Join the best erotica focused adult social network now
Login

new front page banner

last reply
19 replies
2.6k views
0 watchers
0 likes
Verbal
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
I think the new scrolling banner on the front page is really well designed, and a nice bit of advertising.

However, we need to have the option to turn it off! My kids sometimes bounce into the room with no warning, and while I realize there are sexy pix all over the front page, with a no-ads gold membership they are all thumbnails. The new banner pix are pretty big and instantly recognizable. I like them, you shouldn't get rid of them, but there should be a way to turn it off or opt out. After all, we are already members, you don't need to seel us on the site.
nicola
Matriarch
I agree Verbal.

I've asked this option to be added to the settings.
sprite
Her Royal Spriteness
Quote by nicola
I agree Verbal.

I've asked this option to be added to the settings.


when i asked, you told me 'tough shit. deal with it.' how come kaiju-boy gets special treatment?

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.
Guest
Lurker
Doesn't the "block all images from the site" button work?
NymphWriter
Unicorn Wrangler
Quote by sprite
when i asked, you told me 'tough shit. deal with it.' how come kaiju-boy gets special treatment?


Really? You've gotta ask? Because she likes Verbal more than you. I thought you knew that already.
Verbal
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by sprite


when i asked, you told me 'tough shit. deal with it.' how come kaiju-boy gets special treatment?


I may now change my username to "Kaiju Boy." smile

And thank you, Nic.
gav
Code Monkey
Quote by Verbal
I think the new scrolling banner on the front page is really well designed, and a nice bit of advertising.

However, we need to have the option to turn it off! My kids sometimes bounce into the room with no warning, and while I realize there are sexy pix all over the front page, with a no-ads gold membership they are all thumbnails. The new banner pix are pretty big and instantly recognizable. I like them, you shouldn't get rid of them, but there should be a way to turn it off or opt out. After all, we are already members, you don't need to seel us on the site.


Good point. I've added an option to hide (just above the slider) as well as an associated setting in your settings page.
nicola
Matriarch
Quote by gav


Good point. I've added an option to hide (just above the slider) as well as an associated setting in your settings page.


Excellent. Thanks code monkey!
Buz
The Linebacker
Have we talked about how awesome the banner looks? It does look really great.
Verbal
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by gav


Good point. I've added an option to hide (just above the slider) as well as an associated setting in your settings page.


Fast, perfect fix! Thanks!

And as Buz says, it is a very nicely designed banner ad.
nicola
Matriarch
Quote by Verbal


Fast, perfect fix! Thanks!

And as Buz says, it is a very nicely designed banner ad.


I want my head to do that.

How do you do that?
Verbal
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by nicola


I want my head to do that.

How do you do that?


I'm a robot. I thought we'd established that. smile
overmykneenow
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by Buz
Have we talked about how awesome the banner looks? It does look really great.


It looks nice and slick, the sort of thing that would encourage someone looking for a bit of classy erotica to sign up.



Sadly, these days, the average passing punter coming to a website is on a mobile phone. Those people are offered a slightly more upfront first impression of Lush...



I know the mobile version provides much needed revenue for the site but can't help feel that it's damaging the brand you seem to want to go for on the "normal" version of the site.
Warning: The opinions above are those of an anonymous individual on the internet. They are opinions, unless they're facts. They may be ill-informed, out of touch with reality or just plain stupid. They may contain traces of irony. If reading these opinions causes you to be become outraged or you start displaying the symptoms of outrage, stop reading them immediately. If symptoms persist, consult a psychiatrist.

Why not read some stories instead

NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber
nicola
Matriarch
Quote by overmykneenow


It looks nice and slick, the sort of thing that would encourage someone looking for a bit of classy erotica to sign up.

I know the mobile version provides much needed revenue for the site but can't help feel that it's damaging the brand you seem to want to go for on the "normal" version of the site.


I totally agree with you.

Unfortunately, you've hit the nail on the head. Without the mobile site ad revenue, we couldn't cover our server costs (4 dedicated at > US$2,000 per month).

