Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

Please get rid of the Java-based punch-the-monkey ad. It slows down the entire site, messes with my browser, and is just plain annoying...

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 18

I second the request. I understand you guys need advertisers to survive, but these scam advertisers degrade your operation. You don't do porn ads so pleases don't do scam ads. I don't want to win a $1000 bcause Arnold is from Austria. A nice visor banner ad would be great, palmgear headquarters, anything legitimate and above board lets do you see a theme here. Keep up the good work and maybe one day you'll be popular enough so some hacker will target this site with a disrupion of service.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 3

I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of banishing the monkey and anything else that's been making it difficult to visit this site. 70% of the time my browser is unable to connect and the problem is not on my end. It happens at home and at work. I'm not sure what's going on but I almost labelled this a "dead site" when I first tried to visit a few weeks ago.

Registered: Aug 1999
Location: Inverness, FL
Posts: 428

The monkey is dead! (well almost)

I put in a request today to remove the monkey banner, and it usually takes a couple of days before it goes in effect.

I am not sure what the issues are with the connection problems. Are you using Netscape or Internet Explorer? Netscape waits to display a page until the adbanner is loaded, while IE displays the page first, then the adbanner.

Marcus

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

Marcus,
I use both IE5 and the latest version of Netscape on my 233mhz Compaq to access VC and the page "hangs' while the monkey (or whatever animation loads).
If you want to read a great overview of what works on website, and what doesn't (and most importantly-why) check out Jakob Nielsens' book "Designing Web Usability" or check out his website www.useit.com .
The monkey violates at least two of his rules:
1. Its movement distracts the viewer (reading off a monitor is already harder than reading a printed page- animations make it worse)
2. Most people on the web don't have the latest hardware OR software (and they usually don't have the latest updates for their software either.) so state of the art ads slow the page loading process.
(Some positive news is that except for the ads this site is eminently easy to use and navigate!)
Michael Walters

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

The monkey's dead? Thanks Marcus!

As for unclejim's comment that the site is sometimes 'dead', I too have had that problem...often on weekends, where the server simply can not be found...not sure why.

Here's my idea on how Visor Central can make some income. Talk Handspring into adopting Visor Central as their customer support center. I have had much more luck and received much better advice from VC that I ever would have from Handspring!

BTW, great site!

Registered: Aug 1999
Location: Inverness, FL
Posts: 428

I just got confirmation from the ad agency that the monkey is dead!

We have recently been doing major upgrades to the server room (installed new routers, switches, racks etc), so VC has had some momentary downtimes during the past weeks, but we hope that is a thing of the past.

Marcus

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 3

many thanks to marcus for offing the monkey. normally i'm one of those animal loving, tree-hugging, fly-saving representatives of the human species but made an exception in this case. hope the monkey's happy in the afterlife.