Hi folks,
Here are some additional items raised by Journalers.
* More Trouble With Archives:
Journaler Vickey
informs me that, in addition to the Archive monthly entry counts being
incorrect, if you're reading an archived entry, the right sidebar that
shows the rest of the month's entries are instead showing entries from
the next month.
For example, in this entry of mine from October, the listed sidebar items are all from November (despite what the sidebar header says).
If
I had to guess, I would say the miscount and wrong month problems are
related -- I've passed this info along to the tech folks, who don't
have to guess.
* An Easy Way to Block Ads?
I got this item from Connie, over at Thought Salad. Celeste, over at My Day and Thoughts, has cleverly found a way to block the ads from Journals, using AOL's own Pop-Up Blocker (AOL-only link), which you can access at the bottom of your Web browser window (I believe this requires AOL 9.0 SE).
In addition to blocking pop-ups, you're given the option to block "animated media" from specific domains.
I tried it, and it works. You can see the instructions at Celeste's entry.
However, I noted a few potential problems:
* This will only block Flash ads; the ads running in the 728x90 right now are mostly Flash, but if there are any that are just gifs (even animated gifs), jpgs,
or any other non-"animated media," you will continue to see them.
(Please note: I am not involved with selecting what shows up in the ad
spot, or any ad spot. In any case, I doubt that you would suddenly a
sudden rush away from Flash ads and towards gif and jpg ads, since
interactive ads are worth more to advertisers.)
* Additionally, if you do this, you will block all animated media
from AOL.com. "That's great!", you might say. However, Flash and
other "animated media" is used in a lot more stuff than just ads -- for
example, the Face Wall on the Journals main page uses Flash, as do some polls, media players, games and other features.
I
took a look to see if you could block the specific subdomains from
which the ads are served, but it doesn't appear that our popup blocker
lets you do that.
So, anyway, to summarize: the pop-up blocker workaround will work a lot (not all) of the time, and there are some tradeoffs, which I've listed above.
Of course, this won't mollify a lot of the Journalers who are unhappy about the ads -- there is the principle, of course, but also the practical reason
that folks who haven't opted to block animated media from aol.com
(either by choice, indifference or because they use another browser)
will still see the ads.
* Blog Ads Survey/Poll
Speaking of polls, Gullspirit has created an AOL Blogs/Journals Ad Banner Poll; you can read more about it in her blog entry.
It's a pretty well-built poll, though I have some nits to pick, looking purely at the poll methodology (sorry, I was a poli-sci major):
* Some of the questions are a bit leading, and I think some logical options are omitted.
* Statistically speaking, the sample is self-selected and non-random, and the sample size is relatively small.
*
I notice the wording of some of the questions has changed since the
first time I saw it, with intervening votes cast. Changing a poll
in-progress makes it harder to do an apples-to-apples comparison. [Updated:
Gullspirit notes in the comments that the poll results were reset after
the questions were changed, so this comment is unfounded.]
I'm not trying to slam the poll, I'm just noting a few potential trouble spots. Anyway, it's open until Monday midnight ET, and is another way for you to voice your opinion.
Thanks -- Joe
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
53 comments:
I am so through with all the complainers, I have deleted them from my reading list, I want fresh NEW journals to read, but there is no easy way to find them out!!!!
~Julie
BTW I sent you an email about this
how do I find FRESH new journals to support
The Banner Ad poll:
THANKS, JOE!!!!! Very observant and professional critique of the poll, btw.
As for the questions, I admit the questions were drawn up quickly --- I wanted to TRY and contribute a proactive effort before our blogging community become more splintered.
As for the changes ---- I reset the stats when I made those changes --- so results are accurate based on those resets!!!!
I'll be HAPPY to rewrite and/or invest the $5 fee to upgrade and expand items you or anyone suggest as a NEW poll --- IF you will promote the poll HERE so we can get a wider, more accurate blogger sampling.
Look at the revisions and give me guidance, please ..... and thanks again.
http://journals.aol.com/gullspirit/PerishTheThought/
Even if we block the animated ads, they're still there for other readers to encounter.
behind the curve Joe........
