Top bar advertising

[TalkinBoutWhat]

MN, PLEASE fix this advertising bar at the top of the computer screen.

It is so large, that I can't actually click on any of the MN links that are at the top of the page. (eg, active, I'm on, etc).

Right now, on Site Stuff, I can't even click 'Site Stuff' to get other threads in this section. It's hidden by the ad, which is NOT scrolling up and away the way I've seen others do. It's just sitting there. The ONLY threads I can get onto are the active ones on the right hand side of the screen, and only the ones lower down the list as the top ones are hidden by the Ad. (Experian and Marks and Spencers, are the two so far....)

You did this before, we all complained, you apologised and said it shouldn't have been loaded on as you were testing something new. I really hope this was a mistake, because it is IMPOSSIBLE to navigate the site.

squoosh - I installed Ghostery and there is no floating bar anymore. Try it

Thank you Cote. I hadn't heard of Ghostery before but will certainly investigate!

Well there's been no further change of the obtrusive programming, and no further comment by MNHQ, so we must assume this is the way it is going to be.

"we must assume this is the way it is going to be"

Then I keep the ad blocker which I was pushed to install by MN's outrageously obtrusive ads.

I'm all for cooperating so that MN can make some money, but refuse to sit here waiting for the ad that covers half the page to go away after who knows how many seconds.

It's like setting tax rate at 80%. Above a certain rate, tax revenues will actually decrease because more and more people will find increasingly imaginative ways to lower their tax base & otherwise avoid paying taxes.

Well, I disabled my adblocker to see what it was like - I really don't mind ads when they aren't massively intrusive.

Back to ads taking up a third of my page and lingering.

So the adblocker is back on and highly likely to STAY on.

I'm all for cooperating so that MN can make some money, but refuse to sit here waiting for the ad that covers half the page to go away after who knows how many seconds

Yes I always whitelist useful or interesting sites where ads are not obtrusive and the trackers/beacons are not evil. However considering the 'improvements' mentioned upthread as already implemented don't actually work and no more info has been forthcoming I'm assuming they are not interested.

Here's hoping they are better prepared when the SARs and rights requests start rolling in to HQ in May.

Hi all

We've run some test here and it does look as though the current format isn't ideal for those on a chromebook or with a smaller screen/lower powered device - so over the next few months we're going to be testing four different formats, all of which seem likely to be less intrusive. Nothing's set in stone yet so do bear with us - and thanks again for the feedback, very useful as ever.

MNHQ

I am not using any of the above and it is still less than ideal for me. I am using safari on a MacBook and my mn user experience is rubbish. I am spending far less time on here as I simply cannot abide the banner ad dropping onto my screen every time I post or select a new page.

Its bloody rubbish on a normal PC too.

Please get something sorted, MNTech

We've run some test here and it does look as though the current format isn't ideal for those on a chromebook or with a smaller screen/lower powered device
Thank you Kate for acknowledging the problems.
Would it not be a good idea to revert to previous settings, so that your faithful users can get back to normal until you have sorted things, even if this might mean a temporary drop in income?
You say it might take some months to sort this. I very much hope that a lesson has been learned here, that proper testing should be done before a system goes live. Users should not be used as testers.

Thank you for acknowledging the problems, Kate.

I'm not using any of the devices you listed. I'm accessing MN via Safari on MacBook Air (full size one, not the little student version).

Almost the same here Cote - I'm on chrome with a full size MacBook Air - and it is darned annoying.
I lose about a third of the screen, and quite a lot of the time that purple bar thing takes up room at the bottom at the same time

firefox, pc. all I can see is three lines of text. months is too long.

doing much less mning. not looking at any ads.

Testing 4 different formats over the next few MONTHS?

Just put the ads back the way they were!

it does look as though the current format isn't ideal for those on a chromebook or with a smaller screen/lower powered device

I'm using a 15" MacBook Pro with a 3.1Ghz processor, 16Gb memory, 4Gb video memory - its my work machine and about as high spec as laptops get.

I see much the same problems on Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Vivaldi. If I fire up Parallels and IE or Edge on Windows 10 it is no better.

DH's desktop, Windows 10, also high spec machine, large screen - similar problems.

I would very respectfully suggest you need a Test Architect and an improved Testing Service.

I suspect you could augment this with volunteers to view a beta presentation of the site and collate feedback.

This ^^

Yes chromebook that's what I have. Oh pleaeeeese mumsnet make it go away.

Months?

I can safely say my inner core of cow will have eaten my outer shell by then.

It isn't working on a PC either, unless it's your intention to infuriate me by having that banner flop down over the content every time I change pages.

The more I think about the 'months', the more it seems incredible.

Operators of a social website with a vast readership do not just bung in major changes to its presentation and wait to see how much the users complain, and then take months to sort the resulting problems. That is amateurish beyond belief.

If changes are needed they are made on an off-line system, tested using every common operating system and browser, debugged and then further tested with a beta group. That is the only professional way to do things.

MNHQ has the funds to do this properly, and they have failed to do so. They should revert to the system in use before the latest changes were introduced, and recruit some properly competent staff to develop and test their system in the future.

It seems even worse today. Taking ages to piss off again.

And for some reason my AdBlocker isn't blocking the bloody Ocado van.

Try the Dolphin browser. Works for me!

Rarely does something annoy me enough to post about it in site stuff but this does.

The mobile site is horrible, slow, difficult to browse through so I use the proper site on the laptop and then you have to deal with the horrible drop down banner thing that takes ages to go away. We get it, you need advertising. But honestly IT IS SO SHIT.

Thanks to GladAllOver I've now installed the Dolphin browser on my iPad, and have the adblocker activated, so no more aggravation! Choosing the mobile option also removes that annoying floating bar at the top. Thanks Glad!