(and @renato and @stephen_schenck and @Hanglyman )
I refer you to my comment on another recent BB Shop thread in reply to someone asking if it could have something to do with money.
The revenue for renting BB space for advertising in this way may contribute to the cost of keeping the lights on, and provides ‘entertainment’ (‘engagement’?) - the life-blood of any website not funded by private means. There have been many discussions here about other methods of funding (subscriptions, etc.) but BB is a private property and its owners have chosen this one. Given how long it’s been going on and the amount of feedback, they cannot be unaware of many people’s views on this. But they know about their metrics and finances, we do not.
I am not defending the utter awfulness and inappropriateness of much of StackCommerce’s advertised products. Many do very much go against what one might have assumed the BB ethic to be. Though they do seem in a perverse way to contribute to some sort of sense of community among many here ‘below the line’.
You may have to @ them to get their attention on the question.
