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Muggers without ad blockers, can you provide feedback on some somethings?

As you know, ads are part of what helps keep the site afloat, but we've had a couple issues as of late, so I removed the Google ads tonight. 

1) Do you still see Google ads anywhere? The code had to be removed from individual pages one by one, and I want to make sure I got every ad space. You'll still see ads by Project Wonderful. Right now, I see the "free goodies" ad across the top of most pages... that should still be there. And, you should still see Taboola ads, which are typically links to stories and has a heading like "You may like" (bottoms of some pages) or "from the web" (right side of some pages). If you see ads other than this, please shoot me a link to the page you see them.

2) Mobile users- are you still getting oddball redirects? I've played with the ads a considerable amount trying to identify which ad service (if it's even here) is causing some mobile users to get redirected to non-Mug pages. I've had a few reports of this, but it's insanely intermittent and doesn't seem to be linked to anything. I'm curious to know if it stopped as of right now.

3) Did site speed improve significantly for you without the ads? The Google ads may have been impacting site speed, but whether or not the degree of impact was noticeable to you folks, I can't say. If there was no noticeable speed improvement and the redirects didn't stop, I'll probably add them back in at a later date.

Thanks!

PS
If you use this thread to promote ad blockers or say this question is irrelevant to you because you use ad blockers, I'm throwing you in the dungeon until you mend your wicked ways. :)

Posted - February 5, 2018
Tags : None

Responses


  • 44232
    I only use a desk top and the only thing I found about ad-block is that it slowed us down and I could not send gifts. I disabled it. Some of the ads are quite curious and I go to the them out of idle curiousity. The ones from 'Gundry MD' are bogus, though.
      February 5, 2018 6:58 PM MST
    2

  • 7919
    Good to know, thanks.

    I just removed the Gundry MD ads, but if you still get them, please send me a copy of the text via email so I can mess with it more.
      February 5, 2018 8:40 PM MST
    3

  • 3375
    I have always had an ad blocker, so it's hard to tell if I am going slower than normal here.  Everything seems to load as it should.  I have used my mobile phone at times too with no issue.  I will let you know if I start to see anything unusual.  

    Thanks for the heads up JA.
      February 5, 2018 8:12 PM MST
    3

  • 7919
    Thanks- the speed shouldn't have slowed. If anything, it would have gotten better. The changes I made could not have decreased usability or functionality, but they may have improved it. If they didn't improve things, then I might as well put the ads back up. That's why I'm checking in. :)
      February 5, 2018 8:42 PM MST
    3

  • 3375
    So far, everything seems hunky dory.  
      February 5, 2018 8:59 PM MST
    3

  • 52936


      There are ads on here?

    :|
      February 5, 2018 9:35 PM MST
    2

  • The site is now working much faster for me. Thank you.

    For the sake of your earnings only,
    I click on ads quite a bit, and the other commercial "tempters" -
    but they are not very good at targeting my interests and tastes.
    If it weren't for your livelihood, I'd click on none of them.
    The clothing offers are made of synthetics or blends - I only ever consider 100% natural.
    The hippy and ethnic things are fake printed copies.
    They target me with insurance for the elderly - I never insure except 3rd party compulsory for the car.
    They propose expensive tours on luxury cruise liners where there is a dearth of culture.
    Sometimes they offer unnecessary fat reduction programmes and plastic surgery.
    I wouldn't mind a bit of the latter, but could never afford it.
    They offer games so complex my computer could not handle them.
    One or two techno gismos have been fascinating - a tracker for someone's car? Who needs that?

    If they had eves-dropped correctly they would be offering boutique second-hand book sites.

      February 6, 2018 12:25 AM MST
    3

  • 7919
    Thanks.
    I have a feeling you're like me in that you visit a ton of sites for the sake of reading and picking up information, which renders Google's snoopiness useless. The Taboola ones that stayed aren't really targeted as much.
      February 6, 2018 11:59 AM MST
    2

  • True! :)
    I should have realised that was the cause.
      February 6, 2018 9:55 PM MST
    1

  • 22891
    i have adblock so i havent seen any
      February 6, 2018 10:51 AM MST
    1

  • 7919
    To the dungeon ye go!
      February 6, 2018 12:00 PM MST
    1

  • 32664
    I have not noticed anything different speed.  I didn't even notice the ads were gone. 
    I have not got any fatal error recently but those were not a regular occurrence either. 
      February 6, 2018 10:59 AM MST
    2

  • 7919
    Good to know, thanks.

    The fatal errors were a different thing and the dev was on a couple weeks ago to work on those. I believe he beat them all into submission. 
      February 6, 2018 12:01 PM MST
    2

  • 3191
    The browser I use now does ad block, but I have had a problem being redirected when I received a gift from someone.  I cannot recall the details, or where it redirected me to, as it has been a few weeks and I immediately shut the tab when that happens now.  I have received gifts in the past without issue, so this was a fairly recent development.  
      February 6, 2018 1:23 PM MST
    2

  • 6098
    The system I use at work I know is supposed to block some but I can see several on this page nonetheless.  None of them Google.  At home I feel honor-bound to allow all ads because they are paying bills even though I hardly ever read them.  There is a lot of stuff about such-and-such a star from yesteryear who "still looks" "amazing" or " you wouldn't believe how she looks".  But thank you I will try and be more aware and notice any Google ads.  Sometimes there is an indication that the site speed problem is at the source but other times I know it has to do with the servers of the systems I am using. 
      February 9, 2018 7:29 AM MST
    0