"* An Easy Way to Block Ads?
I got this item from Connie, over at Thought Salad. Celeste, over at My Day and Thoughts, has cleverly found a way to block the ads from Journals, using AOL's own Pop-Up Blocker (AOL-only link), which you can access at the bottom of your Web browser window (I believe this requires AOL 9.0 SE).
In addition to blocking pop-ups, you're given the option to block "animated media" from specific domains.
I tried it, and it works. You can see the instructions at Celeste's entry."
John already 'meditated' about this this morning. The major problem is that readers can still end up being subjected to the ads.
Let me block ads completely... for my readers as well, and I will be happy.
Get the ads off my journal.
judi
Joe thank you for taking the brunt of all the problems. I fixed mine by the way:) I am staying because i love my journal i just hope they get rid of the ads or move them to the side
Deb
It's been a while, Joe.
Now that you know of the potential to block the banners, I am sure you are finding ways around it (I had to get that in).
This only solves the problem in the short term. I would like the banner ads off of my journal altogether.
I noticed the polling problems as well. At least someone is trying to do something about this problem. The AOL Overlords are still sitting silent on Mt. Warner, laughing to themselves at us foolish paying mortals.
Hi Joe!
John had a great article about the latest research on a new technique to chekc blood sugar for diabetic patients. I have people abroad who wanted to read it but I could nto find it. Finally I emailed John who gave me the link which was nice but it did not work! arghhhhh !
nat
The backdoor fix isn't effective. It only blogs animation, just as you mentioned.
What we'd really like to know is what is being done to address the issue of the ads on our journal pages. Seriously. Are we being heard? Is there buzzing around AOL? Even a nod and a smile to let us know someone over there is paying attention and ADDRESSING THE ISSUE. (Not y'all, mind you...someone who actually has the power/authority to affect change over there.)
Throw us a frigging bone here. Y'all had to have heard something. What's being done? What action is being taken?
When can an actual response be expected? We'd like a thank you, a F*** you, something from the AOL Overlords.
Any indication on when that may happen? You have to admit this is pretty ridiculous.
Kris
not to mention they still haven't fixed the fonts in the journal alerts - i'm going blind trying to read 8 instead of 10 all day!
I'm blushing. Not used to being noticed...
aol has totally screwed up OUR journals. Where was the QA testing in this multi-million dollar company??? Did aol accept the ad revenue and then have to move up the timetable which has now caused the cluster* with our blogs?
Easy solution... un-install your great new updates, get the ads off our journals, and stick your ads somewhere else.
I have a few suggestions for the execs.
judi
Guess, beta-testing was out of the question?
Still, no answers regarding the exploitation of paying customers who created their journals.
This isn't the 70's, and we're not all in a Melvin Van Peebles film. How about we get some answers for once. Or are people still trying to figure out a form letter to write all the people who wrote you all at Journal Changes.
In addition, if I go to AOL LIVE HELP, to ask a question about AOL GROUPS, I don't want to be told to email JOURNALCHANGES@aol.com. I know you have nothing to do with that. But that was funny.
hmmmm.......
Again, No Answers. Funny.
You did, however, mention and highlight your precious "AOL Journal's" Face Wall. Even more funny, to me, is that you would comment and hightlight such a thing since some of those faces have actually boycotted because of these ads. Isn't that false advertising, Joe? Also, I find it equally amusing that the Guest Editor's entire blog Isn't linked save the actual Guest Editor's Picks entry. Could it be that if you were to be interested in the editor himself, and why he made those picks, you would find he is just as upset by the AOL takeover of "Our Personal" paid for spaces and the Fact that AOL has adopted Our Little Spaces for THIER OWN personal gain(s) without any reguard or permissions from us?? Just another question that I know from experience you won't answer.
And another thing, why isn't there any mention of the goings on here there (Journals Main Page)? Seams it would be counterproductive should some courious perspective journaler happened into these last few posts of yours and find that you basically are "just here" and no help to us at all. Really.. Think about it. What have you helped us with that you haven't been clued into on by one of us?
Shame on you for Nit picking. At least Gullspirt is DOING SOMETHING! Far more than I can say for you -at least this is all I can actually SEE you're doing when reading these posts.
