10th December 2022 :: No Ads feature

[Jools]

From today, all site donors and also all cat-elog admins will no longer be shown any google adverts when they are logged into the site.

I've been meaning to find out how to do this for yonks, it's not as simple as I thought, but I think it is working now.

Cheers,

Jools

[cwindram]

Hey Jools... I have made a couple donations in the past, but I'm still seeing the google ads.

[Jools]

Hey Jools... I have made a couple donations in the past, but I'm still seeing the google ads.

Thanks, I was just testing it and found some errors - it's a fiddly thing to test as I have to log in as different test users to see how it looks. Basically, if the user summary shows a "I've donated" link then you should not see google ads when logged in.

Sample user summary showing donation.

Screenshot 2022-12-10 113513.jpg (8.82 KiB) Viewed 7449 times

I just made some changes - how does it look now?

Cheers,

Jools

[cwindram]

It's working! No ads visible - that is a wonderful feature, Jools. Very thoughtful, and an excellent perk for anybody who makes a donation. This oughta encourage others to donate too.

[Jools]

This oughta encourage others to donate too.

Well, it is the season of giving.

Cheers,

Jools

[bekateen]

Marvelous! Thanks for doing this Jools!

Cheers, Eric

[Jools]

A few folks have asked.

a) Is there a recommended / minimum amount?
In short, no. Monthly small donations are beneficial if you're OK with them. We run at about $125 a month and we get about $30 a month in regular support. I pay the (US$) balance each month with my currently lessened currency (£).

b) Will this time out?
Probably not. If you've made a donation, even years ago, then you're in a no-ad-zone. Other options are complicated and this is about making the site better for our regulars. I don't plan to reverse this.

c) I still see the swisstropicals/amazonas ad?
And so you should. Apart from the fact they're cool, these guys are major sponsors and their presence is minimal versus the google ads.

Cheers,

Jools

PS Thanks to everyone who has supported us.

[Jools]

I'd like to say a big thank you too all the folks who have donated to the running costs of the site this year. It's been so encouraging to have this support.

Merry Christmas everyone - bring on 2023!

Jools