Have We Lost Site Visitors?

[manfredvijars]

Hit counters aren't an accurate metric and the 'thousands' of hits are anomalous.

We are able to trace 'user-paths' into the system, and so far this year we've only had TWO ".edu" based browsers and none that are recognisable as 'Schools'.

Part of the upgrade will insert better visitor tracking code so we can analyse our readership better and adjust our pages accordingly.

Still working on a solution to muster the thousands of 'bot' applications we get every month over a cliff before they clog up my mailbox. Keeping the Forum 'clean' is VERY time-consuming.

M.

[Darren]

Hi Manfred,

I don't think most people have any concept of what is involved behind the scenes in maintaining the board. I don't do much work with websites but certainly know the issues people have with hackers and bots.

I would like to say a big thank you from me and probably everyone else for the amount of time that you devote to looking after us and keeping the trash that often destroys these sites away.

We all have our ideas of what would be best but the bottom line is we can't ask for something that isn't easy and practical for a volunteer to maintain. We run no advertising and don't have sponsorship of the site from what I understand and the running costs (hosting fees and software costs) are supported by the membership fees of the ABPA. It is a fantastic resource that is delivered on a shoe string budget.

Thanks again Manfred.

[Bob Pacey]

Spot on Darren. I have never been much of a computor buff but once i registered with ABPA a whole new world opened up to me.

I have made some really great friends and thats what is all about for me.


Cheers and many thanks Manny

Get it Many thanks Manny oh gees I'm sharp.


Bob

[Maureen K Clifford]

Well said Darren and I add my thanks as well to Mannie and also to the green and greeny purply shaded moderators who do such an outstanding job as well - even if one is slack and away fishing Caught any yet Zondrae???

Bob you are as sharp as a used razor blade - oh sorry was that a bit blunt gammin.

Have been trolling through the site back to day one and one thing I have noticed, not that I am too sharp myself, is that across the board, the registered users poetry without a doubt is scoring far more hits per poem that the members poems. Presume this is because it is accessible to the public and that IMO speaks volumes.

Do think that perhaps when the site is revamped and that should not fall on Mannies shoulders if outside assistance is required we need to get it - bit hope that perhaps a members only Lounge could be introduced purely as a chat-room for all the different subjects we seem to embrace here, photo's, video clips, more sensitive subjects perhaps etc etc. A few other sites I am on have that facility and it seems to work well - those who don't want to participate of course don't have to, but it is a way of freeing up the publicly visible parts of the site from a lot of trivia that would have no meaning to outsiders.

Not that you want to become elitist but you know what I mean I hope

Cheers

Maureen

[Terry]

Hi Maureen,
Just check the collaborative poems section and you will see what it used to be like for members poems on the old forum.
Cheers Terry

[Maureen K Clifford]

I remember what it was like on the old forum Terry I was on the old forum It seems so long ago time flies by so quickly these days

[Terry]

G/day Again Maureen,
I probably as usual didn't phrase that as well as I might have, you were there on the old site long before me.
What I meant was it's worth a look at the collaborative page to remind us, I had a look the other day and noticed some of the earlier poems are well into the thousands of hits already.

Terry

[manfredvijars]

Yes, thank you Terry, I hear you ...

[Terry]

G/day Manfred,
Sorry mate, I didn't really mean to be laboring the point.
Actually I'm happy enough as things are, I was just making an observation that had suddenly occurred to me.

Cheers

Terry

[manfredvijars]

Sorry Mate, on re-reading my response to your post I realised that it could sound a bit snippity - Was not the intention, I do apologise. It's a good point ...

Cheers,

Manfred.