular ads most of the time, except for pop-ups. Those are the bane of my browsing experience, and MediaFire is atrocious at this -- almost every other download link I click either opens an ad in a tab, or redirects to an ad on the same tab. I've also had some issues with them deleting some screenshots under guise of "you're not allowed to distribute copyrighted videos" (because everyone knows a 30-minute episode is 2 MB...), so this ad business made me drop them for good. SFS and Mega are much better.

Interestingly enough, Ad.Fly doesn't specify whether those 1000 clicks have to be unique visitors or not, and I'm assuming the conditions apply to a link-per-link basis, not to all the links in the account (so you'd need to get 1000 clicks/day/link for it to count).

Tumblr - more downloads! ◾ CC reuploads / creator backupsTS3 CAS Conversion Catalog - for basegame, EP, SP, and Store clothing!
Test Subject
#24 Old 17th Jan 2017 at 7:15 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
I think "making money" is a bit generous; AdSense pays about 0.003 cents (€) per view. Adf.ly claim to pay between 0.0025 and 0.5 cents ($US) per view depending on which country the visitor is from. I suspect that the reason adf.ly links pop up multiple ads is because adf.ly shows you one ad and then that ad spawns more popups, so creators are only getting paid for one ad per visitor, at approx. 0.25c. And that's assuming you hit adf.ly's apparent quota - their website suggests that if you don't get at least 1000 views in a 24 hour period, you won't get paid (found adf.ly's profit margin!). If you get the 1000 visitors required, you'll make $2.50.

Most creators probably miss that regularly; you'd have to be pretty damn popular to get 1000 downloads every day.

If you somehow manage to get 1000 visitors every day for a month, you'll make $75. That officially qualifies as a pittance.


This information makes me wonder why is ad.fly getting so popular. I don't think that creators are not familiar with their payment system and prices; obviously, it is hard to make money with ad.fly even if you have many downloads, so why do they even bother working with ad/fly, if it won't ever give them substantial profit?

My Simblr - Sims 3 builds and occasionally some other Sims 3 stuff
Scholar
#25 Old 17th Jan 2017 at 7:33 PM
Because it gives them any level of profit, apparently?
Page 1 of 2
Back to top