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Some interesting TWT numbers

I don't post much but I'm glad I found this site when doing a Google search for the Bandit...I usually check this site at least a couple times a day just to see what's happening. :shrug:
 
Glad to have TWT. It's more like a family group than anything. People from across the state that knoe each other and there's always someone to talk to, or ride with or visit or get help from here. It's a good thing. I grew up using forums, my first was for my truck. I've gone through a handful of them - each was a season based on life.

Anyway, I don't do FB or social media, I like forums for the knowledge content. The upgraded interface with mobile devices is useful though for posting pics and vids.

I just know yall were here at a time I needed and it meant a lot, and now yall are stuck with me.
 
Scott, I have really enjoyed the forum and will continue to do so.
I wanted to thank you for the work you do in keeping it up, and the 'digital atmosphere' you've created and maintained so well for this group.
I hope the upgrade goes smoothly.
 
Once I think I have all the kinks of the migration process worked out and am ready to do it for real, I will send out a mass email to all the TWT users letting them know when it will be done. The site will likely have to come down for 24-48 hours. I probably won't be getting much sleep during that time.

I assume you'll remind everyone of the FB page so we can all gather there to moan and gnash our teeth about how long the changeover is taking?
:mrgreen:
 
Those are fascinating numbers, Scott, especially regarding the volume of spam, which is astounding just by itself. The migration to ZenForo should be interesting, especially for us longtime TWTers.

It's funny you mention the backlash against big social media platforms, because I've been greatly reducing my participation in them for many of those very reasons. It's great to have a place like TWT by comparison. My prediction is that forums will make somewhat of a comeback over the next few years as people again seek out online communities that are free from the social-engineering agendas of platforms like Facebook and Google.

P.S. My post count went below 10,000, so you definitely nuked some stuff. LOL. :)
 
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I enjoyed reading the stats and I greatly appreciate all you do to keep the site running. In a world pretty filled with drama, TWT is one of the few places I can go online and enjoy the content without the “noise”.
 
Are you switching to XenForo, Scott?

Good luck with the changes, they are not easy, I'm sure. I'm going to have to do the same thing at some point. Upgrade forum software, find a substitute for subscriptions, upgrade the php and MySQL versions, archive the 20 year old CMS and implement a new one and get all the HTTP: links out of 1600 html pages.... :doh: Not looking forward to it at all.
 
I know it's a lot of work, but there's a bunch of us out here who are grateful for TWT.
 
I assume you'll remind everyone of the FB page so we can all gather there to moan and gnash our teeth about how long the changeover is taking?
:mrgreen:

:lol2:

:tab I was talking to another friend about that very thing last night. They asked why I was trying to hard to reduce the site down time during the change over. I told them that even if I send out a mass email to everyone, post a warning thread here, and maybe even do a marquee banner across the top of the page, ALL WEEKS BEFORE, my phone, email, and FB will ALL be blowing up with people telling me the site is down! :doh: Oh well... It is what it is. At least they care ;-)

P.S. My post count went below 10,000, so you definitely nuked some stuff. LOL. :)

:tab Actually, they should still be the same for now. I have not rebuilt the post count index since doing all the nuking. I probably won't do that either as it really doesn't affect anything to leave it as is.

Are you switching to XenForo, Scott?

Good luck with the changes, they are not easy, I'm sure. I'm going to have to do the same thing at some point. Upgrade forum software, find a substitute for subscriptions, upgrade the php and MySQL versions, archive the 20 year old CMS and implement a new one and get all the HTTP: links out of 1600 html pages.... :doh: Not looking forward to it at all.

:tab Yeah, I finally had to get off the pot and start getting serious. For the most part, it seems like everything will migrate over without too much trouble. I am having a few issues on the test imports with user/forum permissions getting all wonky, so I will basically have to rework all that from scratch. In moving to a VPS, I got all the latest versions of CentOS, php, MySQL, Apache, etc,... installed. This is also partly why I am switching to XF from vB. Staying with vB would require WAY too much work to do the upgrade. The CMS stuff will have to be reworked, but I don't really have that much outside of the vB forum structure other than the TWT Photo Gallery. I can copy that data over because it is just image files sitting in directories, so the links will still work even though I won't be able to maintain existing user albums and other features related to the gallery add-on. Going forward with XF, we'll have to do something else. As far as keeping the links working, there is a nice add-on that you can install in a few seconds that makes all the old post/thread links work perfect. So you don't actually have to go back and try to change all the existing links. As for the change from http to https... I am not sure about how that will work. I think it can be as easy (for someone that knows how to do it...) as writing a database query that searches out all instances of "http" and replaces them with "https".

