The Tripod Insider
IN THIS ISSUE
Get the lowdown on this week's newsletter.
– When bad ads turn rad
THE INSIDER
News and gossip from the Guru
We interrupt our normal Insider schedule for a very special announcement!
Ask anyone of the Tripod persuasion what they want most in life and
you'll get the same answer. Once you get past the tropical island hideaway,
that is. The dream of every Tripod user is simple: They want an ad on their
Web page that does not, uh, suck. Well, I'm pleased to report we've gone
beyond not-sucking to the once unthinkable: COOL ADS. Now I'm sure
that we'd all prefer NO ADS, but the truth is they pay the bills around
here. Most importantly, they keep Tripod FREE. And everybody likes FREE.
So we did the next best thing. In the dark days before our latest
breakthrough, you had only two ad options: You could stick with a big ol'
embedded banner that sat like a fat cat at the top of your page, taking
up valuable real estate. Or you could go for the floating pop-up box. Now
we knew the annoying pop up ad was beyond all hope, so we gave the embedded
banner a complete makeover.
When it comes to ads, bigger is not better, so we made the new banner ad
mucho smaller. How? It turns out the solution was staring us (and you,
sorry about that!) right in the face. We simply took the groovy Tripod
logo and links ("email this page" and "inform me of update") and plunked
them inside the banner off to the right. You'll be amazed at how much page
space that saves. We didn't stop there.
In the Brave New Ad World, CUSTOMIZE rules! First, we've set aside space
inside the banner where you can either include up to 3 links from a list of
Lycos Network hotspots (Download MP3, Cool Web Gear, Chat with Me, many
more!) or add a graphic of your choice. We also took a tip from
the online MP3 Player world and created a gallery of skins. That's right,
now you can change the look of your ad to match your mood.
How do you get these rad ads? It's easy. New users will get the improved
ad as a default. Existing users with the old embedded ad will be automatically
updated to the new look. Existing users that still have the pop-up box (we
feel your pain) can switch by visiting the My Ad Preference page, linked
from the My Account area. The My Ad Preference page is also where'll you
go to customize your new ad.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled site-building, already in
progress.
BUILDING TIPS AND TRICKS
Find the latest and greatest homepage-building tips and tools here!
Does it seem like everyone else's pages are alive with trendy Flash
animation while your site look as static as an oil painting? Check out
Webmonkey for a Flash tutorial.
MEMBERSHIP QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Get the inside dirt on some of the questions most frequently fielded
by our dedicated membership department!
Q: How do I place a counter on my page?
A: The code for a basic Tripod counter is as follows:
<IMG SRC="/bin/counter/page_name.html">
If the file name of your page is "index.html," the counter code will
look like this:
<IMG SRC="/bin/counter/index.html">
This code will produce the actual counter. You can place your own text
around it if you wish. The above HTML code will work on any Tripod page.
Currently, you cannot change (by manually increasing or resetting) the
number on your counter. You can, however, change the color of your counter.
The additional code looks like this: ?RRGGBB. Add it to the end of the
line of code, like this:
<IMG SRC="/bin/counter/index.html?000000">
The six digits following the question mark are a standard hexadecimal
color code. In the line above, a black counter would be created, since
the color black corresponds with a hexadecimal code of "000000."
SUPER MEMBER SITES OF THE WEEK
Check out all of this week's Super Member sites!
"It all started in the Depression." So begins Johnny Berg's story
recounting his colorful career as a sign painter.
OK, maybe you don't want Abba's "Dancing Queen" as your cell phone ring
tone. EricssonTne.com has hundreds more.
Marie created her "Gifted Teens" site to share her thoughts and inspire
increased tolerance among other teens.
Please send all comments, questions, and tiki torches to:
Stephen Beaupre
Insider Guru
beaupre@tripod.com
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what's happening on and off the Tripod Web site. Past issues of The
Insider are available.
Tripod-Lycos, Inc.
400-2 Totten Pond Road
Waltham, MA 02451
http://www.tripod.lycos.com
