New ads & Ebay etc. sidebar!

Al Weyman · 5 Feb 2010, 09:08 (Ref:2627100)

I love this site and use it a lot (you may have noticed) but lately its getting slower and slower with the aninimated banners on every page that have to load. Then last night the Ebay sidebay was launched cutting down the page size further and also reducing again the speed of page reload. I realise this site is ran as a commercial operation but maybe this Ebay side bar could be the straw that broke the camels back as my enjoyment of the site is being rapidly reduced. Maybe the owners should reconcider this addition which certainly does nothing for me.

***MagnetON*** · 5 Feb 2010, 09:37 (Ref:2627114)

http://tentenths.com/forum/faq.php?f...#faq_10k_posts

Only 400 posts to go Al, and you can turn all the adverts off forever!

On a more serious note, we do take load times seriously and have to try to balance the "user experience" against the revenue required to keep Tenths online. This may be one of the times when we've gone in the wrong direction. I'll take a look and see what can be done. Personally I think it's the TribalFusion "Skyscraper" that may be the problem rather than the ebay feed.

**Craig** · 5 Feb 2010, 11:44 (Ref:2627176)

Buy a subscription you tight *******!

Al Weyman · 5 Feb 2010, 13:38 (Ref:2627257)

Hey I have nothing against some ads not a problem and like to see whats going down but I think the side bar column may have overdone it a tad and also the latest animated ones. So when I get to 10,000 posts I am OK, better get typing! If I had a wider monitor and a video card that suited it then it probably wouldnt be so much of a problem.

**Tim Falce** · 5 Feb 2010, 13:45 (Ref:2627263)

Al, are you sure it's not your computer that is over run with other crap? Do you do a disc defrag, clear the cache every now and again and run ad and spy ware? Maybe you have other issues but as you say the ads on here maybe the straw too many.

**Craig** · 5 Feb 2010, 16:04 (Ref:2627317)

You could always buy a subscription, Al?

Al Weyman · 5 Feb 2010, 19:13 (Ref:2627436)

No Tim I have the same on 4 different machines I access it on. Craig I heard the first time thank you.......

davyboy · 5 Feb 2010, 19:17 (Ref:2627443)

I've tried it on 4 different machines in different locations and its running a dog. I've no objection to the ads the way they were previously... but from a visual and performance perspective, this set of changes doesn't work.

Sorry if its not what I'm supposed to say... just thought the site administrators should know.

**Tim Falce** · 5 Feb 2010, 19:47 (Ref:2627462)

I just logged out and tried it and it is a lot slower but then I have a brand new computer which isn't laden with other crap so it's still not too bad.

jab · 5 Feb 2010, 20:55 (Ref:2627511)

I remember having the same debate at another forum where the tower ads were introduced - the debate mainly centred around aesthetic reasons rather than loading time, because it didn't look great having the screen cluttered up with ads. But gradually everyone got used to them and life carried on as normal

At the end of the day, this site has to pay for itself somehow. I've not noticed a difference in the loading times myself, although the eBay ads to start with led to a 1 second delay in the adjustment of the forum frame, which led to a few accidental clicks on the ad (maybe that's the plan

). As long as the ads aren't dodgy (leading to sites that'll damage/infect the computer or, more likely, ads with "inappropriate" images - I've certainly noticed the latter elsewhere), I don't really see the problem, unless it's really slowing it down

Leighton Irwin · 6 Feb 2010, 03:05 (Ref:2627702)

Time to open site: 2 minutes
Time to open topic: 1 min 56 seconds
Time to change topic same thread: 1 minute
Time to forward 1 page: 40 seconds
Time from that topic to this thread: 3 minutes 5 seconds
Time to be able to post: 41 seconds

I will not be bothered with here much now. Sorry.
Other sites and forums not nearly so slow.

garcon · 6 Feb 2010, 09:53 (Ref:2627768)

Bye then.

Super Hans · 6 Feb 2010, 09:55 (Ref:2627770)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leighton Irwin

Time to open site: 2 minutes
Time to open topic: 1 min 56 seconds
Time to change topic same thread: 1 minute
Time to forward 1 page: 40 seconds
Time from that topic to this thread: 3 minutes 5 seconds
Time to be able to post: 41 seconds

I will not be bothered with here much now. Sorry.
Other sites and forums not nearly so slow.

