Increasing number of ads on Eng-Tips 2

[StrEng007]

I wasn't sure where to post this one.

Is anyone else getting an increasing number of ads and pop-ups while navigating this forum?

 

[IRstuff]

There are a multitude of things that can block ads:

> Privacy Badger
> uBlock
> custom Hosts file

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529 Entire Forum list

http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

 

[phamENG]

uBlock is what I'm using on PC and they haven't shown up. That one has been showing up on mobile. My solution has been to no longer look at ET on my phone.

 

[dold]

uBlock is what I'm using on PC and they haven't shown up. That one has been showing up on mobile. My solution has been to no longer look at ET on my phone.

Brave browser has a mobile app too

 

[phamENG]

I'm not going to try too hard to participate on a website where the owners want to make the experience as un-enjoyable as possible.

I realize ads are the way to monetize websites...I don't begrudge them for having ads. But it's bad enough this website hasn't evolved since the 90s. They don't need to rely on 90s internet advertising methods, too.

 

[jerseyshore]

I've used Ublock for years (2.4M blocked ads and counting) and refuse to open ET on my phone. Website is basically cancer on mobile.

 

[KootK]

I would like to bring this up with site management (others certainly have before). To that end, I would welcome anyone's comments with respect to what we feel an acceptable advertising solution would be here. For me it would be:

1) A freemium option. I feel as though $5/months would be a reasonable price to pay for no ads. I'd be willing to pay twice that but, then, I understand that I'm probably an outlier in that regard.

2) I would like to see some of the ad revenue used to push the evolution of the site forward technologically.

3) I would like it if the heavy contributors here were rewarded for their participation with free access to the freemium option. While I feel that would be eminently fair, I think that this is a probably a very long shot.

4) I think that this whole thing is ultimately toast if it can't be made to work well on phones. So I'd like to see that prioritized. Even without the ads, every other forum system that I use works much better on phones than this one does.

 

[XR250]

Website is basically cancer on mobile.

Yes, it is terrible

 

[ChorasDen]

I must be a bit of an outlier here, but I actually thoroughly enjoy the way the site is built currently, the old school forum style is fitting for me. Heavy javascript usage would only reduce the experience in my opinion.

 

[GregLocock]

ChorasDen I agree, I like linear format threads, I see no features on other websites that would significantly improve this site. That pop up ad was an outlier and seems to have gone.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[jerseyshore]

Quoting/ replying has been discussed to death, but that's the most obvious upgrade I think everyone wants improved.

Between the ads & having to log back in everytime on mobile the website is unusable on my phone. Between the pop up ads and that every other "reply" is an ad in-line it makes it impossible to view without an ad blocker.

 

[milkshakelake]

Some things I think would be nice:
-Direct messaging (to network and build professional contacts); it goes without saying, but the messages should be encrypted like in Facebook, Whatsapp, etc.
-No ad option like KootK said.
-Better mobile view; it's almost totally unusable.
-Ability to paste images directly instead of drag/drop.
-Quality of life improvements, like being able to turn off signatures.
-Notification system and thread following features like in Reddit. "Notify me" uses email, which is simply antiquated. I don't want junk in my mailbox.
-The quote and hyperlink system is so bad, I rarely use it anymore. To quote someone, you should be able to just type @username >quote here, or press a button and a quote box appears.
-Since this is an engineering website, and engineers use drawings: a sketch feature.

None of these things are make or break by themselves, but I do find myself on other forums (not specifically engineering) because they're more usable. I mostly use Reddit. It has numerous flaws, but is nonetheless a pretty solid system. I don't think every forum has to be non-linear like Reddit; it could be linear, and still have a lot of usability.

If the new owners really want to rake in some cash, that's the way to do it. I'm a business owner. I'm not using the same calculation standards I was using 1 year ago. I'm always improving, lest I get left behind.

Regarding the argument about liking the old-school style of the website: I get it, it's a personal preference of mine too aesthetically. I don't necessarily need it to look better, though it can definitely use less clutter. I'm mostly talking about usability. But anyway, I'll refer to Reddit again in this regard: there's a Classic and New look that you can easily switch on that site. I always use classic. The young folks probably don't.

 

[Celt83]

ugh....maybe it's time to take some leave from here.
Not only is this a full screen pop up but it is also a pop up to install malware, this is the kind of garbage that existed in the netscape and AIM era.

 

[StrEng007]

I have found myself visiting this site less frequently already. I keep getting full screen ads and have to refresh multiple times just to prevent myself from clicking on this stuff.

I thought it was just me...

 

[human909]

This all sounds quite frustrating...

I personally don't have any issues. But that is likely all due to geolocation targeted ads.

 

[GregLocock]

I've reported the popup purple ad to 'them in charge'.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[Geoff13]

I run Firefox with uBlock Origin (plus other add-ons and settings) and I've never seen an ad here. I'm not sure how sites can be profitable without ads, but with ads they are too often unusable. The comments above convince me that would be the case here.

Regarding KootK's idea of charging for ad-free access. I'm only here to offer advice as I'm retired and no longer have questions. If Eng-Tips wants to charge me to provide free answers then I'm gone.

 

[ALK2415]

To me a few ads are absolutely harmless.
It is very natural that there is funding for such sites, which require operation, maintenance, and also development, as Kotak mentioned.
Why are you surprised by such a step that we accept on other sites?
Providing engineering information is a voluntary work, not a forced work, and you are not forced to contribute. Likewise, your presence or absence, I do not think, will affect the site’s number of users of one hundred thousand users.
This site is unique in that it covers most countries in the world and has members who devote most of their time to helping others.

 

[Celt83]

Legitimate advertisement is fine.

Full screen pop ups trying to install malware on my computer is not fine.

 

[Eng16080]

I use Chrome with AdGuard AdBlocker on my desktop computer and it removes all of the inline ads. There are still some in the sidebar, but I have no issue with those as they don't obstruct the use of the site.

I honestly can't believe how bad it is on my phone. It's almost unusable.

If ads are a necessity, that is fine, but they shouldn't hamper the use of the site in any way. Some ads in the sidebar are fine. The ad content is also mostly garbage. If ad revenue is important, I think ads relevant to structural engineering (for this particular forum) would make more sense than the seemingly random ads that I get. This would be a great place to advertise structural engineering software for example.

 

[EnzoAus]

I use latest Firefox browser with Adblock Plus on my PC and get the occasional advertisement. My android devices using DuckDuckGo browser also gets ads. Sometimes more frequently than at others. Presently the impact seems to be a bit less than in the past.