Too many pop up ads on the site
A traveler named 1960man expressed frustration over intrusive pop-up ads on the Switzerland forum, making it hard for him to contribute. He's worried that if the ad situation doesn't improve, he might stop posting, but he values the community and wants to continue sharing travel tips.
- Consider using an ad blocker, but be aware that it might cause other issues on the site.
- The website introduced ads to support its operations during the pandemic, but they are planning improvements soon.
- If you're experiencing problems with ads, report them with a screenshot to help resolve the issue.
AI-generated summary-
Dear moderators,
There seems to have been a massive increase in the number of pop up ads on this site. I can no longer write a post without a pop up ad jumping up in the left of my screen and covering half of the screen so I can’t see what I am typing – I am going to give up contributing soon if this gets any worse
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Have you thought about using an ad blocker?
Hi 1960man,
Thanks for your comment, I understand. We’ve introduced ads during the pandemic because it was necessary to keep the website going. The pandemic is not that problematic anymore, but we’re not back to where we were in 2019. Also, a lot has changed in the travel industry in the past few years. That means that the ads remain required for the foreseeable future.
However, they should not be intrusive. Both myself and the company managing the ads are keeping an eye on that, but admittedly it sometimes fails. An improvement is planned to be implemented tomorrow, by the way. I’m not sure what exactly that will mean for individual users, because ads are different based on user, device, location, etc. In any case, ads should not block the editor while writing a block post. I don’t see any ads while I write. If you do, please feel free to attach a screenshot here.
Hi CabinJon,
Apart from no longer supporting our website when using an ad blocker, there are some other disadvantages as well. Ad blockers do not know what ads are; they block certain technology. That means that they can either fail blocking ads, or worse: block other functionality as well. I have seen that happening quite often. If something on a website does not work or is not visible, a popup blocker or ad blocker is likely causing the issue.
Dear 1960man,
I sure hope you don’t stop contributing your expertise and opinions to this site, especially in terms of replying to other people’s posts. You have provided wonderful, helpful, generous advice and information and support and enthusiasm to fellow users. I love reading what you so kindly and continuously share. You have been helpful in my own planning, during several trips and over numerous years.. MySwissAlps is lucky to have people like you in their orbit, meaning thoughtful travelers who go beyond just providing links within the site, but rather, give specific tips, cues, and information from direct experience.
I, too, get frustrated by all the pop-up advertisements and intrusions. It’s been a nuisance… perhaps a necessary one, I understand, during the challenges of the pandemic… but I, too, hope we can return to all the direct, uncluttered goodness that this site has been known for. It has been such a fabulous example of sanity and clarity. The intrusive ‘noise’ of the more recent addition of ads certainly isn’t in keeping with the quality of what this site has been, nor does it reflect the serenity and beauty of Switzerland that so many of us love and admire and wish to support.
I, for one, 1960man, have really valued your investment in other people’s increased knowledge and in their eventual travels to Switzerland. I’m sure I am not alone in my gratitude to you and others like you who take so much time and care in generously sharing your thoughts with the rest of us. Thank you.
I don’t see any adds when writing a post on my iPad Pro. When reading threads the adds are generally confined to the right margin and don’t interfere with reading the posts. As with most ads on the internet I’ve learned to ignore them, mostly. For whatever reason the position of the adds must depend on the viewer’s device.
I remember during the height of the pandemic when Arno announced the changes to the website that were necessary to keep the website working. Myswissalps is a commercial private enterprise and must make money to be viable. To most of us, advertising is a necessary evil, like commercials on television. The alternative is a subscription service which i doubt anyone wants. Anyway I don’t begrudge Arno making a living (probably a modest one)from his business endeavor.
Mark
Hi 1960man
hopefully you can get this issue resolved to your satisfaction. It would be a shame to loose you over such an issue. Of course none of us are irreplaceable. I have been writing posts since 2017 and have interacted with many different experts and moderators. My knowledge is minimal and mostly related to hiking in BO, Zermatt and a few other places(easily replaced). Alpenrose, Slowpoke, Rockoyster, and Lucas were all extremely knowledgeable about Switzerland and posted many thousands of answers. All have moved on or passed away. None of them (including moderators) have you expertise on Swiss transportation. Hopefully you enjoy sharing this knowledge as much as readers enjoy receiving it.
And speaking of “problems” on the site, it’s Sunday AM here in the States and while reading this thread right now, the web page has gone blank about 8 times then displaying a Safari error indicating the page has had an error. It then reloads.
Regarding the ads – often I spot one ad being replaced by another using a different frame size which causes the page to redraw. The text I’m in the middle of reading suddenly jumps up or down. Very annoying.
Hi all! For anyone who’s interested, here’s some background info on the subject of advertisements on our website: http://www.myswissalps.com/terms/commercial.
Hi Pvonk,
Sorry to hear that! If it happens again, please e-mail a screenshot of it. Perhaps I can then see what’s causing that. I haven’t seen it myself yet.
As for the other issue: that might solve itself over the course of next week.
I am unable to send a screenshot file using your link to “email” above.
but Here’s the browser’s message.
A problem repeatedly occurred on “http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/too-many-pop-up-ads-on-the-site”.
I agree with 1960man’s concern regarding pop ups. While searching for hikes I see 6 different pop up ads. Very distracting. In my business, I spend a lot of time in media on the internet and it’s been years since I have seen such continual volume of pop up ads on a website. I think this diminishes the websites content integrity. While most business, especially tourism, were impacted by the pandemic, most have returned to pre-pandemic revenue and beyond.
I hope the myswissalps team considers these comments and works to adjust the pop up volume in an effort to create a more enjoyable resource for its subscribers.
Thank you Pvonk. Unfortunately that message does not help me to figure this out. Feel free to let me know in case this is still a problem in 1 to 2 weeks from now. You can send a screenshot to contact at myswissalps .com.
Like pvonk I too have noted the webpage reloading sometimes 3 or 4 times while I’m trying to read a thread. I thought it was likely a problem with my IPad or network connection but apparently not. Hopefully this bug can be fixed.
Yeah, I didn’t think Safari’s error message provided any help. It’s like the patient saying to the doctor “Make me feel better”. When the doctor asks “describe what ails you” and the reply is “I hurt”.
Exactly 🙂 Thanks for your understanding.
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