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Author Topic: Re CA  (Read 5734 times)

kitz

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Re CA
« on: September 14, 2007, 01:12:14 AM »

Fletch made a post elsewhere about CA, but I brought it in here, because it is kinda a new topic and I didnt want to take the other one OT.

But anyhow I went back there yesterday as someone had contacted me about adsl speeds and asked me to have a look.
Whilst there I noticed that finally they seem to have some admin and they seem to at long last be doing something. :)

Tonight I noticed this - Im not going to comment too much other than state some facts and I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
(information taken from http://info.alexa.com/ )

Traffic graph over past year - on the left you can see their ranking was at 25k just after kobit left and before someone else took over.
You can also see the effects that the server problems had on the site and the times when it was bad.





This is their current ranking for the past week.



The fact that such a supposedly major site isnt ranking in the top 100K must be causing concern somewhere.
Put it this way - the fact that a "small private site" like this one is outranking them in the UK stats, then they are gonna be mighty worried.

Quote
Computeractive.co.uk traffic rank in :
United Kingdom - 5,169

Kitz.co.uk traffic rank in :
United Kingdom - 3,668
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Floydoid

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2007, 06:06:14 AM »

I've given up going to CA, too many timewasters and idiots have infiltrated the site.
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roseway

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2007, 07:29:56 AM »

I've never been there before (I didn't even know what it was) but I found that with Firefox the forum was impossible to use because a drop-down banner thing talking about the company obliterated most of the page. It was OK with a different browser.
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Accordion

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2007, 09:04:42 AM »

That problem with FF isn't the only one. There's a work-around to stop the ads, but the site doesn't handle content properly when using FF either. Paragraph spacing doesn't work, they all put dots in to overcome that.

The administration that's been going on isn't as good as you think Kitz. If there aren't any complaints, it's still possible to get all sorts of junk remaining in place.

To warrant you returning there, in my opinion, there should be some kind of public apology from the administration team over the way you were treated.

It's habit that keeps me there - I know there are far better run forums to go to.
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kitz

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2007, 09:09:36 AM »

>> but I found that with Firefox the forum was impossible to use because a drop-down banner thing

They were told about that months ago that they had a problem with their CSS  - didnt realise they still hadnt fixed it.  It was banging head against brick wall sometimes.  After kobit left they put someone in charge who was about as much use as a chocolate tea-pot.

For example

- Over the xmas hols when the offices were closed - she didnt know how to remote access the admin panel.  (it took me 2 mins to find it even though I didnt know the software or layout).
- Refused to believe that the site was experiencing severe slow-downs since it was ok for her.  Eventually they believed when I pointed out a huge lag and often 90 - 100% packet loss between a PoP and the data center.  Performing a simple tracert tracked down their problem.
- Believed that adding more modules would improve the performance on the database - despite me saying this would cause additional load and slow things down further.  She backed down on that one and admitted I was right a week later.
- I gave them details of how to improve the data flow and increase performance (instructions found on the Jive site) which she eventually got someone to carry out.  She only admitted that it had been a problem when I brought it out in the open because I was peed off that Id tracked down the problem and advised them.   They obviously carried out the work - but she didnt even bother replying to my PM saying - "yep that did it thanks".
- Id long ago told them months ago they had a problem with the CSS
- The final straw was when I advised her in a PM some information about the problem they had with multi-id trolls and she replied "They cant be the same people since they have signed up with different email addresses" and she didnt even know what IP tracking was.

Actually "chocolate tea-pot" is being kind.

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roseway

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2007, 10:28:04 AM »

I don't think I've missed out by not knowing about CA, and I don't think I'll be going back.
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fudgem

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2007, 08:19:57 PM »

That may explain why she isn't around any more kitz
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oldfogy

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2007, 05:20:44 AM »

That pretty well sums up everything that I have been commenting on on the CA site over the last few months.

One other thing the graph does not show is the fact that the site used to be busy 24/7, now come 1:00am it's dead, or at least it was the last time I visited before departing (never to return) because of being fed-up with all the nonsense that is allowed to carry on, not to mention the continued faults with the site over the last three to four YEARS of which they do not seem to be bothered about so long as the articles keep coming.

It is the comments from the users that ideas and articles are created from and that's all they care about.
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tickmike

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2007, 12:18:51 AM »

I've never been there before (I didn't even know what it was) but I found that with Firefox the forum was impossible to use because a drop-down banner thing talking about the company obliterated most of the page. It was OK with a different browser.


I use FF and cannot see any banner ?.
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roseway

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2007, 06:57:32 AM »

It's on every forum page here. Maybe you already have the fix which Accordian mentioned above.
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fudgem

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2007, 08:08:39 AM »

It's on every forum page here. Maybe you already have the fix which Accordian mentioned above.


If you enter the site from here http://forums.vnunet.com/you don't seem to have any problems but entering it from here  http://forums.computeractive.co.uk/index.jspais a different matter altogether.  They can't seem to get that one fixed
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roseway

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #11 on: September 16, 2007, 10:27:26 AM »

Actually on my system I see the same problem with both those links. I use Linux, which may account for the difference I suppose.
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Floydoid

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #12 on: September 16, 2007, 10:38:17 AM »

I used to have the same problem when viewing in FF, but using IEtab fixed it.  Since my recent system re-install, the problem has gone away.

I find it ironic that for a magazine that likes to sing the praises of firefox, their site is a pig to get to work properly in it.
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kitz

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #13 on: September 16, 2007, 10:23:00 PM »

Ive mentioned the CSS problem several times before but its one of those things that they seem to be ignoring.  They have a CMS thats wrapped around the forums that seems to be causing the problems and its why it affects the CA one more than the VNU.net one since they use different CSS.

The spacing thing is also a CSS problem which Kobit was going to try and look at, but aiui he was only employed on some sort of sub-contract for x amount of time.  During that period I know he spent a lot of time fixing problems of old..  and I know he even used to work during his "own personal time" trying to clear up some of the stuff that he shouldnt really have had to.  Unfort I think his contract came to an end before he had chance to look at the FF spacing since the CMS and CSS didnt really fall under his remit.

>> There's a work-around to stop the ads

That could perhaps be the hosts fix that I published last year. Most of the regs implemented it.. and the thread is still quite often referred to when people complain about the ads thing.  Its one of those things that you only have to implement once.

If you use something like proxomitron as a content/ad filter.. that will also stop them in their tracks
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tickmike

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Re: Re CA
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2007, 10:57:13 PM »

It's on every forum page here. Maybe you already have the fix which Accordian mentioned above.


If you enter the site from here http://forums.vnunet.com/you don't seem to have any problems but entering it from here  http://forums.computeractive.co.uk/index.jspais a different matter altogether.  They can't seem to get that one fixed

I do not have any problems with both links and I do some times go on that site but I cannot remember having any problems with it.
Do you configure FF >tools> options.
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I have a set of 6 fixed IP's From  Eclipse  isp.BT ADSL2(G992.3) line>HG612 as a Modem, Bridge, WAN Not Bound to LAN1 or 2 + Also have FTTP (G.984) No One isp Fixed IP >Dual WAN pfSense (Hardware Firewall and routing).> Two WAN's, Ethernet LAN, DMZ LAN, Zyxel GS1100-24 Switch.