META thread of META: Ads fixed/HTTV mail/site issues/complaints box
ADS GONE WILD
I think we have the ads issue resolved. There were a bunch of pop-ups, multiple and wrong-sized ads on the bottom on desktops, multiple and overlarge ads placing themselves at the top of articles, ads that virtually come out of your screen to smash your head with a mallet, and worst of all auto-play ads with sound. We tracked these all to a vendor inside our ads network* that was running some kind of script that got around our anti-mallet rules and paused the vendor. Thank you, sincerely, for everyone who reported these and sent me screenshots. The only thing that doesn't seem to be fixed is some political ads (other than Nick RouMel's) that we didn't approve still get through Google AdSense, but that's a Google-wide issue.
* The network is Didna, which is a collection of indie sports sites put together by the guys behind HuskerMax.
HAIL TO THE VICTORS COPIES STILL IN THE MAIL
If you have ever had mail-forwarding to another address you're already familiar with the way 1st class mail can take forever, because if your parcel doesn't take the most direct route it gets put in a "we'll get to it" bin that doesn't often get got to. I sent out an update today via the Kickstarter to explain that we've been significantly delayed because of recent changes at USPS that affected the post office near our mail house in Minnesota. The short of it is a large number of our books are somewhere in "We'll get to it" bins. The mail house walked me through the process and I'm going to botch this I'm sure but if you don't have your book yet what likely happened is your book didn't make it into its sorting bin before its truck left to get it to you in 10 days, and has probably spent the last 2 weeks in that bin. There was a first class mail sorter at this post office that was recently deconstructed and thrown out, and a recent change in policy that has trucks leaving without entire bins of mail if sorting isn't ready. Please keep discussion for why this is happening out of this thread because it's already going to be a shit show.
SITE ISSUE FIXED
About a month ago we FINALLY found the root problem that was causing 90% of our site problems and blocking us from fixing all kinds of issues. You'll note points started working again as soon as we fixed it. It was the tiniest bit of code on the server side (not HUEL) that was causing it. I'm sure this is going to get everyone to apologize for ripping on the company that saved MGoBlog in an extremely short timeframe, after we had many other companies try and give up over longer timeframes, because it feels so good to point and say "Unacceptable."
NOW THAT'S DONE WHAT'S NEXT?
Some things that sound simple are complicated and vice versa, but we're moving on to other projects and I'm happy to take your input as we do. What's most important to you? I admit I stopped going into the bugs thread because it was too depressing when we couldn't fix the underlying problem. If there's something you really would like however put it here.
EXCEPT AN APP
Trust me that we want one too.
ALL OTHER SITE INPUT
It may not always seem like it because we're a small outfit with an audience of over a million and that makes communication difficult. But I want to reiterate that I am always listening even if I'm not responding, and am always open to what we can do better.
PLEASE NO POLITICS IN THIS THREAD
Including what you think about ours. It's going to get noisy enough.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:21 AM ^
It’s happening. Thanks for the hard work
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:23 AM ^
Just logged in to...say thanks, Seth.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:26 AM ^
an indication of when new posts are made in a thread would be nice
PS - my HTTV came in the mail last week so I'm good there
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:35 AM ^
Also a notification if someone directly replies to you in a thread? And yeah, the last post timer always seems totally off.
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:29 PM ^
Yeah this has been high up my priority tree for awhile but it keeps getting shoved down because I guess it's complicated. I want it so bad. The old site used a module that someone developed for free for the old version of Drupal but they haven't maintained it. There's one out there that has too many security loopholes for us to use on the site. So we have to build our own.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:30 AM ^
Thank you, company. Thank you, fix. Thank you, Seth.
A million? Cool.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:32 AM ^
seth,
thanks to you and the guys for persevering, getting things fixed, and getting HTTV out. we are enjoying it.
as to the site, i have two hopefully easy requests for things that existed pre-HUEL:
1. some type of flag on new posts in a thread. used to be a red tag in the old world mgoblog. speeds up reading tremendously
2. a way to set the comments shown in a thread to 100 or even 300 and it would stay/remember that selection forever and ever, or until the user made another selection some other time.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
Definitely echo those suggestions.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:11 PM ^
Someone (can't remember who it was) created an MGoBlog enhancer as an extension for Chrome. It remembers and saves your latest comments-per-page setting and your thread sort preference (newest/oldest first). It also has the "troll cave" function, which is pretty pretty pretty nice!
