The buggy "click here" ad

vfb · #1 March 5th, 2008, 10:52 PM

I'm running 9,0,48,0. That's almost the latest version. The purple square lasts about a half-second and then goes away 9 out of 10 times. When it doesn't go away I can mouse over in the corner and it minimizes. Still, it's really annoying, especially the half-second purple square.

Acutally, even the little box in the corner is annoying, when I go to close my tab, an accidental mouse-over on the 'click here' burns my retinas away with the giant purple square.

jimkehn · #2 March 5th, 2008, 11:18 PM

Maybe someone just Solar Brilliance, vfb, and it's not your computer at all!!!

Lingchih · #3 March 5th, 2008, 11:57 PM

Well, I understand you guys' dilemma, but sites have to pay bills, and advertising is the best way to do it. And the advertising on Shrapnel's site is, overall, not very annoying at all. Just don't mouse over that area if you don't want to see it.

And, yes, I work for an advertising agency. In fact, I make some of those annoying Flash ads (not this one though). So believe me, this one is much less annoying than some of the ones I have been told to build.

Ballbarian · #4 March 6th, 2008, 12:39 AM

The nice, low key, unobtrusive ads running down the left nav column and the minimal gif banner in the heading are fine. But the latest gizmo, wizbang, 'everyone else is doing it' Flash just becomes noise and drives folks like me away. One example is that I used to search via Yahoo several years ago, and now I am a google fanatic.

I am not saying that Shrapnel has become a sudden demon because they stuck a Flash ad on the forums, I just love this place so much that I really hate to see it go the Flash route.

Along a similar vein, remember when flashing text was all the rage? Pretty soon all the text is flashing and trying to get your attention and it just becomes an obscene noise.

Uh, I was ranting again wasn't I? Sorry about that. Thanks for listening anyway.

S.R. Krol · #5 March 6th, 2008, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Ballbarian said:
The nice, low key, unobtrusive ads running down the left nav column and the minimal gif banner in the heading are fine. But the latest gizmo, wizbang, 'everyone else is doing it' Flash just becomes noise and drives folks like me away. One example is that I used to search via Yahoo several years ago, and now I am a google fanatic.

Actually there aren't any ads on the left nav column, those all link to the most recent press releases. The only ad is at the top of the page, and now yes, the corner (which is avoidable), and all that one is doing is pointing out this month's specials.

Now, as far as VFB's issue that will be something that needs to be looked into. Big obscuring purple blobs is definitely not what we're going for here.

Dedas · #6 March 6th, 2008, 02:50 AM

Thank you. I just want to add (again) that I have the exact same issue as vfb, and I also run Linux with the latest version of flash plugin.

Lingchih · #7 March 6th, 2008, 03:43 AM

My suggestion to the website admin would be to use a "sniffer" script, to check what OS the client is using. If they are using Linux, then have the script disable the ad.

vfb · #8 March 6th, 2008, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Lingchih said:
Well, I understand you guys' dilemma, but sites have to pay bills, and advertising is the best way to do it. And the advertising on Shrapnel's site is, overall, not very annoying at all. Just don't mouse over that area if you don't want to see it.

And, yes, I work for an advertising agency. In fact, I make some of those annoying Flash ads (not this one though). So believe me, this one is much less annoying than some of the ones I have been told to build.

I don't have to mouse over it. I get a big enormous blob of shocking purple on every single load or reload. And occasionally the blob does not go away.

I don't mind the ads in the headers. I even click on them. It was an ad like that in the Civ forums (or AC? can't remember) that led me to Dominions, yay!

I would never, ever, ever, click on a big ugly link through the depths of purplish hell splayed across my browser.

Edit: Installed noscript. Yay, no more purple hell for me.

Saxon · #9 March 13th, 2008, 09:59 AM

I am using IE and have a slightly different problem. I will click on a link in the forum, then move the mouse up to the top right corner to minimize. I tend to read a page, then go back to something else, then back to a page, then back to something else.

Anyway, if I mouse over the click here part, the page curls down. However, the link I clicked on gets cancelled. I have to be careful now to minimize the page, without mousing over that area, right up near the minimize button.

Shrapnel has every right to have ads. It is just that this one annoys rather than makes me interested. Shame, as the add is a nice shot and for a quality product.