What the hell is going on at ESPN.com?

Logan · 02-26-2005, 09:20 AM

This is starting to really annoy me.

Apparently, ESPN.com has now chosen to separate their articles onto different pages, making you click "continued..." links to keep reading the article. Presumably this is all to increase the amount of ads we see, and in turn, makes them more money. Do they really need this? Last night I was trying to read a Len Pasquarelli article about the Niners and the #1 pick, and the damn thing was unnecessarily on 4 pages!

Just now, I was trying to read this article about the Charles Woodson signing and it was on 2 pages, where 1 would have clearly been enough.

Am I the only one bothered by this?

jetpunk2000 · 02-26-2005, 09:23 AM

Sportsline did this a while back, and ESPN has followed suit. Interesting about the ad reasoning. Never thought of that, though it makes perfect sense.

Easy Mac · 02-26-2005, 09:27 AM

I saw that the other day. I could have sworn they had a button then that would let you put it all on one page, but I'm not sure.

CraigSca · 02-26-2005, 09:27 AM

I just noticed this the other night. Never really clicked with me - but it's just one more way the free Internet isn't necessarily free.

Soon, probably all worthwhile sites will require a paid service just to skip these multiple part web pages. Nickel and dime, nickel and dime, and then you ultimately realize your "web bill" is comparable to your cable bill.

Draft Dodger · 02-26-2005, 09:39 AM

ESPN.com is a terrible website that gets worse and worse every day - right on par with it's TV counterpart.

HomerJSimpson · 02-26-2005, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

ESPN.com is a terrible website that gets worse and worse every day - right on par with it's TV counterpart.

Yup. Used to check it every day, but now they have gone "pay" for so much, I rarely use it.

Logan · 02-26-2005, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

I saw that the other day. I could have sworn they had a button then that would let you put it all on one page, but I'm not sure.

Yeah, I see that now. There's a "single page view" button at the bottom of the page. Of course, clicking on that opens...drumroll please...a new page with a new ad.

Easy Mac · 02-26-2005, 09:55 AM

I don't see any ads.

Maple Leafs · 02-26-2005, 10:04 AM

From a web design perspective, there's at least some valid reasoning behind "chunking" an article into several pages. Some studies have shown that users are more lilely to read an article in pages than if they're presented in one long scrolling page.

That said, I hate the idea and almost always use the single page or "printer friendly" option to get everything on one page.

NoMyths · 02-26-2005, 10:08 AM

CNNSI does it as well. The other advantage, of course, is that it gives you data on who actually continues to read the entire article...and thus, if they have columnists that don't get read as much, they can respond appropriately.

AgustusM · 02-26-2005, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

ESPN.com is a terrible website that gets worse and worse every day - right on par with it's TV counterpart.

I agree - I find myself going to espn.com less and less - what do you guys use instead. I have tried cbs sport line, yahoo sports and si but I don't like them as well either.

Draft Dodger · 02-26-2005, 11:37 AM

mostly TSN.ca - of course, I mostly am looking for hockey news (when there is such a sport) so ymmv

Ksyrup · 02-26-2005, 06:52 PM

CNN's been doing it for awhile. Doesn't bother me so much, unless they have the "continued page" links screwed up, which has happened a ouple times already.

General Mike · 02-26-2005, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

CNN's been doing it for awhile. Doesn't bother me so much, unless they have the "continued page" links screwed up, which has happened a ouple times already.

Agreed. The Daily Targum's continued page links never work.

albionmoonlight · 02-26-2005, 07:11 PM

You get what you pay for. If a decision proves unpopular enough to lose them some serious eyeballs, they will change back.

SirFozzie · 02-26-2005, 07:57 PM

BTW.. they also (accidentally or deliberately) crash FireFox with Adblock too.

SnowMan · 02-26-2005, 08:50 PM

Glad to hear it's not only me getting the FireFox crashes.

sterlingice · 02-26-2005, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AgustusM

I agree - I find myself going to espn.com less and less - what do you guys use instead. I have tried cbs sport line, yahoo sports and si but I don't like them as well either.

I used to read Sporting News (tsn.com) a lot but ever since they merged or whatever with Fox, they've gone downhill.

SI

JonInMiddleGA · 02-26-2005, 09:00 PM

See if you can find the "ESPNlite" page & bookmark it instead of the regular one -- it seems to eliminate the whole Netscape/Mozilla crash problem (all you miss is the occasional story in the top right corner ... and all the annoying as hell stuff they do with with flash/etc.)

edit to add: duh me. Instead of "see if you can find", try this
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/lite/

sterlingice · 02-26-2005, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

BTW.. they also (accidentally or deliberately) crash FireFox with Adblock too.