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mgoblog-enhancer/lihllkknledmhofkkocglpocfnjgijjn?hl=en
September 22nd, 2020 at 6:42 PM ^
added just a few minutes ago, thank you. i get an 'add to troll cave' message and hoping my setting things at 100 per page will work.
EDIT: 100 per page is staying set. hooray.
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:14 PM ^
I like these suggestions too. I've spent more time on the UMHoops forum during quarantine and I enjoy being able to see the full board at a glance, which topics were updated since my last visit, and getting pinged when someone replies to a post I made. All would promote more traffic to the comments on stories and/or board posts....and traffic = $$$.
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:29 PM ^
Definitely have both on the list already. See above for the module story.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:34 AM ^
Got my HTTV the Friday before football returned. It was good timing.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
So like October 23?
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^
Seth, did you find anything in the code that would bring back key features, such as Nico Collins and Ambry Thomas?
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
You beat me to it. I was going to ask about DTs.
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:31 PM ^
We were able to restore an offensive tackle but the THROW IT TO NICO module has been broken ever since Brian got into it and started smashing the button a million times even in situations (like at 2 a.m. in February) when it wasn't really plausible.
We are aware of the situation with the cornerbacks but probably can't address it before 2022.
Fuck Drew Rosenhaus.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:46 AM ^
Thanks for the update and content!
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
Sounds like I need to send a fruit basket apology to HUEL.
September 22nd, 2020 at 9:31 PM ^
I'll go halfsies with you on an Edible Arrangement...
...or just some edibles
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
Love u Sethy bear <3
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:15 PM ^
"Sethy bear"?
Okie-dokie...
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
When threads go beyond one page, if you comment on anything but the last page - when the comment posts you are thrown to the end of the thread instead of returned to the post you commented on.
Should be an "easy" enough fix for an annoying problem - especially when threads get 4-5 pages deep.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:53 PM ^
This post is why I was reading through all of the replies - I was going to say the same thing! But instead of saying it twice, I'll reiterate what this guy just said.
(And, in the process, say the same thing twice in an indirect way...)
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:18 PM ^
And when that happens and you try to go back to the first page of comments the Diary and Board gets unstuck, goes offscreen on the bottom left and makes the page unresponsive.
Is that a server side problem or a HUEL problem?
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:33 PM ^
Yeah this has been a complaint since we launched the new site. Going to refresh this with the new dev this afternoon. I would prefer if after you comment it goes to the top of your comment. I think right now it goes to the bottom. Hopefully an easy fix.
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
I'm sure like most places, all of the behind the scene's stuff takes way more work than what the finished product is. i.e. it's not just the MGoBlog team typing up content and chatting on slack to get this blog to work. Thanks for the updates and transparency.
As for recommendations for improvements:
- Notification when someone replies to your post (although, maybe not given some of the epic arguments which take place)
- Highlighting new posts in a thread
September 22nd, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
It does suck to be criticized by people who don't know what the hell they're talking about. I hope the HUEL people don't sic Nigerian Princes on us in retribution.
This isn't a "fix" per se but there used to be a feature that would denote "new" comments in a thread (comments the user hadn't seen since last jumping in to that thread). I always liked that. It made the 500 comment RichRod flame wars threads a lot more manageable. Not a big deal if it's a ridiculous amount of work, but if it's easy...?
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:02 PM ^
So no OSU 2018 UFR?
/ducks
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
Thanks Seth and everyone else.
???
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:06 PM ^
Glad to see the ad issue got resolved.
Being a software developer who has, in the past, had to completely overhaul sites I'm slow to blame companies trying to do so. So glad to see HUEL get vindicated as bit.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:15 PM ^
ADS GONE WILD
I think we have the ads issue resolved. There were a bunch of pop-ups, multiple and wrong-sized ads on the bottom on desktops, multiple and overlarge ads placing themselves at the top of articles, ads that virtually come out of your screen to smash your head with a mallet, and worst of all auto-play ads with sound. We tracked these all to a vendor inside our ads network* that was running some kind of script that got around our anti-mallet rules and paused the vendor. Thank you, sincerely, for everyone who reported these and sent me screenshots. The only thing that doesn't seem to be fixed is ads
Looks like the rest of the opening paragraph was accidentally cut off. If not then you've got opening and closing sentences that directly contradict each other!
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:36 PM ^
Oops. i did that during a quick copyedit. Fixed asterisk, lost the thing it asterisked to.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:16 PM ^
Are we going to get more moderators? When you look at the original Mod Stickies from 8-9 years ago, there was anywhere from 3-6 people moderating at any given time.
