Colin James Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 I understand that advertising has it's place and helps with costs but the HT website lately looks horrendous in my opinion, I just had a look and faced this lot! What a mess... I find it difficult to differentiate between the stories and adverts, maybe it's just me but they seem to have lost their way. Quote
Ubique Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 Colin , couldn't agree more . I find that using an iPad if I put the dibber( probably there is a technical name for this piece of metal with rubber on the end ) a millimetre off course I am sent to an Internet dating site or worse . Like you , I accept that the website has to be paid for but there must be a limit to the number of ads on one page ? Quote
Colin James Posted January 8, 2015 Author Report Posted January 8, 2015 Colin , couldn't agree more . I find that using an iPad if I put the dibber( probably there is a technical name for this piece of metal with rubber on the end ) a millimetre off course I am sent to an Internet dating site or worse . Like you , I accept that the website has to be paid for but there must be a limit to the number of ads on one page ? Maybe they have a new website administrator? But its really does look awful. Quote
twowheelsgood Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 Easy - use an ad blocker - I've never seen any of the horrors pictured above. Less data downloaded and pages load much faster as well. Ubique, assuming you're using Safari (or Chrome) on your iPad, install AdBlok https://getadblock.com Under Safari in the menu bar, click on Safari Extensions and follow your nose from there. Quote
bobby47 Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 Lads, the Hereford Times is beginning to struggle to meet ends meet. A whole bunch of people, including good Reporters, have recently been made redundant and the HT has to take advantage of the one single area of growth which is online viewing and so this means that revenue has to be earned via advertisement. The HT is clearly struggling with its streams of revenue and their Master, Newsquest, dictate how this shortfall should be made up. As expensive as the HT has become I'd urge everyone to purchase it every single week of the year because without the HT we are f.uc.ked! Quote
Colin James Posted January 8, 2015 Author Report Posted January 8, 2015 Easy - use an ad blocker - I've never seen any of the horrors pictured above. Less data downloaded and pages load much faster as well. Ubique, assuming you're using Safari (or Chrome) on your iPad, install AdBlok https://getadblock.com Under Safari in the menu bar, click on Safari Extensions and follow your nose from there. I know hoe to prevent these adverts from displaying on Safari but many people will not. I just happen to be on a friends computer this evening updating it for him and I noticed all the tea bags and pickle everywhere. Thanks for the advice nevertheless always appreciated. Quote
Ubique Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 Twowheelgood - thank you - I will look into it . Quote
Roger Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 Tesco shares are up a fair way today (store announcements) and they are pushing heavily on FB tonight ... Branston Pickle and Tetley's Tea Bags all over their own website as well. Tesco Seems they are all over the Worcester News as well ... I think it is way over the top! Quote
gdj Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 Lads, the Hereford Times is beginning to struggle to meet ends meet. A whole bunch of people, including good Reporters, have recently been made redundant and the HT has to take advantage of the one single area of growth which is online viewing and so this means that revenue has to be earned via advertisement. The HT is clearly struggling with its streams of revenue and their Master, Newsquest, dictate how this shortfall should be made up. As expensive as the HT has become I'd urge everyone to purchase it every single week of the year because without the HT we are f.uc.ked! I think they'd have a more loyal readership (and don't forget they pretty much have a monopoly) if their quality of journalism stepped up - to actually asking questions, naming names and following up some of the many scandals that we and others have pushed their way. They (the ex editor) even called us bloggers liars and even disgracefully and hurtfully banned some of us. A blow to my pride that I am still struggling to come to terms with. The old certainties of lots of job adverts, a booming housing market adverts, council notices and adverts, and a decent football team to report on, use to bring in both revenue and readers (and circulation/readership lead to more adverts and more revenue). If they are responding by moving to even less proper journalism they will find they are in a vicious circle. Or - along the same lines as the idea we discussed for the footie, they could start to take account of the Eastern European migrant population - a group that wont' be interested in most of what is in the Hereford Times. Or - perhaps you could be the HT agony aunt - giving your advice and emotional support to the loverlorn and the lonely in response to letters whilst I could be the astrologer: " Capricorn: You will find yourself in a traffic jam this week" "Libra: It will be cold this week, and rain quite a bit" "Scorpio: You will wish you had spent less money at Christmas" Easy. But brings in the punters. GDJ Quote
