Hey, everyone. Michael here with a META post. We’ve got plenty to cover about the site, so I thought I’d do it all in one place.
Quick life update you can skip if you only want site stuff:
For those curious about my son, Leo, he’s doing much, much better after our trip to the ICU all weekend. Short version of the story: my little guy (he’s turning four in two weeks) woke up almost completely unable to breathe on Wednesday night. We called 911 and were taken to our local ER in an ambulance. There, they were able to open up his throat and get him back to just being regular sick (which is always still tough for him because of his asthma, but it’s manageable). Unfortunately, 24 hours later we were headed back to the hospital (his throat wasn’t closed up again, but he was having a very hard time breathing as he got sicker), where we stayed in the pediatric ICU through Sunday morning. We’re all doing a lot better now, though. And I can’t say enough nice things about our nurses. They are just the best people on the planet. Doctors get all the glory, and we’re obviously grateful for them too, but those nurses did so much work *and* went out of their way to make Leo happy.
Bug Fixes!
Okay, by now, you should have noticed that the green “Please wait while your request is being verified…” message is completely gone. As I mentioned to some of you in the comments, this was advanced protection against bots and AI crawlers to help keep the site stable, but it was also an inelegant fix that we have since improved. I hope you never see anything like this again, and sorry it took so long to adjust.
We have also repaired some stuff that will prevent the front end of the site (what you guys all see) from going down if the back end goes down. It actually happened once already, and I don’t think anyone noticed, so that’s the goal! This would have helped at the deadline, for example. We might not have been able to write anything, but at least you guys could have still accessed the site. I have learned enough to know this positively does not mean the site will not go down again. But I think we took a big step forward.
Likewise, I have a long list of other things to fix, some small and visible to you, others not. It just takes time, and I am always fighting for tech/dev resources at Betsperts. Zero-sum game, so I need to make my case. That’s why I often ask you guys for comments … I can show them at meetings and say, “SEE! BN needs to be fixed ASAP!”
To that end, even if you’ve told me before, I ask again: Has the site been doing that reload/refresh thing for any users lately? Like you go to an article, scroll down, and the page reloads? If so, please let me know in the comments. Probably only happening to people on mobile, so if so, include your device type, please!
Removed Some Ads
I made some design changes to the home page and some category pages, which include removing some of our ad slots. I am also in the process of limiting which types of ads can show up in the bottom sticky slot, so they don’t overlap the page. I have also made some adjustments to the video player, so if you X it out, it shouldn’t return while you’re still on the page (unless you’re on the page for a really long time … it’s just how that works).
I also moved some other ads further down the page because of new features, which should make your initial load a little less ad-heavy. I’ll show you that at the end of the new features section coming next.
We have to have ads; it is how we keep the site free and our employees employed while the rest of the industry fires writers left and right, but I promise I don’t want to just have a page full of ads. The goal is to make the most amount of money for the least amount of ads.
And if you don’t want to see ads, remember, you can go Ad Free at any time.
New Features
We’re still working out some kinks, but I’ve got some new features that I hope make the experience on Bleacher Nation better!
At the top of your page on mobile, you’ll now see two new elements:
(1) The four team logos, which you can click to take you to the respective category pages quickly …
And (2) a next game/last game drop-down.
This will display the next matchup and time (defaults to Cubs on the home page, but to each team on their respective pages) and the last game’s final score and outcome. We’re still tweaking it to make sure it updates quickly enough, but the gist of it is live and operating correctly.
I know that’s not exactly a game changer, but I just want the site to be a little more useful, and I think that helps.
The same goes for that “Latest Headlines” dropdown button on the mobile homepage. Click that, and you can find all of our core content (Cubs, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks) articles in reverse chronological order. Easy way to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
By now, you should be plenty familiar with the “Happening Now” section, which is just an easy way for us to pin gameday stuff (pregame posts, highlights, injury news, postgame stuff, etc.), but I also added a “For You” section, which suggests articles you may like to read based on your activity on the site.
And finally, for now, I added this new widget on both mobile and desktop (home page and article pages). It has all four team categories in a quick switcher, so you can quickly see the most recent stories, as well as each team’s record and current standings.
This is the feature that moved ads lower on the page and out of view. It also allowed me to shorten the scroll depth of the home page and remove some ads there, as well.
Personnel Changes
I am sad to report that Cole (who’s been doing our weekend bullets and game coverage) has put in his two weeks’ notice. But I am THRILLED for him. He’s got a new opportunity in the industry (not Cubs- or Chicago-related) that he’s very excited about, and I am excited for him. I will be sad to lose him, but happy he’s getting a shot he’s always wanted. Cole is awesome. When he has news to share, we’ll be sure to blast it for him.
With that said, his vacancy will make room for more from Jacob Zanolla, who has interned with us all summer. More on that when all of our plans are solidified, but yes, you can expect to see more Jacob around these parts, and that’s great, because he’s great.
New Features and Further Bug Fixes Coming
I am working on getting standings for Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, just like we have on the Cubs page, and that should be done shortly. I am also fixing the pagination on the category pages, so when you click page 2 … you can actually see where page 2 starts. It’s a mess to explain, but don’t worry about it. The fix is done; we just need to find time to deploy it.
Beyond that, there are still LOADS of stability and speed improvements to make, but those are more investigatory. The good news for those who don’t want to hold their breath is that we actually have a brand new, much MUCH better resource to help us with this now. He’s the one who made it so the front end should stay up in the event of the site going down in the first place, though that’s just a band-aid for the deeper problems we’re still addressing.
Again, it’s going to take time, but we are in a much better place long-term than we have been in a while.
If you notice any consistent bugs OR if you have any feature requests, please let me know! I am always trying to come up with ways to make the site faster and more user-friendly.
I know it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride this year, but I appreciate all of you. This is a community I care about deeply. I barely know any of you in “real” life, but I feel like I’ve known so many of you for so long. When Leo got sick, I felt a strong urge to tell you all and get support from you guys. And you know what? It made a difference. It made me feel better. So thank you. And let’s have a great week.
Hence then, the article about meta fixed some stuff removed some ads new features rolled out life update personnel changes more was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( META: Fixed Some Stuff, Removed Some Ads, New Features Rolled Out, Life Update, Personnel Changes, More )
Also on site :
- SwimOutlet Has a New App. Can It Make Buying Swim Gear Easier?
- 7 Notable Catholics Converted by Fulton Sheen
- Falcons’ Drake London gets in heated exchange with fan he claims got ‘personal’ during blowout loss