What happened to the link to Patrick's Place on your journal? I swore you had earlier today....
h
Get the ads off my PAID for Journal! NOW!
Virginia
At this moment, the main thing I want to know is if I can sell advertisement space (maybe in the links section, or recurrent references in entries) without getting dissed by TOS- especially in light of the recent decision to use Journal ad banners.
I'm not really as smart as I may come across, so it isn't a loaded question. So... hook a Smurf up. I won't flip out if the answer is negative.
Merci!
I am very disappointed as a new AOL customer to find that one of the biggest reasons I signed up for your service (the journals) is now littered with ads and junk that I do not want to see. My journal is a very personal page and I don't appreciate having your ads on something I am paying for. Why would you offer to block pop up ads with your software and then subsequently place unblocked ads all over our personal pages? To me that is very rude to customers, and it tells me that your company cares more about making extra money on the side than taking good care of the customers, which are the makeup of your company. I am thinking of canceling and going to AIM because it seems that I am not getting much more out of AOL with all those ads on my personal web page. AOL is an extremely successful multi-billion dollar company. It is beyond me why your company feels the need to squander a few more dollars by placing ads on the web pages of your members. No one is going to pay any heed to those ads anyway, because everyone reading and posting the journals is already angry that they are there in the first place. On the behalf on myself and others in the AOL community, I request that you please do us the kind favor of taking the ads down. I would rather pay an extra dollar or two a month and not see any ads.
Thank you.
And I took Managerial Psych and statistics and all that crap too, Joe. I remember about self-selection bias, and I remember about needing a truly random sample of 10,500 or so people in order to get a sampling error of +/- 3%.
You're not the only smarty pants out here, Joe. We KNOW that the poll is not going to be valid. We simply want another data point for you to show the idiots and greedheads who made this ill-advised decision how unhappy people are.
Now, as for littlebear's comment about people not blogging anymore? I have 30 alerts set up. I received ONE today. 13 of the journals that I read regularly have gone private. I am neither posting to mine nor accepting comments.
We are here, commenting, perhaps using Joe as a target of opportunity, but also seeing him as the voice of The Man. We may get things changed. But I know that something special is gone forever.
Oh, and by the way? It's ONE FREAKING CALL TO A JAVASCRIPT ENGINE ON EACH PAGE THAT WILL FIX ALL OF OUR WOES.
Did you know that you can rent movies from Netfilx for $9.99?
Is this a great country or what? Hey are there any drug companies that will be advertising?
Like Viagra?
Dear Red and the Offended,
If you read my comment you would see that it said LEAVING, not blogging. If you think going private or just coming here complaining is going to help, you really live under a rock. Put your money where your mouth is and CANCEL YOUR AOL ACCOUNT. That's where it'll hit them. If everyone of you so called offended journalers in this "great community" were as mortified as you claim to be you should have cancelled you AOL immediately. Pull together and make a real impact. Get all the offended journalers to call AOL, cancel your account, and tell them why you're cancelling.
When you sign on to AOL, ads are immediately thrown into your face. If you go into a chat room, ads are in your face. If you look at a profile of another AOLer, ads are in your face. Don't you people realize you've been doing this all along. You're paying for AOL while they make money by getting paid for the advertising the companies are paying for. This is nothing new. Welcome to America.
You shouldn't be pissed at Joe or John or AOL. Be pissed at yourself for going along with it for so long without reacting before. GET OVER IT ALREADY.
CANCEL AND MOVE ON.
Thank you and happy blogging wherever it's done !
NJLB
http://journals.aol.com/njlittlebear/MyBigFatGeekLife/
Joe,
I feel so sorry for you and John, I can't believe the way people have attacked YOU. Like you are the one that did this.
Yes I know John and Joe seem like the only 2 people from AOL that we can vent to, no one else is listening. But, why do you have to attack them??
Someone mentioned something about it seems like you aren't doing anything about this. Ummm Joe in an employee, I am sure when he got the job there were certain rules he had to abide by. In EVERY business there is some issues you aren't able to discuss with the public.
