The new index page

Sponsor ads I’m okay with. They are part of the community. Commercial ads, not so much. As a person who was considering taking out a banner ad for my business, this would influence my decision, as the banners are getting buried by the song-and-dance glitzy professional megacorporation stuff. (I know, I’ve dragged my feet on the banner ad thing for so long this probably isn’t relevant, but it’s how I feel.)

As for penalizing those who are still using the old theme – if we could address the “all you can see is graphics each and every time you open a new page” issue, I’d gladly switch over. I am still using the old theme to avoid that. I don’t need to see beautiful pictures in addition to banner ads on the top of each page. Or has that changed?

Clicking on the “Feedback Forum” link on the main menu page takes me to this URL:

viewforum.php?f=30

Which shows only a message that something “has moved here”. Clicking on the “here” link takes me to some calendar or other.

I’m using the old theme, if that makes a difference.

I DO like the new simple banner patterns across the top. Thanks Goose!

Now, I wouldn’t mind the Forumosa Friends ads so much if i could hold and retain in my own personal view the faces that I like. There might be about 6-7 decent ones in the whole rotating schmozzle that would be decent enough to get indecent with. Any chance of showing more of their physique, too?

That’s what I get when I use the Actives (or Active Topics) page.

Thanks for all the hard work making the changes and upgrades, but my constructive criticism is that I don’t like how the personal ads and Taiwanted now fill up so much of the right-hand side of the screen.

Or with the monochrome one that’s like a Greek design with flowers on it.[/quote]
Noted, and thanks. I’ll move the Advanced Search link below the header[/quote]

It’s actually pretty hard to make out the Forumosa logo now too. Maybe a white surround might help.

Something like this:

A PNG version would look much smoother, by the way. You might want to consider that (send me a better version of the logo if you want me to do that, or just use that GIF if you like).

[quote=“irishstu”]It’s actually pretty hard to make out the Forumosa logo now too. Maybe a white surround might help.

Something like this:

[/quote]
Bless you, Irishstu! :bow:

[quote=“fee”]Thanks for all the hard work making the changes and upgrades, but my constructive criticism is that I don’t like how the personal ads and Taiwanted now fill up so much of the right-hand side of the screen.[/quote]Gus -
This is what I wanted to say in my original post.

I switched from ‘prosilver’ to ‘forumosa’ and it seems to help some.

Thanks for the work you do here.

[quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“fee”]Thanks for all the hard work making the changes and upgrades, but my constructive criticism is that I don’t like how the personal ads and Taiwanted now fill up so much of the right-hand side of the screen.[/quote]Gus -
This is what I wanted to say in my original post.

I switched from ‘prosilver’ to ‘forumosa’ and it seems to help some.

Thanks for the work you do here.[/quote]
fee, TC

I’m sorry to hear you guys aren’t happy about the sidebar. And I’m sorry to disappoint you further, because I don’t plan to remove it. That space represents a lot of opportunity. And I’m not just talking about lost ad revenue - although it’s value for getting people’s attention should be pretty obvious by now. But it ain’t all about money: that area could simply be so much more productive and useful.

I’d be more understanding if we were talking about the content pages (viewtopic) where we read what people post. But I am careful not to futz around that that too much. Now, this sidebar only appears on the search and index pages of the forums, pages that are meant to be scanned.

I’m planning to fill the rest of that area with Taiwanted ads when we get the new Classifieds website up and running. They won’t be “display banner” ads like the 2 near the top of the sidebar, but the listing should still be scannable – just like the list of forums or topics that you see on the left side of the page.

If you have an alternative suggestion for how to use the right side area, I’ll be listening. I always have been. I won’t guarantee I’ll change it, but I will promise to consider your ideas.

TC - enjoy the ol’ forumosa theme while it’s there. I consider it a mild security risk just for keeping it around, and it will not survive the next major forum upgrade. If I realize it does compromise the website’s security, however, I’ll remove it the soonest I can get online.

[quote=“ironlady”]Clicking on the “Feedback Forum” link on the main menu page takes me to this URL:

forumosa.com/taiwan/viewforum.php?f=30

Which shows only a message that something “has moved here”. Clicking on the “here” link takes me to some calendar or other.

I’m using the old theme, if that makes a difference.[/quote]
Thanks, Ironlady – knowing you are using the ol’ Forumosa theme makes all the difference.

First off, you are in the right place. The old theme embedded the Forumosa Community Calendar at the top of the Feedback Forum. So you if you scroll below that Temporary area, you will see the rest of the forum.

The Google Calendar resides inside an IFrame. There is a problem with the code I used to re-style the calendar using Forumosa’s colors. That is where there is a “Temporary” message.

I’ll aim to remove the calendar IFrame – plus the deadlinks on the Index page – soon.

Well, looking at the site on my (er…my wife’s) brand new 24-inch monitor in my (er…my wife’s) study, I quite like the prosilver format, and the screen is big enough that the shagads on the right don’t mess with the real stuff too much. Its just a pity that the office will block the site before long, as they have already done with facebook. Looks far too much like a social networking site (which of course it is), thanks to the vapid gazes of desperate would-be lovers from other faraway countries. So you’ll be no doubt devastated to find out that my flobbing will now be limited to a few minutes on my day off.
I’m actually really sad about it, as it has been something of a lifeline over the years. Oh, well. There are other, less ad-heavy forums I can still use, I guess. But I’ll miss some of you guys.

