Supporting FT / Slow Banners
Oct 16, 2013, 3:58 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: San Jose CA
Posts: 1,100
Supporting FT / Slow Banners
Hi,
I find great value in FT and would like to support the ongoing operation of the site. I'm running Firefox 24.0 on a Mac running OS X 10.8.5. I'm OK with banner ads, but I find that every time I turn off ....... Pro, the FT banner ads are very slow to load. Well not all of them, maybe 15% of them. But I'm on the site often enough that I really don't want to wait patiently.
Personally, I'd rather send $5 (or whatever) in Paypal funds to the FT overlords than patiently watch a page load a banner ad. Have others expressed this concern?
I find great value in FT and would like to support the ongoing operation of the site. I'm running Firefox 24.0 on a Mac running OS X 10.8.5. I'm OK with banner ads, but I find that every time I turn off ....... Pro, the FT banner ads are very slow to load. Well not all of them, maybe 15% of them. But I'm on the site often enough that I really don't want to wait patiently.
Personally, I'd rather send $5 (or whatever) in Paypal funds to the FT overlords than patiently watch a page load a banner ad. Have others expressed this concern?
Oct 16, 2013, 4:50 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: BKK
Programs: AA Plat, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,395
Oct 17, 2013, 1:37 am
#3
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Home
Programs: AA, Delta, UA & thanks to FTers for my PC Gold!
Posts: 7,676
Check out these two existing threads for all the answers:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/techn...t-premium.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/techn...g-premium.html
What happened to FT Premium in a nutshell (from January 2012):
In the coming year, FlyerTalk will be rolling out a brand new array of Premium subscription services to its members; until that time, any members who have a current, up-to-date subscription -- or had their subscription lapse in 2011/12 -- will be offered the ads-free browsing and larger PM box benefits for free. <snip>
When we begin offering paid Premium services in 2012, this free benefit period will end.
I will have an ETA on this soon;
When we begin offering paid Premium services in 2012, this free benefit period will end.
I will have an ETA on this soon;
Oct 20, 2013, 12:52 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: San Jose CA
Posts: 1,100
How about this?
- Create an email address: [email protected] (10 minutes)
- Open a Paypal account for that email address associated with a bank account (20 minutes)
- Create a well worded post that solicits donations and includes a paypal link (30 minute).
- Post the sticky on top of every forum for three days a month. (15 minutes / month)
Oct 20, 2013, 1:31 pm
#5
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,024
How about this?
- Create an email address: [email protected] (10 minutes)
- Open a Paypal account for that email address associated with a bank account (20 minutes)
- Create a well worded post that solicits donations and includes a paypal link (30 minute).
- Post the sticky on top of every forum for three days a month. (15 minutes / month)
And it's been suggested before:
One would think that in twenty-five months (!) this could have occurred. Especially since, as noted in that thread, a Paypal account could be set up in a day.
I really appreciate the helpfulness of the IB staff, but this is just utterly puzzling.
I really appreciate the helpfulness of the IB staff, but this is just utterly puzzling.
The previous arrangement was through a subscription to InsideFlyer, which as you know is not affiliated with FlyerTalk.
I hope you'll find the temporary solution more elegant and to your liking anyway -- even though it is taking some time.
I hope you'll find the temporary solution more elegant and to your liking anyway -- even though it is taking some time.
Another response says:
I like and appreciate the IB staff, but I simply do not get why this so difficult and why there is such silence about this.
Last edited by cblaisd; Oct 20, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Oct 20, 2013, 2:01 pm
#6
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Programs: AS 100K, UA MM, AA MM, IC Plat Amb, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 3,146
larger PM box benefits
FWIW, the Firefox ....... add-in works so well, that I didn't otherwise know my premium subscription to FT had expired!
Oct 23, 2013, 9:23 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: BKK
Programs: AA Plat, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,395
So, since the hold up seems be nothing to do with technical obstacles, it presumably has everything to do with...? Extremely lucrative Google AdChoice revenues? Apathy? Laziness? What?
Count me among those who would love to have a premium subscription-based membership option. I surf exclusively on an iPad and since the FT app is utter garbage, to the point of being virtually useless, my participation is solely via the website. However, no matter which browser I use (Safari, Chrome, Mercury, Atomic), with or without an ad blocker enabled, the FlyerTalk website functions poorly under even the most optimal conditions. And the fuctionality issues are all related to ad serving.
