Simplify?

[BeadinGranny]

This place has got soooo many ads and gotten so hard to navigate anymore that I finally just give up and go away. I used to love the forum and spent tons of time here reading posts and looking through the galleries.

I click on a link and end up somewhere I didn't have any notion of going to---didn't even know existed---when I just wanted to go one simple place. Then I can't figure out how to get back except to go clear back to the start and try to start over. By the time I've sorted out just a thread, maybe two at most if I'm really ambitious, I'm just tired of the mess and give up.

Can't we please have a usable forum here again?

[DeafToniB]

I have to agree with you and the home page is full of stuff that is kind of messy and confusing. I tend to try to stay in the threads here but I do browse around the ads and information but I don't want to click them. Just only here. So I am on your side of this with this.

[Paul G]

First, I appreciate all feedback! We have a survey going on right now. Please take the time to fill that out.

http://www.powwows.com/gathering/powwows-com-announcements/54014-2009-powwows-com-survey.html

And please be as specific as possible with your suggestions. We are working on a major upgrade for the site, so your suggestions are very timely!

Now, let me talk about the ads for a minute. I try to make the ads as non intrusive as possible. But ad revenue accounts for over 80% of our revenue!

As for the number of ads, I also try to keep that under control. We do have several on each page. Depending on the page you may see anywhere from 5-9 ads.

In comparison, that's about average for websites. Here are some to compare to:
NYT: Blast puts a rare face on CIA?s work - The New York Times- msnbc.com
That page has about 9 ads.

But I counted over 13 for their front page:
Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- msnbc.com

Pages like IMDB have about 5 per page:
Avatar (2009)

The New York Times has close to 10 on their homepage:
The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia

I say all that just to put it in context. We have more than some sites and less than others.

[Paul G]

I click on a link and end up somewhere I didn't have any notion of going to---didn't even know existed---when I just wanted to go one simple place. Then I can't figure out how to get back except to go clear back to the start and try to start over. By the time I've sorted out just a thread, maybe two at most if I'm really ambitious, I'm just tired of the mess and give up.

Tell me more about what you are doing here? Help me understand what the problem is.

[Paul G]

I have to agree with you and the home page is full of stuff that is kind of messy and confusing.

I've been trying over the last few years to tweak the homepage. Here's the problem. We have so much content that if without featuring it on the frontpage, it goes unused. So I try to build a frontpage highlighting as much of the content as possible.

What are some sites you visit that you like their design and organization?

[BeadinGranny]

I'd just like to be able to see the forum posts all in one place without ads everywhere. I realize ads are 80% of your revenue, but this is the only forum I've ever seen where the ads take over everything. It used to be just a simple forum. And it was easy to find the galleries for the members so we could see everyone's work. Now when I click on Galleries from the menu, it takes me somewhere else that I have to join----that I don't want to join---in order to see them.

In response to "we don't have as many ads as some other forums", I can just respond : "if everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too, just because they did?

Here we have ads across the top, ads all down the side, and every other post there's an ad in the forum threads. I have super-fast internet and it still takes awhile for pages to load, there's so much "stuff" going on.

Sometimes I click on a link here that I think is going to take me somewhere within Powwows.com and I end up on totally another site.

By the way, I did take the survey before I started this thread. And it's very difficult to explain what I mean when the things that have bothered and totally frustrated me just happen totally at random, it seems. If I don't know how it happened, then I can't explain it to you.

In a nutshell, I used to come for the forums and I loved it. Now it's like the forum is just squeezed out. It's hard to find what I want among all the ads, there isn't much action there anymore because of that, and I just think it's a shame. If you have to have all the ads, can't you at least keep them out of the threads? I'm starting to think you should just dispense with the forum altogether since it's being strangled to death anyway. But then if you lose the forum, you'll probably lose your "frequent fliers" who frequent the site as much as they always have to take part in them.

