Adverts within thread posts

[littlespark]

On some threads, where there are a large number of posts, there are adverts inside posts. (Might be in between?) but at least they are forum sponsors and not some random clickbait.

Again, I’m not sure if this has always been like that, or it’s by design.

Neither of these issues are massive problems, nor do they impact the usability of the site.

 

[Dan]

Yeah that's our own advertising system. So sponsors end up within content if there is enough on a page. Viewing on a mobile (smaller screen) you should end up with a much smaller banner instead.

We've got a few changes coming soon with regards to the sponsors if all goes well. Will keep you guys updated nearer the time after some testing.

 

[Sparksfly2]

Personally i dont find the site particularly user friendly far too many ads/ sponsors, pop ups etc..

 

[littlespark]

Personally i dont find the site particularly user friendly far too many ads/ sponsors, pop ups etc..

It’s much better than it was.

All websites need sponsorship to pay for even the simple hosting. That’s different to just random adverts.
@Dan does a great job of keeping most of it unobtrusive, but sometimes those Google type aggressive ads get onto the site by basically hijacking the site and inserting themselves without his knowledge. He needs us to report problems and then he’ll find time to fix it.

 

[Sparksfly2]

Agree, think part of the problem is viewing on iphone screen where everything is a little more crammed.

 

[Dan]

We use AI now we're with an advertising network. So the ads shape, size, quantity etc all change depending on device, country you're in, how many times you've visited, how long for, and dozens of other metrics.

We've only just (in advertising terms) switched to this setup, so the system is still learning. If you spot an X in the corner of an ad that's in your way, click it, and select from the options what the problem was.

It's going to be mid-march now until I can really start to make changes again. They were so drastic recently that the metrics become useless, so I'm trying to build up fresh data with this new network and then see whether the change was worth it and if so, which bits to tweak.