[quote=“sandman”]Well, looking at the site on my (er…my wife’s) brand new 24-inch monitor in my (er…my wife’s) study, I quite like the prosilver format, and the screen is big enough that the shagads on the right don’t mess with the real stuff too much. Its just a pity that the office will block the site before long, as they have already done with facebook. Looks far too much like a social networking site (which of course it is), thanks to the vapid gazes of desperate would-be lovers from other faraway countries. So you’ll be no doubt devastated to find out that my flobbing will now be limited to a few minutes on my day off.
I’m actually really sad about it, as it has been something of a lifeline over the years. Oh, well. There are other, less ad-heavy forums I can still use, I guess. But I’ll miss some of you guys.[/quote]
Wow, some sad stuff there. :boo-hoo:

Sandman, you can try not loading images using the tips on this site:
techpavan.com/2009/08/07/how … n-firefox/

I think you’ve mentioned in the past that you use Firefox.

You can turn off images on all sites, or you can turn them off on just forumosa. That may affect advertising revenue, and you would also not see other images or emoticons, but maybe it’s worth it to you.

There are other methods as well, but the one I linked to above is relatively simple to control.

Well, I do think Sandman has a point, though.

The community that has supported F.com over the years (admittedly not always in monetary terms, but in building the base of users that make this the biggest site in Taiwan for foreigners) pretty much expect a variation of the sort of site they’ve been seeing. The sudden conversion to the 24/7 Las Vegas neon-glitz ad rush is disheartening, to say the least.

Isn’t there any way to make this site function without resorting to this sort of lowest-common-denominator, irritating ad-laden stuff? Banner ads are community members. That’s one thing. But these artificially served-up ones are just irritating. And I’m not even in any danger of my boss turning the site off at work.

BTW, turning images off for Forumosa did NOT block the ads on the side, at least for me. It did block the F.com header wallpapers and other images. So this doesn’t seem to be a satisfactory solution for the irritating ads.

[quote=“Goose Egg”]

I’d be more understanding if we were talking about the content pages (viewtopic) where we read what people post. But I am careful not to futz around that that too much. Now, this sidebar only appears on the search and index pages of the forums, pages that are meant to be scanned. [/quote]
This seems entirely reasonable. Most of the regulars must spend minimal time on the index page, and the search is only used within a specific time frame.

Doh! I guess I should have tried it before saying something.

There are still other methods, but I’d rather not post them since this site does rely on advertising revenue.

[quote=“Goose Egg”][quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“fee”]Thanks for all the hard work making the changes and upgrades, but my constructive criticism is that I don’t like how the personal ads and Taiwanted now fill up so much of the right-hand side of the screen.[/quote]Gus -
This is what I wanted to say in my original post.

I switched from ‘prosilver’ to ‘forumosa’ and it seems to help some.

Thanks for the work you do here.[/quote]
fee, TC

I’m sorry to hear you guys aren’t happy about the sidebar. And I’m sorry to disappoint you further, because I don’t plan to remove it. That space represents a lot of opportunity. And I’m not just talking about lost ad revenue - although it’s value for getting people’s attention should be pretty obvious by now. But it ain’t all about money: that area could simply be so much more productive and useful.

I’d be more understanding if we were talking about the content pages (viewtopic) where we read what people post. But I am careful not to futz around that that too much. Now, this sidebar only appears on the search and index pages of the forums, pages that are meant to be scanned.

I’m planning to fill the rest of that area with Taiwanted ads when we get the new Classifieds website up and running. They won’t be “display banner” ads like the 2 near the top of the sidebar, but the listing should still be scannable – just like the list of forums or topics that you see on the left side of the page.

If you have an alternative suggestion for how to use the right side area, I’ll be listening. I always have been. I won’t guarantee I’ll change it, but I will promise to consider your ideas.

TC - enjoy the ol’ forumosa theme while it’s there. I consider it a mild security risk just for keeping it around, and it will not survive the next major forum upgrade. If I realize it does compromise the website’s security, however, I’ll remove it the soonest I can get online.[/quote]

No problem, Goose Egg. Just letting you know what I was thinking about that, but I’m sure I will get used to any new display that is used. And I’m sure we all want what’s best for the site.

Thank you for your explanation for the reasons behind the changes.

And thanks again for all you do. We appreciate it. :thumbsup:

Are you still seeing the annoying talking ads? I thought I switched those off permanently. What you should only be seeing are Forumosan ads – which have been around for a long time, nothing sudden about them. :ponder:

I’m in the same boat as sandman, and will be using the site a great deal less should the massive new Forumosa Friends / Taiwanted sidebar remain as intrusive as it is. As someone who was also on the verge of signing up to advertise on the Flob (already made a down payment), I must admit the sudden new ad overload has made me rethink the efficacy of a banner ad in light of the new overwhelming eyesore sidebar. I understand the site needs revenue, but as ironlady said, we’ve gone from minimal unobtrusive ads to IN YOUR FACE in one fell swoop. Sad days for the Flob to be sure.

A quick thought on this: The search / list pages certainly don’t need the full width, so having a column down the right makes sense. But I reckon it would crowd the list way less if it had a bit more margin (10px?) in the middle, and started a bit (30px?) lower down.

Am I the only one who does not get affected by the ads? I never see them, not on top, on the side or anywhere. I know I am not the target demographic, even with restaurants, it is their review that would make me go check them out not the advertising, so it doesn’t bother me at all. I am just glad this site does NOT use pop-ups. Thanks for that admin!! And what fee said, we appreciate all the work done to keep this thing up and running. Oh and love the wall papering! :thumbsup: