Ad Blocking on this website?

[Gaieus]

@aerilius said:

To me, Firefox developer tools said it would be waiting for the server to respond (for the main html document).
Then loading all the other resources (although ~50+ files) was not much more than a second.

Well, the site has been put together and styles changed here and there to conform more to our needs but it has never been "optimized" for best performance (yet). Certainly there are many places for improvement and we'll try to do these as our resources allow.

@unknownuser said:

Shouldn't the server logs reveal more valuable info about what happens between that the browser sends a request and that the server responds?

Not only the server logs but there are online tools, too, like Google's page speed insight.

With another site (that I have been building forever) I have managed to get that "improvement possibility list" to have only one item: enabling compression (which I cannot do on my shared hosting server) so I am beginning to understand what those "suggestions" mean but on a site like this, it is much more complex to achieve than on a speedy, small website (which I put together from bits and pieces in php manually so I can optimize wherever I wish).

I would not dare to tamper with the code here though...

[Woodarc]

I'm still really struggling with this issue of not seeing ads etc. Ive checked all the settings and cleared-out browsing history and caches, updated stuff and so on but still can't see stuff. The image attached is what my browser (Chrome) tells me. I have three computers through my router 2 wired and one wireless. The wireless one (my wifes) I can view ok. Is is wire/wireless issue? Suggestions on remedies welcome please (apart from always using the wifes!).

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[TIG]

What 'add-ons' [..Tools>Extensions] do you have loading for Chrome ?
Do you have 'AdBlock'? that needs deactivating for SCF.com. click on the icon at the end of the address bar... Are there any other 'DoNotTrackMe' types of thing ?
I assume your illustration is from the machine that's not working...
Javascript seems fully enabled ?
What about the other settings... my are all similar so I expect that's not it.
I use Firefox so it's not directly comparable... many members use Chrome without difficulty though...
If your Firewall set to allow SCF through unfettered ? That might be a difference ?

[Joe Wood]

For the forum's troubleshooters, I'm having these loading issues intermittently, this morning I was able to browse the forums no problem, came back after an hour and had the long wait again. An hour later, trying to reply to this thread also took over a minute to load, we'll see if it even posts.

[solo]

@tig said:

many members use Chrome without difficulty though...

Disabling AdBlock and 'Do not track me' makes it possible, however at the price of very very long loading times.

[Rich O Brien]

You can run ad block Pete?

You should be able to

[solo]

Aha!!! excellent, page loaded in less than a second.

[TIG]

@solo said:

@tig said:

many members use Chrome without difficulty though...

Disabling AdBlock and 'Do not track me' makes it possible, however at the price of very very long loading times.
I have 'Firefox' [as my usual browser] and also 'Chrome' [occasional use], both with 'AdBlock' loading, but both have it disabled for SCF. I notice no time difference in the site loading with or without 'AdBlock' enabled - the load-time is usually pretty fast for me - and it's no faster if 'AdBlock' is totally disabled globally.
I use 'AVG DO No Track' which ignores SCF and buysellads anyway, rather than 'DoNotTrackMe', which I found both clunky and difficult to understand and customize ! Have you tried it with that 'off'.
Using 'NoScript' is also likely to stop/slow SCF à la une ad-blocker...
That can be disabled using a site 'whiteboard', but I stopped having that add-on enabled altogether ages ago...
Without any first hand experience of this 'load-delay' I am at a loss to suggest what might be up... Is it consistently slow ??

[wind-borne]

@tig said:

Without any first hand experience of this 'load-delay' I am at a loss to suggest what might be up... Is it consistently slow ??

Broken record here

Would seem like a setting would be consistent yes/no for loading.
Here are 4 instances within a couple hours where buy/sell twice loads, twice fails to load and times out at ~ 1.4 minutes before allowing page to load.

