> > Alright you guys win, I'll disable them if you're logged in. I think that's a good compromise?
>
> Definitely gets my vote!
>
> Though I still don't know why there's advertising on the forum — certainly in the middle of the posts.
>
> For example, there's already a "Pricing" and "Try Now" option at the top, both promoting purchase. One of those could be highlighted.
>
> How much advertising does this forum need?
Forum threads provide an excellent opportunity for organic content for search engines - if someone is trying to make a mobile game and searches Google for "How do I make a game like Angry Birds" (just an example) there's a chance a Construct forum thread could pop up. For new users stumbling onto the site like this, providing a short but sweet CTA is perfect rather than relying on them to navigate the site.
Given the fact that Scirra's only revenue stream is the licencing model, it's perfectly reasonable for them to use every opportunity they get to communicate the value of the Construct platform to new users - especially when it comes to quality of life features like forums (which are clearly having a lot of work put in to them; embedded video, built in tab menus, tables) that cost more than you'd think to host, improve and maintain.
Rather than passing this cost onto existing users by increasing the cost of subscription, do you not feel that's best for Scirra to put more effort into expanding their userbase?
I feel like it should also be noted that the "Buy Now" page also features the free version of C3.
I agree that this is a good example of a forum being someone's first point of contact with construct. But if they like what they see / read here in the forum, they'll investigate the software and what it can do. Then they'll make a decision to buy construct.
Practically nobody will jump from an interesting forum topic to subscribing to software they've only just heard about.
So the banners aren't helping. In fact they're interrupting the cool forum experience you're describing.
I totally agree construct should be promoted to unregistered users. Just not this way; it's destructive to every use case I've heard and can imagine. Highlight the Buy Now button and ensure its on the mobile nav bar - everyone wins.