Ad link for some key words?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brad jones

we are working to get this fixed.

Brad!

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Here is a list of a few situations:

1. launch vbforums.com --- list of all Forums
2. click Visual Basic 6 and Earlier (or any other) --- list of all threads
3. click a thread --- only place ads appear
4. click Quote or Post Reply --- get edit box to type in Message
5. click Preview Post --- to edit a Message
6. click Edit --- to edit a Message

Of this list, only #3 seems applicable.

Why on earth does the script get invoked in cases 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.
Suppressing it in these cases should eliminate about 80% of the
problem "delays"

Spoo

This thread is out of control -- as in, there are a ton of wordy posts! I just skimmed a lot of them.

Hey guys - I was out last week at a work event that kept me offline for the most part. I am here this week. I've been hammering on people internally for the last 72 hours about the script issue and the speed of the ad links. In fact, I need to capture one more screen shot of the script dialog, then I've requested that it be turned off until they can look at it closer and find a way to get it operating at something acceptable. They have actually been tweaking it for several days now, but the changes are simply not cutting the speed to an acceptable level.

Someone indicated they get the slow script in Firefox. Can that be confirmed? Can someone capture a screen shot with the dialog in firefox and post it here?

We hear you. We agree. We are working on it.

I need screen shots of the slow script, then I can tell them to turn it off until they can get it faster or until they can have it run without interrupting the session.

Brad!

There is a lot of secondary discussions in this thread. A few random comments related to random things stated --

Topic: Post 101 -
I agree that the show thread and show posts areas are really the place the ad links should be shown. If we could selectively block it from the other pages, it would speed things up. This new version of the ad links runs on all pages and was written to work on any site (forum or otherwise). As such, you'll see ad links in PMs and elsewhere. I don't agree with this implementation, and will note it to the developers. I don't think it will change though. Regardless, if we fix the speed issue, then it shouldn't matter what pages it loads on.

Topic: Site Ownership --
It was commented that this site has changed ownership a million times (or something). Not really true. Internet.com has changed names a million times, but the ownership has only changed twice in the life of this site that I'm aware of. Jupitermedia, WebMediaBrands, and Internet.com are all names for the same thing. This site was obtained by Internet.com, from the creators. Internet.com was recently acquired by QuinStreet. Those are the only changes in ownership. The change to QuinStreet is actually a huge positive. QuinStreet has a much larger development staff and a greater attention to details.

Topic: Ads like magazines and TV
Saying you want to operate like magazinese and TV is funny. Ad links are "so TV" it isn't funny. Magazines (printed) are quickly going away. Look for tech magazines. You'll see there are fewer and fewer. Look at TV. You'll see that television has learned that people are blocking ads. That is why you are finding more ad placements within television. Did you see them using BING in Criminal Minds? Do you see Ford and Coke ads integrated into American Idol? Did you see the "You get to call home on an XYZ phone" in Survivor? Ads are becoming a part of your favorite shows and will become even more a part as time goes on. Careful asking for forums to match Magazines and TV.....

Topic: Revenue
Internet.com as a part of QuinStreet does not solely rely on ad revenue. Ad revenue alone does not cut it. QuinStreet is about performance management. You'll see that the concepts behind performance management will someday roll into VBForums as well.


Okay, I know I missed some other things that were discussed, but alas, I need to move to some other issues!

I'll end by saying we really do appreciate all the feedback. We do take most of it seriously (there are a few people who we don't take too seroiusly though ;) :D )

Brad!

Brad... I posted a screenshot of the dialog, along with links were I was getting it, in one of the other threads regarding this... I'd have to look back through my list to see which one specifically.

Here it is...
http://www.vbforums.com/showpost.php...75&postcount=5


Also, I should note that the slow down also happens on pages with thread listings (like search results and my user panel ... which tells me that the script is being included in the footer, so it runs EVERYWHERE, and it shouldn't be. Just something I noticed.

-tg

Quote:

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Topic: Ads like magazines and TV
Saying you want to operate like magazinese and TV is funny. Ad links are "so TV" it isn't funny. Magazines (printed) are quickly going away. Look for tech magazines. You'll see there are fewer and fewer. Look at TV. You'll see that television has learned that people are blocking ads. That is why you are finding more ad placements within television. Did you see them using BING in Criminal Minds? Do you see Ford and Coke ads integrated into American Idol? Did you see the "You get to call home on an XYZ phone" in Survivor? Ads are becoming a part of your favorite shows and will become even more a part as time goes on. Careful asking for forums to match Magazines and TV.....

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I find that kind of product sponsorship ironic... that's how TV originally got its funding in the early days. There's a reason they are called "soaps" or "soap operas" ... Many of those shows in their early days were sponsored by the likes of Borax and other soap manufacturers. It was an attempt at capitalizing on the new audience that was the typical housewife who would be buying the products.

-tg

Brad ... aside from the 10 second delays (which I know you are working on), the most annoying part of these adwords is when your cursor accidentally passes over one of them and the ad pops up. Can you implement a "hover delay" where you actually have to stop your cursor on the adword for a short period (like 1/2 sec) before the ad pops up? I know it would spare me a lot of frustration. As it is now, navigating this site is like walking through a mine field, trying to avoid the adwords with your cursor.
Also, are you aware that many (over half) of the adwords pop up empty ads? And that's with no adblocker running. Do you still get paid when that happens?

Thanks all -
I have commented on several of the links not displaying an ad in the box. I have only seen this randomly and not very often. I know that is being looked into as well.

As to to the hover over. That is going to be a harder sell, but if they fix the speed issue of the entire system, then the ads should display quicker and go away quicker on their own. That will help.

Techgnome - yes - the adlink code is on all pages. it was created to work with any site, not just a forum where some pages might not make sense. Regardless, This was noted earlier in this thread and the issue is valid.

Brad!

Quote:

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go away quicker on their own.

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They go away?! On their own!? Huh... the slowdown is worse than I thought then... as I've never had one go away on its own. I've always had to click the [x] to dismiss it.

-tg

As have I, also if I happend to have passed over one on the way to the back button the add changes but you do not go back to a previous page.

>> NEWS FLASH <<

It seems to be fixed !!
Whoo hoo !

OK.. how did you guys do it?

Spoo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spoo

>> NEWS FLASH <<

It seems to be fixed !!
Whoo hoo !

OK.. how did you guys do it?

Spoo

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Well, it looks like all the adwords are gone so I'm guessing they just disabled them temporarily until they can get it figured out...

LOL

While I didn't actually notice that the adwords were gone,
that occurred to me as a possibility just after I posted.

Well, at least they're onto the issue.

Spoo

The tags are in Google Chrome and IE. I don't get them in Epiphany or Firefox.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by minitech

The tags are in Google Chrome and IE. I don't get them in Epiphany or Firefox.

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The default for Firefox is to show the ads but you may not be seeing any now because the ads were down for a while and may still be but I haven't checked.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spoo

LOL

While I didn't actually notice that the adwords were gone,
that occurred to me as a possibility just after I posted.

Well, at least they're onto the issue.

Spoo

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No, the adwords are still there.

I still see the ad words on my acer monitor, though the speed is better on my MPC computer, which makes my coke product taste a bit sweeter...oops just spilled some on my Microsoft keyboard. Guess I better get a Brawny paper towel to wipe it up before it disrupts any of my Idaho Power electrons.

Can I get paid for any of this...preferably with US Treasurey dollars?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nightwalker83

No, the adwords are still there.

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Hmmm.. I don't think so.

Two that I recall from eariler were:
- Internet
- database

EDIT:
And I do not see a blue double-underline beneath either of them.
Am I missing something?

Spoo

The ad word script has been gone for two days. Those of you still seeing it are undoubtedly using Firefox, which is showing you a cached page. Open another browser and you will see. Firefox is notorious for showing cached pages.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spoo

Hmmm.. I don't think so.

Two that I recall from eariler were:
- Internet
- database

EDIT:
And I do not see a blue double-underline beneath either of them.
Am I missing something?

Spoo

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Maybe it was my computer misbehaving because when I viewed a post of mine with those words the pictures appeared.

could I ask those of you who are receiving the slow script warning in IE to please post your processor speed and amount of RAM? It would help us trying to diagnose this. So far we are unable to reproduce the script warning.

Intel Core 2 Duo - T7500 @ 2.20GHz 3.49 Gb RAM.

