However I keep on getting distracted by work, trying to get a 2nd hand Specialized Enduro off eBay and bugs that I come across whilst surfing the net.
The latest and rather annoying one is from a magazine/website I have grown to admire.
SDTimes has become a source of interesting articles covering topics I would never have thought about. It often gives me ideas and sends me off search new technology that I don't come across in my daily work.
The latest article which I thought would make interesting reading whilst I eat my Special K at work (yes I know eating breakfast at your desk is lazy, but I like to think it's productive...), Ten Concepts for Successful Automation Scripts.
Now like most web magazines, they incorporate adverts at every possible stage, using a loading page before you read the article for that little extra eye-fall of revenue.
This morning, there seems to have been a little problem with their adverts.
I like the way that as soon as I find a potential issue, I automatically test it on several browsers.
So out came Firefox 3, IE6, Safari and Google Chrome.
Actually there are two.
1) The link to 'Skip this page' isn't actually a link.
2) The page keeps the advert displayed
Using the ever handy HTML Validator I have a peek at the code.
" <a id="ctl00_skipThisAd_HyperLink">SKIP THIS ADa>"
It seems, to the untrained eye (which mine always is) that they're missing the href part of the link, thus it isn't a link at all.
But why is the advert continually displaying? Surely there would be a time out feature on it?
Seems not. Oh well, I got 7 out of the 10 tips, looks like I'm only going to be partially successful :)
P.s.
Yep this is on all their pages and obviously fed through from their ad company.
But why haven't they noticed it yet?
Does no one read it?
1 comment:
"Now like most web magazines, they incorporate adverts at every possible stage, using a loading page before you read the article for that little extra eye-fall of revenue"
I guess you know nothing about the sites you visit - I just went there and these loading-pages you mention to be at 'every step of the way' are not, were not yesterday, and have not been anytime I have ever been there before. I got it once, and then never saw it again until the next day. I have certainly seen plenty of other magazine-sites ram it down your throat every third page-hit... I am still wondering what, exactly, constitutes an “eye-fall.”
“I like the way that as soon as I find a potential issue, I automatically test it on several browsers.”
Really, you “like that” about yourself? So, you do what most of the development world does – all actually – and you like that about just yourself? You know what? I like that I wear shoes! I just LOVE that about myself. I like the way that I wear clothing when I go grocery shopping. It’s just… it’s just GREAT!
“It seems, to the untrained eye (which mine always is) that they're missing the href part of the link, thus it isn't a link at all.”
More than just your eye must be untrained because the href-part of a link missing doesn’t mean the tag is no longer a link – it just means it’s broken. If the src-part of on an IMG (image) is incorrect or happens to be missing, it’s still an IMG, just a broken one. Your car wouldn’t technically do what a car is supposed to do without tires, but I don’t think people would start to argue that it’s not still a car.
“But why is the advert continually displaying?”
Because it’s a bug… You’re the reluctant tester; you should be use to this by now. Frankly, you come off like someone who just got their cherry popped.
“But why haven't they noticed it yet? Does no one read it?”
You must and I obviously do, so that’s at least 2 people. At any rate, you’re posting this at 1:18am, perhaps they haven’t noticed because they don’t have a 24-hour staff constantly checking on things. You might be surprised at how even the larger, more well known sites can have minor bugs going unchecked for relatively long periods of time.
“Seems not. Oh well, I got 7 out of the 10 tips, looks like I'm only going to be partially successful :)”
You’re a blogger who is blogging on blogger.com – I wouldn’t even say ‘partially’… You are a little clever though with that so-obvious-my-autistic-cow-noticed-it reference to the 10-tips in the article, so how is THAT working for you? Maybe your next blog can be “M$ is the evilz!” Oh wait, you did that already in your last post. Surely nothing is more clever and original than a negative blog entry about Miscrosoft.
Well, to leave on a positive note, thank you for the entertainment while I drank my morning cup of Java.
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