Ooooh, would they be extra ads I see? ;o)

Honey-ec

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Probably is. I was thinking inobtrusive but that just sounded stupid.

"Me fail English? That's unpossible!"

leninbenjamin

don't mind the adds but i do find the layout changes a bit annoying. too much white space. why not put a bigger banner on the top (where it's more visible anyway) and then one of the longer google ads banners on the bottom?

Vexorg

Similar threads are still there - look harder:)

The rectangular banner would be 90 pixels tall

This one is 250 pixels tall, we will probably run a mix of island (250 pixel and leader board 90 pixel banners).

The two column layout has its advantages, however it is not something we are considering for the current site layout It is coincidently part of the site redesign but for different reasons to the above, but the intended purpose is technically difficult to implement.

Vexorg

The reason for the island is that it is more desirable real estate.

We could put it at the top of the page, it just seems an easier fit at the bottom.

leninbenjamin

Vexorg wrote: »

The reason for the island is that it is more desirable real estate.

hmmm never thought about it like that.

i still think i'd prefer to see the Island at the top. i dunno. too much white space at the bottom freaks me out...

SimpleSam06

Vexorg wrote: »

It is coincidently part of the site redesign but for different reasons to the above, but the intended purpose is technically difficult to implement.

Aha, so you are moving to a two column layout, but not for any reasons I mentioned? Fair enough...

oleras

Sorted.....

Remove banner adverts?
Subscriber feature.
Use this option to disable advertisements on pages.
Leave 'em Remove

AlmightyCushion

Thaedydal wrote: »

Surely the prices for hookers will do down...

As long as the hookers still go down, I'm happy.

Eoin

Vexorg wrote: »

If you click the quick reply button you are brought to the box - no need to scroll at all.

V.

I often scroll back up to re-read other posts, or to quote other people while using the quick reply box.

Could the adverts go below the quick reply box? Not that much difference to the adverts, but I would think a lot easier for the users.

togster

i think it\s bollox. it's a slippery slope and there seems to be more ads all the time now. Fcuk it

MooseJam

Clicking on ads redirects away from boards, wouldn't it be a lot better to open a new window, I think it would anyway

Dave!

This is what happens when you sell out!!!

Boston

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

Meh, you've got the very same typing and reading space, plus access to interesting new stuff.

If graphical ads bother, just specify homebrewed google style adverts and write your own terms to people that want to buy them, none of this 3% of 5 cent malarky.

Not mention it actually makes boards a more pleasant experience, since we naturally read top to bottom and left to right, so making the content closer to either edge is a good thing, and you could move top menu options to the right.

Just an opinion! [/quote]

Its a bloody mess man, it makes it harder to judge who posted what, and it breaks up the flow of pages.

wrt to these adds, a agree with togster, I've seen this with two other sites, both gone now. Became overly depended on the unreliable source of income which is click through advertising. Got to the stage there where adds between posts, and between page loads (for example when you submitted a post, you got a page with a flash add for about 5 seconds. Each on their own where very non obtrusive, but taken together they made using those sites far less enjoyable.

I'd personally like to hear from the admins where the boundaries are?

Ciaran500

eoin_s wrote: »

Could the adverts go below the quick reply box? Not that much difference to the adverts, but I would think a lot easier for the users.

Exactly, at the very least they need to be spread across the page so they don't take up so much vertical space.

Vexorg

The "boundaries" at this time are outside of the reading area - with the exception of the guest banner.

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Exactly, at the very least they need to be spread across the page so they don't take up so much vertical space.

I'd agree, there's a lot of space having them vertical. Would it not be a lot tidier to have them horizontal?

6th

MooseJam wrote: »

Clicking on ads redirects away from boards, wouldn't it be a lot better to open a new window, I think it would anyway

This is something I find annoying. I see alot of ads I am interested in but checking them out can be a pain.

Eoin

6th wrote: »

This is something I find annoying. I see alot of ads I am interested in but checking them out can be a pain.

You can still right click and open in a new window/tab though. Or if you have a mouse with a scrolling wheel, clicking the scroll button on a link normally opens it in a new tab automatically.

SimpleSam06

Boston wrote: »

Its a bloody mess man, it makes it harder to judge who posted what, and it breaks up the flow of pages.

You mean besides the enormous white username at the top of the post? If that makes it difficult to judge who posted, I'm not sure how you manage to make use of a forum at all!

Boston wrote: »

wrt to these adds, a agree with togster, I've seen this with two other sites, both gone now. Became overly depended on the unreliable source of income which is click through advertising.

Eh the entire internet depends upon advertising. Google, everyone's favourite company, is purely an advertising company. If boards wants to expand and grow, I'd fully support them putting together a more comprehensive and valuable advertising package. They need to own that territory.

faceman

I dont find them intrusive. But i dont pay much attention to them anyway. I had a look at them now out of curiosity to see what i was missing.