-tg

JP

Intel Xeon 3.06 GHz
1 Gb RAM

Spoo

okay thanks, I'm going to try testing this on some slower machines and see if it makes a difference. Thanks

Hmmm, didn't seem to make any difference.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JPnyc

Hmmm, didn't seem to make any difference.

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JP

FWIW... one box on which I experienced the "delay" problems is using:
- Windows XP Pro, SP3
- IE-7
- Java probably needs to be updated.

Could those software conditions be at issue?

Spoo

win XP Pro, SP3, IE-7 and my java is probably updated.

-tg

okay that maybe the problem. I don't have any machines running IE 7 to test with. Just eight and six, and the one running six isn't mine, so I can't update.

Would those of you previously experiencing the issue please see if it's still occurring? Thanks :)

JP

They're BACK ... but it seems to be OK

I just noticed that the ad words and balloons on mouseover of said words
have reappeared. But, I must confess that there is NO appreciable delay.
- scrolling (or use of mousewheel) is enabled
- CPU spike lasts for around 4 seconds (down from 10+) - on this 4-page thread.

I'd say you've done it!
Nice

EDIT:

Ha... you beat me to the punch news-wise.

Spoo

LOL! Thanks! I'll report this as fixed as soon as a few more positive reports come in. Thanks for the patience, it's appreciated.

So far no - so far... even last time, it was still a couple days before it showed. But I did check at least one thread where I know I had it happen consistently and it was fine. If I run into any issues, I'll let you know. A couple things:
1) They are now single lined rather than double lined. This makes them a) less noticeable and 2) could be construed as being entered or endorsed by the posted - at least with the double lines, it was clear the link wasn't some thing the poster put in.
2) I'll have to double check when I get home, but hovering shows something going on in my status bar, but the panels do not popup. It could be my company's fire wall, I'm not sure, which is why I'll have to try it at home.

-tg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by techgnome

They are now single lined rather than double lined. This makes them
.. a) less noticeable and
.. b) could be construed as being entered or endorsed by the posted

At least with the double lines, it was clear the link wasn't some thing the poster put in.
-tg

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TG

Excellent points
(unless, of course, it was the double lines that caused the problems.. hehe)

Spoo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spoo

(unless, of course, it was the double lines that caused the problems.. hehe)

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Exactly.... ;)

(okay, maybe not :eek2:)


:D

Brad!

Thanks for the fix - performance is much improved. :afrog:
CPU spikes are still high, though - I'm attaching 2 images (the while_loading and after).
But since it's only for a couple of seconds I can live with that unless of course you are willing to look at that as well.

Thanks again.

Seems to be tolerable now.. slight pause when loading but definitely not enough to complain about

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spoo

JP

They're BACK ... but it seems to be OK

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Since I installed that plug-in mentioned above I have no problems with the ad words. Although, when I use my laptop I do because I don't have the fire fox plug-in installed on my laptop.

Edit:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GaryMazzone

Seems to be tolerable now.. slight pause when loading but definitely not enough to complain about

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Yeah, for some reason I hardly noticed the problem before while browsing the forums using my laptop but on my pc there was a noticeable lag when on the forums.

Can I ask what evil maniacal means is used to link adwords with their ads.... I mean... what does "database" have to do with preparing for windows 7?

-tg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by techgnome

Can I ask what evil maniacal means is used to link adwords with their ads.... I mean... what does "database" have to do with preparing for windows 7?

-tg

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LOL tg - that's funny. :lol:
Here is another screenshot - this time from home: as you can see cpu usage is even higher.

You should be thanking us. Our ad words will give you a reason to buy a faster machine!

Brad!

;) :D'



(yes, that's a joke)

Are you noticing a slow down, or is your processor simply being used?

what's even more funny is that my original post isn't adword linked, but RB's quote of my post is...

-tg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by techgnome

what's even more funny is that my original post isn't adword linked, but RB's quote of my post is...

-tg

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Yes, it is! It just doesn't show up all the time.

Edit:

Sometimes it appears normal then you refresh the page and one link has adwords then you refresh the page again and two appear, etc.

What is it trying to do now? I'm on Opera.

EDIT:
And where did the double line go?

