1. Apparently, if you're not a Paid user, there's an tracking script for advertising from Media 6 Degrees that also stops appearing with this opt out. But, that's nothing you need to worry about, either.
2. To turn it back on, go to the console and use the command: set opt_exclude_stats 0
Also note: The most likely historical reason this opt-out works is likely coincidental, not purposeful, and as such, it might not work someday. It probably wouldn't be worth LJ's time to remove it, but I can't say for sure. If that happens, you'll have to learn other ways to block the script to get it to stop running again.
Also note I am a ditz and mixed up the values originally--1 sets the opt out, 0 sets it back on.
By coincidence I mean: this opt out came around when LJ added Hitbox statistics to all LiveJournal pages. This being LJ, people were upset, and LJ made an opt out for those people. I don't think LJ uses Hitbox anymore, but the "hook" in the code that put the Hitbox code onto the site was also the easiest way to put other scripts like this Driving Revenue one onto all site pages, as well. Since that hook obeys the opt_out, so do these current scripts. So, LJ probably didn't mean for this script to have an opt out, but due to how it got implemented, there is one!
That empty bottom div ("hello world") was used to store the hook to Hitbox? The one I tried and failed to style a few months ago as I told you in another post? I always wondered what it was doing there. Interesting, indeed!
Hmm, I'm not sure--while I know that opt_exclude_stats is the opt out used, it looks like they were excluding it from user domains. So, at some point, some extensions must have been made to that hook that put it onto site styles, but not necessarily the Hitbox ones, since they said they weren't going after user journal stats (which I believe, since the useful stats are the ones on the internal application pages, to make sure that people are finding what they need and accomplishing what they start).
Interesting, all the same. I paid zero attention to the whole Hitbox scandal when it was first unfolding since at the time I was such a happy LJ user. Seriously. I was like, whatever. So I missed out on all the research I could have been doing on that when it was still fresh.
That's why it didn't work when I first tried it (only a few minutes after you posted!).
I've done both the opt-out and the adblock, because it really, really, really did slow down my browsing, and I don't even have a crappy computer... Though I don't think that's the only bogging problem LJ has - the scrapbook, useless at the best of times (but I use because, well, it's there and I'm already logged in), will hardly function. I got impatient trying to upload something to it today (the upload screen never came up) and more and more my f-page is 'waiting on [whatever the pics/livejournal url is]'.
Another thing that might help speed up your LJ experience if you haven't already is adblocking the ShareThis JavaScript--I've heard it can be laggy, too.
Scrapbook has definitely been laggy lately, but there's not much to do on that part except wait until it gets fixed.
First, thank you for your post. LJ has been slower to react when I click links since yesterday. I guess I know why, now.
Second, sorry to be a bother, but may I ask you a couple of questions?
1/ Does opting out using the admin console block anything else or just that script?
2/ If I ever need/want to, how do I cancel the opt-out?
In any case, thanks for your time :)
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1. Apparently, if you're not a Paid user, there's an tracking script for advertising from Media 6 Degrees that also stops appearing with this opt out. But, that's nothing you need to worry about, either.
2. To turn it back on, go to the console and use the command: set opt_exclude_stats 0
Also note: The most likely historical reason this opt-out works is likely coincidental, not purposeful, and as such, it might not work someday. It probably wouldn't be worth LJ's time to remove it, but I can't say for sure. If that happens, you'll have to learn other ways to block the script to get it to stop running again.
Also note I am a ditz and mixed up the values originally--1 sets the opt out, 0 sets it back on.
Reply
Thanks a lot again for the explanations. I really appreciate the help :)
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I've done both the opt-out and the adblock, because it really, really, really did slow down my browsing, and I don't even have a crappy computer... Though I don't think that's the only bogging problem LJ has - the scrapbook, useless at the best of times (but I use because, well, it's there and I'm already logged in), will hardly function. I got impatient trying to upload something to it today (the upload screen never came up) and more and more my f-page is 'waiting on [whatever the pics/livejournal url is]'.
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Scrapbook has definitely been laggy lately, but there's not much to do on that part except wait until it gets fixed.
Reply
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