I know in my line of work when a customer wants to know why, I am not allowed to say. All I can do is apologize, makes me seem like a witch, but that is my job and it pays my bills I am not going to jepardize that.
I am sure Joe wants to tell us everything he knows, this is his job, you gotta do what the bosses say if you want money.
If you are truely mad, why don't you listen to what has been said, e-mail that journal changy thing. Call AOL, do what you have to do. But stop attacking the messengers, you will get no where.
Cindy
http://journals.aol.com/sweetfantasy103/Alittleaboutme
NJLittleClue,
Cancel and Move On?
Not on your life. Not when I can take advantage of my 18 FREE MONTHS of "the business" from AOL after they wrongfully tanked my journal over a TOS violation they never investigated and later found out didn't exist.
Why cancel a FREE platform by which I can launch my NO ADVERTISING ON MY PAID JOURNAL campaign all over the place.
Meanwhile, my counterparts are PAYING customers. You're not going to become somebody because someone else disappears. Build your own credibility and grab a reader or two of your own. People aren't going to suddenly flock to your soapbox because some people are pushing theirs across the street.
There's your clue.
h
Joe,
I left a similar message over at Scalzi's blog. I would like to go on record as saying that I don't hold you or John responsible for this mess. It saddens me that on top of everything else that's going on, people aren't willing to take a deep breath before they all but accuse you of having personally coded the banner ads into the journals.
Thanks for passing our complaints along. I don't think they'll do any good, but I do appreciate your efforts.
Patrick
http://patricks-place.blogspot.com/2005/11/misplaced-fury.html
Hi Joe, I've tried what you suggested, deleting temp files and cookies in my browser settings, but it still don't work!! I can't save any new entries or edit any old ones, I can only add an entry by im message...:¬(
Hope this is fixed soon...over to you, AOL!
Cath
Those that are "apologizing" for our angry reactions to you definitely DO NOT speake for me. All of our attempts to contact ANYONE else at AOL have fallen on deaf ears. Clearly AOL intends you two to be the ONLY venue for us, as clearly AOL doesn't give a $#@$@# about their customers. Since you draw a paycheck from AOL and since AOL has made a clear decision that no one else will listen to us or talk to us, then you now get to be the one that have to "suffer" all of our complaints. I am totally unapologetic about that.
AOL has treated us horribly. AOL had lied to us. AOL has cheated our money and our efforts and our art from us. AOL has been loosing its customer base even before this latest mess. This is just more of the same of AOL being very badly run. I hope your shareholders are starting to understand this... that is probably the only thing AOL execs understand.
I will continue to contact the advertisers and complain to them. I am telling them I will never visit their establishments because of the agreement they curently have with AOL. Its all I have left to do as a "little person" customer that AOL won't listen to.
And I have found your lack of addressing the core issue here to be totally offensive.
Virginia
Oh, and . . . . GET THE ADS OFF MY JOURNAL!
Virginia
STOP JOURNAL ADVERTISING!
http://groups.aol.com/stopjournalads
TODAY'S ENTRY (which I will actually C&P and move to to today when and if you post an entry, my dear Joe):
Good MORNING! Joe and all you journalers out there.I know that you are all eagerly awaiting the next installment but I'm afraid I must disappoint. I have learned in the past few hours that I can BORROW $$$ from Bank of America and GO BACK TO SCHOOL at the Colorado Technical Institute. Or was it the Colorado Polytechnical Institute? Oh, well, CTU or CPU, it makes no difference to me. I am so inundated with debt on behalf of my three children, all of whom are in college(although no doubt fast asleep at the moment since it is pre-noon in all three time zones) and I am already in grad school in the humanities, so as you can imagine it is of the utmost interest to me that I can borrow even MORE money and obtain a technical degree -- which would probably require some comprehension of calculus -- but no matter about that.
AND....if it doesn't work out for me, I am sure that my millions and millions of readers out there are eager to borrow money and heard for CTU. Or CPU. So I know that my scintillating advertising is goign to draw them into my daily life like flies to honey.
