FF.net has changed its layout so you can now search for fics without leavnig the page. Discuss.

 

I think I like this more. It seems faster to load as well as being more efficient. I was never a fan of the old layout anyway, so I wasn't emotionally attached to it.

 

I'm much more concerned with annoying yapping banners on the story pages. If I hear some idiot yelling "Hello!!!" one more time today, I'm gonna strangle someone...

 

Wait, ff.net has those sorts of adverts? That's why I keep the sound off on my computer.

 

Why not use something like AdMuncher to take out the ads, including sound? I got it when ffnet started using the annoying punch-the-monkey ads and it's been bliss since then!

 

They seem to have added an 'ad blocker'. At the top right hand corner of the page, beside the search option, select 'ad blocker' from the drop-down box (it'll say Menu when you first load the page). You can enable it for two days, then you have to do the same again. When it's enabled, this is the message:

Works well for me.

 

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having ads? If they are a source of income, why would they want to allow users to block them? Won't their advertisers complain?

 

I think a website can gain money either from how many times the ad is clicked or how many times it's viewed, it's a choice. Anyway, maybe they just gave the option to stop it from annoying the users. DLP used to have ads that could be hidden or shrunk, to stop them from annoying any members. Lord R. could probably tell you about how they worked in more detail.

 

Umm... they've always had the adblocker. Or at least for as long as I can remember. (I only looked once there were those ads locking up the page, and flash ads with annoying sounds.) It's just a cookie that expires after two days, so you have to re-enable it every couple days. Though I'd think maybe you could just edit the cookie and keep it around.

Yes, that's where ff.net gets their revenue but that was one of the advantages to their old "extra services" not only could you block the ads, but your fics didn't have ads on them either. Just check out shreve's page. Or Lord Ravenclaw's. Or anyone who put a picture on their page (the main indication of 'extra services,' Jeconais, eQuasarus/mehetabelo, GreenGecko, etc...) No ads. And their fics also, no ads. One of the "Extra Services" perks.

Personally I'm not all that bothered by one banner ad that I don't think I've ever clicked.

Not sure if the "Dictionary" is new but I certainly don't remember it on the top bar. Searching is nice there, but the vast majority of the time you want to limit your search to a subsection, like "Harry Potter."

 

i use firefox and adblock extension so i never see any ads


but i like the new layout its nicer the old one was kind of ugly in some aspects

 

Wasn't really that much of a change for me.

I mean, they moved the bar to the top of the page, killed the banner, and put in a mini-search bar. While the search is nice, without touching filters and all, it's not really big. I think they're way over-due for a new color scheme... Something they've been saying they're going to 'upload' for the last 4 years or so...

 

It’s about time that they added an accessible search option
It’s a bit faster to load and the ads do not bother me (anti-spyware with ad blocker installed). Overall, it looks the same to me.

 

It kind of stretches my page a bit and my resolution is already at 1024*748 or something like that. But its still good.

 

Little Earth globe is relaxing!

 

Did the same to me. It'd be nice if it did that, thusly making it easier to search without having to fill out most filters in the actual Search Engine...

 

I thought that the new layout was a step better than before. It looks a bit plainer. Haven't really tried out the search thing yet. Now I'm a bit reluctant to. It'd probably be easier and quicker to go to the actual search page than to look through all the possible links. If they happened to put up the other choices up(ie: 'pick your fandom' or 'pick genre/length of fic'), then it'd just clutter up the page. Or just sit there while you're reading a fic. You'd have to keep on scrolling a bit down.
As for the ads, they're fine. Even the sound ones. I turn my sound off. The only thing that annoys me are the ads that pop out of the page when your cursor passes over them. I have a slow computer, so that small flash clip in that ad makes my computer lag. I have to use task manager to end the firefox application.