How about displaying threads somewhere within a mile of the top of the page?

[Alisa]

The new google search box has made an already annoying situation completely ridiculous. No matter what page I go to, the first thread is about 80% of the way down the page. I have to scroll to see anything. Obnoxious! Why can't all this crap be in a side bar?

 

[Atomic Shrimp]

Putting the Google Adsense stuff (including custom search) centrally at the top of the main content typically generates the biggest ad revenues - as described here:

https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=17954

As a webmaster, it's not a choice I would make myself, but then I'm not trying very hard to monetise my site, because my running costs are modest.

Ads are trivially easy to block in modern browsers, if you don't want to see them...

 

[dan-cat]

AWF has been a free, invaluable resource for a long time now and I don't begrudge the owner trying to make some return on it.

I would be fascinated to learn the impact, if any, on the traffic to the site as a result of the ads.

There seem to be two camps

1) Those that are totally turned off by ads

2) Those that have accepted them as part of cyber life.

Perhaps a poll would be in order considering we're unlikely to convince Jon to release some traffic stats.

 

[Brianwarnock]

If I remember correctly UA has ads in the sidebar, narrowing the useful page and driving me nuts with increased scrolling.

I also agree with Dan's comments.

Brian

 

[Fifty2One]

Does not look like the majority of the "customers" have any complaints about too many ads. If it was such a turn-off someone would add the comment to their post while seeking help.

 

[Mike375]

There seem to be two camps

1) Those that are totally turned off by ads

2) Those that have accepted them as part of cyber life.

Perhaps a poll would be in order considering we're unlikely to convince Jon to release some traffic stats.

A third camp. I did not notice anything.

 

[Brianwarnock]

A third camp. I did not notice anything.

That's an Aussie for you.

Brian

 

[Vassago]

It's as simple as installing an ad blocker or ignoring them. I hardly see how ads are such a nuisance for the help you receive on this forum, especially since it's such an expensive forum to maintain with the popularity we have. Scrolling down half a page doesn't seem like such a difficult task... lol

 

[ColinEssex]

It's as simple as installing an ad blocker or ignoring them. I hardly see how ads are such a nuisance for the help you receive on this forum, especially since it's such an expensive forum to maintain with the popularity we have. Scrolling down half a page doesn't seem like such a difficult task... lol

It's not just the ads though - although they are a pain.

It's the gradual loss over the years of this site being a family. Things seem to be much more "PC" and oversensitive.
It's difficult now to make a comment without someone making a weak bladdered complaint, that results in a thread or post being deleted or edited to remove the "offending" part.
The mods seem over-zealous in order to please the complainant. Also, as this site is dominated by Americans, they seem to be the oversensitive ones whereas the British take it all in fun.

Most posts are all good lighthearted fun, people usually give as good as they get. Not any more.

A few years ago, Rich, Me, Hayley and a few others would answer loads of queries per day, now I don't even bother because it seems there's some here who's profession is to do that.

To my mind, the ads are the last straw, it makes this site just like any other commercial site - as a result I shall be cutting right down on logging in - so I'll just log in from time to time.

Col

 

[dan-cat]

It's as simple as installing an ad blocker or ignoring them. I hardly see how ads are such a nuisance for the help you receive on this forum, especially since it's such an expensive forum to maintain with the popularity we have. Scrolling down half a page doesn't seem like such a difficult task... lol

I just went to an ad-blocker site and got to thinking that maybe I'd miss something with one installed.

 

[dan-cat]

Also, as this site is dominated by Americans, they seem to be the oversensitive ones whereas the British take it all in fun.

Also back then, nobody seemed to care very much who was from where.

 

[Rich]

Also back then, nobody seemed to care very much who was from where.

That was before the Republicans took charge

 

[Alisa]

Wow. Who would have predicted that a thread complaining about ad placement would turn into the stock political argument of AWF?

On second thought, probably anyone familiar with this forum would have predicted that.

I still find the ads horrendously annoying, but it sounds like it is just me - maybe I have a smaller screen then most, I don't know.

 

[Rich]

Is the hand of God at play here?

 

[Mike375]

Wow. Who would have predicted that a thread complaining about ad placement would turn into the stock political argument of AWF?

On second thought, probably anyone familiar with this forum would have predicted that.

I still find the ads horrendously annoying, but it sounds like it is just me - maybe I have a smaller screen then most, I don't know.

It starts about 80% down for me on 1366 X 768

When the thread opens put the cursor on the scroll bar itself and then one click will do the trick.

But perhaps it is a political topic in disguise People who are socialists will have a basic dislike or disagreement with advertisements as a starting point and that will make the extra click or two of scroll very annoying.

 

[wiklendt]

i find the info here way too invaluable to have noticed the ads (yes, i'm aussie)... having said that the readability of the posts on AWF is FAR surperior to others like Utter Access or other random ones i may visit or be directed to by google.

i agree that sidebar is not a good idea as it increases scrolling - i also find it hard to see where the content actually starts in UA and other sites... the aesthetics of AWF forum proper helps there, i think.

 

[dan-cat]

i agree that sidebar is not a good idea as it increases scrolling - i also find it hard to see where the content actually starts in UA and other sites... the aesthetics of AWF forum proper helps there, i think.

The readability of this forum has always been very good. I think that's why the ads had quite a bit of impact on my eye.

Got used to it now though.

 

[Brianwarnock]

Wiklendt

You and I are in total agreement, and just to clear things up Mike and I have bantered on and off from way back so it wasn't really a dig at all Aussies, and with you being an Aussie I know you wont have got all uptight.

Brian

 

[HiTechCoach]

It starts about 80% down for me on 1366 X 768

That is probably the problem. You monitor's height is not the normally dimensions. You will have this issue on many sites. Not just here.

At 1280 x 1024 is does not do do what you described your the original post. Most monitors have a height of at least 75% of the width. Yours is 50%. Are you using a Laptop?


About the ads, if you were willing to pay a monthly fee, then I bet they would be willing to remove the ads for you.

IMHO, any things that you like that is ad revenue supported, you should purchase from the advertisers. That is what keeps content) free of a subscription fee.

I believe it is all members responsibility to read the ads and click on the ones that are interesting. This way we all help keep this site subscription free for YOU and all other members to use.

Remember: Nothing is really free. You have to pay one way or another. Either support the advertisers or pay a subscription fee.

 

[Mike375]

That is probably the problem. You monitor's height is not the normally dimensions. You will have this issue on many sites. Not just here.

I am not having a problem, Alisa is.

But this a laptop and 1366 X 768 is common for the newest lower end 15.6" screens. I have code that adjusts Access and forms tha were made for 800 X 600 or 1024 X 768 look quite strange.