-- POPUPS -- please read - Page 5

TCO · November 16, 2003, 08:51

Mark,

I can live with the popups. And can live with sexy popups. But please get rid of things that tell people that the owners of the site want them to download a program.

Alexander's Horse · November 16, 2003, 09:14

I'm getting a flash download from macromedia whenever the Wall Street Journal banner runs.

MarkG · November 16, 2003, 15:00

Quote:

Originally posted by TCO
But please get rid of things that tell people that the owners of the site want them to download a program.

a screenshot (so i can identify the advertiser)?

MarkG · November 16, 2003, 15:06

Quote:

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
I'm getting a flash download from macromedia whenever the Wall Street Journal banner runs.

hmm probably they use a new version flash and you need to upgrade

cavebear · November 20, 2003, 22:14

I'm suddenly getting a stack of pop-up-and-under ads every time I open the site. 4-12 per visit. I thought I was avoiding this by choosing the lite version of the site (and I was not seeing them until the past couple weeks). This does not thrill me.

I'll reopen my ad-blocker software if it continues.

TCO · November 21, 2003, 00:36

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
a screenshot (so i can identify the advertiser)?

It was previously reported and had a screenie...

cavebear · November 23, 2003, 02:51

Hey, I'm serious. These increased ads are a real problem. They are stacking up so fast it is messing with my ability to multi-task.

Something has changed very recently and I will not put up with it.

I'm damned mad about it!

MarkG · November 23, 2003, 04:17

Quote:

Originally posted by TCO
It was previously reported and had a screenie...

link of post?

MarkG · November 23, 2003, 04:21

Quote:

Originally posted by cavebear
Hey, I'm serious. These increased ads are a real problem.

1) do you have cookies enabled?
2) you actually have the default style which already has the fewer popups(but only if you allow cookies)

TCO · November 23, 2003, 12:51

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
link of post?

Oh...fine. I'll go look. I would have helped the site, but I got banned.

H Tower · December 3, 2003, 02:53

I've been getting messages asking me to download a text file when I click on links going to other threads in poly. (i haven't downloaded it) here's the screen shot

moo3 default, cookies enabled, using opera. other ads on the page were amazon at the bottom and an SBC ad at the top

MarkG · December 4, 2003, 03:03

H Tower seems like it's a case of a file extension that opera doesnt understand and asks you to download it...

try another browser and see if you get it again

H Tower · December 6, 2003, 03:28

well, I'm using IE right now another computer and I haven't had it happen to me yet. I have had a bunch of pop ups that don't work and are javascript()open which are semi amusing.

gunkulator · December 12, 2003, 15:37

Grrr pop-ups! At home I can block them easily just by using the google toolbar or any browser other than IE. At work, I'm obligated to use an unmodified IE browser which means I have to be quick on the close button in case it's something like Britney Spears popping up. So in no case do I ever actually read them. Inline ads I'll actually look at. Pop-ups, never. Yes, I understand the need for advertising but pop-ups are too instrusive.

Just my $0.02.

Conqueror · December 15, 2003, 05:16

Whats the deal with the joetec . net pop-up that appears when you try to download something ?

I just keep getting totally blank page there with no option to proceed downloading

Same problem with Opera 7.23 and IE6.

/edit: I've had the problem about 2-3 weeks now, before that, downloading was fine.

MarkG · December 15, 2003, 05:36

if you're using norton or some other utility to filter out popups, disable it

Conqueror · December 15, 2003, 05:49

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
if you're using norton or some other utility to filter out popups, disable it

Disabling Norton firewall does not help, have tested with it and without. Its not blocking pop-ups or cookies anyway with my settings.

XP's own firewall is ofcourse disabled.

/edit: i am behind same ISP's NAT both at home and at work, that might cause the problem ? But strange that downloading did work fine in the past, and i have not changed ISPs in a long time.

DrSpike · December 15, 2003, 05:52

Anyone else seen the one about Internet Alert, a piece of software supposed to enable you to track people that attack your system?

MarkG · December 15, 2003, 06:01

have you tried clicking on the "skip" link(top right part of the page you get)?

DrSpike · December 15, 2003, 06:07

It was just an old style popup; sorry for not making that clear.

Conqueror · December 15, 2003, 06:40

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
have you tried clicking on the "skip" link(top right part of the page you get)?

If you were talking about my problem, it does not apply, unfortunately

As i dont have any links in the page. Its just the plain blank page that is stuck forever trying to load something from joetec . net..

MarkG · December 18, 2003, 12:23

you must have some sort of software that alters the page

can you view the source of the blank page that you get? is it blank as well?