Now I don't see them at home on IE and FF, but see them at work on IE.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by techgnome

Can I ask what evil maniacal means is used to link adwords with their ads.... I mean... what does "database" have to do with preparing for windows 7?

-tg

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TG

I think they are randomly selected. If you happen to

- mouseover "database"
- click the "x"
- repeat 10 times (as I'm ashamed to admit that I did)

you'll notice that a different link is generated each time.

Spoo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by techgnome

what's even more funny is that my original post isn't adword linked, but RB's quote of my post is...

-tg

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More strange stuff: posts ##157/158

- in post 157 mouse over "database" and you will get "IT" tooltip
- in either post mouse over "windows" and you will get "Developer" tooltip

Note that both "keywords" are not even underligned nor highlighted. Go figure... :ehh:


edit:
- as of 8:38 both keywords were underligned...
- after editing this post they are no longer underligned...

What is going on here?


...

Check the marketing firm... see if their address is somewhere in the Twilight Zone... I bet their CEO is Rod Serling.

-tg

There are limits and a bit of randomization to what is highlighted. That is why it is not always the say. Very similar to how refreshing a page can change the ads displayed at the top.

As to the links leaving when you edit, that makes sense. The linking is done with some scripting. After the thread is displayed, that script completes its task. Editing a post uses the forum software's routines. The forum software doesn't know anything about the links, so the are in essense "not there" to the forum. When you save the edited file, the AJAX simply puts the post back. Since it didn't know about the highlighted words, and since the script for highlighting words is no longer running, the underlines go away for that post. Clear as mud? :). Makes sense to me.

Brad!

What about the Tooltips?

Clear as mud but it does make sense except for the tooltips. :)

if you use quick edit, the post is edited and displayed via Ajax. The script which links keywords runs on load. Quick edit does not involve or trigger any on load event, so the keyword linking script would not fire, not until page refresh.

Where the other adverts are concerned, I added an Ajax script to refresh them at quick reply and quick edit. Otherwise they would not change either. They are also scripted to run on load

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brad jones

There are limits and a bit of randomization

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I'm glad I'm not the only person aware of that! I mentioned it in post #161.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JPnyc

if you use quick edit, the post is edited and displayed via Ajax. The script which links keywords runs on load. Quick edit does not involve or trigger any on load event, so the keyword linking script would not fire, not until page refresh.

Where the other adverts are concerned, I added an Ajax script to refresh them at quick reply and quick edit. Otherwise they would not change either. They are also scripted to run on load

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Can you shed light on my question on post #162? Is it because I am using Opera? Thanks! :)

Sure. The double underline was removed in favor of single.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JPnyc

Sure. The double underline was removed in favor of single.

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JP

I'm now inclined to agree with the point TG made in post #151
.. use of single underline is for ad words is confusing.

Compared to the earlier "delay" problem, this is a minor detail. Nonetheless,
I've recently found myself wondering, when encountering a poster-added
link (which also appears as a single underline), whether it is a link or an
ad word.

I'd vote for ad words being shown with a double underline.

Spoo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spoo

I'd vote for ad words being shown with a double underline.

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This is something I raised internally when it was decided to change it to a single underline from a double underline. I took a very strong stance on this, but I still lost the battle as it was a decision the president of the company pushed. Regardless of what other sites do (and thus what is commonly done), this is what was decided for our program.

The easy way to know the difference between a standard hyperlink and one of these ads is to hover over it. Obviously a standard link isn't going to pop up a box. :)

Brad!

I can see both sides arguments (dbl vs single line) and their pros and cons however I personally find single lines much less irritating.
So, I personally thank your president for that. :)

Brad

Thanks for the background scuttlebut.
I can certainly live with the final decision.

Spoo

For some resaon I'm experiencing slight delays again: page load is kind of sluggish - it lloks like it's trying to refresh itself more than once.
I first noticed that last night so it's not exactly isolated case. I'm running IE8/Win7/fast cable broadband if that makes any difference.
Just to be fare and clear - performance is still alot better then it was originally.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JPnyc

Sure. The double underline was removed in favor of single.

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Why does hovering the ad link gives me the blank link, whatever that is called? Is it an Opera problem?

Yeah, it might be. I just tried in opera and got 2 blanks. I'll report that.