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What's going on with the website?

13 years ago

I'm logged on and still getting ads. When I tried to post to Gina's birthday thread, it kept sending me to facebook. Huh? Is it the net neutrality thing kicking in already. What gives? Is this happening to anyone else?

Sally

Comments (23)

wizardnm
13 years ago
No problems here. I posted on Gina's Birthday thread and all was fine.
beachlily z9a
13 years ago
I tried to get out of a thread, hit the back button and went to facebook. Is this a new version of Spike's whirling teacups?????
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User
13 years ago
Suddenly, I'm getting ads, too, it guess it's the "new" Gardenweb. Too many of us weren't seeing the ads, because we were logged in, the sponsors probably complained.

The other day I couldn't even log in, I got some strange message about the domain expiring at the end of the month! Not sure what that was all about. GWTamara said it was a short term glitch and had been fixed.
mtnester
13 years ago
I don't usually log in unless I want to write or respond to a post, so I get the pleasure of seeing a LOT of ads. I'm usually able to ignore them successfully. However, I've recently noticed a new twist: many ads are activated (bringing you to their web site) when you simply move the cursor over them inadvertently. You don't need to click on a link. This is highly obnoxious because it takes you away from the CF, and you usually can't use the back button to return to your starting point; you have to close the page and open the CF all over again.

(iVillage, are you listening? This is very irritating!)

Sue
teresa_nc7
13 years ago
I had a lot of trouble with staying logged in, but now that seems o.k. What I'm getting now are the large ads and a much smaller area for reading posts and posting a follow-up. As I have a tee-tiny monitor anyway......it's very annoying. And then there are the huge pics from some posters. I don't know if that is the poster's fault or if it is iVillage. I did get the Facebook page earlier today when I clicked on a link, but clicked "back" and got out of that. I have no use for Facebook - that's all I'm going to say.

Teresa
sally2_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
I'm getting that too. I've emailed the techies for this website. I don't like this half screen stuff.

Sally
bri29
13 years ago
I know this has been suggested before, but try using Firefox with the Ad Block Plus add-on. I've never seen an ad on GW thanks to those two little software gems.
sally2_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
I've started using Firefox, and I think the adblock plus is on, but it looks like you have to tell it which ads to block. That seems tedious and difficult. Am I misunderstanding how to do it?

I'll be away from my computer for a while, so I'll have to explore the options later. Thanks for the suggestions.

Sally
teresa_nc7
13 years ago
I've been on Firefox for ages and it always took care of the ads. Now they take up almost half of the screen. Maybe my son the techie can fix it next time he visits.

And why is it when you do ivillage the favor of taking one of their surveys it is never about cooking or iVillage content but is often about dog food? No more favors from me, iVillage!

Teresa
annie1992
13 years ago
I have IE here but Elery has Firefox and at his house I still get half page ads that re-direct me somewhere else if I even run the cursor over them, I don't even have to click.

Don't the advertisers understand that if they tick me off, I'll never buy anything from them? I understand they have to had ads, but they don't have to beat me over the head with them, it's counter-productive.

Annie
bunnyman
13 years ago
I understand a few ads for items I might buy but "how to make $437/day" is Spam.

If iVillage needs money it would be nice if we could just pay a fee to be ad free... like in the old days! I spend a fortune for extra-extra high speed satellite Internet and it is very disappointing waiting for a number of ad servers to blast me with Spam.

I don't see why it is necessary for the ads to hang everything up? Can't the thread load first and then let the garbage fill in while I'm reading?

Seems like to goal is to make the Internet slower then the dial-up days so we all go back to watching the idiot box.

: (
lyra
compumom
13 years ago
I have Firefox with adblock and now I'm seeing ads even after I'm logged in. Additionally I was unsuccessful in emailing a clipping to myself. I had to laugh-- the message told me that the member (me!) had not elected to receive emails from iVillage. What's THAT about? Paging Tamara...
rosewitch
13 years ago
I also use Firefox and I don't see any ads. I have the add-on "NoScript" for Firefox and with the settings on to block the ads. It was easy to learn how to block most of the stuff I didn't want to see and if I go to any other website, and want to see something or all of the stuff, a click to "temporarily allow all" is a snap. As far as I am concerned it is the best add-on Firefox has.
Kat
lindac
13 years ago
Thanks for the hint rosewitch...I'll go looking for that add on.
I find I don't like to pop in for a quick look-see like I used to because before I can look I have to wait for the ads to dissipate...
This place is being made LESS user friendly rather than more....seems they have lost the balance between paying the rent and alienating the customer.
dedtired
13 years ago
I use Firefox and I'm not seeing any ads. However, I'm still getting screwy symbols. If I switch the encoding from Western to Unicode, it just changes to a different set of screwy symbols. This only happens on Gardenweb, nowhere else.
annie1992
13 years ago
I'm at work using IE and the county's ad blockers and Sonic Wall is stopping all the ads, but it's taking a long, long time to load a page. I just timed this page, it took 4 minutes and 37 seconds to load.

Sigh. I know they're in it to make money, but there has to be a better way.

Annie
readinglady
13 years ago
I had a perfectly good ad-blocker until GardenWeb upped the stakes. I really hate all this "bling" and am going to have to find more effective blocking software. This is war!

This time when I came on I somehow ended up on a Hillshire Farms sausage site. I must have moved my cursor a millimeter the wrong direction.

Personally I'd rather return to subscription days as long as the site remains accessible to those who are willing to put up with the ads for the advantage of free access.

Carol
sally2_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
Well, I just read their notice about having problems with logging in. It seems they have changed their registration software, or system, or whatever, since the old one was supposedly outdated. Yeah, it allowed people who registered and logged in to not have to see the ads. Now we're force fed the ads even if we're logged in. What's the point in registering with a website if you still have to suffer such annoying ads? The other day I logged in at work with Explorer. I still saw ads, and when I wanted to post something, instead of the usual place to post, it asked for my email address. What's up with that? I don't want to have my email address showing up in a public forum. And yes, it makes the pages load oh so slowly. If I didn't like everyone here so much, I'd leave the whole Gardenweb system and never come back.

Sally
partst
13 years ago
IÃ¯Â¿Â½m not getting any more ads than usual but itÃ¯Â¿Â½s taking a long time to load a page. I can watch all the different ad wed addresses come on and fight with our security and blockers. I thought it was because we are on dialup. I still have all the funny symbols and for some reason I am always logged in and that never happened before.

Claudia
triciae
13 years ago
GW is owned by NBC Universal. NBC Universal is owned by General Electric. In December '09, General Electric announced the sale of NBC Universal to Comcast. Does anybody know if that sale has cleared regulatory hurdles? I'm wondering if Comcast has anything to do with these ads??

/tricia
bunnyman
13 years ago
This won't be a website for long if it takes 4 minutes to load! This is slower then dial-up.

I didn't have to see much in the way of ads until a couple weeks ago. Like these new one I ignore them... if they start with the talking ads I'm done with the site. Love the people here but suddenly you are all very far away.

: )
lyra
sally2_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
What's really annoying too is that the page jumps around with the ads. More than once I've tried to click on the "return to the cooking forum" link, only to have the page just just at that moment and I end up clicking on something else. Arrrgh! I hate that.

Sally
readinglady
13 years ago
I have corrected the problem on my system (Windows with IE8) using Simple Adblock. So far it's working beautifully and invisibly with no noticeable reduction in speed.

(Keeping my fingers crossed.)

It's free, certified as safe by Norton, and available for download at CNET.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Simple Adblock

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