Here's a site that's a good example of a forum that isn't strangled:

Aeclectic Tarot Forum

and another one:

The largest Message Boards and Forums on the web!

and another one:

BeadBanter.com: Welcome to the Pittsburgh Area's Best and Busiest Beading Discussion Forum.

I don't mean on your portal page--the front page---I mean the forum where the threads are.

[DeafToniB]

I'd just like to be able to see the forum posts all in one place without ads everywhere. I realize ads are 80% of your revenue, but this is the only forum I've ever seen where the ads take over everything. It used to be just a simple forum. And it was easy to find the galleries for the members so we could see everyone's work. Now when I click on Galleries from the menu, it takes me somewhere else that I have to join----that I don't want to join---in order to see them.

In response to "we don't have as many ads as some other forums", I can just respond : "if everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too, just because they did?

Here we have ads across the top, ads all down the side, and every other post there's an ad in the forum threads. I have super-fast internet and it still takes awhile for pages to load, there's so much "stuff" going on.

Sometimes I click on a link here that I think is going to take me somewhere within Powwows.com and I end up on totally another site.

By the way, I did take the survey before I started this thread. And it's very difficult to explain what I mean when the things that have bothered and totally frustrated me just happen totally at random, it seems. If I don't know how it happened, then I can't explain it to you.

In a nutshell, I used to come for the forums and I loved it. Now it's like the forum is just squeezed out. It's hard to find what I want among all the ads, there isn't much action there anymore because of that, and I just think it's a shame. If you have to have all the ads, can't you at least keep them out of the threads? I'm starting to think you should just dispense with the forum altogether since it's being strangled to death anyway. But then if you lose the forum, you'll probably lose your "frequent fliers" who frequent the site as much as they always have to take part in them.

Here's a site that's a good example of a forum that isn't strangled:

Aeclectic Tarot Forum

and another one:

The largest Message Boards and Forums on the web!

and another one:

BeadBanter.com: Welcome to the Pittsburgh Area's Best and Busiest Beading Discussion Forum.

I don't mean on your portal page--the front page---I mean the forum where the threads are.

Good posting!

[Paul G]

I'd just like to be able to see the forum posts all in one place without ads everywhere. I realize ads are 80% of your revenue, but this is the only forum I've ever seen where the ads take over everything.

Please explain what you mean. I don't understand what you mean by the ads take over everything. When I'm reading threads the ads don't get in the way at all.

Now when I click on Galleries from the menu, it takes me somewhere else that I have to join----that I don't want to join---in order to see them.

What?

This shouldn't happen. The Galleries, TV, and forums all use the same username and password. Please let me know what link you are clicking on when you see this?

Here we have ads across the top, ads all down the side, and every other post there's an ad in the forum threads.

That's a little bit of an exaggeration. There is not an ad every other post! Give me some credit, I am not that bad!

Sometimes I click on a link here that I think is going to take me somewhere within Powwows.com and I end up on totally another site.

Give me some examples so I can look into that.

I'll take a look at your examples. There are several ads in the forums. But I don't agree that it is "strangled".

[BeadinGranny]

There were some links in my last post, Paul. They were down at the bottom. I also clicked on New Posts, thinking maybe that's where I'd find the most activity going on in the forum and there were only five posts. I think there would be lots and lots more if there weren't ads in between posts in the threads.

I'm not meaning to seem to exaggerate. There are ads in some threads that are spaced out only by two or three posts. Is there possibly a paid subscription that doesn't have so many?

I did find (by accident) that if I click on the word Shops there's a drop-down menu where I can find the photos of what members have made in the way of beadwork, etc. so that's a help for me.

I really wish I were more able to articulate what things are a problem for me so I could be more helpful, but when I blunder into an area I didn't mean to go to, I obviously don't know how I got there or I wouldn't have gone there. LOL I'm not a stupid person. I'm intelligent and very well-versed in the ways of the internet, websites and forums, so it's not like I'm some dweeb stumbling around here. There really is are problems now that there's so much going on here and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. True, there have only been a couple of people who have posted to agree with me, but it's possible that that's because so few people come to try to use the forum anymore.

