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What joy is this? Every mins I get a popup forcing m to click to read more.
Oh yes. At first I thought it was to protect my sensitivities
Freeloader thing?
It stops you from submitting posts, click to read more and your carefully-crafted partial response disappears
I'm getting that too. I've got no problem with ads but this doesn't even seem to be an ad.
Log in and it goes away
It doesn't. I do enjoy waking up and wondering what this site will do today that I've never seen anywhere else 🙂
Same, logged in and still it appears…….
🤷♂️ does for me ...
I still get it while logged in, pretty much on every page.
I suspect that at some point it'll be linked to an ad. feed.
Sounds like one of those citizen adverts from Starship Troopers
E-bikes, transport for Bugs ... Click here to read more ...
(Also getting it without context on every page, ads off, logged in).
Alternatively is it trying to tell us to go read the content instead of squabbling over what gear cables to buy?
instead of squabbling over what gear cables to buy?
Who is talking about bikes? Report them quickly before it catches!
That's pretty annoying.
Using Chrome on Android, it does appear to be linked to an ad server.
Yet again more crappy website "features".
Comes across as a bit of a punishment beating.
Strikes me as a bit petty.
Elon Musk buys Singletrack forum, yhihf.
Another pointless extra click*. Got it when I first logged in, then ironically, as I was reading this thread.
It certainly ain't gonna make me subscribe, more like find another website to waste the day!
*well, about 4 - you click to go to the bottom of a thread, it pops up, you click to get rid and it takes you back to the top of the page! so you have to click to scroll down again. Sod that.
It doesn’t. I do enjoy waking up and wondering what this site will do today that I’ve never seen anywhere else
Actual LOL.
It does feel a bit like they're deliberately not looking at how any other smoothly operating websites work.
I assumed it was to get around stuff taking aaages to load by only loading the first x posts, then alsking users to click to load the rest.
Has anyone reported this?
Morning all. It's an experiment based around performance. It's a widely used function that allows a page to load much quicker to get you started and gives the user the option to open up the rest of the page if they want to scroll further. It's an experiment at the moment and one tweak I'm looking into today is seeing if the developers of the tool (Ezoic) can deactivate it for the forum, where I don't think it's warranted.
Yeah, really annoying
The only way I've found around it so far is by skipping the step that demands it by sticking "?utm_content=expand_article" on the end of every forum link opened as soon as it's opened
It’s a widely used function
uh?
Its not a widely used function, this is the first time I have come across it anywhere.
It would be interesting to see how these so called improvements have affected the amount of people who became paid members or stopped using the forum as it regularly has these features added to annoy/ driveaway the freeloaders.
uh?
Shirley you've seen it before, as Mark says not usually on forums but often on a list of articles, products, etc? It certainly is widely used in other contexts (and with better implementation 😉 )
It's a common choice as an alternative to pagination
What a ****ing terrible feature.
The site is slow, I know lets make it quicker by making people click and scroll more.
Shirley you’ve seen it before, as Mark says not usually on forums but often on a list of articles, products, etc? It certainly is widely used in other contexts (and with better implementation 😉 )
Yes and it is really annoying there too. Why do I need to click several times to see the full list of items in a shop, or the whole article? Feels like this was necessary when we had dial up and slow connectins, but just give me the whole page by default please!
Agreed 😋
The only times this site is especially slow for me is on the picture heavy threads, eg gifs to watch all day or whatever it's called..
Glad it's not just me. I find it very annoying so I hope the experiment is short lived.
Aaaargh. This is awful.
I knew there'd be a thread with other people getting bugged to death by this. I'll be back in a few days in the hope it's vanished as I can't be doing with clicking and waiting again.
It's a really bad idea.... WTF should I have to click (and reload) to see the whole page?
Yet another nail in the ⚰️.
I don't know any other site that makes it so difficult to visit 🙁
and it comes up in the middle of posting, after clicking Submit! and DELETES WHAT YOU'VE TYPED. What a **** up
As a data point - I used to visit this site a lot, particularly for off topic news, but just go so fed up of the slow load times and usability issues I drifted away. Every time I come back after a month or so away it seems worse - and this issue plus the incessant flashing and blinking banners and adverts means I will drift away again.
It is so bad that I even logged in to say how bad it is.
I've been developing websites for about 20 years, this one has very poor usability and performance.
