Ad Rotation Software

Hello.....I'm looking to put 10 Banner Ads on top of one another in a Column and I'd like the ads to ROTATE with each new visitor to the page.

ex: Ad #1 moves down to space #2....Ad #10 moves up to space #1...etc so that each time the page is viewed the ads are in a DIFFERENT position.

I'm looking to do this so that I can tell the buyers of the ads they will get EQUAL EXPOSURE! Otherwise I'd have to charge a much lower price for ads below space #1.

I feel there's got to be some program out there that will do this. I don't need any kind of "counter" or "tracking" stuff...just a simple rotation.

Any info you can provide would be much appreciated.

Thanks......Don Alm


Home-Based businesses

> Hello.....I'm looking to put 10 Banner Ads
> on top of one another in a Column and I'd
> like the ads to ROTATE with each new visitor
> to the page.

Just go to javascript.internet.com and type "rotate banner" into the search prompt. You find a few pre-written javascripts to help you do this. All you will have to do Don, is copy and paste the code as per their instructions. This is likely the best solution for what you want to do.

Best Regards,
Steve MacLellan


homebusiness-websites.com

Steve...thanks...that's a great site for Java scripts.

I still can't find a script that will do what I'd like. Maybe the best way is to show you the actual Page I'm working with.

This Page has Ads in 2 columns...2 Ads per row.

I'd like to have the Rows all move down 1 space whenever someone clicks on the page so that the Ads on the Top Row are not always on the Top Row...so that ALL Ads will get EQUAL exposure because they are rotating with each new visitor.

Now...maybe I'm worrying about something that may not be of importance here. Maybe viewers to the Page WILL scroll down to see ALL the ads.

From a "Marketing" standpoint what do you think?

Will MOST people viewing this Page scroll down to the bottom or won't they?

This is why I'm looking for an "Automatic" Ad Rotator...so that IF viewers don't want to scroll down and just look at the Ads that appear on the screen when it first opens...each person who clicks on will see DIFFERENT Ads at the Top Rows.

To do the "Automatic Ad Rotation";

1) Do you think this can be done best with "CGI" or "JAVA" scripts?

2) What would YOU charge to set this up for me?

Thanks.....Don Alm

> Just go to javascript.internet.com and
> type "rotate banner" into the
> search prompt. You find a few pre-written
> javascripts to help you do this. All you
> will have to do Don, is copy and paste the
> code as per their instructions. This is
> likely the best solution for what you want
> to do.

> Best Regards,
> Steve MacLellan




The subject Ad Page

The Correct URL

I'd like to have the Rows all move down 1 space whenever someone clicks on the page so that the Ads on the Top Row are not always on the Top Row...so that ALL Ads will get EQUAL exposure because they are rotating with each new visitor.

What you might want to do Don, is download a Perl CGI script called Rotating Placement. This is a free script courtesy of The Dream Catcher's Web Free CGI Scripts!

Then you make up as many pages with the ads positioned how you want them and call the script into your pages using SSI (Server Side Includes). I'm sure this is enabled on the site where you have this ad. I see the site runs Apache/1.3.9 (Unix) PHP/3.0.13 mod_frontpage/3.0.4.3 on FreeBSD. The default for Apache Server Software is to have SSI enabled. If they are offering more advanced support for things like PHP, you can be pretty well assured you can use SSI.

Then when you have the script configure just the way you want it, you call it into your page with one line of code:

I wrote an article about how to do this, that will show you an example. I've only used two rotations for this example. The article appeared in my free newsletter several months ago, but I just had another look at it, and it is still working fine.

This is a better way to do it then using Javascript. Javascript is dependent on the user's browser. Server Side Scripting isn't.

The biggest part of this job will be making the 30+ pages with the ads positioned where you want them, but the beauty is you can make them all rotate. You will probably have to change the extension on the page from ".htm" to ".shtm" depending on how your server is configured to parse SSI.

I'll tell you what I will do if you need help, Don. If you want to make up the 30 pages and send me the URL's of each page. For example:

http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad1.htm
http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad2.htm
http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad3.htm
http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad4.htm
http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad5.htm
http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad6.htm
etc.etc.etc

... this weekend I'll install the script for you for free. Once all the pages have been created it would only be about 5 minutes work for me to install it for you. I am pretty well booked through this week, (he-he) except for the time I goof off posting to message boards.

...but you may already have it figured all out by then. The script isn't complicated at all.

Best Regards, Steve MacLellan




homebusiness-websites.com

The stuff you know about programs, design and web stuff in general is...mind-bogling.

Thanks for the response and...after a hard, 2 days worth of thinking and researching and thinking...I'm just going to let the ads stay where they fall.