Ooohhhh waterford nitelife and organic tastings in Louth!!

Seriously though, until boards starts using pop up windows telling me Im the 1,000,000th visitor or ads between posts I wont be complaining!

Vexorg

Some tweaking in progress to counter the white space.

Also looking at opening banners in a new window.

Vexorg

Regarding opening Google Ads in a new window.

This from the Adsense Help Files.

Can I open the ads in a new window?


Keeping in mind the importance of the user experience, we generally have not allowed Google ads to open in a new window. However, in a few markets, including China, we've found that opening ads in a new window better aligns with expected internet behavior and provides a more consistent, intuitive user experience.


After significant testing, we've enabled Google ads to open in new windows in locations where this is expected browsing behavior. This functionality is determined by the IP of the user, and is not an option you can select your AdSense account.


We also ask that you don't modify the AdSense ad code or alter the result of clicking on an ad on your website, as such behavior violates our program policies.

Looks like its move to China or Right click - open in new window/tab.

The default setting on ads we serve direct from our adserving software is to open in a new window.

Sherifu

It's almost worth moving to China for. Decisions, decisions...

Boston

Vexorg wrote: »

The "boundaries" at this time are outside of the reading area - with the exception of the guest banner.

Grand.

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

You mean besides the enormous white username at the top of the post? If that makes it difficult to judge who posted, I'm not sure how you manage to make use of a forum at all!

I, like most people, identify things visually first. I Identified which posts are yours in this thread while scrolling by looking for your avatar and signature, then, several seconds later I read your actual user name. This is actually how most people work.

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

Eh the entire internet depends upon advertising. Google, everyone's favourite company, is purely an advertising company. If boards wants to expand and grow, I'd fully support them putting together a more comprehensive and valuable advertising package. They need to own that territory.

I guess that's what I don't like then, the move from being a community to being a company. Advertising was at one point merely something to support the community. I can see a point (not saying we're at that stage yet) where the community is simply something to support advertising revenue. Things change, this I'm aware of.

nesf

They are far less annoying since you moved them to the right. Cheers. The previous white space kept drawing my eye away from the posts.

SimpleSam06

Boston wrote: »

I, like most people, identify things visually first. I Identified which posts are yours in this thread while scrolling by looking for your avatar and signature, then, several seconds later I read your actual user name. This is actually how most people work.

Similar avatars are used by several people, so that's not definitive. If you're looking then for the sig, that's exactly where I've placed the other user information, so its even more intuitive.

Boston wrote: »

I guess that's what I don't like then, the move from being a community to being a company. Advertising was at one point merely something to support the community. I can see a point (not saying we're at that stage yet) where the community is simply something to support advertising revenue. Things change, this I'm aware of.

Heh. As has been pointed out many times, its not free to run boards. Above and beyond financial costs, there is time as well, which ain't free by any stretch. If boards can a) offer useful services to its diverse communities and b) turn that into capital in order to pursue more exciting projects (or even pay the mods!) I can't see how anyone would have a problem with it.

Of course, some people seem to see "advertising" and read "antichrist", but then again, they haven't moved out of their parents' garage yet, so their vote doesn't count for much.

AARRRGH

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

Eh the entire internet depends upon advertising.

Yeah, I find this one funny.

If everyone installed some kind of ad-blocker on their browser, half the websites they visit would go out of business due to lack of revenue.

Getting free content means accepting advertising.

Boston

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

Similar avatars are used by several people, so that's not definitive. If you're looking then for the sig, that's exactly where I've placed the other user information, so its even more intuitive.

I didn't say it was definitive. Your style is not new, I've seen similar on other forums, it is harder to follow.

Heh. As has been pointed out many times, its not free to run boards. Above and beyond financial costs, there is time as well, which ain't free by any stretch. If boards can a) offer useful services to its diverse communities and b) turn that into capital in order to pursue more exciting projects (or even pay the mods!) I can't see how anyone would have a problem with it.

Its all about priorities and where the focus is placed. There needs to be a balance of course between financial realities and the community needs. If you can't the inherent problems with trying to run a community resource like a business, then you're not trying hard enough. There's a reason why commercially driven forums are crap in general.

Of course, some people seem to see "advertising" and read "antichrist", but then again, they haven't moved out of their parents' garage yet, so their vote doesn't count for much.

Erm, you are a nazi and/or Hitler. I mean if where going to get hysterical... :rolleyes:

SimpleSam06

AARRRGH wrote: »

Getting free content means accepting advertising.

Yeah. I can understand a lot of people might have problems with flashy intrusive advertising, that makes sense, but good, in-context ads work. I mean if you put a link from the zombie forum to zombie movies on Amazon, or to costume and makeup suppliers, possibly airsoft, nobody would complain, really. Boards gets paid, users are happy, advertisers stay in business, its great.

Eoin

AARRRGH wrote: »

Getting free content means accepting advertising.

We provide the content here.