Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

New web page

Any chance you could copy and paste those tracert results here?

HI Mark, I have noticed your Avatar is still visible whilst mine and many others have disappeared from the forum. I have tried unsuccessfully to access my profile picture to see if I can restore it. I am also having issues trying to save YouTube links so that the video appears embedded on the forum. When I put the YouTube address on a line on it’s own the save button disappears if I add it on the end of a line of text it display’s as a clickable link and I can save it. I have reported this to Stephen on Trello together with some other issues but I got to wondering if this is down to my computer as no one else has raised these issues.

I should add that everything was fine up until a couple of days ago. I guess Stephen is still tweaking things or has he gone AWOL I don’t see a lot of activity on Trello.

Most of us lost our avatars. Even though my avatar was still showing in my profile section, it wasn’t being displayed here in the forum. So I deleted the avatar file and uploaded it again. That’s when it started working again.

When you paste in a YouTube link, are you pasting in the URL from the top of YouTube or are you pasting the link you get from the Share button? I seem to have more luck with the Share button link.

Hi Mark, I tried to access my profile picture on the forum to delete it but it won’t let me.

RE YouTube I right click the video and copy the video address from the list of options. Not the page address from the top of my browser bar. It was working when I posted Red River Valley and the Christmas Vids. But not with Grandfather Clock. It seems to push the save button of the bottom of the screen even though there is on one or two lines of text. I’ll look for the Share Button link and let you know how I get on.

Ok Mark I have had a look on YouTube and I can’t see a Share Button

Ok I found the Share Button, and it was the same address. I tried it and the same thing happened it pushed the save button off the screen

Well, whatever deleted our avatar pics also seems to have deleted pics posted in line on the forum. Here’s a link to the post I made a while back showing how to change your forum nick name and avatar. The info is still good, bit the example pics are missing.

Let’s try a YouTube link:

So, as soon as I posted the link, the post preview pane over on the right shows a preview of the video. I don’t see a Save button below. All I see is a Reply button. I’ll go ahead and click that now to make sure this posts.

Well, that seems to have worked. You mentioned in another post that you’re using Internet Explorer. Is there any way you can try Chrome or Firefox to see if the problem persists? I’m telling you, I.E. just seems to have odd problems with the new site so far.

Hi Mark, Ok I got the Avatar to work but not the Video I am not seeing a reply button. As for Chrome and Firefox I don’t want to install them I have tried them both in the past and I just don’t like them. I had more problems with them than I have with IE. I believe there’s a lot of hype surrounding so called issues with IE. Everyone has their FAV browser I have been using IE pretty much since version 1.0. It’s like an old T shirt it’s comfortable so why change. The issues are with the website not the browser. Stephen needs to step up and fix this.

One final thing before I head off to bed I am seeing a salmon pink bar along the top of the screen as I scroll down the page. It’s not there on the main Forum page just when I enter a thread. Are you seeing this ?

I have posted a screen shot on Trello. with lot’s or arrows. This bar appeared around the same time the Save Button and the Avatars disappeared. Just before all this happened I reported that the Menu bar was disappearing intermittently. These are all coding issues.

Here’s what it looks like when I reply.
Capture

I was really talking about more of a test.

Some of it may be hype, but there are a lot of legit issues with IE and it’s replacement, MS Edge. Every web browser has its own rendering engine, and IE has always come in at or near the bottom when it comes to page rendering time. Don’t take my word for it. Check out the online comparisons, like this one for 2017 browsers.

More to the point, Ben’s new site is hosted on Google servers, and Microsoft is known for making its browsers behave poorly on their competitor’s web sites. It’s a well documented fact.

I hear you. We’re all creatures of habit. Sooner or later, though, you’re going to have to change. MS no longer supports IE. They’ve put all of the eggs in the Edge basket now. Edge is as different from IE as Chrome or Firefox (I think even moreso.) So if you’re going to have to switch anyway, why not get something that works better?

While I agree that it needs to be fixed, my guess is that it’s pretty low on the growing list of issues that need to be addressed because it has a work around (albeit one that you don’t like, which is trying another browser.)

Yeah, I just started noticing that yesterday or the day before. Not sure what that’s about.

Yeah, the menu disappearing was reported to Stephen weeks ago.

HI Mark,

RE the Reply Button, I thought you meant it was there when I pasted the YouTube link. I was talking about when I created a new post.

Re Chrome and Firefox - You need to install these before you can test. I am not prepared to do that. Others may have these and can report their findings.

In any case the goal of any web designer should be to make the website run on ALL platforms not just the ones the web designer favours. Ben has student’s from all around the world, not everyone is net savvy. He needs a functional website that functions on all his customers platforms not just the one that use Chrome or Firefox

Continued

There are issues with all browsers, As for server surveys I take little notice of them. As long as IE works I’ll use it.

Mark you misunderstand me if you think I am complaining. I am reporting the issues that are unfolding on the website. I am trying to share my experience as a web designer to help my good friend Ben.

The Pink bar along the top is an indication of bad code. I appreciate that is a low priority on Stephen’s list but this is a problem he has created since the launch… The point I am making is this is NOT a browser issue it’s a coding issue.

I have had to split this conversation because the reply button disappeared. There is insufficient space in the preview window and that’s whats forcing the REPLY button off the bottom of the screen.

My isp Said no issues with trace so that’s all they can do ?
Oh well . That’s it then .

It’s possible I can still help. I’m an IT consultant by trade. I’m not ready to give up. Let me know if you’d like some assistance.

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Ok what do you need

Let’s start with what kind of device you’re using. Also, if you could PM me your email address and a good time to work with you, we can set up a remote desktop session so I can see the problems as you see them. I’m in Houston, Texas, so Central Standard Time. If you have a PC or Mac, it would be better to use one of those as opposed to a smart phone or tablet (unless the tablet is running Windows.)

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Thank you so much, Mark.

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i tried one last thing. ghostery add on in firefox . blocks all tracking and analytical stuff. BINGO!!
Site loading much faster .

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That’s great news! Glad you got into figured out. I’m going to look in to that add-in for future reference.

Thanks for sharing your resolution.

OK, so I just read about it on the Ghostery page. It sounds like it blocks external links. It might all be good, but Ben’s new site pulls data from several external servers to serve up what we use here. If you find that you have issues loading videos, accessing saved data or anything unusual, keep that add-on in mind. It could be the cause.

Other than that, great job finding a solution!

Mark the same is also true for IE. I have to turn off Tracking Protection in order to view Vimeo Videos.

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