I have Firefox 1.0 with Adblock and I can do it just fine. But their godforsaken ads still get through the popup blocker (I think it's doubleclick who do their ads). Asshats.

SI

HomerJSimpson · 02-27-2005, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

See if you can find the "ESPNlite" page & bookmark it instead of the regular one -- it seems to eliminate the whole Netscape/Mozilla crash problem (all you miss is the occasional story in the top right corner ... and all the annoying as hell stuff they do with with flash/etc.)

edit to add: duh me. Instead of "see if you can find", try this
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/lite/

I love it, thanks.

Solecismic · 02-27-2005, 12:49 PM

I stopped using ESPN a long time ago. The lite version has too many broken links, and is almost impossible to surf.

SirFozzie · 02-27-2005, 01:24 PM

ah.. found a fix that worked for me.

Add the following into your adblocker

http://adsatt.espn.go.com/*

02-26-2005, 09:27 AM	#4
CraigSca Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Not Delaware - hurray!	I just noticed this the other night. Never really clicked with me - but it's just one more way the free Internet isn't necessarily free. Soon, probably all worthwhile sites will require a paid service just to skip these multiple part web pages. Nickel and dime, nickel and dime, and then you ultimately realize your "web bill" is comparable to your cable bill. __________________ She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah! how do you know? how do you know?

02-26-2005, 09:39 AM	#5
Draft Dodger Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Keene, NH	ESPN.com is a terrible website that gets worse and worse every day - right on par with it's TV counterpart. __________________ Mile High Hockey Last edited by Draft Dodger : 02-26-2005 at 09:39 AM.

02-26-2005, 10:04 AM	#9
Maple Leafs Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2002	From a web design perspective, there's at least some valid reasoning behind "chunking" an article into several pages. Some studies have shown that users are more lilely to read an article in pages than if they're presented in one long scrolling page. That said, I hate the idea and almost always use the single page or "printer friendly" option to get everything on one page. __________________ Down Goes Brown: Toronto Maple Leafs Humor and Analysis

02-26-2005, 11:37 AM	#12
Draft Dodger Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Keene, NH	mostly TSN.ca - of course, I mostly am looking for hockey news (when there is such a sport) so ymmv __________________ Mile High Hockey

02-26-2005, 06:52 PM	#13
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	CNN's been doing it for awhile. Doesn't bother me so much, unless they have the "continued page" links screwed up, which has happened a ouple times already. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

02-26-2005, 09:23 AM	#2
jetpunk2000 Waterboy Forever Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Oceanside NY	Sportsline did this a while back, and ESPN has followed suit. Interesting about the ad reasoning. Never thought of that, though it makes perfect sense.

02-26-2005, 09:27 AM	#3
Easy Mac Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Here	I saw that the other day. I could have sworn they had a button then that would let you put it all on one page, but I'm not sure.

02-26-2005, 09:55 AM	#8
Easy Mac Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Here	I don't see any ads.

02-26-2005, 10:08 AM	#10
NoMyths Poet in Residence Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Charleston, SC	CNNSI does it as well. The other advantage, of course, is that it gives you data on who actually continues to read the entire article...and thus, if they have columnists that don't get read as much, they can respond appropriately.

02-26-2005, 07:11 PM	#15
albionmoonlight Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: North Carolina	You get what you pay for. If a decision proves unpopular enough to lose them some serious eyeballs, they will change back.

02-26-2005, 07:57 PM	#16
SirFozzie Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: The State of Insanity	BTW.. they also (accidentally or deliberately) crash FireFox with Adblock too. __________________ Check out Foz's New Video Game Site, An 8-bit Mind in an 8GB world! http://an8bitmind.com

02-26-2005, 08:50 PM	#17
SnowMan High School Varsity Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Georgia via Alaska via Washington	Glad to hear it's not only me getting the FireFox crashes.

02-26-2005, 09:00 PM	#19
JonInMiddleGA Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA	See if you can find the "ESPNlite" page & bookmark it instead of the regular one -- it seems to eliminate the whole Netscape/Mozilla crash problem (all you miss is the occasional story in the top right corner ... and all the annoying as hell stuff they do with with flash/etc.) edit to add: duh me. Instead of "see if you can find", try this http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/lite/ __________________ "I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis Last edited by JonInMiddleGA : 02-26-2005 at 09:01 PM.

02-27-2005, 12:49 PM	#22
Solecismic Solecismic Software Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Canton, OH	I stopped using ESPN a long time ago. The lite version has too many broken links, and is almost impossible to surf.

02-27-2005, 01:24 PM	#23
SirFozzie Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: The State of Insanity	ah.. found a fix that worked for me. Add the following into your adblocker http://adsatt.espn.go.com/* __________________ Check out Foz's New Video Game Site, An 8-bit Mind in an 8GB world! http://an8bitmind.com

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