:tab I am sick of looking at the stuff right now. It is ALL I have done every evening and weekend for the last three weeks. I am going to take a few days off so I can look at it again with fresh eyes. There are a TON of steps to the whole process and I am trying to put together a detailed step by step check list to make sure I don't miss anything and to ensure I have all the bugs worked out of each step. There are a LOT of steps relating to DNS changes, email changes, getting the new SSL for the site, etc... that I know NOTHING about. So no stress there... :twitch:

:tab I'd rather be riding... :rider:
 
As for the change from http to https... I am not sure about how that will work. I think it can be as easy (for someone that knows how to do it...) as writing a database query that searches out all instances of "http" and replaces them with "https".

I wouldn't attempt to edit any of that in the database itself. Just put this in your .htaccess file:


RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]


Any URL the site creates for itself should already be setup for https (probably something like a "Site URL" setting somewhere). Then, this redirect will forward any http requests to the appropriate https version.

Ping me, I can assist (I know dns, apache, etc, but don't know a think about XF).
 
I wouldn't attempt to edit any of that in the database itself. Just put this in your .htaccess file:


RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]


Any URL the site creates for itself should already be setup for https (probably something like a "Site URL" setting somewhere). Then, this redirect will forward any http requests to the appropriate https version.

Ping me, I can assist (I know dns, apache, etc, but don't know a think about XF).

And THAT is how coders keep the world running. :clap:
 
I got lost with the 1’s and 0’s in this conversation, but thank you Scott. I’m an old guy that appreciates the civility on this site, and you keep us that way in a firm but subtle way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Those are fascinating numbers, Scott, especially regarding the volume of spam, which is astounding just by itself. The migration to ZenForo should be interesting, especially for us longtime TWTers.

It's funny you mention the backlash against big social media platforms, because I've been greatly reducing my participation in them for many of those very reasons. It's great to have a place like TWT by comparison. My prediction is that forums will make somewhat of a comeback over the next few years as people again seek out online communities that are free from the social-engineering agendas of platforms like Facebook and Google.

P.S. My post count went below 10,000, so you definitely nuked some stuff. LOL. :)

I wish I could quit Facebook, but with family all over Texas and up into Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Nevada, it's the only place I can keep track of what's going on.
 
Interesting....

Please keep Tapatalk, I don’t do Facebook or other soc media. Nice thing about specific forums is we all share mutual interests and events.


same here on keeping tapatalk, and i dont do the book of faces either.

tapatalk is the only way I choose to upload photos as well, since its easy and can be simply done from my ipotato.
 
WHEW!!!

I started reading your first post and was waiting for the big shoe to drop.
Glad all is well and we are still a big happy family.

Thanks for all the hard work.
 
Non-Facebook user here. Thanks, Scott, and keep up the good work.
 
That's admin work, not coding. Big difference.

It's all over my head at this point. I ran a BBS in the early 90's, beta tester for Mustang software, ran a ISP help desk in the late 90s prior to the bubble popping, and since then I've just been Joe User.
:giveup:
 
You guys realize Tapatalk is used because the forum in it's present form can't be used easily on your phone, but the new one gives you all the forum features easily without needing tapatalk, right?
 
1st - Thanks Scott for all the hard work.

2nd - I can't wait for the new software. Being mobile compatible will not only render Tapatalk obsolete but will allow all us users who could not stand Tapatalk to enjoy real mobile-friendly software. One people use the new software, they will appreciate its ease of usage. They will not miss Tapatalk.

3rd - allow a little advertising. I think we all agree tastefully done is good, fine, OK, and unintrusive. I realize and appreciate you are not trying to turn this into a large money machine, but you should allow it to generate a useful cash flow.


Other thoughts:

Concerning the rise and fall of user numbers over the years totally surprised me, but FB? I can't stand it and my usage is very limited. It is not easy to find anything, ads are beyond annoying, and hate is rampant. For those reasons, I let the people who revel in that type of trashing environment have it. More power to them.

Do you think the possibility of the site not being mobile friendly and many people not liking Tapatalk may have been a contributing factor in the fall of users? This occurred on our association's website. Activity dropped but business association numbers were stable. When surveyed, the response was they started waiting until business hours so they could view on Desktop. Reinforces the importance of mobile-friendly.

Of all my friends, only two use Tapatalk that I know of. Most do not seem to like it. I gave up looking at TWT on my mobile and now wait until a Desktop is handy. After the new software, I will not have to wait! Super!

Thanks again.
 
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I wish I could quit Facebook, but with family all over Texas and up into Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Nevada, it's the only place I can keep track of what's going on.

Same here. I've become somewhat dependent on it for staying in touch with distant friends & relatives, as well as promoting my musical and media endeavors. It's a double-edged sword in many ways.
 
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