Once you go to those links I gave you, that will tell you what I mean better than I seem to be able to. Let me know if those links are a help to you.

I love powwows.com, Paul. Don't get me wrong. I've been coming here a long time. Even before I was beadingranny, but I had surgery and wasn't online for a long time so I forgot my login info and had to make another account. I think you do a fantastic job here and I love the site. All I really hope for is more ease in navigating and a less cluttered forum.

[BeadinGranny]

These are the links I posted:

Here's a site that's a good example of a forum that isn't strangled:

Aeclectic Tarot Forum

and another one:

The largest Message Boards and Forums on the web!

and another one:

BeadBanter.com: Welcome to the Pittsburgh Area's Best and Busiest Beading Discussion Forum.

I just noticed there are even ads in at least one of my posts and I sure didn't put them there.

[Joe's Dad]

Get adblocker.

Sorry Paul G.! LOL

[Paul G]

There were some links in my last post, Paul. They were down at the bottom.

No there are not ads in the last thing you posted.

I'm not sure what you are seeing but there is not an ad in your last post.

I also clicked on New Posts, thinking maybe that's where I'd find the most activity going on in the forum and there were only five posts. I think there would be lots and lots more if there weren't ads in between posts in the threads.

That link shows you the news posts since the last time your visited. You were just on about an hour ago. So 5 posts at this time of night is pretty good!

I'm not meaning to seem to exaggerate. There are ads in some threads that are spaced out only by two or three posts. Is there possibly a paid subscription that doesn't have so many?

There is an ad after the first post and one after the last post. When there are only 2 or there posts, it may seem that there are. But look at this thread. Just 1 after the first one and one at the end.

I did find (by accident) that if I click on the word Shops there's a drop-down menu where I can find the photos of what members have made in the way of beadwork, etc. so that's a help for me.

Sounds like you may need to explore our whole site some more. All the menus at the top have drop downs with tons of links. Take a look at them!

Once you go to those links I gave you, that will tell you what I mean better than I seem to be able to. Let me know if those links are a help to you.

I look at them. There are tons of forums on the net. And most don't have any ads. But remember, PowWows.com does more than just a forums - live webcasts, photos, videos, radio, etc. All of that takes $! We have to have ads.

I love powwows.com, Paul. Don't get me wrong. I've been coming here a long time. Even before I was beadingranny, but I had surgery and wasn't online for a long time so I forgot my login info and had to make another account. I think you do a fantastic job here and I love the site. All I really hope for is more ease in navigating and a less cluttered forum.

If you have problems like that, email me I can fix it so you can get into your other account. You'd be surprised how many times I hear that! Just send me a message! Lots of people stop coming because they forgot their password. Email me!

This upgrade we are working on, we hope will simplify things. We'll see!

[Paul G]

These are the links I posted:

Here's a site that's a good example of a forum that isn't strangled:

Aeclectic Tarot Forum

and another one:

The largest Message Boards and Forums on the web!

and another one:

BeadBanter.com: Welcome to the Pittsburgh Area's Best and Busiest Beading Discussion Forum.

I just noticed there are even ads in at least one of my posts and I sure didn't put them there.

What ads are you talking about? There are not ads in your last few posts!

Are you talking about the links you posted? Our forum software will automatically change a url you post to the title of that website instead of the w w w address.

Watch this. I'm going to post w w w . g o o g l e . c o m below.

Google

[Paul G]

What ads are you talking about? There are not ads in your last few posts!

Are you talking about the links you posted? Our forum software will automatically change a url you post to the title of that website instead of the w w w address.

Watch this. I'm going to post w w w . g o o g l e . c o m below.

Google

It shows it as something different.

[Paul G]

Get adblocker.

Sorry Paul G.! LOL

You certainly can do that. But I highly recommend you don't! Many sites are looking at paid memberships because of the loss of ad revenue. I believe that internet content should be free. But to be free, we have to view ads. I think that is a pretty fair exchange. I don't want to have to pay to read websites!