A frustrated message to IPC
- Thread starter Rivers & creeks
- Start date
Phoenix of Hamble
Well-Known Member
The site is flakey, suffers regular failure or degraded performance, and there has been no significant development in features or functionality in the last 8 years or so...
IPC have done a pretty poor job of caring for their asset... It would appear, looking from the outside in, that there is no clear ownership of the site, with various factions from advertising, through editorial to IT being in control, that between them seem unable to deliver results to the most important group.. the users.
IPC have done a pretty poor job of caring for their asset... It would appear, looking from the outside in, that there is no clear ownership of the site, with various factions from advertising, through editorial to IT being in control, that between them seem unable to deliver results to the most important group.. the users.
Dave_Seager
Well-Known Member
If everyone took the advice given here and installed adblockers then there would be no reason for advertisers to buy space on this site. Without that income, presumably the site would soon be closed down.
It is essential that the site remains attractive to readers who still see the advertisements otherwise it cannot attract the advertisers needed to support it.
It is essential that the site remains attractive to readers who still see the advertisements otherwise it cannot attract the advertisers needed to support it.
jbweston
Well-Known Member
It's a bit like ITV and skipping through the ads in a video recording. As long as enough people don't block the ads, that leaves those who don't want to see them free to block them but still gives the advertisers an audience, so everyone's happy.
I use Firefox with Adblock Plus (which does what its name says) and NoScript to block the worst of the Google tracking. That's my permanent setup for all web browsing and it seems pretty effective as well as being almost zero maintenance.
Ex-SolentBoy
Well-Known Member
I think we are perhaps a little too worried about IPC. They are not doing this for charity I suspect.
It would be interesting to ask IPC how much this forum actually costs them. I am willing to bet it makes a profit. If it doesn't, it should be passed over to someone else because with this level of membership it should make money.
This is not an expensive facility to operate. There are several software alternatives that provide this sort of facility, and anyone with a little technical expertise could operate it. Any web search yields hundreds of forums, and not all are ad supported.
I have noticed an increase in IPC's use of content from the forums in their publications. The comments here are of value to them. I they offer to pull the plug because we are blocking ads I hope someone with the technical know how calls their bluff and spends a couple of hours setting up an easy alternative for us to migrate to.
It would be interesting to ask IPC how much this forum actually costs them. I am willing to bet it makes a profit. If it doesn't, it should be passed over to someone else because with this level of membership it should make money.
This is not an expensive facility to operate. There are several software alternatives that provide this sort of facility, and anyone with a little technical expertise could operate it. Any web search yields hundreds of forums, and not all are ad supported.
I have noticed an increase in IPC's use of content from the forums in their publications. The comments here are of value to them. I they offer to pull the plug because we are blocking ads I hope someone with the technical know how calls their bluff and spends a couple of hours setting up an easy alternative for us to migrate to.
Phoenix of Hamble
Well-Known Member
Solentboy.... running a forum is indeed very easy.....
Running a forum with the load this one gets is somewhat less so...
It would be a bit more than 'a couple of hours setting up an easy alternative'
If it was me running it, i'd stick it on Amazon's EC2 infrastructure and run it with a shed load of processing capacity.
I do however agree robustly with your comments about the potential to make money.... there are opportunities screaming out.
Running a forum with the load this one gets is somewhat less so...
It would be a bit more than 'a couple of hours setting up an easy alternative'
If it was me running it, i'd stick it on Amazon's EC2 infrastructure and run it with a shed load of processing capacity.
I do however agree robustly with your comments about the potential to make money.... there are opportunities screaming out.
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Ex-SolentBoy
Well-Known Member
Ok, I agree a little exaggeration to get the point across.
I did my 20 years in application software, database management and development tools. The industry is split between those who tell you how hard it is, and those who just get on with it and find an easier way to do it. The great thing about this decade is that the former are falling by the wayside and with the price of stage and processing power coming down there is really no excuse for a slow running site.
