Author Topic: This Forum  (Read 32485 times)

1SO

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #70 on: May 23, 2020, 12:21:49 PM »
I know nothing about the mechanics of a Forum and after the first couple of lengthy shutdows just decided to accept that one day this won't be here and all my projects will be done.

etdoesgood posted about recruiting new members, and I've been concerned that the current speed can only dissuade the next etdoesgood from spending any time here.

Bondo

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #71 on: May 23, 2020, 01:46:16 PM »
It feels like it shouldn’t be magic, there should be a way forward with the forum, whether that involves rules that reduce size/bandwidth load of forum or contributions to support the tech.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #72 on: May 23, 2020, 02:39:57 PM »
Yea, forums have basically been around since the beginning of the Internet so I'm having a hard time believing we can't come up with a cost efficient solution. Even if that means perhaps turning off search again like we did at one point, I think we'd all be willing to make some sacrifices.

I hate the Reddit and Facebook options because they're not good at fostering readable discussions. The branching reply system is annoying to me. Discord is okay, but once again feels like something for more quick, digestible takes and not the more long-form posts we engage with here.

I have been a part of a couple of forums using Discourse  and I wonder if this would be a cheaper option. Not sure what the traffic is like for this forum.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2020, 04:27:37 PM by Sam the Cinema Snob »

saltine

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #73 on: May 23, 2020, 07:27:32 PM »
I turned off the Search function and I do see a bit of difference in the speed. Other suggestions? And, would you rather have the Search function even if it means the forum is slower?

Also, I notified Adam of this issue days ago. From his lack of response, I'd say that this is where we are now with this forum.
Texan Down Under

MartinTeller

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #74 on: May 23, 2020, 08:36:16 PM »
I can’t say it seems any faster to me. I, for one, never use search. I’ve found it unreliable so I just use Google to search the forum.

Sandy

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #75 on: May 23, 2020, 09:59:00 PM »
I feel like I'm in dial-up days.

I don't have technology ideas, but would budget in money to support the forum.


smirnoff

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #76 on: May 23, 2020, 10:46:07 PM »
I wish I understsood the issues better. The current hosting seems quite expensive. A quick google for webhosts that support SMF forums took me here. Even for their best package it's only $250 canadian dollars a year. It feels like we have enough active members who don't want to see this place go away, who would be willing to contribute a buck a month (and that seems it would be more than enough).

I'm not sure if there's some other variable I'm missing though that makes our forum particularly burdensome on serves.

Bondo

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #77 on: May 23, 2020, 11:51:05 PM »
I don't know if it is a relevant factor, but there seems to be a ton of activity on the forums that isn't visible. If you look at the forum stats, there are thousands of new users created each month and often hundreds on at a time. This seems utterly implausible based on the actual posting rate of 75 posts/day. I don't know if that is just what happens with existing on the web or if this forum is targeted more by malicious traffic but it feels like that might be part of the burden.

The other question might be about media...if it would make a difference, would blocking photo/video links take too much away from the value of the forum?

1SO

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #78 on: May 24, 2020, 12:44:33 AM »
The other question might be about media...if it would make a difference, would blocking photo/video links take too much away from the value of the forum?
Id be surprised if this was a factor. When tinypic went down it took a lot of our media with it.

pixote

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Re: This Forum
« Reply #79 on: May 24, 2020, 01:47:32 AM »
Yeah, linked media should have zero effect on forum performance. Search functionality should have minimal impact as well. The best thing to save bandwidth and improve performance would be to limit what Guest users can view — as most of our traffic is from bots. That said, our current issues have more to do with server issues than with forum performance. Still, my preference would be to turn Search back on and instead limit Guest users to just the three main “Filmspotting” boards: Announcements, Comments, and Show Discussion. Also, it would be best not to let guests view the “Print” pages, which load entire threads all at once.

pixote
« Last Edit: May 24, 2020, 02:16:57 AM by pixote »
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