Conqueror · December 19, 2003, 13:03

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
you must have some sort of software that alters the page

can you view the source of the blank page that you get? is it blank as well?

Source in Opera says "GIF89a %&¤# )(%¤ -insert 1000 white boxes here- 1.1 #%#"
View source is grayed out in IE.

Strangest thing, that its the same bug at home and at work. It doesnt matter so much since i can mail/call some friends to d/l the things for me that i need from here.

Oerdin · December 22, 2003, 21:21

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG

Quote:

I'm sure that I'm such a criminal person like them

at least they are only making the site less friendly to everyone else. you're making it less likely to exist....

Markos: Don't you think that's a little over the top? I'd wager that you are making a healthy profit each and every month so pretending this isn't true is something of a red herring.

That said I don't mind clicking on the odd ad but I dislike getting bombarded by ads. Sure, it's your site and viewing ads might be part of the package but I don't feel bad about blocking pop ups since I already view banners and redirect ads everytime I click on an outside link.

MarkG · December 23, 2003, 00:26

Quote:

I'd wager that you are making a healthy profit each and every month so pretending this isn't true is something of a red herring.

i presume you are also running a web site and have some info on the logistics of such a thing....

Rasbelin · December 23, 2003, 06:01

Quote:

Originally posted by MarkG
if you're using norton or some other utility to filter out popups, disable it

Don't do it, just because Markos says so. If one chooses to block pop-ups, that's up to them, not Markos.

As for this "logistics issue" Markos refers to, that could well be corrected with more advanced forms of business than pop-up advertising. New paid services, donations and sponsored memberships for instance. Maybe find a European alternative to the USA based CafePress for Europeans ordering ACS branded merchandise. There's plenty of other options than just pop-ups, which are IMHO the lazy man's choice for funding a website. I'm sure something more persuading than that would bring much more income. Especially when pop-ups don't really pay that well in comparison to other forms of business suggested.

MarkG · December 23, 2003, 18:09

lazy.
right.

oh well, i guess i've heard everything now, after 7 years of continuing service to the civ community

Tamerlin · December 26, 2003, 12:32

Quote:

Originally posted by Rasbelin
As for this "logistics issue" Markos refers to, that could well be corrected with more advanced forms of business than pop-up advertising. New paid services, donations and sponsored memberships for instance. Maybe find a European alternative to the USA based CafePress for Europeans ordering ACS branded merchandise. There's plenty of other options than just pop-ups, which are IMHO the lazy man's choice for funding a website. I'm sure something more persuading than that would bring much more income. Especially when pop-ups don't really pay that well in comparison to other forms of business suggested.

There is one thing I don't understand, we are not talking about a business but about a site devoted to Civilization games, a passion for most of us...

IMO, using pop-ups is a good and non aggressive way to gather some funds and thus keeping the ACS free... in an era where money is ruling almost everything this is something they should be thanked for.

This is my two cents of a € opinion...

cavebear · December 26, 2003, 16:13

It seems I have solved the pop-up problem using Netscape Preferences. At least for now...

Rasbelin · December 26, 2003, 16:47

Quote:

Originally posted by Tamerlin

IMO, using pop-ups is a good and non aggressive way to gather some funds and thus keeping the ACS free... in an era where money is ruling almost everything this is something they should be thanked for.

Non aggressive?

Advertising that causes Claria to be installed or which fills your screen with ads is what I call aggressive marketing. In general pop-up ads are something else than non aggressive. It's not a farking thing you can be thankful for, unless you're a complete nutter that allows almost anything to happen with your system, just for the sake of one website (...which you seem to be, by praising these pop-ups... just my 0,05 €).

I have several times explained how other better alternatives could be used to fund a large site like ACS. Of course money rules here too! Darn, keeping ACS isn't of course free, so one has to find efficient ways to cover the costs. Pop-ups aren't with their current payouts, which have decreased since the big Internet boom. The money doesn't go directly to ACS. The biggest portion goes to 3rd parties like online advertising agencies. The best payout is certainly by CafePress' merchandise.

Even better (100%) would be from donations, paid extra services and sponsored special memberships. As users block pop-ups and don't buy the products/services marketed by these ads, ACS doesn't get a one single dime. No matter if you would be having your screen filled with God know how many pop-ups, just for the sake of ACS! Yes, some do pay for views, but that's not much and it has decreased since the boom. Not even clicks are worth that much. Getting people to buy is what gives the best payouts. But in the meantime one could have achieved that and more, by simply setting up more efficient ways. Just look at some very popular sites like Something Awful and Salon.com, not to mention zounds of others.