The forum seems to have less than 1000 concurrent users. It hardly needs a Cray to run it!
Phoenix of Hamble
Well-Known Member
I agree generally, and would like to think i'm in the 'JFDI' camp!
But in fairness to IPC, a 1000 concurrent users on a forum like this means that there are a very significant number of scripts and database queries running at any one point in time, which as we know, isn't very kind to a server (or realistically, servers).... but that's just a case of giving it enough 'food and water'.
And a virtualised environment like EC2 is more than capable of running that kind of load (with its eyes shut!) and would make the site as quick as greased lightning!
But in fairness to IPC, a 1000 concurrent users on a forum like this means that there are a very significant number of scripts and database queries running at any one point in time, which as we know, isn't very kind to a server (or realistically, servers).... but that's just a case of giving it enough 'food and water'.
And a virtualised environment like EC2 is more than capable of running that kind of load (with its eyes shut!) and would make the site as quick as greased lightning!
James Bragg
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I've posted this news in the Website News and Feedback forum but I'll repeat it here because it's cropped up.
In the next couple of weeks you'll notice that when you are signed in, you will not see adverts. This is an effort to speed up the pages loading and keep you all content! It's the first step to improve speed.
I've posted this news in the Website News and Feedback forum but I'll repeat it here because it's cropped up.
In the next couple of weeks you'll notice that when you are signed in, you will not see adverts. This is an effort to speed up the pages loading and keep you all content! It's the first step to improve speed.
Major Catastrophe
Well-Known Member
Not quite. I pay over £40 a month to Sky and still have to sit through the ads.
YBW is free and the ads help pay for the site. I do use adblocker, but only switch it on for YBW when there is a particularly annoying advert.
At the moment I have launched ablocker for YBW because of the page loading issues...and I have a fast broadband service.
By the way ablocker is very useful when watching ITV Player, Five online and 4OD as it automatically removes all the commercial breaks.
Madhatter
Well-Known Member
Nonsense, the adds do have an effect and like has already been pointed out to you not all of us have got such a sweet connection.Also read the post about what was done to speed up the site " adblock " was installed nothing to do with tweaking just getting rid of the object slowing the site down
Richard Shead
Slipped Anchor
Test post
Test
Test
Major Catastrophe
Well-Known Member
And the result is......?
PhilipF
Well-Known Member
Matter of interest: I use a MacBook running under 10.5.8 and browser Firefox 3.6.14 Don't use any blocking at all, not the slightest problem as regards speed of loading on this, or for that matter, most other web-site's.
But here is another interesting point: Internet Connections; I would have thought many would do as I do, not use hard wired, but connect via mobile, apart from time on the boat, I like to travel, so 3G the obvious answer.
Our marina has a WiFi service. I recently did a test here: WiFi speed 1008 Kbps as compared with 3G at 1600 Kbps. Result - I never use the marina for an internet connection, far too slow.
But here is another interesting point: Internet Connections; I would have thought many would do as I do, not use hard wired, but connect via mobile, apart from time on the boat, I like to travel, so 3G the obvious answer.
Our marina has a WiFi service. I recently did a test here: WiFi speed 1008 Kbps as compared with 3G at 1600 Kbps. Result - I never use the marina for an internet connection, far too slow.
alan_d
Well-Known Member
Completely false analogy, I am afraid.
Sybaris
Well-Known Member
Thanks
Thanks OP and other contributors to this thread.
We are live aboards and often have to pay Internet access by the MB (mobile dongle), and we have to struggle with slow access most of the time, so this was a fantastic tip.
I installed AdBan to Firefox and browsing is now great and I hope it will save me money as well.
Cheers,
Per
Thanks OP and other contributors to this thread.
We are live aboards and often have to pay Internet access by the MB (mobile dongle), and we have to struggle with slow access most of the time, so this was a fantastic tip.
I installed AdBan to Firefox and browsing is now great and I hope it will save me money as well.
Cheers,
Per