But the last few years, it was only LSA2000 until he had to step away for personal reasons, and now it seems like it's only going to be RobF.
I don't want to sound too accusatory, but it seems like the mgostaff (except for you Seth) doesn't really care what happens the mgoboard. There's been very little guidance/communication the past few years on where the line is, in politics/name-calling/shitposting/sports opinions/etc. etc, which has resulted in a lot of......contentious posting to say the least of it.
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:37 PM ^
What do we need more moms for? I thought Rob f just retired so he can do this full-time... tbh it wouldn't feel right taking that joy away from him...
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:45 PM ^
suuure you wouldn't---LOL
September 22nd, 2020 at 6:51 PM ^
At the risk of sounding like a suck up, may I take this moment to applaud the job rob f is doing?
I realize that being a mom is a thankless job. My only problem with them in the past is that they've been way too patient with the trolls, idiots, and other assorted assholes that this blog attracts. But rob f seems to be a lot quicker on the trigger with such lowlife types.
From one cranky old guy to another, it's appreciated.
September 22nd, 2020 at 5:27 PM ^
I have been doing a bit of "under the radar" cleanup here and there. I plan to do some modding, but yeah, I did burn myself out on it earlier this year (really, the psychological slide began in late 2018 if we're being honest).
September 22nd, 2020 at 7:28 PM ^
almost certainly beginning on or after 11/24/18, with a headache due to a football game whose score is too obscene to mention.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
Thanks for the fixes, Seth. That will make it much much easier to go thru threads while moderating AND to enjoy the threads on which I want to post.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
A while back, there was a twitter handle that would post any new content that got posted to the board. I know it wasn't 'officially sanctioned' but I found it really helpful since I check my twitter feed often to see if there was/is new content on the board. Don't know how complex this is, but thought I'd ask/mention.
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:38 PM ^
The guy who did that stopped doing it and hasn't responded to me reaching out. I created a new Twitter account to try to replicate it but I can't get it to work with the RSS feed. I know IFTTT can work with our site because it reports front-page content into our slack chat. I don't know why it won't do so in a tweet deck.
We had to drop a new feature--a pinboard thing--because we couldn't get this working.
This isn't HUEL FYI. It's on our side.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:27 PM ^
Seth, for the last 2-3 weeks on my phone about 20% of the time I'm on the site I get automatically re-directed to one of those "Congrats you won a 100 dollar gift card" sites or something worse. Has that been fixed as well? These sites can often have malware so I would prioritize this if it hasn't been already. And before you ask I've had this problem on my new phone and my old one in the last month.
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:43 PM ^
If that's still happening it's possibly malware. It sounds like another infolinks issue though which is hopefully fixed.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:28 PM ^
How about a working "Jump" button. What's the point of a jump button that sends you back to the top of the article, forcing you to scroll all the way back down the page to get to the next unread paragraph?
Also, how about copy/pasting of pics and gifs in the comment box.
September 22nd, 2020 at 1:41 PM ^
They work on my articles because I use the <!--break--> tag like I'm supposed to. When you don't use the <!--break--> site tag you don't get the functionality of the tag.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:28 PM ^
PLEASE NO POLITICS IN THIS THREAD
Unless, of course, HUEL is the next Supreme Court nominee. Then it's open season.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:30 PM ^
Thanks to you Seth. The auto-play audio was interfering with my work experience. Bravo for the quick work.
September 22nd, 2020 at 12:34 PM ^
I'm sure this is going to get everyone to apologize for ripping on the company that saved MGoBlog in an extremely short timeframe, after we had many other companies try and give up over longer timeframes, because it feels so good to point and say "Unacceptable."
Thanks for the information, Seth. I get the frustration regarding the criticism, but I feel like better communication, especially from the top (i.e. Brian, not necessarily you) would have blunted a lot of the criticism before it formed. Maybe I've just forgotten, but I feel like this is the first I'm hearing of any of this, and I read the site multiple times a day back then. So while perhaps users should have withheld criticism for which they lacked context, the fact remains that we didn't have the context, despite users continually asking for it. And without that context, it was hard to look at the updates and think anything other than, "you actually paid for this?"
I get that Brian has had a lot going on in his life over the last several years, but I feel like had he been out in front of the issue and actually communicating about what was going on, instead of more or less keeping everyone in the dark, the reactions would have been much different.