See, that's the insidious thing about advertising. It makes us want things we don't want. NO, it's not world famine, or suicide bombings, or AIDS in Africa, or global warming. It's really pretty trivial. Except...except...as I tell my students: EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED. And guess what? If we are spending money on SUVs we don't need, or playthings we don't really even want -- we are participating in that great old American disease of endless consumer angst, a pox on all Americans except for possibly the Amish.
But -- to quote Emily Litella -- NEVER MIND. I'm heading for Colorado with my newly acquired loan in my pocket!
so glad to find Robin's new journal entry today... this is a delightful forum to host your blog at Robin and glad you got that money from BOA (that name has been ringing in my ears lately). Gee I wonder if they have good customer service... you will have to let me know.
Yes, advertising is evil.
love and hugs to you today Robin,
judi
Hey There...
I'm new to this journal...but YES I am having Ad issues!!! I can't seem to 'ADD' to my flippin' journal!?! My *bleepin* SAVE button ISN'T working!!! what to do? HELP!!!! What's going on? I don't care about the stupid ads...I'm not one of those people hooting and hollaring about it...I could care less! ..Why do I feel like I'm being punished? Can this be fixed? Sincerely, Evie
My delete entry button is not working. Just thought you'd like to know.
Heheheh, man it's sad that it's taking THIS long to get all the bugs worked out.
http://reflectionsofari.blogspot.com/
Ari
Wow, even if I didn't put my journal on hiatus because of this ad stuff, I'd still be ticked off. I use AOL and AOL to write in my journal. I pay AOL, I expect to use AOL for it. I ain't going to IE, or Netscape, or any other place to write in my AOL JOURNAL when I PAY AOL for it. Beta-testing...a concept, some people have forgotten.
Joe, I believe the blocking ads thing only works for the writer not to see the ads. Every journal I ahve been to that says they have blocked their ads, I can still see them. Isn't it possible that blocking flash media on your pc only stops it on YOUR pc? Therefore, not a solution, but only a bandaid...
Cat
Hiya Joe --
Thanks again for promoting the Banner Ad poll .... 165-ish have responded as of this morning.
It's not scientific and was limited to just 10 questions (send me the blogger roster and I'll take a stab at making it statistically reliable, tho' -- hee hee). So far it (and comments under posts today and yesterday) reflect the attitudes and opinions of those who're participating!
Poll continues until Monday, midnite EST.
http://journals.aol.com/gullspirit/PerishTheThought/
Oceanmrc,
So glad to see you "back on line".... I agree with you completely. Our society has become so materialistic, and all that consumerism really drives the destruction of everything around us - nature and the environment take a huge it - as does our sense of being connected to all that is important in life. I had written a small essay on the insidiousness of marketing and how it brainwashes us in ways we are not even aware of last year. Its in my old AOL journal. You can go and read it with the pleasure of an unwanted brainwashing advertisment blasting away at your retinas right above it now. !
Of course, then, from time to time, you actually expect to get what you pay for. At least in the old America you did... like access to your own journal that you paid for..... but alas... until AOL bothers to give that back to you, I'm glad to keep meeting you here!
Thanks for keeping in touch with us all even when you cannot use your own journal to do it......
Peace, Virginia
Joe,
Why would we need ANOTHER way to voice our opinion? Are you saying that all the venues that we have been using aren't sufficient? That no one upstairs can yet hear us?
Virginia
Has anyone mentioned an inability to get to the subject line? I've been running into that using Netscape, in both new entry and edit entry. Thanks...it may or may not be moot for me, but such problems should be addressed regardless of the eventual fate of Musings.
Karen
http://journals.aol.com/mavarin/MusingsfromMavarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com (main)
http://mavarin.blogspot.com (fiction)
Joe,
Forget Me?!
Well...
FORGET YOU!
Enjoy your Quiet.
*poof*
how can the UK journals get animated pictures to their website???
* Some of the questions are a bit leading, and I think some logical options are omitted.
* Statistically speaking, the sample is self-selected and non-random, and the sample size is relatively small.
* I notice the wording of some of the questions has changed since the first time I saw it, with intervening votes cast. Changing a poll in-progress makes it harder to do an apples-to-apples comparison. [Updated: Gullspirit notes in the comments that the poll results were reset after the questions were changed, so this comment is unfounded.]