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[Woodarc]

@tig said:

What 'add-ons' [..Tools>Extensions] do you have loading for Chrome ?
Do you have 'AdBlock'? that needs deactivating for SCF.com. click on the icon at the end of the address bar... [attachment=0:19pzd05m]<!-- ia0 -->Capture.PNG<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:19pzd05m] Are there any other 'DoNotTrackMe' types of thing ?
I assume your illustration is from the machine that's not working...
Javascript seems fully enabled ?
What about the other settings... my are all similar so I expect that's not it.
I use Firefox so it's not directly comparable... many members use Chrome without difficulty though...
If your Firewall set to allow SCF through unfettered ? That might be a difference ?

I have no add-ons at all on Chrome, I don't have Adblock and no other 'donottrackme' type things as far as I'm aware.
The illustration was from the machine that isn't working. How and where can I check Javascript? I've checked the firewall and set internet security level to medium and incorporated SCF as a trusted site.
http://sketchucation.com/forums/posting.php?mode=quote&f=76&p=452612#

[julyyen]

@tig said:

@julyyen said:

I don't have any AdBlock and DoNotTrackMe addons for Firefox, I also read what other regular users comment here, so finally what is the solution to view and download those
useful attachments - plugins and others?
Something on your system is blocking these so the SCF end won't display the links for you.
The most common 'ad-blockers' are AdBlock, NoScript and DoNotTrackMe, these need disabling/removing for SCF to open with all links available - but there are other add-ons too that can cause this...
Also your anti-virus/malware software or your firewall etc might also be set to be over zealous where SCF is concerned...
The tech-guys are working to ensure that nothing that is not a genuine ad-blocker is misinterpreted as one !
If you use IE or install a 'clean' version of 'Chrome' with no add-ons, what happens ?
If that works then you know it's then something in Firefox...

I use Firefox [v19] with the latest AdBlock add-on and I have no issues whatsoever, ether with link display or loading times etc [but then it is fully 'disabled' for SCF.com and a few other sites I visit that are supported solely by advertising...]

Thank you so much, 'TIG' and 'notareal' for these tips, but I tried to use Chrome, Opera and also I checked settings in antivirus,it's not working, anyway I can enter on site, view&download attachments using my Android smartphone.

[TIG]

Do you allow javascript to run on pages ?
SCF needs it.
Do your Firewall settings restrict SCF in any way ?

[wind-borne]

Well,
everyday I see this thread resurrect I hope for some resolution to buy/sell failing to load conundrum.
seems like a setting would return consistent results...
screenshots loading(4 sec)/failing to load(1.4 min)/loading(4 sec)... within an hour.

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[livemixer]

@mike lucey said:

I honestly don't think that the adverts we have here are obtrusive or too large. As a matter of interest we insist that they must be sub 150Kb in size. also not too 'flashy'. I would go as far to say that all are well designed and to my mind add a 'splash of colour' to the site.

Just my 2¢:
I don't mind static ad banners. I even agree (to some extent) that they add color & interest to the site. But the highly animated ones are very obtrusive; a constant, highly annoying distraction from the site's content and/or anything else I have running on my Mac that actually has a legitimate need to display dynamic content to attract my attention.

The worst offenders are the ones that cycle through several completely different banner images to deliver their message. I think that sort of thing should be reserved for click throughs, or at the least set to cycle just once through all the images & then stop on a single, static one.

As it is, they are the visual equivalent of the obnoxious, ridiculously loud TV ads that have me scrambling for the mute button on the TV … & resolving never to buy the products they tout.

[Mike Lucey]

Hi livemixer,

Thanks for these comment and observations. I agree totally with you and do realise that there are two adverts in particular that could well fall into the category you mention. I also appreciate you speaking clearly on this matter which I have now resolved to 'clean up', so to speak.

While we state in our BuySellAds page that we do not wish for 'flashing' ads I am afraid some advertisers feel that 'flashing' adverts attract more attention ...... as you you say, yes they do but they also annoy the viewer and can quickly get the viewers 'back up'!

The TV advert analogy you mention is also so very correct! I keep the remote close to hand for the very same reason, those adverts that pump up the volume and annoy me!

We do advise that we allow animated gifs and most are very smooth and IMO quite pleasant to view but as I say there are some the 'hurt the eye'.