Has IB even tried to calculate how much revenue it is losing to blockers? I don't know what fraction of that lost revenue could be captured through a paid subscription program, but I doubt I'm the only one who'd prefer to pay than rely on an ad blocker. I'm sure I've seen others say they value FT's content enough to want to help support the product financially. But, at the end of the day, I do what I'm forced to do in order to avoid having my device resources bogged down by ads.
Should this issue/request/suggestion/complaint be formally put to TalkBoard for official discussion?
If so, what's the process?
Count me among those who would love to have a premium subscription-based membership option. I surf exclusively on an iPad and since the FT app is utter garbage, to the point of being virtually useless, my participation is solely via the website. However, no matter which browser I use (Safari, Chrome, Mercury, Atomic), with or without an ad blocker enabled, the FlyerTalk website functions poorly under even the most optimal conditions. And the fuctionality issues are all related to ad serving.
Has IB even tried to calculate how much revenue it is losing to blockers? I don't know what fraction of that lost revenue could be captured through a paid subscription program, but I doubt I'm the only one who'd prefer to pay than rely on an ad blocker. I'm sure I've seen others say they value FT's content enough to want to help support the product financially. But, at the end of the day, I do what I'm forced to do in order to avoid having my device resources bogged down by ads.
Should this issue/request/suggestion/complaint be formally put to TalkBoard for official discussion?
If so, what's the process?
Oct 23, 2013, 9:31 am
#9
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Home
Programs: AA, Delta, UA & thanks to FTers for my PC Gold!
Posts: 7,676
FT Premium...
Oct 23, 2013, 10:04 am
#10
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: BKK
Programs: AA Plat, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,395
@lin821... Why wouldn't this be a TB issue? From your linked page...
I was not suggesting TB has any decision making authority. My thought was that TB might be able to articulate members' concerns to IB in a way that adds some greater sense of urgency to the matter than it currently enjoys.
If I'm mistaken that's fine. I just think that it makes sense to try to escalate the issue with IB.
SECTION 2: MISSION
A. The FlyerTalk TalkBoard exists to:
i. Represent the interests of the FlyerTalk membership at large to the FlyerTalk Host.
ii. Act as a representative body for the FlyerTalk membership.
iii. Serve in an advisory capacity to the FlyerTalk Host.
iv. Provide feedback to the FlyerTalk Host with regard to the management of FlyerTalk.
B. The TalkBoard accomplishes this by:
i. Prioritizing recommendations on product/service enhancements for FlyerTalk.
ii. Responding to action requests from the FlyerTalk Host for issues/situations that fall outside the scope of established policies, procedures, organization and universe of FlyerTalk’s forums.
iii. Responding to requests from posters with regard to requests for and enquires about enhancements and changes to the structure, organization and universe of FlyerTalk’s forums.
iv. Ensuring on-going feedback between the FlyerTalk Host and its posters.
v. Providing input on and reaction to FlyerTalk upgrades, plug-ins and other changes.
vi. Periodically reviewing FlyerTalk's Terms of Service (TOS) to ensure they best serve and protect FlyerTalk and its posters.
A. The FlyerTalk TalkBoard exists to:
i. Represent the interests of the FlyerTalk membership at large to the FlyerTalk Host.
ii. Act as a representative body for the FlyerTalk membership.
iii. Serve in an advisory capacity to the FlyerTalk Host.
iv. Provide feedback to the FlyerTalk Host with regard to the management of FlyerTalk.
B. The TalkBoard accomplishes this by:
i. Prioritizing recommendations on product/service enhancements for FlyerTalk.
ii. Responding to action requests from the FlyerTalk Host for issues/situations that fall outside the scope of established policies, procedures, organization and universe of FlyerTalk’s forums.
iii. Responding to requests from posters with regard to requests for and enquires about enhancements and changes to the structure, organization and universe of FlyerTalk’s forums.
iv. Ensuring on-going feedback between the FlyerTalk Host and its posters.
v. Providing input on and reaction to FlyerTalk upgrades, plug-ins and other changes.
vi. Periodically reviewing FlyerTalk's Terms of Service (TOS) to ensure they best serve and protect FlyerTalk and its posters.
If I'm mistaken that's fine. I just think that it makes sense to try to escalate the issue with IB.
Oct 23, 2013, 11:54 am
#11
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Home
Programs: AA, Delta, UA & thanks to FTers for my PC Gold!
Posts: 7,676
There's no better person than Carol to achieve that, imho.
In terms of "greater sense of urgency to the matter" of members' concern, I believe IB already knows it for years. You do know this is not the 1st thread that discussed FT premium, or lack of, since IB bought FT, don't you?