K.Butt Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 Tesco shares are up a fair way today (store announcements) and they are pushing heavily on FB tonight ... Branston Pickle and Tetley's Tea Bags all over their own website as well. Tesco Seems they are all over the Worcester News as well ... I think it is way over the top! I think the Malvern Gazette and Worcester papers are the same people who run HT. Quote
dippyhippy Posted January 8, 2015 Report Posted January 8, 2015 I find some of the changes that have been made to the online pages a real nuisance. You can no longer see (without clicking onto a story) if a news item has comments enabled, whether there are any comments, or if those number of comments have increased. (The same with the letters page, which in the good old days, would also generate a fair few comments.) The page seems to take an eternity to load, with my lack of technical expertise, I have no ad-blocker, so trying to navigate around them is a nightmare. All in all it's too much like hard work - not user friendly at all. However...purely because I would hate to lose our one surviving local paper, I do buy it, in the hope that one day, things will improve. Quote
Roger Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 I like Bill Tanner's contributions ... But they need to be shorter ... After about 3 or 4 paragraph's they segue into a rehash of a previous story ... Just an observation ... I'm sure he will read this so there we go! Quote
bobby47 Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 Well I couldn't care bloody less. They can shove as many pictures of Branston Pickle in front of my eye sockets as they like and I'll simply think, 'lovely. Show me more'. It's of no concern to me just as long as, after I've waded through these pictures of this delightful product they eventually direct me to a place where I can discover what's bloody going on beneath that place called Plough rotten Lane. Whatsmore, if the new Editor insists that every single photograph of an individual who's just been flattened by a lorry or chased up the Great Western Way by some fool carrying a butter knife, and these tragic victims are made to hold a vessel containing Branston Pickle, still, even then, I'll remain loyal to the Hereford Times. I don't bloody care and there was once a time, long before me Crown slipped when everyone else would have fallen in line and cried, 'I don't bloody care either'. Course, times have changed haven't they. Not now the force I once was! I can't even carry with me my dear and good friend GDJ who, like Ubique and Biomech still carry with them the angst and pain after the then Editor showed them the door. Well, Im staying loyal. I'll be damned if I don't and just to illustrate how strongly I feel about this issue Im going into High Town and seek out a shop that's still trading and buy me a jar of the stuff. Thinking about it, if Im one of many that feel strongly about this, who subsequently hurtle out of the house and acquire a jar of Branston Pickle then it proves a valid point. Marketing this product upon the pages of the Hereford Times will have been a great success resulting in huge sales in Hereford. Quote
SON OF GRIDKNOCKER Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 Please can I formerly second gdj's emminrently sensible suggestion that King Bobby is appointed the HT's Agony Aunt. With immediate effect. And if Newsquest are stupid enough to ignore this idea, then Colin should set up His Majesty on The Voice. Those in favour? Quote
Ubique Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 Grid Knocker welcome back to the fold . What you are suggesting is a super idea which has my vote . Quote
twowheelsgood Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 Please can I formerly second gdj's emminrently sensible suggestion that King Bobby is appointed the HT's Agony Aunt. With immediate effect. And if Newsquest are stupid enough to ignore this idea, then Colin should set up His Majesty on The Voice. Those in favour? Aye. And I hate pickle. But love tea. Quote
