Website advertising

[cinema guy]

I run a small games club.We have wargames, RPGS, boardgames etc. And we have a simple website.

I got an email today offering money for a text link advert on our site. The link leeds to online casino rankings.

Now the club needs money, so it seems like a golden opportunity. But I am wary of spam, viruses and the like. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?

[Broomjockey]

I would suggest never taking anyone who just randomly asks "Hey, lemme advertise on your site." If you really want advertising, then go for Google's Ad-Sense, or Project Wonderful, or something like that. A reputable ad-hosting service. That way, if one of the ads goes rogue, they notice more quickly, and pull it, and replace it with another ad.

[Seshat]

I second this. Use one of the ad companies that lets you vet which ads you show. Ideally, also use one that uses at least geographic targetting, if not also topic-based targetting.

If they don't do targetting, but do let you control which ads are on your page, you can do your own topic-based targetting: by selecting ads based on things you think your customers would be interested in.

[cinema guy]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have turned down the email offer and am in the process of signing up with google ad-sense.