Eh? I've not noticed any problems and my broadband is rubbish.

davyboy · 6 Feb 2010, 10:01 (Ref:2627773)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Hans

Eh? I've not noticed any problems and my broadband is rubbish.

Are you getting all the ads as a mod ?

Super Hans · 6 Feb 2010, 10:17 (Ref:2627778)

Quote:

Originally Posted by davyboy

Are you getting all the ads as a mod ?

I don't know actually.

I do get lots of ads, so I assume so.

***MagnetON*** · 6 Feb 2010, 11:48 (Ref:2627804)

Quote:

Originally Posted by davyboy

this set of changes doesn't work.

Sorry if its not what I'm supposed to say... just thought the site administrators should know.

We're always glad of constructive feedback. Some changes work, some don't, some take a little tweeking to get right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

I just logged out and tried it and it is a lot slower but then I have a brand new computer which isn't laden with other crap so it's still not too bad.

Yes, it is slower, and I'm trying to work out exactly why.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jab

...a 1 second delay in the adjustment of the forum frame, which led to a few accidental clicks on the ad (maybe that's the plan

).

Ah, so you're not using IE

An interesting point, IE renders everything internally before it displays a table, so it takes longer before things appear. Other browsers render the table in order, so that's why it renders, then gets to the code for the right sidebar and shuffles stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jab

As long as the ads aren't dodgy (leading to sites that'll damage/infect the computer or, more likely, ads with "inappropriate" images - I've certainly noticed the latter elsewhere),

We specify to our advert supply partners that there are certain types of advert we don't want, even if they pay higher than others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jab

I don't really see the problem, unless it's really slowing it down

It is for some people, hence my Saturday being spent replying to this and trying a few things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Hans

I do get lots of ads, so I assume so.

The advert block setting that moderators and subscribers have access to is a switch that sets ALL adverts on or off.

Piglet · 6 Feb 2010, 12:27 (Ref:2627828)

TBH I hadn't noticed the ads, but I now see that there is an ebay ad down the side.

I haven't changed any settings since I became a mod so maybe I'll go and have a tweak of the settings.

I don't see any other ads, but I'm not sure if my software is filtering them out?

I hadn't noticed any speed difference at all, either from work or from the laptop - I do use Firefox though.

***MagnetON*** · 6 Feb 2010, 13:09 (Ref:2627843)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piglet

I don't see any other ads, but I'm not sure if my software is filtering them out?

If you're only seeing ebay then something must be filtering 'em out. Don't tell anyone what you're using though as everyone will start using it and there will be NO advert money to keep Tenths going!

Piglet · 6 Feb 2010, 13:20 (Ref:2627846)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagnetON

If you're only seeing ebay then something must be filtering 'em out. Don't tell anyone what you're using though as everyone will start using it and there will be NO advert money to keep Tenths going!

Whoops - sorry

I've just found the mod's button though and they are all gone! Nobody told me about that option when I had my training on how to use my big stick

**Bononi** · 6 Feb 2010, 13:44 (Ref:2627855)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piglet

Whoops - sorry

I've just found the mod's button though and they are all gone! Nobody told me about that option when I had my training on how to use my big stick

Oh you did, but you were too high at that party !!!!

***MagnetON*** · 6 Feb 2010, 14:31 (Ref:2627875)

For anyone that feels really strongly about the adverts then take out a 2 week subscription for £1 and get the option to turn them off for two weeks while we are evaluating them.

Al Weyman · 6 Feb 2010, 14:52 (Ref:2627888)

Have you done anything today as it seems to be running a bit faster.

***MagnetON*** · 6 Feb 2010, 14:56 (Ref:2627889)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Have you done anything today as it seems to be running a bit faster.

Yes, I changed the way the adverts integrate with the page layout.

Al Weyman · 6 Feb 2010, 15:03 (Ref:2627894)

Well its working better for me, thanks.

davyboy · 6 Feb 2010, 15:25 (Ref:2627900)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagnetON

Yes, I changed the way the adverts integrate with the page layout.

Its a little faster Grant, but still slow rendering the third part of the page [i.e. the tower ads]... also FYI, one of the tower ads for me is always eBay. Again, not sure if that's intentional or not.