bobby47 Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 Let's nip this one in the bud straight away shall we. Becoming an Agony Aunt is a responsible position and one which carries with it a huge burden of responsibility. I wouldn't have a clue where to start. You've gotta be qualified for starters. There must be a Course you go on that gives you some authority to claim you can competently carry out the job and answer these, Dear Fortyseven letters. These folk, who write these letters desperately need to know that the Agony Aunt is sober, ain't as sick as them and knows what they're talking about. I know nothing. If some poor soul wrote me a letter saying, 'I'm spending every single moment of the Lords day masturbating up in the attic whilst logged in to The Whitecross Housewives', what do you say to this poor sick and debauched fool who's clearly in need of help from the local Stonebow team? I'd probably respond saying, ' you are clearly a very ill person and ejaculating several hundred times a day cannot be good for you. My advice is, go to your local Ironmonger, purchase a large lump hammer, call in the Commercial and sup twenty pints of ale, return home, get yourself up into the attic and smash up your keyboard and your computer and give your poor penis a rest from your hands you sick deranged fool.' Now! Is that good advice or not. I don't know. I've no idea and it's my guess that unless you've been on the Course titled, 'How to become a competent Agony Aunt', nobody else knows either. Quote
WirralPC Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 I think they'd have a more loyal readership (and don't forget they pretty much have a monopoly) if their quality of journalism stepped up - to actually asking questions, naming names and following up some of the many scandals that we and others have pushed their way. They (the ex editor) even called us bloggers liars and even disgracefully and hurtfully banned some of us. A blow to my pride that I am still struggling to come to terms with. The old certainties of lots of job adverts, a booming housing market adverts, council notices and adverts, and a decent football team to report on, use to bring in both revenue and readers (and circulation/readership lead to more adverts and more revenue). If they are responding by moving to even less proper journalism they will find they are in a vicious circle. Or - along the same lines as the idea we discussed for the footie, they could start to take account of the Eastern European migrant population - a group that wont' be interested in most of what is in the Hereford Times. Or - perhaps you could be the HT agony aunt - giving your advice and emotional support to the loverlorn and the lonely in response to letters whilst I could be the astrologer: " Capricorn: You will find yourself in a traffic jam this week" "Libra: It will be cold this week, and rain quite a bit" "Scorpio: You will wish you had spent less money at Christmas" Easy. But brings in the punters. GDJ Superb. You should be appointed editor. Now. Quote
WirralPC Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 Let's nip this one in the bud straight away shall we. Becoming an Agony Aunt is a responsible position and one which carries with it a huge burden of responsibility. I wouldn't have a clue where to start. You've gotta be qualified for starters. There must be a Course you go on that gives you some authority to claim you can competently carry out the job and answer these, Dear Fortyseven letters. These folk, who write these letters desperately need to know that the Agony Aunt is sober, ain't as sick as them and knows what they're talking about. I know nothing. If some poor soul wrote me a letter saying, 'I'm spending every single moment of the Lords day masturbating up in the attic whilst logged in to The Whitecross Housewives', what do you say to this poor sick and debauched fool who's clearly in need of help from the local Stonebow team? I'd probably respond saying, ' you are clearly a very ill person and ejaculating several hundred times a day cannot be good for you. My advice is, go to your local Ironmonger, purchase a large lump hammer, call in the Commercial and sup twenty pints of ale, return home, get yourself up into the attic and smash up your keyboard and your computer and give your poor penis a rest from your hands you sick deranged fool.' Now! Is that good advice or not. I don't know. I've no idea and it's my guess that unless you've been on the Course titled, 'How to become a competent Agony Aunt', nobody else knows either. On second thoughts... Quote
Ubique Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 Bobby , I know that you have attended the University of Life , that has proved , many times , that attendees of this University are far better prepared to lead . Just go for it ( please ) Quote
Roger Posted January 9, 2015 Report Posted January 9, 2015 Telegraph has deployed a new tactic today ... Answer a silly question to read the web article ... Not gonna answer those questions ... Plenty of free news out there ... I think they must be testing the water as it wound up a fair few people straight away! Quote
Biomech Posted January 22, 2015 Report Posted January 22, 2015 The HT website has had badly delivered ads for years. I use Adblock Plus Quote
Biomech Posted January 22, 2015 Report Posted January 22, 2015 and a decent football team to report on Actually I had to stop following them on twitter because it was nothing but a blow by blow (and often repeated) list of football tweets. What they need to do is setup a separate twitter account for the football news. I tell you what, I'd have that paper whipped into shape! Quote
Roger Posted March 6, 2015 Report Posted March 6, 2015 Website now full of Tiger Bread and Butter ads .... Link Subject to change ..... Quote
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