Though I've barely posted here I've found this site really informative, and I greatly appreciate it.
However I personally find the advertisements are so off-putting that despite the excellent content and atmosphere I'm finding I don't tend to stick around longer than necessary to get the answers I need. It looks like there's a great community here and I would like to be a part of it, but for me the ads genuinely hinder my participation.
As a solution, many forums who run advertisements offer their members the option of a paid "premium" membership that is ad-free. In this way the forum remains supported while individuals who find the ads too intrusive have a way to opt out of them and still enjoy the forum.
There is, of course, no obligation to change anything, especially considering that I'm a newbie and likely the odd one out. But I figured I'd mention it in case it was helpful.
Thanks again for the great site!