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The great splash page experiment of 2007!

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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22708 - Karma: 76,635
Ok guys, we have to conduct an experiment that might irk a few of you, but we HAVE to do it. 

You see, we've been closely watching our traffic stats, and currently ~20% of the traffic that attempts to visit Newschoolers.com doesn't get past the splash page.   We tried to fix that by making the picture a link, and having some of the latest news articles on there, but the bounce rate went up.  

We need to see if having no splash page would drastically change this bounce rate, or if that's just standard web traffic behaviour.    Even if we have to ditch it for the public though, we'll make it so that you can just put a cookie on your computer that will have you able to see it.   But, we won't know unless we give it a try. 

So, sometime within the next few days we're going to just set it that NS drops you right onto the homepage, bypassing the Splash page.   We'll collect data for one week, and then report back about what happened. 

Just bear with us, we love the splash page as much as you guys do, but 20% of the traffic bouncing off of it is crazy!   We need to figure out what we've done wrong! 

Thanks for understanding guys, you are the best community a website could ever ask for!


Nov 23 2007 10:29AM
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MacMahoooon
Posts: 9009 - Karma: 3,305
Doug, would a large amount of the bounce traffic not be attributed to kids having www.newschoolers.com as their home page? I know there was a thread a while back and a large percentage of kids seemed to have it set as home. Therefore opening any new browser would recognize it as a hit and run. Might want to try and compare those stats to the reffering site stats and see how many come from "none"
Nov 23 2007 10:58AM
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Snowcase
Posts: 11456 - Karma: 634
You could also compare them to unique visitors vs regulars.
Nov 23 2007 11:13AM
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QuazBotch
Posts: 3909 - Karma: 223
I thought a lot of the guys with it bookmarked may have bookmarked the actual newsy homepage, not the splash page.

The bounce percentage seems reasonable to me, so I guess it's worth a try.
Nov 23 2007 11:25AM
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theBOSS.
Posts: 4705 - Karma: 496
This makes a lot of sense. I know I had my homepage set to the splash page for a while, as did a lot of people I know. You could probably look on a unique-IP basis and figure out if this is the case.
Nov 23 2007 11:34AM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22708 - Karma: 76,635
I'm sure there are a zillion things that could be causing it... but the only way to know what the effect is of not having it is to gather data of it not being there.   Once we've tried that, we'll know what the other end of the spectrum is... and then we can get down and dirty to sort out what is causing it. 

However, without taking it down we'll never know.  Its gnarly though if it really is true that so many people are bouncing off of it... that would suck.   ;)


Nov 23 2007 11:46AM
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freezed
Posts: 12973 - Karma: 500
yeah, the splash page is my home page, so any time i open a browser for anything, i go to the splash page and then navigate away. 
Nov 23 2007 2:03PM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22708 - Karma: 76,635
Honestly, hopefully that is exactly what causes it.  If it is, then re-directing the newschoolers.com link to the homepage instead of the splash page wouldn't change the bounce rate at all.  People with their homepage set to newschoolers.com would just have it go to the main news page, and the bounce rate wouldn't change at all.   Then we know!


Nov 23 2007 2:53PM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 150
i set the default page to be: https://www.newschoolers.com/ns3/web/content/main.php

So I rarely see the splash unless i want to check and see the new background..not sure how many others do the same thing though.
Nov 23 2007 3:21PM
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Jwenz
Posts: 8893 - Karma: 7,633
I haven't used the slash page in about a year or so...seems silly. I just have my FireFox tab set to the main news page. That way I don't have to worry about random crap. But I definitely understand that the rate is 20 percent. You get kids like freezed said, who have homepage set as www.newschoolers.com then go do homework (very unlikely) on another website. I know that would be a problem. Well good lucky dougy poo
Nov 23 2007 6:28PM
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grams.
Posts: 7406 - Karma: 186
Yeah my homepage is the splash page. I would have it set to the main page like a lot of people are saying, but personally I enjoy seeing a nice skiing shot every time I open the internet. Kind of like a background/desktop.
Nov 23 2007 7:20PM
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ax_murderer
Posts: 3322 - Karma: 30
Do it! But keep us updated you got me interested if it will change without the splash page.
Nov 23 2007 9:37PM
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,014
i need the splash page, where else am i going to get my desktop backgrounds from?
Nov 23 2007 10:40PM
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Karcher
Posts: 3788 - Karma: 1,934
this is the most well-thought out piece of info I have ever read in a thread.
Nov 23 2007 11:24PM
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bobs
Posts: 4801 - Karma: 868
 yeah me too. i'm sure alot of kids just have NS as their homepage because really why wouldn't you
Nov 24 2007 2:24PM
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Avifarer
Posts: 5926 - Karma: 598
i'll probably get flamed but whats the splash page
Nov 24 2007 3:33PM
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grams.
Posts: 7406 - Karma: 186
the front page where you login
Nov 24 2007 4:01PM
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Jake...
Posts: 11976 - Karma: 296
here is a story relivant to this. My home page was NSG back in the summer. So the first day of university i couldn't get my internet working, so my RA comes over, logs in with his ID, and the NSG opens and he is reading all the thread titles, then looks at me with the most fucked up look on his face. I'm sure he forgot about it by now though... nothing like a great first impression.
Nov 24 2007 6:20PM
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skodeo7
Posts: 14949 - Karma: 9,234
I love the Splash page and can say I'd be very disappointed if it didn't exist. I think MacMahoooon hit the nail on the head. I know I have NS as my homepage and often times I navigate away from it immediately so I don't find myself balls deep in NS by the time my paper is due. Keep the splash page!
Nov 24 2007 8:04PM
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Jorgen.
Posts: 1361 - Karma: 35
Ditto. Keeps us updated I want to know if having it as the homepage is the problem.
Nov 25 2007 1:40AM
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Pippin
Posts: 4846 - Karma: 661
haha yea, having it as your homepage would deff cause some procrastination
Nov 25 2007 3:45PM
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Danger.
Posts: 3476 - Karma: 58
You could add some news, etc. to the splash? Not exactly on topic, but if the bounce rate isn't just from having the page set as home it could help attract more people?
Nov 27 2007 1:08AM
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almostaskier
Posts: 13809 - Karma: 93
Do it!
Nov 27 2007 1:50AM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22708 - Karma: 76,635
We did it! 