It's a very high traffic dynamic site, using up a lot of bandwidth, resources and server storage space. We serve over 25 million pages each month, to 3+ million people.

The mobile site ads are a necessary evil for now.
noll
"insensitive prick!" – Danielle Algo
Quote by nicola


I totally agree with you.

Unfortunately, you've hit the nail on the head. Without the mobile site ad revenue, we couldn't cover our server costs (4 dedicated at > US$2,000 per month).

It's a very high traffic dynamic site, using up a lot of bandwidth, resources and server storage space. We serve over 25 million pages each month, to 3+ million people.

The mobile site ads are a necessary evil for now.


As a front-end developer I have little knowledge as to what average hosting costs for a site of this size (very happy to leave anything hosting related for one of my colleagues), but $2000 sure sounds like a lot of money. I'm curious to know whether the erotic/pornographic nature of the content contributes to that as in that there may perhaps be less providers to choose from, or is it really just the bandwidth, storage and resources?


===  Not ALL LIVES MATTER until BLACK LIVES MATTER  ===
nicola
Matriarch
Quote by noll
I'm curious to know whether the erotic/pornographic nature of the content contributes to that as in that there may perhaps be less providers to choose from, or is it really just the bandwidth, storage and resources?



A bit of both, but primarily, the latter. https://www.quadranet.com/los-angeles-dedicated-servers

We have 4 dedicated servers, a mixture of dual processors and storage. It's a custom setup, with mirrored drives, backups, on top of which you then have to pay the software licences for the OS and database servers. Most companies limit bandwidth and the number of consecutive connections (# users on at any time), however we have (theoretically), an unlimited amount. That costs a lot extra.

When we looked at hosting companies originally, our current host came in around 2/3 the cost of any rivals. They are still very competitive.

It's just what sites like this cost to run. And Gav is running it on an oily rag as it is. In a Corporate environment, you'd probably have a dozen servers for a site with this much traffic. He's done a brilliant job in terms of keeping costs down, yet still providing a high level of stability.

We can't trim costs any further. It's increased traffic and more paying members we need the most! I'd love to do away with the advertising altogether. The commercial reality is we wouldn't be here without it.
babydoc1001
Rookie Scribe
I don't see the 8 featured members any longer!
Liz
Scarlet Seductress
Quote by babydoc1001
I don't see the 8 featured members any longer!



Probably because it's not there at the moment.
nicola
Matriarch
Quote by babydoc1001
I don't see the 8 featured members any longer!


We're working on how to incorporate it into the design, if at all.

I was thinking it would be nice to have a permanent vertical spot for them on the RHS. Or just one "Featured Member" which recycles at random every front page load?
noll
"insensitive prick!" – Danielle Algo
Quote by nicola
A bit of both, but primarily, the latter. https://www.quadranet.com/los-angeles-dedicated-servers

We have 4 dedicated servers, a mixture of dual processors and storage. It's a custom setup, with mirrored drives, backups, on top of which you then have to pay the software licences for the OS and database servers. Most companies limit bandwidth and the number of consecutive connections (# users on at any time), however we have (theoretically), an unlimited amount. That costs a lot extra.

When we looked at hosting companies originally, our current host came in around 2/3 the cost of any rivals. They are still very competitive.

It's just what sites like this cost to run. And Gav is running it on an oily rag as it is. In a Corporate environment, you'd probably have a dozen servers for a site with this much traffic. He's done a brilliant job in terms of keeping costs down, yet still providing a high level of stability.

We can't trim costs any further. It's increased traffic and more paying members we need the most! I'd love to do away with the advertising altogether. The commercial reality is we wouldn't be here without it.


Thanks for the little insight. The choice for .NET on the backend brings additional costs as you mentioned (licenses) that other setups may not require. But to make a switch there you'd probably have to rewrite most of the backend, and perhaps even find a new developer to do so. That's obviously not an option.


===  Not ALL LIVES MATTER until BLACK LIVES MATTER  ===