I think that if someone is interested enough in property...they will be interested enough to spend the energy to scroll down to the last Ad.

Plus...I can use the fact that spaces are NOT filled according to "Alphabetical" order but rather...FIRST-COME-FIRST-ON...as a sort of "incentive" to get agents to JOIN...NOW!

Thanks much for your help. very much appreciated

Don Alm

> I'd like to have the Rows all move down 1
> space whenever someone clicks on the page so
> that the Ads on the Top Row are not always
> on the Top Row...so that ALL Ads will get
> EQUAL exposure because they are rotating
> with each new visitor. What you might
> want to do Don, is download a Perl CGI
> script called Rotating Placement . This is
> a free script courtesy of The Dream
> Catcher's Web Free CGI Scripts!

> Then you make up as many pages with the ads
> positioned how you want them and call the
> script into your pages using SSI (Server
> Side Includes). I'm sure this is enabled on
> the site where you have this ad. I see the
> site runs Apache/1.3.9 (Unix) PHP/3.0.13
> mod_frontpage/3.0.4.3 on FreeBSD. The
> default for Apache Server Software is to
> have SSI enabled. If they are offering more
> advanced support for things like PHP, you
> can be pretty well assured you can use SSI.

> Then when you have the script configure just
> the way you want it, you call it into your
> page with one line of code:

> I wrote an article about how to do this,
> that will show you an example. I've only
> used two rotations for this example. The
> article appeared in my free newsletter
> several months ago, but I just had another
> look at it, and it is still working fine.

> This is a better way to do it then using
> Javascript. Javascript is dependent on the
> user's browser. Server Side Scripting isn't.

> The biggest part of this job will be making
> the 30+ pages with the ads positioned where
> you want them, but the beauty is you can
> make them all rotate. You will probably have
> to change the extension on the page from
> ".htm" to ".shtm"
> depending on how your server is configured
> to parse SSI.

> I'll tell you what I will do if you need
> help, Don. If you want to make up the 30
> pages and send me the URL's of each page.
> For example:

>
> http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad1.htm
>
> http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad2.htm
>
> http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad3.htm
>
> http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad4.htm
>
> http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad5.htm
>
> http://www.roseburgoregonrealestate.com/ad6.htm
> etc.etc.etc

> ... this weekend I'll install the script for
> you for free. Once all the pages have been
> created it would only be about 5 minutes
> work for me to install it for you. I am
> pretty well booked through this week,
> (he-he) except for the time I goof off
> posting to message boards.

> ...but you may already have it figured all
> out by then. The script isn't complicated at
> all.

> Best Regards, Steve MacLellan

> The article appeared in my free newsletter
> several months ago, but I just had another
> look at it, and it is still working fine.

Steve,
I just went to your site to subscribe to the free newsletter. I read the message there to mean that you are not accepting subs currently because of a faulty script.
Is this right?
Thanks


My magic shop

> Steve,
> I just went to your site to subscribe to the
> free newsletter. I read the message there to
> mean that you are not accepting subs
> currently because of a faulty script.
> Is this right?
> Thanks

Hi John,

I could have emailed you and told you the problem was fixed, but I thought I would post a message here in case my experience can help others. Thanks for asking John. I edited my page to remove that statement.

To start with, the last couple of years or so I used the free service provided by Listbot. Although I was fairly happy with this service, there was a couple of things I didn't like about it. Mostly... it was not having the ability to personalize my newsletter. Other marketers I knew advised me that I could increase the response rate I received from my newsletter by personalizing it.

At this time, my service provider was Calgary online (a local ISP dial-up). I found some great software that I liked called Worldcast and started importing my database from Listbot, into a local database read by Worldcast. This way I was able to personalize my newsletters. This worked great. As a matter of fact, I wrote a tutorial on how anyone can do the same thing.

Then Calgary Online went out of business. I subscribed to @home.com for my service provider.

Anyone who has used this service knows that page and software downloads are lightening fast, but there has been a lot of trouble with their mail servers. This had affected many subscribers who were complaining they were not receiving my newsletter. I got to say RATS! 'Cause this method worked really well for me. Listbot handled the mundane chore of automatically subscribing and unsubscribing folks, and it also automatically sent out my "welcome message" etc...

After sending out personalized versions of my newsletters, my response rate and bank account both said it was indeed worthwhile to personalize my newsletters. Well...I figured, that isn't a problem. There are a lot of already written free CGI scripts to handle this; I will just install one of these.

