ADMIN NOTE: Upcoming site upgrades & latest status

BamaNation

Publisher and Benevolent Dictator
Staff member
Apr 9, 1999
20,434
16,622
432
Silicon Slopes
TideFans.com
Hey Everyone!

Happy [strike]Benevolent Dictator's Day[/strike] President's Day!

Just wanted to post a note about some upcoming changes we're working on behind the scenes before the season kicks off in this Fall. Exact timing is TBD, but I'm going to be implementing some updates to overall site layout over the coming weeks and months. Mostly this will be done to upgrade the back-end software that runs the board and also the front page & article software. These changes will most likely change some of the way pages are displayed & delivered but also update board functionality.

The first step in the plan is that I'm partnering with a well-respected company effective immediately on upgrading and managing our ad delivery platform and site layout. They will control placement and delivery of ads which affects how and where ads are delivered on the site (both on your desktop and tablets & phones). We're in the beginning stages of rolling this out, but it should make the overall site layout smoother and more consistent for all users. You'll most likely notice some changes but overall I don't think the layouts will change too dramatically.

Some of you may hate it because it's change, some of you may hate it because it's ads, but mostly I hope most of you love (or at least tolerate) it because it, hopefully, helps continue to pay the bills! Once this is in place, they will continue to do tweaks as we optimize performance and delivery. If you experience any problems with the changes (i.e. site looks weird, formatting is screwed up, functionality isn't functioning, etc) please send me a PM with all the details. If you just don't like the changes, that's ok, too, but please don't spam me with PMs ;) Hopefully, you'll like what this allows us to do moving forward.

Later in the spring & summer we'll be updating the front page and article content management system and the forum software. We'll let you know about these changes later.

Anyway, just wanted to make you aware of the imminent changes coming this week and others coming as we move through the spring & summer.

As always, thank you for continuing to support us and TideFans each and every day!
 

CrimsonForce

Hall of Fame
Dec 20, 2012
12,757
94
67
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

Will this also impact Tapatalk or just the desktop and mobile website?
 

BamaNation

Publisher and Benevolent Dictator
Staff member
Apr 9, 1999
20,434
16,622
432
Silicon Slopes
TideFans.com
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

Will this also impact Tapatalk or just the desktop and mobile website?
Tapatalk layout should not be impacted (it's a 3rd party app). For those not on the premium version of Tapatalk, we may switch over the ad delivery on it to the new system. Not sure yet, but regardless, it shouldn't really matter - from a user standpoint - because Tapatalk strictly defines how / where these are delivered already.
 

Jkl0802

1st Team
Apr 9, 2015
461
143
67
Stuttgart, Germany
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

If interested in recommendations, I wish you could see link URLs because I would never click on a Rivals link again because it’s frustrating going to that stupid page that says you must be a member to see the content. Also frustrating is the way Twitter links sometimes allow a video to work and sometimes they don’t.
 
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BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,932
15,935
282
Boone, NC
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

Thankful for the site and the values it stands for. Especially appreciate how tightly it's moderated with the no cursing/family friendly environment!!!
 

Go Bama

Hall of Fame
Dec 6, 2009
13,785
14,079
187
16outa17essee
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

I can’t believe this site is free. Do whatever you need to do. I’m ultra grateful for Tidefans.
 

Crimson1967

Hall of Fame
Nov 22, 2011
18,734
9,918
187
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

Another Tapatalk site I follow has huge ads that I am always accidentally clicking on. Thanks for not having that problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

BamaNation

Publisher and Benevolent Dictator
Staff member
Apr 9, 1999
20,434
16,622
432
Silicon Slopes
TideFans.com
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

Hey all, as you probably can tell we're making the changes previously mentioned. There are a couple of things still working on - particularly the top banner ad displaying abnormally. We're working on it. Otherwise, everything looks to be delivering as expected. Again, thanks for supporting us through these updates! We will continue to tweak, poke, and optimize over the coming weeks.
 

Jessica4Bama

Hall of Fame
Nov 7, 2009
7,307
12
57
Alabama
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

I’m a member of another site not related to anything football. And they have it set up to where you click on the thread and it will take you to the last post you viewed. It’s pretty sweet. I don’t know how hard that is to implement, however.
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
39,407
6
0
Prattville
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

I’m a member of another site not related to anything football. And they have it set up to where you click on the thread and it will take you to the last post you viewed. It’s pretty sweet. I don’t know how hard that is to implement, however.
TF already has that function. The arrow icon next to the thread title takes you to the first new post you haven't read.
 

Jessica4Bama

Hall of Fame
Nov 7, 2009
7,307
12
57
Alabama
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

TF already has that function. The arrow icon next to the thread title takes you to the first new post you haven't read.
I know. I didn’t find out until a few months ago about that, however. The way the other website has it set up is better, IMO.
 
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B1GTide

TideFans Legend
Apr 13, 2012
45,499
46,842
187
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

TF already has that function. The arrow icon next to the thread title takes you to the first new post you haven't read.
Depending on the browser, it does not always work that way. For instance, in Firefox, it takes me to the last post in he thread, not my first unread post. In Chrome, I am taken to my first unread post. Probably has something to do with the way that browsers manage cookies.
 
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B1GTide

TideFans Legend
Apr 13, 2012
45,499
46,842
187
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

I know. I didn’t find out until a few months ago about that, however. The way the other website has it set up is better, IMO.
I am a member of a Disney site that must store the information in a user history on the site because even in Firefox, with cookies disabled, I am automatically taken to my first unread post. But the entire forum loos different, so they may be running on a completely different platform.
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
39,407
6
0
Prattville
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

Depending on the browser, it does not always work that way. For instance, in Firefox, it takes me to the last post in he thread, not my first unread post. In Chrome, I am taken to my first unread post. Probably has something to do with the way that browsers manage cookies.
Probably because Chrome doesn't recognize the posts I've read on TapaTalk all of the time.
 

GrayTide

Hall of Fame
Nov 15, 2005
18,810
6,245
187
Greenbow, Alabama
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

Not related to site upgrade but a question for those in the know. I am using an iPad2 version 9.3.5 and I cannot upgrade to a newer version. I have always used the web browser that came with the iPad, Safari. I have noticed over the past year how slow the iPad runs, especially on Tidefans. It hangs up and continually reloads. I have run all sorts of turning things off, hard resets, resetting to factory installation, etc. based on Apple support suggestions. One day I went to Settings > Safari > Advanced > JavaScript. I turned off JavaScript, went to Tidefans and it was lighting fast, no reloading. That was great but I could not give Thanks, Likes, etc nor reply with quote. Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.
 

pastorbt

BamaNation Citizen
Jan 9, 2017
50
69
42
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

Mainly because I am so used to people complaining about change. I'm not going to let the opportunity pass me by...CHANGE? WHY CHANGE? IF IT AIN'T BROKE WHY DO YOU WANT TO MESS WITH IT? GOOD GRIEF, WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST LEAVE THINGS ALONE! ​Seriously, keep up the great work!
 

Jessica4Bama

Hall of Fame
Nov 7, 2009
7,307
12
57
Alabama
Re: Upcoming site upgrades

I do notice, too, that the ad at the top covers up the majority of the tabs like my inbox, my profile, etc. I’m using an iPad, though.
 

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