Bleh!! Avatar released to public!...and horrible banner news

[br00ster]

Is it really so bad? So what, it's a banner at the top of the page. Big deal...

[Zenial]

Exactly, be glad the banners aren't as bad as oh well, for instance here:
http://www.pinkpt.com/

Honestly, while the PPT site has lots of BIG banners AND pop-up ads, why do you complain about the banner at neopets?

[twinklyspangle]

I don't really care about the banner ads, although I would be a little sad because I quite like the layout as it is now.

[Palemoonsdream]

Exactly, be glad the banners aren't as bad as oh well, for instance here:
http://www.pinkpt.com/

Honestly, while the PPT site has lots of BIG banners AND pop-up ads, why do you complain about the banner at neopets?

Come on. That's like complaining about Windows, and then someone says "but Apple has errors too." PinkPT is a non-profit fansite that has to rely on extern hosts. Neopets, on the other hand, produces a rather big revenue and hosts their site on their own servers. So they do have the choice, opposite to PPT (yes, I know, they always can need more money, etc etc etc, but that's not the topic.)
Also most people don't surf pinkpt.com for several hours a day

[Qanda]

Exactly, be glad the banners aren't as bad as oh well, for instance here:
http://www.pinkpt.com/

Honestly, while the PPT site has lots of BIG banners AND pop-up ads, why do you complain about the banner at neopets?

Duh, because we don't surf the PPT main site nearly as much as we do Neopets! (no offense to PPT, but that's the truth )

Meh, i'm not going to participate in your discussion. I'm just happy with my new av

Wow, looks like the avatar bribe actually worked on some people.

[raudf]

Avatar aside.. I am not happy in the least. This is almost the last straw for me playing Neopets. I ran accross an ad that I simply could not block with Foxfire on one of the pages and now.. Forget it.
I had enough issues with the overly unbalanced yellow.. but to have a honking HUGE banner ad that contributes nothing to the layout? Not even funny folks, because it offends every artistic sense I ever had.
Sure, they're free. But who cares, when they chase off all their players due to glitches and ungangly pages? At least Pinkpt.com works them in as best they can! I mean, why couldn't those horrid banners go at the bottom of the page, where we could ignore them, if they had to have them so badly? So, now Neopets has sold it's soul to Corporate America, changing even the look of the site so drastically just to chase the almighty dollar.
Just as well that I have scaled back playing Neopets, given the current trends of the site. The sponsor games were bad enough.. but the banner ads? Too much. I just wish they had left well enough alone... that's all.

[Qanda]

I mean, why couldn't those horrid banners go at the bottom of the page, where we could ignore them, if they had to have them so badly? So, now Neopets has sold it's soul to Corporate America, changing even the look of the site so drastically just to chase the almighty dollar.

Obviously, if the ads went to the bottom of the pages the sponsors would start paying less...

[Zenial]

Exactly, be glad the banners aren't as bad as oh well, for instance here:
http://www.pinkpt.com/

Honestly, while the PPT site has lots of BIG banners AND pop-up ads, why do you complain about the banner at neopets?

Come on. That's like complaining about Windows, and then someone says "but Apple has errors too." PinkPT is a non-profit fansite that has to rely on extern hosts. Neopets, on the other hand, produces a rather big revenue and hosts their site on their own servers. So they do have the choice, opposite to PPT (yes, I know, they always can need more money, etc etc etc, but that's not the topic.)
Also most people don't surf pinkpt.com for several hours a day

I'm also amazed at how sure you all are that neopets makes enough money without the big banner! Do you know how much money they make? Do you know what their costs are? I do know that it takes a lot of money to run a site with as much traffic as neopets AND to pay all those people at the staff. Have you seen all the names in the 'about us' page?
What if they really need the money from the big banner to be able to continue running the site?

[Palemoonsdream]

Come on. That's like complaining about Windows, and then someone says "but Apple has errors too." PinkPT is a non-profit fansite that has to rely on extern hosts. Neopets, on the other hand, produces a rather big revenue and hosts their site on their own servers. So they do have the choice, opposite to PPT (yes, I know, they always can need more money, etc etc etc, but that's not the topic.)
Also most people don't surf pinkpt.com for several hours a day

I'm also amazed at how sure you all are that neopets makes enough money without the big banner! Do you know how much money they make? Do you know what their costs are? I do know that it takes a lot of money to run a site with as much traffic as neopets AND to pay all those people at the staff. Have you seen all the names in the 'about us' page?
What if they really need the money from the big banner to be able to continue running the site?

No, I don't. Do you? And if you read my post carefully, I specifically said the topic of this discussion is not the income of Neopets, but the Layout of the banner. Also, ask around in the forum. I don't know the exact numbers, but Neopets is FAR away from being poor. *shuts up now*

EDIT: Found the article.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/0,39023166,20263728,00.htm

Dohring wouldn't reveal revenue but said estimates of US$6 million for 2000 and between US$12 million and US$15 million for 2001 aren't too far off.

My guess is that they are definitely near bankrott right now

[HollyPop]

This reminds me of the "foot in the door" theory from psychology - they gave us a small banner and a lower number of sponsor ads to get us used to it, then went in for the kill with a giant one and more sponsor ads.

However, I do appreciate that after all this time, the site is still free, so I'm not going to complain too much.

[bluebird]

This reminds me of the "foot in the door" theory from psychology - they gave us a small banner and a lower number of sponsor ads to get us used to it, then went in for the kill with a giant one and more sponsor ads.

However, I do appreciate that after all this time, the site is still free, so I'm not going to complain too much.

HollyPop, I'd never thought of it that way. Thus it hurts me to suddenly realize that it's likely you're right. Foot in the door all the way - that standard banner was just the beginning. Maybe their sponsors did that with TNT too. ::shakes head:: It's all just so bleh. But we'll deal.

[Keith]

BRAVO!!!

Sure, we're all disappointed about the banne, but that's small fries ladies and gentlemen.

The Neopets Team took initiative and were 100% completely upfront and honest with all of us. Whether or not you agree with their decision is one thing, but you need to respect and admire the way that they've switched around the way that they are communicating with all of us.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND KEEP UP THE GOOD COMMUNICATIN' WORK!!!

If I hadn't been trying to figure out spelling mistakes for the post on zee front page, I'd've posted something along these lines too.

Our good friend Steve has brought up a very big point. They've went and done something that hasn't exactly been done before. By posting this, The Neopets Team not only displayed a very honest thing to us, but they took the effort to explain to a lot of people that things were going to get a bit more heckled, but it wouldn't be too bad.

Amen to both of you!
I don't particularly like the banner, but they were UPFRONT and HONEST with us!
*And by the way, I've already started over as somebody else, I just felt like I really needed to say this in 'Tonu' form*

*And I still despise TNT until I see further coughunfreezemecough improvements*

[everconfused]

Hi! Has anyone gone back and visited the "bleh" site update page today?

If you haven't - go. I think for once I might have been right? My housemate logged in to her account briefly, was reading the news cause she hadn't been on for a few days, saw the announcement and clicked on it. Read the whole thing then called me into the room to look at it.

The banner is the same one we have now - it's NOT that huge monstrosity.

Adam and staff, did you pull a fast one on us?!

[ScottNak]

Uh... did you actually click that link where it shows the new template?

[atomicblonde]

Uh... did you actually click that link where it shows the new template?

Yeah, it's still the big honkin banner there for me, and ironically enough the ad was a mastercard one with big flashing letters that said "money talks". Talk about subliminal messages.