AAANDDD since we are here my first attempt to visit the site just hung with a blank page, like an unresolved domain error, only a refresh actually gave me any content.
looks like they want to move to the endless page style, which is always shit because the back button doesn't return you to where you were just the top of the page as the place you were hasn't loaded yet, ****ing nasty!
Mark, it's shit. Please get rid asap.
Joining the moaners on this one, even had to click the "click" button to get to the bottom few posts of this thread before this post!
I'm sure the advertisers are delighted the management are driving punters away...
Again...
gives the user the option to open up the rest of the page if they want to scroll further
If I'm scrolling further it's because I want to see the rest of the page, if you really must why not dynamically load on scroll? I didn't notice performance issues until this hugely frustrating pop up.
I'd disable it wholesale.
I'd also, more importantly, get rid of the automatic log out that seems to happen all the time. I'm logged in, it's a biking forum not a banking website, why does it ever log me out?
On a forum consisting of small and mostly text based pages, this widget serves literally no purpose.
Get rid asap please!
I'm with CC on the logout thing, too. Just keep me logged in.
Its even creating more threads about itself now
Its not a widely used function, this is the first time I have come across it anywhere.
Shirley you’ve seen it before, as Mark says not usually on forums but often on a list of articles, products, etc?
Yeah I have seen it used on a few local newspaper sites. Contextually it doesn't feel right on a forum but now I know it is legitimate, I am not that bothered about it (especially if it helps out STW and perhaps bring their hosting costs down). But to be honest, my first reaction was that it was a scam, especially as it is styled in a way that doesn't feel like it's part of the site.
Reloading the page amd starting again at the top is not what a "Read More" button promises really.
Because session cookies have an expiry default set to 14 days. That's how the majority of the internet operates. It's even more important for a membership based website like us as a cookie that doesn't expire would lead to memberships ending and yet access to paid parts of the site continuing.
I'm running the experiment for 24 hours so that I can look at the results. That will end at 8pm tonight.
I am having to clic/ press multiple times for it to go away/ load the rest.
The overwhelming feedback (mine included) is it’s not a welcome “enhancement”.
I've not seen it since logging in 🙂
I generally use different browsers so am never logged in for long anyway but would not have an issue relogging every fortnight... some people get annoyed really easily!
Also have no issue being part of an open beta test for features but suggest a thread warning people about it in advance would generate more understanding and less complaints! Instead of the constant "grumblegrumble the site is broken I'm leaving graahhgrumble" and then a staff response halfway down the thread that many don't see... and repeat
Why the flippity flip are these stupid features always implemented, then tested and then considered for use/worthyness?
It's a shit feature that screws the 'journey' we are all supposed to value so much as web consumers.
Reverse it immediately please.
Website is a joke. Is it written by the same people who do local news websites?
How come every other forum does it better than this one.
I don't understand what it's trying to achieve, though?
I can still keep scrolling down and reading the posts using the wheel on my mouse but it's greyed out.
I then click read more to un-grey things but there is nothing more to read.
I is confused.
It's bloody annoying. Can't see a single positive from the user experience POV. 🤷♂️
I’d also, more importantly, get rid of the automatic log out that seems to happen all the time. I’m logged in, it’s a biking forum not a banking website, why does it ever log me out?
+1
Rather than faffing around with yet more "features" to improve the user experience of those who have to accept 1.6gb of downloaded adverts and the autoplaying ST youtube channel. Can you just fix this one thing for the paying customers?
You can then return to improving the user experience / ruining it with more pop-ups and noisy adds than Ling for the freeloaders. I don't want to watch a video about your press jaunt to Giant's Launch party in Utah. If I didn't click on it the first time you auto played it for me because your* broken analytics think I'm a 95year old senile grandad that doesn't understand play buttons and needs that extra help, then by the hundredth time I'm not watching it on principal!
*OK, we all actually know it's just getting your YouTube viewer numbers up so you can sell more adverts, but my explanation is more fun and less end stage capitalist.
VERY annoying
Christ, can everyone (especially the cheapskates like me) just CTFD? It's not like anyone has disabled your pacemaker or anything. There are real people behind the scenes here. Try to make your feedback less personal.
STW Editorial Meeting
Just in case you were unaware it also breaks the latest post link when accessing threads, it seems to cycle top to bottom of the thread & when you click on the button it dumps you to the top of the page not the last post.
