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I am currently deciding between the ValueClick and Burst!Media banner networks. Fastclick is out because it seems they don't accept forums right now. Has anyone been successful with either of these two? Which one do you recommend?

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Several members here (, , ) have shared firsthand experiences. Rather than rely on a single recommendation, use a short, repeatable evaluation process so the decision is based on data from the actual forum inventory.

Checklist to run before signing

  • Ask the network for forum-specific acceptance requirements, sample case studies, and the minimum traffic they expect.
  • Confirm supported ad units (static vs rich media), ad code formats, and whether they allow asynchronous or lazy-loading tags to avoid slowing pages.
  • Verify reporting: impression counts, eCPM/RPM, fill rate, and viewability metrics. Make sure their numbers can be reconciled with site analytics.
  • Check payment terms, thresholds, and ad quality/brand-safety controls.
  • Ensure inventory verification options (ads.txt / sellers.json) are supported to protect programmatic revenue.

A simple A/B test workflow

  • Pick two identical pages and run each network in the same placements for 2–4 weeks.
  • Track impressions, clicks, revenue, fill rate, viewability, and page latency.
  • Calculate eCPM and net RPM. Prefer longer samples over single-day spikes.
  • If using multiple networks, consider yield management (waterfall/mediation) so the highest-paying demand gets priority.

Implementation tips and resources

  • Use asynchronous tags and lazy-load to cut latency and avoid harming UX.
  • Consider an ad server or mediation layer for control; for header-bidding or advanced yield optimization, consult Prebid documentation.
  • Protect and verify programmatic selling with ads.txt and follow IAB best practices.
  • For practical guidance on mediation and reporting, see Google Ad Manager support.

Resources: IAB, Prebid docs, .

Member Avatar for Ragnarok

One of my friends has Burst Ads on his forums and site and he seems very happy with the money he gets. Burst is a great place to get ads if you have loads of hits. You should have no problem.

Member Avatar for Deven

I use valueclick and focusin on my website and valueclick I think is way better than focusIN, but anyways, I use burst only on my forums and the money is very good. Burst is probably the best ad company out there and they are just slightly better than Valueclick. I would reccomend both, but If I had to choose one, it would definitely be Burst. Their pay is higher than valueclick and it'll be even higher since you're gonna put them on your forums. You can even choose which ads and things you want with Burst too.

I hope this helped :)

Member Avatar for Dani

I finally was able to make it into Tribal Fusion and I'm very happy with them. They're picky on who they accept, but if anyone out there is lucky enough to be accepted, definitely go with Tribal :) Burst and ValueClick both make good second tier networks. If you are planning on adding a third tier onto your ad network hierarchy, make sure ValueClick is last because, as of right now, they only allow static banners as defaults.

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