The new Android Central homepage

[Dan29466]

So, even with adblock, you only get to see the first line of text in the first headline. I guess that makes it easier for me to stick to my decision to not install adblock. I don't have any problem with ads, I just wish they weren't sucking up all of the space at the top of the main page. At least give me something on the main page.

Here's this morning's adapallooza. Can't even tell what the first headline is.

Dan

 

[anon(394005)]

So, even with adblock, you only get to see the first line of text in the first headline. I guess that makes it easier for me to stick to my decision to not install adblock. I don't have any problem with ads, I just wish they weren't sucking up all of the space at the top of the main page. At least give me something on the main page.

Here's this morning's adapallooza. Can't even tell what the first headline is.

Dan

Use a blocking HOSTS file (Google search for: MVPS Hosts). It not only blocks ads, but known malicious websites, etc. I've used it for years on my Windows systems and swear it has blocked malware from even getting to them while browsing the far reaches of the web.

 

[anon(394005)]

How do you follow comments on Android Central? Spend an hour to find your comment and then reply to it.

Use some Google foo, in the search box enter your username followed by site:www.androidcentral.com. It should look something like this in the search box: donniezazen site:www.androidcentral.com

To filter by date, in the lower left, click "Show Search Tools" and select an option to immediately filter your results.

 

[TBolt]

Use some Google foo, in the search box enter your username followed by site:www.androidcentral.com. It should look something like this in the search box: donniezazen site:www.androidcentral.com

To filter by date, in the lower left, click "Show Search Tools" and select an option to immediately filter your results.

Your process shouldn't be necessary. Android Central ought to be using DISQUS - or something similar - to help us sustain our discussions in blog comments. It's the only major failure at Android Central, imho.

 

[Dan29466]

Sorry, you're missing my point. I don't want to block ads. I don't mind the ads. I know this is a shocking idea, but I even click the silly things once in a while if they're interesting. I just wish the top 972 pixels of the main page weren't 100% taken up by the site banner and ads.

The site banner is a little bit crazy too, btw. 190+ pixels for the site banner? With a big chunk of that wasted by the black "Mobile Nations" bar? Seriously, I don't care about the other Mobile Nations sites, but if I did, would I really need a banner that's 50 pixels high? That's how much space there is from the top of the screen to the tip of his highest antenna.

Since there's no way that the full-width banner ad is going away, and I'm sure there'd be a metric crap-ton of politics involved in getting the Mobile Nations banner reduced in size, could you at least do away with those two column-width banner ads that are just advertising other stories?

I just wanna see a story when I get to the site.

Dan

 

[anon(394005)]

Sorry, you're missing my point. I don't want to block ads. I don't mind the ads. I know this is a shocking idea, but I even click the silly things once in a while if they're interesting. I just wish the top 972 pixels of the main page weren't 100% taken up by the site banner and ads.

The site banner is a little bit crazy too, btw. 190+ pixels for the site banner? With a big chunk of that wasted by the black "Mobile Nations" bar? Seriously, I don't care about the other Mobile Nations sites, but if I did, would I really need a banner that's 50 pixels high? That's how much space there is from the top of the screen to the tip of his highest antenna.

Since there's no way that the full-width banner ad is going away, and I'm sure there'd be a metric crap-ton of politics involved in getting the Mobile Nations banner reduced in size, could you at least do away with those two column-width banner ads that are just advertising other stories?

I just wanna see a story when I get to the site.

Dan

I understand. Just a suggestion. You'd be surprised how much better many websites look and even load faster with a blocking hosts file. They generally look cleaner allowing you to easily see the main content. I use it mainly though as a primary defense against malware as it blocks known bad stuff on the Internet.

 

[sudhirkhanger]

Your process shouldn't be necessary. Android Central ought to be using DISQUS - or something similar - to help us sustain our discussions in blog comments. It's the only major failure at Android Central, imho.

I agree. This is the only reason I do not engage in conversation at AC.

 

[Dan29466]

Holy crap. I just realized that this completely explains why I still keep going to that other android site. I like the writers here better, but the main page over there is a completely different experience. Their site banner is 2/3 the height of AC's and there's a single, full width ad under it. Directly below that is where the page switches to 65/35 split left/right with ads on the right and content on the left. I can see a full paragraph of their first story plus most of the first image for their story.

Pretty please?

 

[Sheanz]

Simply amazing. Love the look! AC has come a long way.

 

[TBolt]

I agree. This is the only reason I do not engage in conversation at AC.

I failed to mention that Android Central's Google+ feed is where conversation DOES happen. I was very happy to see AC and every other relevant blog at G+.

Sent from my battery killer using Tapatalk

 

[YaSo]

Any chance of either of the following for the homepage?

1) Allow user settings to let you see each article in it's entirety, even if you have to drop in an ad every 5 posts or so. Have a link to the Disqus comments or, you could have them optionally show those on the page (if the 'settings' are set vthat way by the user.)

2) how about allowing a setting in the User CP settings so we can have one of the three viewing methods shown by default. I prefer the 'all articles' view but when I click on an article to read it, then page back to see the remaining stories, I go back to the headlines view. Then I have to scroll all the way back up and choose the other setting, and then scroll back down to the place I was in the list of stories.

3) Have each of the three view settings use a different URL so if we click on an article and then go back to see the other stories, we get the list sorted the way we had it.

Thanks!

 

[Dan29466]

I think it's actually, somehow, getting worse.

 

[CrackBerry Kevin]

Closing this thread to direct the conversation to the current thread for yet another New Android Central homepage.

On April 22nd we launched Android Central v3, which cleaned up the homepage and the forums a lot (and addressed many of the earlier concerns on this thread). So please leave feedback and comments here:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...android-central-v3-site-design-goes-live.html