When logging in, if you do not click the 'keep me logged in button' then the cookie that remembers you and keeps you logged in will expire at the end of your session. In other words if you leave the site or close the browser, when you next visit the site you will need to login again. This is standard web practice and is a function of all Wordpress sites.
By ticking the button you indicate that the session cookie should not expire at the end of your current session and instead it sets an expiry date of 14 days.
If you login on a different browser or a different device then that cookie needs to be set again. So if you login on your desktop then later you open the site on your mobile then you won't be logged in on your mobile no matter what boxes you tick on your desktop.
Sometimes cookies can fail in browsers cache and if that happens you will need to login again and the cookie will reset. Sometimes clearing all cookies from your browser can fix this cookie problem.
You can test of the 'remember me' session cookie is working by doing this simple procedure.
On your mobile. Close your browser (on iOS slide the app upwards to get rid of it and then open the app again).
Go to our website and login. But first, do not click the 'keep me logged in box'.
After you are logged in, kill the browser app, by swiping it upwards on iOS.
Open the app again and head to this site. You should be logged out.
Now repeat the above but this time tick the 'keep me logged in' box.
When you kill and then reopen the app you should still be logged in.
If not, then something in your browser settings are disabling the session cookie.
If you google 'wordpress keeps logging me out' there are a LOT of articles that suggest possible fixes.
For our part we continually check that our cookies are being set correctly and we will continue looking for any issue at our end that may be affecting the login system.
When logging in, if you do not click the ‘keep me logged in button’ then the cookie that remembers you and keeps you logged in will expire at the end of your session. In other words if you leave the site or close the browser, when you next visit the site you will need to login again. This is standard web practice and is a function of all WordPress sites.
It usually doesn't allow me to click that button - Google auto fills my user name and password and it goes straight to logging me in. Some times I'm kept logged in for days, other times I have to repeat the process every time I visit the site.
Yeah you need to click the button before entering username and password. Weird, but there you go.
The same happens for me when I click in the box on my iPhone. My face recognition with Chrome automatically logs me in. I need to remember to tick the box first and THEN click in the username box to trigger the automatic login
looks like they want to move to the endless page style, which is always shit because...
...it's almost exclusively used by content aggregators that only "publish" shit for the ad clicks.
Shirley you’ve seen it before, as Mark says not usually on forums but often on a list of articles, products, etc?
Yeah, the mentioned content aggregators and local newspaper sites, is this where the bar has been dropped to now? Really not a good look, it just makes the place look sad and desperate.
I haven’t seen a click to read more button 🤷♂️
It's gone..... Yay!!
Now I only have to click once to get to the end of a thread instead of twice...... AMAZING!!
It’s gone….. Yay!!
I hadn't seen it at all since this topic was started
@simondbarnes What browser and extensions are you using? Asking for a friend.
Some times I’m kept logged in for days, other times I have to repeat the process every time I visit the site.
Same here. I always tick the box first. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
The click more has gone. It may be something we use in actual editorial stories but it's not something that works in the forum. It wasn't something that appeared for full members if any full members were feeling left out 🙂
We've also made a subtle change to the login procedure that you won't visibly notice but it 'may' affect the login/out issue for some.
What browser and extensions are you using? Asking for a friend.
Just chrome on win 10, chromebook and android phone. No extensions.
It’s gone….. Yay!!
I miss it.
Mark - thanks for listening and responding.
I miss it.
Would you pay extra for it as a premium feature, perhaps?
I see the Click to read more thing on a few websites, I assumed it was to try and limit web scraping by 3rd parties.
I'm sure that's one benefit but it's more a way of limiting download size for mobile and limited bandwidth browsers. It also prevents ads from loading on the page unnecessarily.
I’m sure that’s one benefit but it’s more a way of limiting download size for mobile and limited bandwidth browsers. It also prevents ads from loading on the page unnecessarily.
Yes, thinking about it, it's mainly on mobile that I've seen it.
But from what I could see it wasn't limiting the download. The complete page was there but just greyed out behind the "read more" button.
Anyway, better without and thanks for the timely response 👍
I see the Click to read more thing on a few websites
Impossible. We’ve been told by a member who has visited every forum in the internet that it only appear on here.
Forum = website
Website != forum
HTH
(if you're going to be a smartarse be logical about it)