I will now contact the advertisers in question with the annoying and probably self defeating adverts and suggest that they revisit their adverts with a critical eye and redesign so that they are not annoying and probably far more productive.

Thanks for this honest and well described opinion.

Mike

[livemixer]

@mike lucey said:

The TV advert analogy you mention is also so very correct! I keep the remote close to hand for the very same reason, those adverts that pump up the volume and annoy me!

If you lived in the U.S., as of last December 13th you would theoretically never have to suffer through these overly loud ads again.

That's when CALM (the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act) went into effect. It is now a violation of Federal law for average ad volume to exceed average program volume.

Of course, in the real world the FCC depends on consumer complaints to identify offenders. Not many people know how to file a complaint, so it hasn't had as much effect as one might hope for.

[Mike Lucey]

Never heard about CALM, its a great idea. Thet should introduce something like it over here.

My favourite current advert is the Heineken one with The Asteroids! It gets my feet tapping and shoulders shifting ..... don't laugh ....... at least its exercise or so I'm told as it burns 5 calories each time:D

Check it out here, http://youtu.be/qiQj0o8BOYw

[solo]

@unknownuser said:

@mike lucey said:

The TV advert analogy you mention is also so very correct! I keep the remote close to hand for the very same reason, those adverts that pump up the volume and annoy me!

If you lived in the U.S., as of last December 13th you would theoretically never have to suffer through these overly loud ads again.

That's when CALM (the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act) went into effect. It is now a violation of Federal law for average ad volume to exceed average program volume.

Of course, in the real world the FCC depends on consumer complaints to identify offenders. Not many people know how to file a complaint, so it hasn't had as much effect as one might hope for.

I think it's working very well, not sure who gets to manage it but with Time Warner cable I have noticed a significant improvement, I sometimes work into the wee hours of the morning with the TV on in the back ground and in the past adverts after midnight got louder (to wake up gits that fell asleep on the couch I guess) but ever since CALM came into effect I have not noticed adverts louder than the show they rudely interrupted.

[livemixer]

@solo said:

I think it's working very well, not sure who gets to manage it but with Time Warner cable I have noticed a significant improvement...

We watch a mix of Time Warner cable & over-the-air TV programming available in the Dallas TX area. I noticed a big improvement in ads coming from network feeds but a lot of the locally originated OTA ones are still cranked up to 11.

[Cutnose]

@unknownuser said:

Here is the solution, which I just confirmed on my Windows machine.

There is a built-in site-blocking file on EVERY Windows machine, called the "hosts" file (no extension.) Macs may use a similar file. On my Windows XP machine, it is located in the following directory:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc

Look for the "hosts" file. Open it for editing with Notepad. Use <ctrl>-F, to open Notepad's "find" window, and search for "buysellads". (I found two instances in my hosts file.)

Append a "#" character to the beginning of the line. (This will cause the line to be treated as a comment line, rather than a valid block entry.)

My case:
...
127.0.0.1 buytraffic.cn
127.0.0.1 s3.buysellads.com
127.0.0.1 stats.buysellads.com
127.0.0.1 buzzclick.com
...
When edited:
...
127.0.0.1 buytraffic.cn
#127.0.0.1 s3.buysellads.com
#127.0.0.1 stats.buysellads.com
127.0.0.1 buzzclick.com
...
Save the file. Reload your browser. (I use Chrome, and don't have to reload. A page-refresh is sufficient.)

The problem: Uploaded images and attachments being stored at an internet address that is a recognized ad/spamming source.

Many ad-blocking programs revise the "hosts" file, as part of their blocking methodology. You can always edit yourself, if you encounter a website that is being blocked, and you need to permit access.

If SketchUcation is going to continue to use "buysellads" or comparable host for file storage, these instructions need to be posted as a "sticky"

-Taff

This eventually worked, but took near 5 hours to end up at given that no web search I attempted pointed me to either this thread or that post.

Hopefully now I can participate in the site and SketchUp somewhat better, and that the plugins between here and Ruby Library Depot can correct some of the issues I'm either causing or receiving.

Happy drafting.