Getting paid from AOL, I`m sure you do.
V
Why was my comment erased from this entry?
Hi...I haven't erased any of your comments from this entry.
Perhaps you refer to your comment in the entry above.
Thanks -- Joe
I find that survey over at Gullspirit quite humorous actually. It seems so many J-landers are upset about this add thing because AOL is using their space to promote other companies and give that company traffic from the j-landers space, when in question 2 of this survey more than 75% of these same people NEVER click on an internet ad.
Intresting really, I personally think one person said one sour thing about this and a lot of people are jumping on the band wagon, and the rest of us have kept quite because... oh yeah, we didnt even notice there was an add there until we started getting fowarded emails, and seeing it on the message board to leave AOL.
http://journals.aol.com/trickeytricky/CountryMyKindaLivin
JOE - A DIFFERENT "BUG". I have friends "out there" on Apple and Linux who are asking me what's wrong with my journal. To quote one: "Um, SilkenDrum, your other journal isn't loading. There's a graphic that's hanging up the works, and it won't load on my computer. It's been like this for 3 days now... ".
Have you heard of this one yet? Looks like the ads might be screwing something up. Timing is right, anyway, and I don't put any other cutsy-poo stuff in my journal that might do it.
~~Silk
http://journals.aol.com/jaykolb/Moraine
http://SilkenDrum.blogspot.com
Joe, I totally agree with you that the AOL Blog/Journals Ad benner Poll is what you say it is. And AOL doesn't pay me, I pay them. I worked for an opinion research company for 2 years and know exactly what you're trying to point out to people, some of whom won't listen.
Joe~
Even though you have found (not you, but through a fellow AOL member) you are still a part of the AOL team and therefore YOU do have "influence" with decision making and don't try to say that you don't because you do. And as for "holding you responsible", you bet I do where J-Land is concerend. It's your job!To write to me that J-Landers are "upset" is an understatement, a huge understatement. People are leaving AOL. This is making news: Businessweek, cNet, and probably many more. That sheds a bad light on the company you work for: A O L.
A few more points. I never said I was leaving AOL, ever. I only said that there are a lot of other blogging companies out there and I named quite a few of them. Not once did I say that I was going to any of them. Re-read my email. And you comment to me "....., I can only say I'm sorry to see you leave, and I hope you continue blogging with another blog provider." Now there some good sales skills Joe......LOL! Where are they by the way?
And last but not least because this will be my last comment on your "Blog" I think you have really mishandled this in the worst way, about as bad as AOL has. Sorry to be so mean and blunt but it is the truth. I have since gottne rid of my ads on my journal and I plan on NOT leaving AOL.
Cheers
Okay, big deal. The poll is a straw poll. It's non-scientific. We all know that. So what. Let it be. Anyone who's taken the most basic political science methodology course can see it for what it is. Who cares. If it makes people feel better to click, let them.
I just want to return to the central issue, and that's the taking for profit of MY intellectual property and, at the same time, charging me for the priviledge. You know, if any of the genuises had bothered to conduct a straw poll, perhaps they would have found enough people, if AOL is REALLY in that much of a revenue crunch who take their blogging, and their blogs, seriously to be willing to even shell out a few extra dollars per month to maintain journal free from being pimped out on yet another AOL streetcorner.
But AOL decides to have customer depreciation day and kick us all in the ass instead.
~~ jennifer
Joe
Your points on blocking the animated ads are well taken. I just want to say even though there are some down sides, I can change the settings when I want to see something.
As a paying customer this gives me the choice- not having something forced down my throat. With that said, the more folks that do block as a sign of protest, will in the long run, hurt AOL in other areas as well because folks will not be seeing other things, visiting other areas on AOL, so on so forth.
We all make choices, and it's so obvious J-Land is making theirs. Does anyone care?
STOP JOURNAL ADVERTISING!
http://groups.aol.com/stopjournalads
The robber barons of the 19th century are back. Joe is part of that crime.
Joe, I really cannot stand you.
Post a Comment