Couple Ad Network Changes...

[digitalpoint]

• People's cache files are now caching 1,000 ads (up from 400). This will help flatten out the peaks and valleys (on stats) for impressions.
  
  
• Minimum time between getting new ads temporarily changed from 4 seconds to 60 seconds (so the ad server isn't overloaded while all the sites are adding 600 more ads to their cache).
  
  
• Maximum time between getting a new ad will probably be changed to 30 minutes (up from 15 minutes).
  
  
• Some minor changes to the ad network PHP file (this is *not* a mandatory update). Most notably you can pick how you want ads to display on your site (rotating, static or a 50/50 mix). You only need to update your PHP file if you want something other than 100% rotating ads. This does NOT affect how your ads are displayed, so change it only if you don't prefer how rotating ads look on your site. If you update, it does not require you to flush your cache (.txt file).

You can see an example of a 50/50 static/dynamic ad split here:

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/archive/index.php/

[fryman]

I don't understand the last part. You mean you finally accepted to put static links in the coop?

For how long do those links show? I mean, are they static for like a month or how does this work?

[digitalpoint]

I knew I was going to get flak for this, but whatever... No, I did not "accept" static links were needed.

But I have been watching other advertising systems (notably AdSense) and how more ads have been static (CPM ads in this forum for example). That coupled with the fact that I have a few sites that I think non-rotating ads would look better cosmetically.

It's 100% for the cosmetics of your site and gives webmasters more control over how they want other people's ads to display on their site. It has zero bearing on how YOUR ads are displayed on other people's sites. You could run 100% static ads for example, and it doesn't make your ads any more (or less) static on other people's sites.

It's something I've wanted to toy with for awhile, but I never did it because I didn't feel like taking crap from all the "the ad network will only survive if it's static links" people. But then I got to thinking about it, and I decided that's a really BAD reason to not evolve the ad network, so...

[fryman]

Never said that you accepted they were neded, I said that you accepted to let them into the network.

Ok, let's say that mr x decides to run static links on his site, and one of my ads happens to be a static one, for how long will it show on his site?

Are you ready for the huge amount of people that will be jumping out of link vault's sinking boat to join the coop thanks to this new feature? Seems that LV can't even keep their servers working and many webmasters are pissed off.

I do see a great improvement on this, I don't like rotating links on my site when I get all kind of junk like ads in foreign language or ads that somehow didn't get detected in time and don't have any capital letters, I would rather have 5 quality links and stick with them.

[digitalpoint]

Originally Posted by fryman

Never said that you accepted they were neded, I said that you accepted to let them into the network.

Ok, let's say that mr x decides to run static links on his site, and one of my ads happens to be a static one, for how long will it show on his site?

They will remain static for the life of the ad in the cache (currently 10 days, but ad noted in the first post, the maximum time between getting new ads is probably going to go to 30 minutes [up from 15]) so it will be ~20 days.

Originally Posted by fryman

Are you ready for the huge amount of people that will be jumping out of link vault's sinking boat to join the coop thanks to this new feature? Seems that LV can't even keep their servers working and many webmasters are pissed off.

A "flood" of new users is all relative. Even if the ad network size doubled in 1 day (which it wouldn't) it would be fine. We are already handling ~100M http requests/day related to the ad network (new ads and impression tracking). People always forget I'm not a marketer, SEO or webmaster (at least not first). My "real" work is designing and deploying large systems/applications for large businesses.

Originally Posted by fryman

I do see a great improvement on this, I don't like rotating links on my site when I get all kind of junk like ads in foreign language or ads that somehow didn't get detected in time and don't have any capital letters, I would rather have 5 quality links and stick with them.

Yep... and that's the whole purpose of it. To give webmasters more control over the look/feel of their sites.

[fryman]

So the coop keeps getting better... I pitty the fools that left and joined the other network, this one rocks!!

Any idea on when you'll get to serving ads with specific themes or languages? It's been in your "to do" list for quite a long time

[digitalpoint]

Originally Posted by fryman

So the coop keeps getting better... I pitty the fools that left and joined the other network, this one rocks!!

Any idea on when you'll get to serving ads with specific themes or languages? It's been in your "to do" list for quite a long time

It's still on the to-do list, but it's a MAJOR, MAJOR undertaking with redesigning the weighting system to take that into account. Not something I've particularly been looking forward to tackling. One of these days I will just turn everything off (phone, email, etc.) and bang it out one day.

[thebassman]

Great updates. Thanks Shawn!

[GuyFromChicago]

Great news. What I thought was a great network already just got a little better

[SportsOutlaw]

I cant wait to see what this does, if anything, to my current benefits that I am getting from coop.

I, for one, will update and use the static links for a while.

[Fishing Forum]

WEll done mate

Now to bring this post down to my level

rotating, static or a 50/50 mix

Does this effect your wieght if you say choose to display static ect

See dum question of the day is here

[digitalpoint]

No... it does not affect your weight or how your ads are displayed on other people's sites. It's strictly a cosmetic choice you can make for your site as the site owner.

[Fishing Forum]

cheers had to ask

LOL this post is going to fill up with questions quickly

Hope you got a beer by your side

[ferret77]

just curious but 10 days is kind of short time,

I'm sure you just love all the suggestions you get .....

is it possible to have the duration controlled by a variable in the php file?

[skattabrain]

Originally Posted by fryman

So the coop keeps getting better... I pitty the fools that left and joined the other network, this one rocks!!

fryman ... no one kisses butt better than you.

anyways ... this is great news, maybe i'll start putting my newest sites back into coop. the coop & lv combo has been serving me well, it's still nice to be diversified.

but 10 days ... why not just make them permanently static?

c'mon shawn ... is this really about cosmetics? seriously ... when has cosmetics ever been a factor?

[fryman]

Nope, everyone here knows that I have always been a fan of the coop. Some regular members now show the other network's link in their sig... but I have always stuck with DP

And once again we get to the point where Shawn paints a wall blue and people start saying "hey, Shawn, why blue? Why not red"??

[skattabrain]

Originally Posted by fryman

Nope, everyone here knows that I have always been a fan of the coop. Some regular members now show the other network's link in their sig... but I have always stuck with DP

And once again we get to the point where Shawn paints a wall blue and people start saying "hey, Shawn, why blue? Why not red"??

no, not really ... more like ... hey shawn ... how about a little darker blue?

anyways ... nice upgrade shawn!

[digitalpoint]

Originally Posted by skattabrain

but 10 days ... why not just make them permanently static?

It will be 20 days once the cache variables are changed in the next few days (see previous post). It's not permanently static because it's still not a link exchange network. Not only that, but you would end up with too many cheaters (people getting their permanent ads, then stop validating and have their ads remain).

Originally Posted by skattabrain

c'mon shawn ... is this really about cosmetics? seriously ... when has cosmetics ever been a factor?

Cosmetics is a HUGE factor IMO. If it wasn't, you wouldn't have *any* options for the setup (banner vs. text only, banner color, separation characters, how many ads to display, etc.)

[fryman]

skattabrain, I'm not very familiar with LV, but do they offer 100% static links? I thought they also rotated them after certain amount of time

[skattabrain]

Originally Posted by digitalpoint

It's not permanently static because it's still not a link exchange network. Not only that, but you would end up with too many cheaters (people getting their permanent ads, then stop validating and have their ads remain).

well i think this is what many don't realize about lv ... it's very advanced and is programmed to check on such issues.

hence the minor downtime issues, they are pushing the envelope.