Chris just brought up an excellent point.   If you have the splash page set as your homepage/bookmarks then you'll still go there.   The splash page is still accessable if you directly type in the web address.  So nobody change their homepage links, and we will be able to somewhat measure how many people have the splash page set as their homepage!




Nov 27 2007 2:17PM
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Ryno
Posts: 31125 - Karma: 336
My firefox just deleted everything i had on it, settings, bookmarks, the works.

I'm looking at you doug...
Nov 27 2007 2:23PM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22708 - Karma: 76,635
Whaa?


Nov 27 2007 3:01PM
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maclem
Posts: 2497 - Karma: 17
omg, its today.
Nov 27 2007 4:17PM
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Pippin
Posts: 4846 - Karma: 661
that would ruin my day
Nov 27 2007 4:34PM
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grams.
Posts: 7406 - Karma: 186
That happened to me a couple weeks ago when it did one of the mandatory Firefox upgrade things. I lost all my bookmarks, everything.
Nov 27 2007 4:40PM
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tBatt
Posts: 9632 - Karma: 580
same here, but im the one using the comp about 85% in my family, and if im on the comp, then im logged onto ns
Nov 27 2007 4:43PM
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invaderskier36
Posts: 6192 - Karma: 41
i miss it already
Nov 27 2007 5:23PM
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ijibgoremtn
Posts: 4221 - Karma: 13
same i like seeing some epic skiing pic
Nov 27 2007 6:08PM
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grams.
Posts: 7406 - Karma: 186
if you already miss it just type in www.newschoolers.com/web/splash/splash

https://www.newschoolers.com/web/splash/splash
Nov 27 2007 6:09PM
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connoroh
Posts: 2333 - Karma: 246
a lot of kids have this as their homepage. I do.
Nov 27 2007 6:13PM
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Pklink04
Posts: 5608 - Karma: 392
god thats good stuff
Nov 27 2007 9:31PM
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PeteyG
Posts: 2946 - Karma: 49
thats never happened to me but cool anyway
Nov 27 2007 10:20PM
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skodeo7
Posts: 14949 - Karma: 9,234
BAH! Something just doesn't feel right! Its like not having a cover on a ski magazine.
Nov 27 2007 11:44PM
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mattster
Posts: 4120 - Karma: 41
I HATE IT!
i dont care if 50 percent of the members are scared away by thinking that you have to sign in and you cant browse as a guest... fuck em!
Nov 28 2007 2:41AM
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Tapes
Posts: 1469 - Karma: 7
still that doesn't work well enough. many (including me) have ''www.newschoolers.com'' set up as their homepage.
Nov 28 2007 9:14AM
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wrenegade
Posts: 6631 - Karma: 41
I also do not like this. Bring back the cover.
Nov 28 2007 12:56PM
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bobs
Posts: 4801 - Karma: 868
yup, i previously had www.newschoolers.com as my homepage.  I just reset it too splash/splash. 
Nov 28 2007 12:56PM
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mtbakerteacher
Posts: 4185 - Karma: 20
Return the splash page! If visitors are being scared away by such a friendly entry, they don't deserve to enter anyways. The login is the same as most sites, and it's pretty straightforward. Have 'www.newschoolers.com' redirect to the splash, not the news.
Nov 28 2007 9:36PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Thank God for the NS bookmark. Didn't even notice we didn't have a splash page at www.newschoolers.com anymore before this haha.
Nov 28 2007 9:37PM
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Rippy087
Posts: 666 - Karma: 12
I'm officially irked, bring the splash page back asap
Nov 28 2007 11:47PM
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mysterymanjgj
Posts: 411 - Karma: 13
if it is "scring" people awa I think it's because the link that tells visitors who aren't members to log in is really small and people probably have no idea what to do if they're not a member. make the fact that you can still go inside if you're not a member mroe prominent so people who don't know abotu the site will still go past eh splash page.
Nov 29 2007 4:26PM
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Mat.
Posts: 7167 - Karma: 94
yeah ns is my homepage!
Nov 29 2007 4:48PM
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bobs
Posts: 4801 - Karma: 868
very good point.
the guest login link is small. i get scared away from other sites where it looks like i have to login
Nov 29 2007 9:42PM
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Rippy087
Posts: 666 - Karma: 12
good point
Nov 29 2007 9:53PM
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3ski6guy0
Posts: 9201 - Karma: 132
oh thats why when i clicked the homepage it always took me passed the splash page. it pissed me off so i went and changed myhomepage to the splash page
Nov 29 2007 11:03PM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7821 - Karma: 21,848
Ok I was wondering why that was.
Nov 30 2007 8:59AM
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skodeo7
Posts: 14949 - Karma: 9,234
hahaha yea, my homepage used to be www.newschoolers.com, now its https://www.newschoolers.com/web/splash/splash
Nov 30 2007 3:14PM
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