The first couple of scripts I installed failed due to server time-outs. Many servers have restrictions on the amount of messages you can send at one time. This is set to curb would-be spammers. Then I installed Add2it, written by Frank Bauer. It was supposed to send out batches. This would provide a work-around for server time-outs. That seemed to be OK but the problem was, when someone new subscribed the database would become corrupted, and would not mail to everyone on the list.

I moved on. I tried Umail, StepWebs Auto Mail, RobMail and Subscribe Me before settling on two programs written by Ron Wooly. Listmerge used with E-lists has proved to be a worthwhile installation. Ron's scripts have the makings of becoming a great commercial package, but my experience with them is that it does take a little tinkering of the Perl code to make it work the way you want.

Now I suppose some of you might think: this guy is a web developer. He probably has other resources...

Yes and no!

It's true that there are commercial packages of CGI software on my hard drive that customers have purchased and sent to me to install for them on their sites. I do as I'm told. I install them and make sure they are working. That's it! My job is over. So I don't have any experience using them or working with them. To install and use scripts that I didn't purchase and have no right to use would not only be wrong it would be theft. Plus it would defeat the purpose of my free newsletter which is geared to helping people develop their own business web sites.



Custom Programming From Free Scripts

Just in case anyone ever wanted to know, sometimes I do use free scripts to create custom programs for customers. These are scripts where the author doesn't mind if you modify their script and use it anyway you want.

Here is an example:

Two years ago there was a script written by Leif M. Wright called leftform.cgi. It was a very simple script that would take the input from a form and write it to a flatfile database. At that time Leif didn't really care what anyone did with it. Since then it has gone through numerous revisions and two name changes. The original script, which no longer exists to my knowledge, was modified by me to work with the Redicart Shopping Cart from iTransact.com. Here is what I did:

Using this script as a basis for my work I modified it to capture data from people ordering from the customer's shopping cart. It is now programmed to write the contents to a flatfile database. (which the customer can import into his own database he keeps in his office on his computer). After the script writes this data it looks to see what product was purchased. Then it triggers a different autoresponder for each individual product that was purchased. This allows the customer to immediately backend the purchase with something extra and related to the primary product purchased.

What?

Well suppose I buy lawn seed from you. What would be better to back-end this purchase with? A new watering hose or website development?

That's the beauty of this script. The email it sends the purchaser depends on what product they bought.

Do I sell this script or other scripts I've done this to?

No! As far as I am concerned Leif doesn't have any rights to my modified programming. But because the work done was based on his programming, I don't feel I have the right to sell the script. In this case the customer is the winner, because he was only charged for the modifications and re-programming and did not have to pay for the initial script AND did not have to pay for having the WHOLE thing programmed from scratch.

Steve, why are you posting this rant?

I've had some people email me with messages like "...well don't you have a copy of the script you could install for me?"

Sure... if you buy a copy and send it to me.

Other scripting and programming is most likely custom solutions tailored to specific customer needs. These things are not for sale either, yet if you hire me to provide a custom solution there is a good chance I will be able to provide the solution.

In Conclusion

I would like to believe that I run my business as ethical as I can. This is partly why you hear me talk about free CGI programs more than paid for ones. Free scripts are something everyone has access to, which can often provide solutions for small businesses who are struggling to get their business on the web while working with a shoe-string budget. Been there! Done that! Guess what? I still like free things as well as the next guy. :-)

Best Regards, Steve MacLellan




homebusiness-websites.com

Steve and all,
glad to give you the "excuse" to get it off your chest. A good thing too because I am sure that that sort of piggy-back request is received by most people who do custom programming.
I use the WorldMerge from Coloradosoft to send out my newsletter, "Your Trick a Day". I am impressed with its ability to personalise it and became an affiliate but this is a straight link;
http://www.coloradosoft.com/
The best Mailing list program I have bought used is Tiger from England but they stopped developing it because they weren't getting the return they wanted from it. Now they don't want to know about it at all. If it had personalisation... sigh!
There are a couple of others which look like they might do what I want but I have to do the work and can't donate the time to checking every one out.
So, if anyone here has used Mailing list programs other than the above or had different experiences with these I would be very interested to hear from them directly or through the Forum.
Thanks.

> Hi John,

> I could have emailed you and told you the
> problem was fixed, but I thought I would
> post a message here in case my experience
> can help others. Thanks for asking John. I
> edited my page to remove that statement.




the magic shop I put up so people could subscribe to my free newsletter!

What you could do is create ten different pages. Each page with the banners in their new positions.

Then, have the link that goes to those pages, be a random link.

Each time someone follows the link to the Agents Pages, they end up at a different page.

And to stop people from bookmarking one of the Agents Pages, you could have a small Javascript at the top which reads where they came from. If they didn't come from the main page they're automaically diverted back to it.

Hope this helps.

Michael Ross.